[IxDA Discuss] Apparently, IxD is not obscure enough

[Andrei Herasimchuk]

On Aug 23, 2007, at 5:29 PM, Robert Hoekman, Jr. wrote:

> I, as an interaction designer, make recommendations and *everyone*  
> has an
> opinion. This is normal, of course, and I expect it. But my  
> accessibility
> expert makes recommendations and shoots down ideas left and right, and
> everyone just bows down and concedes.

My advice, if you don't mind me stepping in... Stop making  
"recommendations" and start designing.

Whenever I have issues about people questioning my judgement, I find  
that getting back to acting like a designer -- as one who makes  
decisions, builds prototypes, draws pixel accurate mockups, writes  
technical specs, drives a meeting to consensus and resolution, and  
generally keeps pressing forward with the project -- tends to clear  
it right up.

If there's any "truth" I've learned about being a designer, it's that  
doing and building is if anything the correct approach. So I always  
work towards building prototypes, regardless of the project. My  
entire process is set up around driving towards a prototype. It's  
really hard to argue with a functioning prototype and really easy to  
argue with a vague wireframe or workflow diagram.

There's no need to make it more complicated. In fact, I think what  
you are experiencing is that you aren't making it simpler for people  
to agree with you. Start creating deliverables that make it simple  
for others to go your way. In my view, that's what a prototype provides.

--
Andrei Herasimchuk

Principal, Involution Studios
innovating the digital world

e. andrei at involutionstudios.com
c. +1 408 306 6422