[Sigia-l] Classification is an essential skill

[Christopher Gomez]

//-SNIP-/2003-02-03/Jonathan Broad//

>On Sun, 2003-02-02 at 13:25, Derek R wrote:
> 	 
>> Your abstraction/categorization is 'negative
>> attention,' as I have indicated before. Pay some attention to your users
>> and not just the numbers which you can easily pull-out and fit-into your
>> pre-defined matrix of understanding. 
>
>I personally advocate both one-on-one usability sessions, the use of
>personas, *and* data mining of web usage information.  
>


>So I ask you: why ignore the demonstrably similar aspects of diverse
>user needs?  Why concentrate solely on the idiosyncratic?  I put forward
>that this is just as destructive as attending only to the general (which
>I have never advocated, nor anyone else on this list to my knowledge).
//-SNIP-/2003-02-03/Jonathan Broad//

Though I didn't have much to say about all this, I think I will just contribute this for now:

I have to agree with Jonathan's contention here. Try developing systems/products in countries where English isn't the first language. Though English may be integral to day-to-day business, but still the diversity and vast differences in culture and cultural preferences, will make any IA who focusses on idiosyncratic properties a complete nutcase. No, I'm not trying to drag anybody in mud here. I'm just stating my agreement to Jonathan's arguments in a strong fashion.

Where I'm at, we HAVE to develop "products" in 3 different languages at the bare minimum. As countries are becoming more diverse, it becomes more of a information architecture nightmare. We absolutely *cannot* cater to everybody's quirks and fancy. Trying to understand every single individual and providing them with an experience that's unique to each one of them alone, is tantamount to IA suicide.

In situations such as the ones I face, it's extremely necessary to find common ground -- common denominators. It is only within the "commonness" that we can see the differences and then work on the necessary compromises. Trying to dissect eveybody's psyche, preferences, and cultural heritage/etc is slow, unnecessarily tedious, defeats the purpose of having the word "architecture" in Information Architecture, and reflects badly on the IA that's hired to do the "right things".

I'll just stop here before I get more people lost or give another toilet illustration -- besides, Jonathan's been hitting the nail right.

Over and out,
Christopher Gomez.
==&==