Getting Real (Chapter 9)

After reading chapter 9 – Interface Design, I can say that there are a lot of things that I learned; first, one must do the design first before anything else. Of course, the design should not be strict enough – meaning, do not try to perfect it yet and polish the design at once. Do concentrate on designing the big picture first and later on are the small details. Remember, designs can change and be modified. Second, I learned about ‘defensive design’, which is continually finding ways to improve the application; in other words, look for possible bugs and do the maintenance. Another one, consistency is not always consistent – there are times that you actually have it or have not. Sometimes, you need to show inconsistency in application designs. I also learned that Interface Design does not only concern button, color of screen, or graphics but also good labeling of each design element for users to understand what is happening to the application. Next thing, I learned the ‘epicenter design’; it is to design in progress starting from the very important element down to the other elements. Last, I now know that it is better not to separate application for customers and administrators. It is because to avoid double problems, and double applications to maintain and think about.

I agree to 37Signals that designs are what the customers or users see; that is why you have to make it good as possible. Actually, designs somewhat represent the application – from programming to testing and other stuff that makes up the application. Now, I know the real purpose of designs – it is not only about making the user feel excited about the application; but it also guides the developers in creating the application. The story about the ‘orange pen’ is interesting. Further, the lecture about ‘blank state’ is good; now I know what a blank state should be. More or less, a blank state gives the user a hint of what the application is.