Interview 1 - Dan Saffer: 'Interaction Design is an Applied Art'
The first point I'd like to touch upon involves the aspects of an interaction design that web designers apply a particular focus to during the creative process. Saffer is very specific when he lists that usefulness, usability and desirability are the most important elements of interaction design. He states that "If your design fills a need in people's lives, works well, and looks beautiful, you've got design gold." Although this statement probably over-simplifies the criteria for creating 'design gold', it clearly points out the three main principles of design that need to be considered during the creative process. If a designer can meet these three principles consistently then they should prove to be very succesful in the industry.
Saffer goes on to discuss the common mistakes that those who are new to interaction design often make. He says that one of these mistakes is "not coming up with enough variations—or, more accurately, not being able to come up with more alternatives. Which is to say, falling in love with one direction and not being able to see others. Often, this direction is something familiar, that the designer is comfortable with." I think this is a trap that most designers, of all standards, have probably fallen into at some point or another; myself included. The designer's skillset and creative process can become somewhat one-dimensional as the designer takes a direction that they have used before and are comfortable with. This can lead to repitition in the designer's work and eventually cause their toolset to become very limited. I believe a designer needs to experiment and learn new things, which Saffer later touches on when he mentions the need to tinker.
I would also like to briefly discuss Saffer's means of inspiration. He describes his desire for seeking inspiration in the interfaces of actual, physical machines. This is an area that I had never seriously considered as a source of inspiration for interaction design before reading this interview. I can now however, realise that sometimes it helps to think outside of the box when seeking inspiration.
The final point of discussion is Saffer's irritations/distractions whilst working. His answer included the following quotation; "My own ignorance, lack of skills, or inability to grasp new concepts. My own limitations are always more frustrating than almost anything external." I can certainly relate to this statement as I have often found myself in a position where I have an idea in my head but I find the task of reflecting this idea onto a blank canvas very challenging. It is these limitations of my own that I find to cause me the most frustration during the creative process. A way to improve on these limitations is to divulge in as much relevant information as possible to broaden your view of design.
Interview 2 - Joel Schafer: 'I'm into minimalistic, clean design'
When describing his own design process Schafer says "I always write down everything to paper before starting a software." This is also where I start my own design process (after seeking inspiration). I find that it helps to make a few rough sketches of a website design in order to help organise the various page elements in your mind and to have something visual to work from when you move onto software.
Schafer also states that a "good photographer is always good to know." This is a good example of how I could expand my own network in order to lessen my own design limitations.
When listing the languages he uses for coding, he mentions "ActionScript, html, xml and sometimes php. These languages is all I need." I think that this is a slightly short-sighted view as my belief is that you need to know whatever the client requests and this request may require coding knowledge outside of that bracket. Therefore to state that those languages are all he needs is, in my opinion, slightly ignorant as he has failed to consider that there are other posibilities.
