[Sigia-l] "Getting the design right, and getting the right design"

[Listera]

Donna Maurer:

> My opinion is that it doesn't relate.

I agree in that what I see of the current practice of usability has a
tenuous relationship to design. (The fact *the* leader of usability refers
to designers as the 'enemy' carrying bombs that can be detonated at any time
is not purely rhetorical.)

> If you are doing the strategic aspects of design and architecture, you aren't
> doing 'usability' (even if you happen to have a usability role or work in a
> usability team).

To any designer who has been in practice for 5+ years, the vast majority of
concerns usability holds dear and exclusive should largely be second nature.
After all, the process of 'getting the right design' involves elimination of
potential choices, and much of the constraint filtering therein very much
relates to usability in general.

So now to the reason why I'm digging into this: clients confuse usability
with design. A lot of usability people think they are in the design
business. Some designers think what they do is essentially usability, etc.
The border between the two ought to be examined more, me thinks.

----
Ziya

Usability >  Simplify the Solution
Design >  Simplify the Problem