Re: FLASH: What drives the process- great design or great code?

[Brett Rampata]

dorian


very nice post. it's nice to see objective thought. 



brett rampata    |

brampatarandinteractive [dot] com

    |    4107523655


>     In an evolving field, like web design, the boundaries between areas of

> expertise can get pretty blurry. Anyone who lived through the desktop

> publishing industry's drastic changes over the last 15 years or so can see

> the similarities. The job descriptions of designers and printing technical

> experts began to merge in the middle just as is occurring in web design.

> Between these two areas there was and is a certain tension very much like

> what web designers and coders feel now. This constant jockeying for the

> position (who is the most important partner in the relationship) is the same

> stress that can be seen in web design. The stress is unavoidable and not

> necessarily a bad thing as long as there are no clear winners or losers.

>

>     In point of fact coders and designers need each other very much indeed.

> When coders have the upper hand, you get gee whiz design where the novelty

> of the trick takes precedence over clarity and ease of use for the  end

> user, and the visuals can be somewhat unsophisticated at best and sophomoric

> and unreadable at worst . When designers have free reign, you can get

> artistically beautiful objects that can be just as unreadable and as

> unusable.  Witness certain magazines of recent years where you need to have

> 20/10 vision to read them and the patience of a saint or a devotee to find

> out where the article continues.

>

>     What causes the most problems between the two camps is a certain

> defensiveness. Each knows (if they are honest with themselves) that they

> cannot really do the other's job. Both are key to the process. The old

> clich�, "I don't know a thing about art, but I know what I like." can be

> just as true when applied to code. "I don't know a thing about code, but I

> know what I like." and both are valid.

>

>      In order to really clarify the issues, it is important to define good

> design and good code.  The following are my suggestions for the definitions.

> Additions or different opinions are welcome.

> Good design is:

> 1) ease of use

> 2) visual appeal that enhances and elucidates use

> 3) getting the users attention.  (the balance between 2 and 3 are a

> challenge)

> Good code is:

> 1) ease of use

> 2) transparent ( I.e.. the user should not be aware of the hard work it took

> to achieve the final result)

> 3) getting the users attention (same balance problem)

>  Coders and designers share the same goals. It is only the means that is

> different. At the risk of sounding more pollyannaish than I would like,

> together they can achieve their goals.

>

> Dorian

>

>

> ----- Original Message -----

>

From: Tom Green <tgreen17home [dot] com>

>

To: Flash <flasherchinwag [dot] com>

> Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2000 9:20 PM

> Subject: FLASH: What drives the process- great design or great code?

>

>

>

>

>>

>> My question: , " Is there a point where collaboration between the coders

>> and the designers will find equilibrium or are we heading for a business

>> where the code drives the design?"

>>

>

>

>

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flasher is generously supported by...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     flashforward2000 and The Flash Film Festival

  "The World�s Premier Flash Solutions Conference and Expo"

 March 27-29, Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, California


-Register before Feb 25 and save $200!!-- www.flashforward2000.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com