When design is not the problem
Luke Kowalski, Jeremy Ashley, Misha Walker Vaughan · 2006
When it comes to shipping quality software, design is not the hard part. Methods and techniques to study users, best practices for creating iterative designs, and tools to validate them are all very well documented. Unfortunately, in chaotic and complex ecosystems very few of the designs actually end up making it through the user-centered design (UCD) process. Interaction designers' input is either ignored or interpreted through a development/business lens and considerable fidelity is lost. As a result, designers too often throw up their hands and blame the technology or the organizations. These barriers can be overcome if designers broaden their roles and better understand other stakeholders' charters. Successful collaboration with other disciplines that make up the software development lifecycle is the key to success. Practical case studies will be discussed where usability, attractiveness, and good design were achieved through non-design means. Poor information architecture, screen layout, and task flows were not the barriers to usability. Design impact was made instead through overcoming barriers in technology, organizational structure, legal, marketing, documentation / quality assurance (QA), and development tools.