Submission + - Who Moved My UI? Or: When is it Okay to Change Som (the-singleton.com)
Udigs writes: Nothing makes my nerd heart beat harder than good interface design. And one of the most interesting aspects about interface design is the issue of reinventing or improving well-established UI elements and conventions.
But while everyone agrees that designs can always be improved it’s not always clear what that means and more importantly, if it’s even possible.
I’ve overheard many heated arguments in which someone eventually says something like: “Everyone expects x to work like y, so you can’t change it!!” (This is usually the deathblow to the other person. They walk away, tail between legs, to go silently Facebook-stalk their ex-girlfriend.)
And you know what, this sort of system seems to work. Most of the time. But that’s only because most of the time we come up with terrible, terrible ideas. But sometimes new controls and ways of doing things do need to get designed. How to settle this age-old argument?
But while everyone agrees that designs can always be improved it’s not always clear what that means and more importantly, if it’s even possible.
I’ve overheard many heated arguments in which someone eventually says something like: “Everyone expects x to work like y, so you can’t change it!!” (This is usually the deathblow to the other person. They walk away, tail between legs, to go silently Facebook-stalk their ex-girlfriend.)
And you know what, this sort of system seems to work. Most of the time. But that’s only because most of the time we come up with terrible, terrible ideas. But sometimes new controls and ways of doing things do need to get designed. How to settle this age-old argument?