A good designer always works to keep the form, function and the aesthetic quality of a design in balance throughout the life of a project. Just because something looks good doesn’t mean its useful. And just because something is useful does not make it beautiful.

More often than we want to admit, we use glitz and glam—or worse, the current popular design trend—to hide the areas where we simply dont have an elegant solution appropriate to the problem at hand. It is too easy to get caught in the trap of focusing on “making it pretty” without giving consideration to the actual purpose of the design.

At the same time, a designer should understand that even the most utilitarian product can benefit from subtle, refined aesthetic treatments and turn what is a dull and boring, yet necessary, task into something enjoyable and engaging.

The most elegant solution will yield a design that is gracefully tempered with restraint and precision—both useful and beautiful.

-52weeksofux

After years of speculation, Apple finally released a tablet computer yesterday called the iPad. There was fanfare! There was rejoicing!

There was also much criticism: everything from it doesn’t have a camera or USB port to it doesn’t support Flash or HDMI out to it doesn’t let you multi-task. In 24 hours we have dozens of reasons why the iPad will fail in the marketplace.

But what if the iPad simply isn’t for the people who are critiquing it? What if the experience the Apple designers have in mind isn’t the one the tech writers and bloggers have been dreaming about for a half-decade? What if you, early-adopter geek fanperson, aren’t actually the target audience?

Humans suffer from a subjective viewpoint. We see the universe with us at the center of it. It’s almost impossible to gauge anything outside of our own desires…when we size up a new gadget such as the iPad we consider first and foremost: “What good is it TO ME?”.

User experience designers, however, cannot long suffer this fate. We must design (and hopefully critique other designs) from a more objective viewpoint.

As our initial subjective viewpoint fades, we might consider the iPad anew. Judging from the videos and early reviews, it makes many common activities very easy such as email, watching videos, and sharing photos. So let’s ask: “Who out there, what market, is this attractive to?”

The iPad is attractive to people for whom a laptop is overkill. Many spouses, parents, siblings, and children in our lives do not use computers in the same way we do. They are likely the primary audience for this device…the people who don’t need single pixel precision but can get by on single finger precision. They may use the iPad in the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, even the bathroom. But they probably won’t use it in the office…

As designers and critics we must get out of our own head. Subjectivity is a crude lens through which great, audience-appropriate design cannot see.

-52weeksofux

I’ve heard it so many times: “I can’t sketch a stick-figure to save my life.”

Some people are afraid of showing their drawing to others. They think they’ll be ridiculed if their sketch looks like it was drawn by a five-year old.

In truth, it doesn’t matter if you are good at sketching. The less formal the sketch, the better. In fact, avoid the urge to use a pencil as it leaves too much room for you to ponder, erase, re-draw, second-guess…

But a permanent marker, now you’re talking. A nice big, fat Sharpie is the perfect tool because it requires you to really think through your idea before you put the pen to the paper. “What if it doesn’t work or the layout’s all wrong? ” Great! Grab a new piece of paper and start from where you left off, having learned something valuable in a matter of minutes.

The sketch is not the end goal. The end goal of the drawing process is what you learn while sketching. So don’t worry if you can’t sketch. In fact, if you’re too good you might just fool yourself into thinking your sketch is a deliverable. It’s not. The real value of sketching is that it allows you to explore and refine ideas in a quick, iterative and visual manner with little overhead or learning curve. Rapid ideation around flow and interaction, layout and hierarchy, can be quickly established, rearranged or discarded wholesale—all without ever touching a computer.

One added benefit to sketching your ideas is the ability to share, collaborate and improve upon an idea. Show a stakeholder the sketch and then encourage them to mark it up. You can even give them the red pen and let them revel in the power!

In the end, you will gain a deeper understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, and a head-start on implementing a great design!

-52weeksofux

A rather different approach to the classic game. First-Person Tetris

Pastebot is a beautiful iPhone app from Tapbots, designed by Mark Jardine and developed by Paul Haddad.