Just As I Thought

In praise of simplicity

When one looks for information, speed and clarity tends to be far more useful than glitz and glam. Just a note for you interface and web designers out there. Let the user get to what they need with a minimum of obstacle and a maximum of speed.

Here’s an example.

I looked up the “New Seven Wonders of the World” this morning. Here’s the page at Wikipedia — quick and easy, information laid out in text and easy to access, loads instantly.

Now, try this page. While you wait a few minutes for what they claim to be 46kb of multimedia data, you can scroll down the page to find a confusing array of features and links that clutter up the page. Browse through them for a while searching for information on the New Seven Wonders of the World; go back to the beginning to find that the multimedia whateveritis is still stuck on (10/11) with a spinning icon indicating that it is still loading…

By this time, you’re tired of the subject.

1 comment

  • I’m not a designer, but working in reprographics for years and years I certainly have had time spent working along side many ‘Graphic Artists’. None of which approach your level or should I say your ‘eye’ ? As a would be photographer on the side. I have what I call a photographers eye. I have come to understand that I see things differently than everyone else. And I’ve found that an understanding of web design tools doesn’t make anyone a designer any more than understanding the difference between f/4 and f/22 on a camera makes one a photographer. It’s all in the ‘eye’.

    Every time, every time, you say a design is bad, I can see it. Every time you say a design is good I can see that too. Things I wouldn’t have noticed before you said anything. but once you bring it to my attention it stands out and cannot be forgotten.

    I dream of handing my site over to you, the site I built seven years ago on Microsoft Front Page a struggling photographers first effort, and then reality steps in and tells me real artists, real designers, require payment of some kind. Generally money. Then I look at my bank account and there’s no need to even crunch some numbers. That half the page is printed in red tells me everything I need to know.

    Perhaps it’s time for me to buy a Lotto ticket?

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