SIGIA-L Mail Archives: RE: SIGIA-L: community cohesiveness, dir
RE: SIGIA-L: community cohesiveness, direction
From: Heller, David (david.heller_at_documentum.com)
Date: Fri Dec 21 2001 - 11:50:44 EST
> I would like to be able to call myself a *designer* once
> again and feel proud of it, knowing that it embodies the
> skill and holistic vision beyond the flash/web/multimedia
> design that is blamed for all our pain and redundancy...
Hi Timo,
Your message was great to read. It is always fun to read the musings of
someone who posts ponderings on topics long ago discussed. The outside the
moment perspective is welcome.
To me *design* is not the apt term for myself. It is missing something which
I feel is better encompassed through the word *architecture*. While design
emcompasses all that you said, and are all quite accurrately a part of what
we do here in this community as our profession. We do employ a design
process, and we do design more than experiences, and for more than users. We
also engineer. And what I mean here is that we manipulate and control some
aspect of technology in order to achieve our designs. In order to do what we
do, we must work with the technology at hand. You could say that a graphic
designer is a pixel engineer, so what's the difference? But for me we go
much deeper than the computer as canvas, into the realm of functional
specifications that other forms of design don't require. I'm talking big IA
here so bear w/ me and include interaction design, experience design, etc.
into the mix.
That being said the term *architecture* also spoke more to me than designer,
though that is my current title. The reason for that is that architects
engineer. We don't purely work in the realm of imagination. As fluid and
arguably ingenius Frank Geary's designs are, they are still based in the
reality of what can be built. His knowledge of structure, materials, even
costs of development all play the part in his designs.
Now, one could say that we are more akin to industrial designers, as they
are the non-digital experience designers of the world. They have to like
architects be cognizant of materials, cost of production, and physics as
they make their wares.
In the end I will concede that these two titles are completely arbitrary in
nature, and it is just a matter of connotation and association on maybe a
personal level that will determine one's choice.
I would disagree about what yourself and Jessica have said about user and
experience. These terms hold so very strongly for me ... But I will halt
discussion until I can get my hands on her book. "Reading Group" anyone?
(I'm in the bay area).
-- dave
David Heller
Sr. UI Designer
david.heller_at_documentum.com
http://www.documentum.com/
x5636
"if it isn't useful, it will never be usable"
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2
: Sun Nov 23 2003 - 22:54:56 EST
|
