Archive for May, 2008

First day at Clearleft

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

So yes, it’s official, the new job is with the lovely Clearleft.

© Richard Rutter, flagrantly nicked (sorry Richard…)

Just back from my first day, and I can officially confirm that commuting from Highbury will kill me. Therefore I’m also on the move to Brighton. London’s been fine to me, but I’m sure this is the right move: quality of life, walking to the office, the time of year, house prices. Lots of personal factors but mostly, of course, it’s down to the work. I’d be daft to pass up the chance to work with people this damn good, help out with dConstruct (and maybe Silverback), finally use a Mac each day, and many other things that make a web geek happy. Consider me officially chuffed, and thanks to the Clearleft guys for a splendid first day!

Posted in personal | 1 Comment »

Pragmatism, not idealism

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

I’m currently taking a short break before starting my new job (more to follow on this).

Obviously I’m relaxing and enjoying the weather, but I’m also brushing up on XHTML and CSS so I can ditch Visio wireframing and start creating live prototypes. I had planned to use this blog as my sandbox, but to do the job properly would require PHP knowledge I neither have nor want, so I’ve dropped in the WP Premium theme with a view to perhaps revisit at a later date.

I’m rather overdue in making the switch, since Visio is increasingly obsolescent for modern user experience work. Aside from its limited functionality, the page-based format makes rich interaction design hard to document. Much like with Blogger (see earlier posts), I only stuck with it to delay the productivity dip I’d get from ditching it, so this seems the perfect time.

One effect of the move to HTML is that, although I’ll still remain a user experience specialist, I expect to become a little more hands-on and versatile. This is in line with the way I personally want to develop, and I’m sure it’s the way to create better websites. Iain Tate talked about his company’s ideal hire being a “creative mini-CEO” – perhaps this is analogous, if miniaturised. Clearly designers are more useful when they talk the same language as developers and business people; think the T-shaped model but stretching out on the z-axis too.

However, as I make this move, I do notice some tendency in UX for people to drift in the other direction, and claim the high ground of hyper-specialisation. Particularly this is the case with newcomers and HCI graduates. The more I interact with them, the more I realise they clearly know the right theory, but there’s an astonishing lack of knowledge and interest in living, breathing web design. HTML seems to be a dirty word, something left to the developers.

This can’t be right.

User Experience folks are already accused (mostly behind our backs) of a certain prima donna quality, stuck in our ivory towers of cognitive psychology, user testing and LIS. We certainly don’t need more of this. Perhaps it doesn’t help that Jakob is still very much the poster child for the academic HCI community. Much as I respect some of his work, he seems to be the sole gateway drug, as witnessed by neophytes swearing fealty to all he says, to the point of dogmatism.

It seems daft for designers to reject the basic language of web standards and development. As an analogy, take reading music. As a member of a band, it helps to have an understanding of what it’s like to play other instruments; you don’t want to write parts that no one can play. And isn’t that a perfect crystalisation of the user-centred approach anyway? Understanding our customers’ environments so thoroughly that our solutions are naturally harmonious?

I’ve talked to a number of people about this issue, whilst mulling over the change. Developers in particular seem to love the idea (for natural reasons: it brings them closer to designers, and vice versa). But I also think the leaders of enlightened web companies are increasingly looking for people who have the flexibility, the breadth of understanding to help them adapt. The future needs specialists, sure, and we can still fill those roles – but more than anything the future needs specialists with extra strings to their bow: midfielders with an eye for goal, singer/songwriters, designers who can get down and dirty with the rest of the web.

Posted in user experience | 4 Comments »

Double or quits

Monday, May 12th, 2008

I’m facing a pleasant dilemma. I’m off to All Tomorrow’s Parties next weekend, and it’s without a doubt the finest lineup they’ve ever had. Unfortunately it clashes with the Cup final, which I never in a million years dreamed would matter to me. So while I wait for ticket news, I’ve plotted an elaborate transport plan to get me to Wembley and back on Saturday. It’s a 7.30am start, and a 11.35pm return. Two trains, two coaches, 3 Tube journeys, but it’s a journey I have to make, for reasons I could never adequately explain to someone who’s not a football fan. I’ll miss The National, Iron & Wine and Okkervil River, but at least I’ll be back in time for Battles, who are pretty much exactly the band I’d like to watch after winning the FA Cup.

Anyway, this could all be moot, since I don’t find out until tomorrow morning whether I have a ticket or not (it’s touch and go). It’s rather like going double or quits on Christmas.

Update: Got it. Ticket number 24,824 out of 25,000! Looks like you may have to indulge me and suffer one more football-related post early next week ;)

Posted in personal | 1 Comment »