Overcoming Creative Barriers

difficult to overcome design notions

Benun:

Let's start with,
"I'm not going to dumb down this site just because the users can't understand it."
      This is evidence of the belief that the design, "my design," is more important than the user's experience. It's a kind of aesthetic superiority complex that I find often in creatives. It appears in relation to self promotion as well and translates as, "The world should know about me. I should not have to promote my work." Of course, it's a completely irrational point of view and is often the cause of the Feast or Famine Syndrome.

DT&G:

Feast or Famine Syndrome? Excuse me?

Benun:

Yes. Jason Fried of 37signals.com, one of the designers I feature in the book and who will be on the panel I'm moderating, Intuitive Interfaces, at the HOW Conference in June, said it most succinctly,

"It's not about what I like but what's good for the client."

That's a tough mindset for creatives to adopt, especially if they see their commercial work as their only creative outlet.

DT&G:

But won't that be solved when the designer runs into the typical client who is reluctant to adopt better marketing practices? What tricks do you use on that hard-ball boss or client?

Benun:

Sometimes, yes. Add a difficult client to the mix and it quickly becomes a design nightmare. The designer now has to convince the client that usability is important or that their users are important.
      This is actually a huge challenge for everyone involved in designing web sites. The designer can have one idea, the client another, and then usability suggests yet another. My recommendation is education -- Chinese water torture-style.
      You must show them evidence and case studies and examples of how attention to users makes for a stronger brand, which makes for higher market share, which means more money in their pockets. You really have to tie it to the bottom line and speak the language of those making the decisions. "Built for Use," a recently published book written by Karen Donoghue addresses this issue beautifully. I highly recommend it.

DT&G:

No matter what, there will still be designers and creatives out there who say "I design for myself, let the reader be hanged" what do you say to them?

Benun:

Again -- the same tactic as I use for those hard-ball clients: Chinese water torture, drip by drip of why this is not a good idea for them or their business. Until they can actually feel it, however, it probably won't have any impact. But that doesn't mean I stop dripping. We must always hope for change.

DT&G:

Ilise, if there was one overwhelming reason for any web crafter to pick up and read the book -- what would that reason be? AND, which chapter should they spend the most time with?

Benun:

I think this book is best read in the process of creating a site. I see it as a handbook or manual that you use in front of the computer, while surfing some of the sites (which have been updated since publication anyway), rather than a book you sit down and read from cover to cover.
 

I think you have to read two chapters to get the most out of this book, Chapter One, which makes the argument for user-centered design and, hopefully, describes in an accessible and slightly philosophical way, how to apply it to the graphic design aspect of a site. Then you have to read the chapter that corresponds to the kind of site you're working on.

DT&G:

I see our time has run out -- I know you've got to be moving along -- but is there one really important piece of advice, or tip to new web designers you'd like to pass along in closing?

Benun:

My advice is to constantly strive toward the goal of getting out of your own perspective and learning to understand the other, whether that other is the user of a Web site you're working on, a prospective client or simply the person in front of you. It requires a mindfulness that is very hard to maintain, especially in a culture that celebrates individuality and urges us to focus on ourselves.

DT&G:

Ilise, it's been wonderful! I really want to thank you so much for sharing this time with our readers -- I know they're loving it!

Benun:

Thanks for the excellent, thought-provoking questions that allowed me to step back a bit from the book, now that it's out and behind me, to take a wider view.

DT&G:

There you have it folks! What a great time -- and what a wonderful opportunity to chat with Ilise Benun, author of "Designing Web Sites for Every Audience"
 

Now, you can click above to read my full review of the book, or you can skip hearing any more and zip over to Amazon Dot Com and get that book in the mail today! It's a real eye-opener for dealing with the new challenges of design for any purpose! Do it today.
 

Copyright: 4/5/2003, all rights reserved

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