Design by or for the people?

My 'Second sight' column in the Guardian’s Online section has been published. It argues that although user-centred design is now widely accepted the emphasis on its usability component limits innovation. I contend that designers should trust their skills and design for what people deserve, not what consumer research tells us they need, or usability tells us they are capable of. I have published a longer version of the piece entitled 'Design by or for the people?' on my site. This version is more explanatory and more mediated than it is possible to be within the 500 word Guardian limit.

Comments

[Andrew]

I think many (most?) designers would agree with your assesment of usability as an increasingly limiting constraint.

I would argue that Dell, and sites like it, aren't terribly good examples of where the kind of innovation you're describing can or should take root. Dell.com isn't an appropriate place for strong design innovation. For all of its business innovation, Dell is a deeply conservative company, driven almost purely by cost-cutting measures. (Not for nothing is their Texas headquarters designated a federal trading zone.) What is the place of UI innovation in a company that is actively seeking a way to move every job--every job--overseas?

The appropriate customer experience of Dell.com, both in terms of its customers and its business needs, is one driven soley by "conservative" usability. Bemoaning the "deadlock" in UI design here is totally beside the point.

(The longer version of the Guardian essay wasn't available when I tried to read it, so I apologize for missing your arguments there.)

[Beth Mazur]

How about design *with* the people? I'm sympathetic to your point that users aren't designers and, on their own, would be unlikely to identify potentially new and useful solutions to problems. But I'm not yet convinced that the current dismal situation with software and web design is solvable in the near term primarily by innovation. I'm not a Nielsen zealot, but his recent Alertbox that ends with the comment "that continuous quality improvement is the way to true excellence" is somewhat compelling.

What I'd like to see is more discussion about the middle ground between user-centered design and designer-centered design. I also think that other perspectives on innovation (like this one I just unearthed by Andrew Hargadon: http://www.acm.org/ubiquity/interviews/v4i30_hargadon.html) would be useful too!

[Flugelman]

In my experience usability is rapidly becoming a buzzword bandied about by head-wobbling marketing executives and is most useful as a justification for a design that business types can understand.

[Serge, designer]

I think we can argue for ages what should the design have, how should the front-end look. Well, it's really interesting and no one knows the answer since the users want one thing, while the designers - a completely different one.