Designing the User Experience
When we think about the development of websites, we think of the back-end development, graphic design and semantic markup that are coded and combined into the finished website.
The user experience design is often overlooked. It is intangible, naturally vague and difficult to understand. However, making this user experience comprehendible is crucial to the design process.
It is very tempting to skip over the experience design and straight to designing in Photoshop. Perhaps our ego gets in the way, or we are scared of spending hours that, in the end, don’t return a tangible product.
In the end our user experience notes and research are transformed into wireframes, design comps and ultimately the finished website.
Welcoming Constraints
As software developers we often find ourselves running low on time, money or patience. While these constraints often cause frustration, they are actually good things.
Constraints are simple solutions in disguise. When you find yourself working hard on a problem and seem to be progressing slowly, take the constraint as a sign to step back and examine the problem again.
The simplest answer is usually the correct answer.
Occam’s Razor
Ignoring Constraints
It’s natural to ignore constraints. After all, they cause us pain and we are taught to keep emotions out of our business. However, ignoring these constraints will lead to software which is counter-intuitive to use.
Resist the urge to throw more money/people/time at the problem to fix it. People under pressure do not work faster and additional funds just provides an excuse to deliver late.
Exceptions
There are times when constraints are caused by other situations. You may have a more serious problem to deal with if the constraints are caused by:
- Poor planning
- Lazy people
- Bad project management
- Counter productive working atmosphere
- Distractions caused by Twitter
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