SIGIA-L Mail Archives: SIGIA-L: response to Gunnar's ?> RE:
SIGIA-L: response to Gunnar's ?> RE: more involvement in overlapping issue s
From: Robert Dornbush (RobertD_at_idapta.com)
Date: Mon Aug 21 2000 - 12:03:55 EDT
I am fully open to others' reconsideration of my work, and I try to be as
flexible as possible in meeting both the needs of the internal development
team and the client. I have certainly experienced specific cases where
either or both of the above have resulted in lower quality of the finished
product, but I have also had the joy of seeing this collective collaboration
result in improved usability. The worst case scenario is where the client
buys into a graphic design template before the IA begins, and then the
Graphic Designer tends to drive the IA rather than visa versa (and in some
cases the GD will even consult with the client on navigation issues while
leaving the IA out of the Loop). Collaboration, by definition, is a
difficult process to manage...underscoring the need for a User Experience
(mgmt.) Team as I suggested in my previous posting.
Thanks,
R2
Robert E. Dornbush, Jr.
Information Architect, Advanced Technology Group
idapta, inc.
817 West Peachtree Street, Suite 750
Atlanta, GA 30308
direct 404-214-3710
mobile 678-488-0573
e-mail robertd_at_idapta.com
www.idapta.com
idapta - Powering the eMarket Economy (TM)
-----Original Message-----
From: Gunnar Swanson [mailto:gunnar_at_pobox.com]
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 11:15 AM
To: Robert Dornbush
Subject: Re: SIGIA-L: don't we?.. call out for more involvement in
overlapping issues
Robert,
Just curious: If your organization and interaction scheme gets in the way
of the success of the graphic design, are you open to others'
reconsideration of your work?
Gunnar
>I must admit that I agree with Judy's desire to be involved in font and
>color selection. I would elect to "leave the graphic design to the Graphic
>Designers (and not step on any toes)"; however, if their implementation of
a
>GUI becomes unreadable in terms of navigation (where do I, as a user,
click?
>/ how do I find what I'm looking for ?, how do I get back to where I came
>from?), then my IA becomes a failure as well, by virtue of a domino effect.
>No matter how clearly organized the nesting and navigational schema, if the
>User cannot read what's on the screen [and from what she sees figure out
how
>to navigate], then the IA is a failure. A simple example I came across
>recently was dark purple header bars with black text (at 7 or 8 pt. size)
on
>top of them. UNREADABLE, I cry.
>
>I think that a good IA brings a mélange of various experiences to the
table,
>and that this "Jack of all trades" background is not only a prerequisite,
>but also a value add. For me, Graphic Design is one of those value add
>skills, for someone else it may be technical writing, for yet another it
may
>be database design. We, as IA's, must resist the temptation to demand
>control over every aspect of a project (...the physician's "God Complex"
>rears its ugly head in the world of software design), but we must also be
>brave enough to stand up for what we believe in, and stand our ground when
>compromises in quality threaten to liquidate the integrity of a finished
>product. Champion the User Experience and collaborate with fellow User
>Experience specialists to deliver a superior product!
>
>Robert E. Dornbush, Jr.
>Information Architect, Advanced Technology Group
>idapta, inc.
note new information:
----
Gunnar Swanson Design Office
536 Catalina Street
Ventura CA 93001-3625
v: +1 805 444 4532
f: +1 805 715 2005
e: gunnar_at_pobox.com
director, multimedia program
California Lutheran University
v: +1 805 493 3241
e: gswanson_at_clunet.edu
Robert E. Dornbush, Jr.
Information Architect, Advanced Technology Group
idapta, inc.
817 West Peachtree Street, Suite 750
Atlanta, GA 30308
direct 404-214-3710
mobile 678-488-0573
e-mail robertd_at_idapta.com
www.idapta.com
idapta - Powering the eMarket Economy (TM)
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