[Sigia-l] modernism (was "seeking rules")

[Patrick Hunt]

Julian Richards wrote:
>
>Eric Scheid wrote, with regards to "user-unfriendly" Modernist architecture:
> 
> "Are we heading for a similar plague of Modernism in HCI?"
> 
> Modernism in architectural design emerged precisely to address the needs of
> working people: it was an
> experiment in social transformation.
> 
> The modernist concept of "purist" rules that lead the architect always to
> refine and simplify design, dispensing with ornamentation, is not that far
> from the concept of "aesthetic and minimalist" interface design.
> 

I would hardly categorize Modernist architecture or analogous trends in HCI
as plagues, but that's another argument.

I take great joy in attempting to distill an element to its essence,
reducing the materials (or more broadly, the "inputs") to the necessary.
There can also be great economic value in achieving an honest and accurate
simplicity.

At the same time, it would be a crisis of the creative mind if all websites
were developed according to purist principles, standards and conventions.

The key challenge is to understand the characteristics, motivators, needs
and behaviors of the users, and to balance these against the communications,
sales/marketing, financial, operations, customer service and other needs of
the organization.

A web application (or application-like processes within a site) should tend
more toward purist principles, though we are beginning to use things like
DHTML layers to generate menus for complex applications. The question we are
asking ourselves is "how can we make sophisticated use of advanced
technologies to create an even simpler, more effective experience."

We've also molded a marketing-oriented site away for the expected navigation
labels, because the more accurately descriptive labels fell short of some
extremely important branding considerations.

Good Modernist architecture achieved similar results. (I fear citing
examples before I take the time to do proper research, and because it could
bring my argument crashing down... )

Here's hoping that HCI, information architecture and web design have as
robust, diverse, cyclical and evolving histories as architecture, and that
we have identifiable periods of extremes, much in the same manner as
Modernist Architecture. Because it is during these times of extremes that
the deep explorations in one direction, beneficial in their own right, give
rise to critical and original thought in other directions. I'm not a fan of
everything Jakob Nielsen advocates (in fact, there is much I disagree with),
but I appreciate the role he plays in pushing us to one extreme.

pH

> From: Julian Richards <jrichards at blastradius.com>
> Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 17:05:42 -0700
> To: "sigia-l at asis.org  " <sigia-l at asis.org>
> Subject: [Sigia-l] modernism (was "seeking rules")
> 
> Eric Scheid wrote, with regards to "user-unfriendly" Modernist architecture:
> 
> "Are we heading for a similar plague of Modernism in HCI?"
> 
> Modernism in architectural design emerged precisely to address the needs of
> working people: it was an
> experiment in social transformation.
> 
> The modernist concept of "purist" rules that lead the architect always to
> refine and simplify design, dispensing with ornamentation, is not that far
> from the concept of "aesthetic and minimalist" interface design.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Content Management Symposium, Chicago O'Hare Marriott, June 28 - 30.
> See http://www.asis.org/CM
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