User design is one of the most important aspects of technological work. To get it right we have to remember that the medium really is the message. So what message do you want to send?
In a talk about the use of technology in the foreign language classroom, Vinodh Venkatesh drew upon linguistic theory of “languaging” to describe the best application of technology. The idea is that words aren’t just a neutral medium; they actively participate in the creation of meaning in a social setting.
He contrasts this with the awkward term “technologizing,” when technology actively hinders the learning process. You know the drill: 7 clicks to find the information you’re looking for on a website, cluttered interfaces that force you to flinch involuntarily, or programs that don’t seem to remember your preferences no matter how many times you click the alert box away.
My design philosophy is simple, whether you are trying to assist your users in learning, information seeking or just loosening their wallets: get out of the way.
The less that the design slows down their smooth passage to their goal, the better it is. There is magic in making an interface disappear.
Of course, this is easier said than done. The beauty and simplicity of a well-built website can definitely be a hard-won struggle, or even a lifelong process. To quote Bruce Lee:
One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.
The same principles apply to systems analysis and the creation of a workflow. I believe (and perhaps this is the result of reading too much Zen and Taoist thought) that systems should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.
Getting out of the way is precisely what makes the newest offerings from tech companies so exciting. The iPad seems to promise computing so intuitive even your grandmother or a monkey could understand it. Microsoft’s promising Natal Project takes this process a step further, using a 3D camera to take a Wii-like interface to a new level, with nothing to hold. Moreso though, with facial and voice recognition built in, Natal promises to pick up your video game where you left it last week, and automatically connect you with your set of friends.
The technology to pull this off is anything but simple, but the user experience is able to convey a much more powerful message when there is even less ‘there’ there.
As they say in the Agile Manifesto:
Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount
of work not done–is essential.
This is true of the creator, but it is also true of the user. The less work involved in an interaction, the better.
Google (and dare I say Bing) trumps Yahoo and AOL for search, because it knows its design is fundamentally about the search box.
Some products exist solely to clean up the poor design of other people. Two bookmarklets do just that: Readability gives the web beautiful, clutter free text; Quietube gives the it clutter-free video.
Both bring the user fresh air, blowing through the empty spaces.
