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

[Lee Hsieh]

Ziya wrote:

> 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.

I agree with your 1st paragraph but get the impression that you're stuck on the title of 'Designer' as an all-encompassing umbrella.  What exactly are you refering to here as it is a somewhat nebulous term yet specific to many.  Are you focusing on SW architure, visual design, UI design, Industrial Design, Information Design, Graphic Design, etc...which one?

In terms of your second statment, i think hiring mgrs/clients are catching on that design(ie, IA, UI, visual design) is closely linked with usability(eg, prototyping, feedback, testing, etc) and that hiring seperate individuals for each can be an impediment. Hence the growing demand for 'User Experience' professionals who take a multi-dsciplinary approach to development and can bridge the gap between strategy and tactical, business and development.

Personally, I place less value on titles whether they be Designer, IA, UX, CEO, VP, etc. and more on what value-add one brings to the table within a project and to other team members.

Lee