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Archives for Process
Bloat
Posted by Justin on Aug 15, 2007We recently launched another Drupal-powered website, and one minor requirement was a custom node-type that included a date field.
We needed to output a simple date… say, something like:
<div class="date">Saturday, August 18, 2007</div>Turns out Drupal likes dates a bit fatter:
<div class="field field-type-datestamp field-field-date"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"> <span class="date-display-single"> Saturday, August 18, 2007 </span> </div> </div> </div>Which led to yet another conversation between myself and Ken regarding Drupal, some of the disconnects between that CMS and our process, and their solutions.
Needless to say, there remains no one-size-fits-all solution. The features offered by Drupal, its vocal and active community, and its highly modular architecture make it an incredibly effective product for a wide range of implementations. On the other hand there are significant sacrifices — for one, ridiculous HTML-bloat. Or, when it’s worth it, there is the time lost trimming that same bloat.
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Working for Non-profits
Posted by Justin on Jun 13, 2007We love working for non-profits and cultural heritage institutions. Why? Two simple reasons.
1 - They do business like everybody else.
There are many misconceptions about non-profits, the biggest of which classifies non-profits as non-paying (or little-paying) customers. A couple years ago we posted a note about an open position to a well-known design forum, and mentioned that we do a lot of work for non-profit organizations. One of the replies was something to the effect of, “non-profit = no profit.”
That just isn’t so. We’ve seen no measurable, categorical difference in the budget assumptions made by non-profit organizations as compared to the assumptions made by their for-profit counterparts.
2 - The reasons they get up and go to work in the morning are, by-and-large, amazing.
Most non-profits are inherently driven by greater purpose, vision, and mission. We’ve had the opportunity to be involved in some truly amazing efforts, efforts where our work — connecting clients to their users in meaningful ways — becomes both incredibly important and rewarding.
Over the years we’ve been involved with organizations working to:
- Eradicate poverty housing
- End world hunger
- Elevate the standard of living for children globally
- Preserve history and culture for the benefit of present and future generations
- Provide medical care where it would otherwise be unavailable
- Promote global literacy
- Translate the Bible into mother-tongue languages of the world
- Engage children to be advocates against poverty
What an honor.
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Not My Baby
Posted by Ken on Apr 20, 2007I am all about process. I love process. I feel secure knowing that when I finish one step, there’s another step right there waiting for me. Having a solid process is liberating, allowing you to focus more on what you’re doing, and less on what you should be doing. All that said, there are parts that can be difficult and frustrating if approached from the wrong angle. Giving and receiving criticism can be one of the hardest and most vital parts of making an effective design.
Let it all out
Giving feedback can be really hard. Sometimes, the design looks good and the only feedback you have is minor. But often this is not the case. Sometimes you have so much criticism that it feels like you’re punching the designer repeatedly in the gut. You can almost see the tears well up in their eyes. Negative criticism is not bad, it’s part of the process. How you give criticism can be the difference between a constructive meeting that benefits the design and an all-out battle where the designer goes on defense and nothing is gained. Here are a couple guidelines that may help:
- Make your case
If your suggestions make sense and have logical benefits to the design, this is the easiest way to help. - Pull your punches
Make sure you say everything you’re thinking — this is vital for the critique to work — but watch out for insulting language. They don’t call it “constructive” criticism for nothing. - Don’t make it personal
There’s a big difference between personal opinion and relevant feedback. No one cares if you don’t like pink, never liked pink, and in fact choked on bubble gum as a child and are traumatized by the color pink. What matters is that the color of the secondary callout is too bright and is stealing the focus from the main callout on the home page which adversely affects the way a user navigates… you get the point.
Take it all in
Design can be a very personal thing. I often get attached to a design and think, “Wow, what a perfect little thing you are. You’re so pretty and functional and you’re going to do great in the world!” Then I get some criticism, and my perfect little thing isn’t so perfect anymore. I get defensive and frustrated and I have to remind myself that this is work, and if there’s something wrong with my work, I need to hear it.
- Acceptance is the first step
For a design process to get the best results, you must open your work up to criticism. It’s important to get opinions from everyone — project managers, content specialists, programmers, spouses, friends — not just designers. Then actually listen to what everyone has to say. Don’t get defensive, they aren’t trying to insult you. Remember, you asked for it. - A glutton for punishment
It can be hard enough asking for criticism once. Going back for a second helping almost seems foolish. Do it anyway. Get feedback whenever you reach a good stopping point, make changes, and repeat until there’s nothing else to critique. - It’s not your baby
…it’s your clients’ baby, er, website/brochure/what-have-you. You can be as proud of your design as you want but if it doesn’t work for your client, you’ve failed. Ultimately, it all comes down to what your client thinks and the effect it has on their business.
I can’t stress enough how important criticism is to an effective design process. Incorporating it into key points along the way can really help a design. Whenever you think you’ve completed a milestone, open your work up for criticism and see if everyone else agrees. If not, listen to what they have to say and use their feedback to finish your work. Remember, process is key, and criticism is a key part of the process.
- Make your case
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An Event Apart Boston
Posted by Justin on Apr 02, 2007An Event Apart Boston came and went a week ago. The conference was amazing. Nine expert speakers presented on a range of topics from the conceptual to the practical. I’ve never been so happy to sit in one place for so long.
Some Highlights
Think
PositiveNegativeIn his presentation Good vs Great Design, Cameron Moll pitched the idea that design should be problem-focussed, not solution-focussed.
Well put. We’ve spent many critique sessions backpedaling when a design isn’t working, retracing our steps invariably to the original goal, or problem. Now we have a mantra for times like these. Focus on the problem. Or, just like they didn’t tell us growing up, think negative.
Project Managers are Superstars
The conference was largely technical, devoting hours and hours to the methods of implementation. In all that, one point still couldn’t be missed: project managers are invaluable. No problem is truly understood, no goal established, and no solution designed without an effective project manager in the middle. And the middle isn’t always comfortable.
For Best Results, Over-think
Details can be tiny little pitfalls, inviting designer and client alike to pass on by. Not a good idea.
Jason Santa Maria summarized the point perfectly: “Sweat the Small Stuff.” That line was great validation for all times we’ve pulled together a meeting to discuss a font size, a color, the name of a class selector, or an approach to marking up a chunk of content.
Our Senior Designer Knows His Stuff
It’s nothing new, but very exciting all the same. The final session was a site-critique. We didn’t submit anything corporately, but our Senior Designer Ken Woodworth did submit a site he designed for a friend: www.parkviewbaptist.net
It’s the first site that the panel critiqued. Needless to say, Ken was a little nervous.
Usability expert Steve Krug opened the critique by saying that he wasn’t planning on staying for the session, but that www.parkviewbaptist.net is the reason he did. He praised the site from a usability perspective. Eric Meyer complimented the (X)HTML/CSS implementation. Jeffrey Zeldman, Jason Santa Maria, Dan Cederholm, and Cameron Moll complimented the design.
It’s worth stating that amidst the compliments the panel offered some well-placed suggestions. Within a day Ken had followed up on all of them. You might say, ehem, he sweats the small stuff.
