Clearly the risk of losing a sale is greater than the risk of gaining additional sales. I was, at the very least, happy that they included the option (albeit in a very inconvenient location).
Monday, January 31, 2011
Shopping at Amazon
I had squirreled away several amazon gift cards and decided one lazy afternoon to put them to good use (video games and books, of course). I got to the final checkout screen and realized I had a few more dollars I could spend. I just wanted a little button to continue shopping, but amazon removes all their standard options to leave the checkout process. Finally I see this little tiny link all the way at the bottom of the screen.
Clearly the risk of losing a sale is greater than the risk of gaining additional sales. I was, at the very least, happy that they included the option (albeit in a very inconvenient location).
Clearly the risk of losing a sale is greater than the risk of gaining additional sales. I was, at the very least, happy that they included the option (albeit in a very inconvenient location).
Friday, January 28, 2011
Finding Holes in Design Education
I happened upon a listing at a local college for a Graphic Arts Instructor. Reading through the description, it asked for a sample lesson plan. That got me thinking back to my own education and experiences as a Multimedia assistant. The classes were a lot of fun and I learned a lot, but I still felt unprepared for my release into the wild.
A decade later I can easily see the holes in my classes. The things I would have done differently. We had communication classes, but those classes were not about communicating design. We had writing classes, but those classes were not about writing about design. We debated law, but not the laws of design. I knew the skills, but not how to defend my work.
Everyone has an opinion on design. Some people are extra nice and say everything looks great. These people are not helpful. Some people are extra entitled and strong arm you into making changes which you deem as grave offenses against design. Some people trust you to make the right decision and inquire as to why you made the choices you did. They then point out a flaw to your logic and give you the opportunity to fix your own mistake. These last people are usually designers.
I had a manager who had not a creative bone in his body. He did not understand design or the design process. He would frequently ask for detailed explanations on the design process and why those were needed. He would look a web page and consider it done because there was text showing up on it. He could not see what could be, the stumbling blocks a user might face, or how a few minor adjustments could make the page better. He's a much more common occurrence in wild than I'd care to admit.
If I was given free reign over a design major, I don't think too many would enjoy my boring communication classes, but I'd assure them the confidence and capability to defend their work in the wild.
A decade later I can easily see the holes in my classes. The things I would have done differently. We had communication classes, but those classes were not about communicating design. We had writing classes, but those classes were not about writing about design. We debated law, but not the laws of design. I knew the skills, but not how to defend my work.
Everyone has an opinion on design. Some people are extra nice and say everything looks great. These people are not helpful. Some people are extra entitled and strong arm you into making changes which you deem as grave offenses against design. Some people trust you to make the right decision and inquire as to why you made the choices you did. They then point out a flaw to your logic and give you the opportunity to fix your own mistake. These last people are usually designers.
I had a manager who had not a creative bone in his body. He did not understand design or the design process. He would frequently ask for detailed explanations on the design process and why those were needed. He would look a web page and consider it done because there was text showing up on it. He could not see what could be, the stumbling blocks a user might face, or how a few minor adjustments could make the page better. He's a much more common occurrence in wild than I'd care to admit.
If I was given free reign over a design major, I don't think too many would enjoy my boring communication classes, but I'd assure them the confidence and capability to defend their work in the wild.
Truth or Dare
The truth:
Newly unemployed and not wanting to go stir crazy in the cold winter months of January, nor did I want my finely honed design instincts to dull from lack of real social interaction or daily design challenges, I gathered some creative resources (close designer types) and asked if they'd like to contribute to a blog about the design world. They did, and this was born of our creativity at large. Actually, Jen first suggested the idea, I just added the elbow grease.
The dare:
The name of this blog stems from an interaction I had with a former coworker. He was responsible for organizing learning seminars. For each brochure he would suggest the title "Bigger and Better Than Ever!" He once suggested the very same slogan for a "1st Annual" (also his idea) seminar. He was a lawyer and swore with a smile that it was technically accurate. He made more money than me and was old enough to be my grandfather. Who was I to argue?
Newly unemployed and not wanting to go stir crazy in the cold winter months of January, nor did I want my finely honed design instincts to dull from lack of real social interaction or daily design challenges, I gathered some creative resources (close designer types) and asked if they'd like to contribute to a blog about the design world. They did, and this was born of our creativity at large. Actually, Jen first suggested the idea, I just added the elbow grease.
The dare:
The name of this blog stems from an interaction I had with a former coworker. He was responsible for organizing learning seminars. For each brochure he would suggest the title "Bigger and Better Than Ever!" He once suggested the very same slogan for a "1st Annual" (also his idea) seminar. He was a lawyer and swore with a smile that it was technically accurate. He made more money than me and was old enough to be my grandfather. Who was I to argue?
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