My first article, The
Designer Is Dead, Long Live The Designer!, went up over at Digital Web today
(or rather yesterday, while I was asleep). This first article is part of a series
of columns entitled Art
of Interaction.
Everyone agrees that a good user experience is important but many miss the
fact that design plays an integral role. In current and future columns I will
assess the importance of aesthetic quality (or attractiveness) in user interface
and web design, examining an assortment of topics.
In this first publication I discuss why aesthetics is important when it comes
to designing a web site, or any interface for that matter. Some
people on the web have argued
that “making things pretty” is irrelevant. Function and usability
first, design second, so it seems. I disagree. In this column I will go as far
as stating the contrary: design comes first, usability second.
It’s about time we put design back on the agenda! Read
more.
