What additional cognitive load will that put on the user? What items will that deprioritise or dilute? Good consequence questions include the following:
For example, imagine a designer has been asked if a new link should be added to the first or second level menu. When exploring a specific problem, we should look not just at current context,īut also at future consequence. Designers use techniques such as persona development, jobs to be done and features vs goals to ask good questions. The very best questions explore context and consequence. Casuistry is an effective tool in the designer’s armour too, as it provides a method of identifying potential design solutions from problems which are quite like this one, offering the designer a frame of reference from which to draw a conclusion.ĭesigners therefore can get beyond “it depends” by exploring comparative design solutions which solve a similar problem and investigating their relative performance. It does this by extracting or extending theoretical rules from a particular case, and carefully considering how similar or dissimilar those rules are to the dilemma at hand. FramingĬasuistry is a framing technique used by philosophers and religious leaders to explore novel moral problems. Here are some methods by which that can be achieved. So that is exactly how the enquirer’s question should be addressed – the designer should lead a conversation which descends into the particulars. “It depends” encourages us to explore and understand the particulars. “It depends” cautions us against the bluntness of principles. And that’s the bit that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. At some stage the designer needs to leave their ivory tower and address the question in hand. But it doesn’t solve the enquirer’s problem of having their question satisfactorily answered. “it depends” solves the designer’s problem of avoiding any manner of bias. It compels designers to fully explore the problem before considering a solution,Ĭontrolling our worst urges to overconfidently jump to the conclusion. To be suspicious of black and white answers and to acknowledge that nearly all design decisions involve trade–offs and subtle interdependencies. It is a well–intentioned response by the design community to avoid generalities, “It depends” sits in the pantheon of UX design industry clichés alongside post–it notes, sharpies and overpriced lattes.
0 kommentar(er)
