Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really don’t remember when was the last time I read a book in a day. The author himself suggest that this is a book for one longer flight. It’s true. I would absolutely agree.

I had borrowed a copy of a book from a college at my work few years ago. I have to say second edition was worth buying. Everybody involved in creating web pages and other user interfaces should gain a lot by only reading this book.

What have I learned? Web pages should be at least self-explanatory if not already self-evident. I agree still in 2010, that there are plenty of web users who still type a site entire URL in the Google search box (or as author claims in Yahoo’s). In designing web page one should think like designing great billboards. You should make it obvious what is clickable. There is no smart answer to the dilemma wide versus deep site hierarchies. And yes, web navigation better be good. Author is a fan of tabs. Interesting. Usually the interface problem is just a reflection of deeper and harder to solve dilemma. The mission of an organization online is not the same as its (corpo)brand mission offline. All Web use is basically idiosyncratic.

One of the things I liked the most was the proposal of the Lost-our-lease testing. I surely hope that at my company we are going to try it out very soon. One funny thing I am going to remember is that FAQs are not QWWPWA (Questions we wish people would ask). It is interesting to know, in USA there is a Section 508 of the 1988 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, specifying accessibility standards for IT (and therefore web pages too).

Other books/articles that author recommends and I have to put it on my to read list is from Gary Klein: Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions and from Mary Theofanos & Janice Redish: Guidelines for Accessible and Usable Web Sites: Observing Users Who Work with Screen Readers.

Yes, actually I learned some other details too but this should be enough for you to decide whether to read this book.

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Knjiga “Digging into wordpress” nosi zelo primeren naslov, ker se spušča v marsikatero podrobnost. Sama vsebina govori tako o tem kako nastaviti prve wordpress strani ter tudi kako nastaviti in kje se nahajajo moduli (plugini). Že v startu nas opozarja na varnostne luknje in kako se na nek način zaščitimo pred njimi. Razlaga tudi v detajle in opise nekaterih splošnih funkcij, ter razloži zgradbo in grob opis kako spremeniti oz. narediti nove sheme (“template”).  Bralca pritegne tudi s komičnimi izseki, citiram “If you are buying this because your boss is making you design a site around wordpress and you are not too happy about it…Bummer”.

Navezovanje na njihovo spletno stan (http://digwp.com) je prisotno pri vsakem malo večjem članku in ob primerih za boljše razumevanje. Vendar pa knjiga ni namenjena učenju kompleksnih izdelav modulov oz. naprednemu programiranja, ki ga ponuja wordpress platforma kot taka.

“Champions may push from above, policies may sit off to one side, programs tend to be temporary and functions isolated, whether leading or lagging. In contrast, design as infusion works alongside, and especially within other functions. Managers whose responsibilities touch design do not merely accept it, but become part of it. Design thus becomes a way of life in the organization.” (Dumas and Minztberg, 1989).

Design Champion is according to one of the design consultancy approaches one of the most suitable ways for an organization to promote design. The champion could be the chief executive officer or other executive too or even an outside consultant. This person acts as a patron and even if he/she leaves the organizations there is the possibility to leave something important behind. The problems could occur when there are promoted beliefs about design rather than good design per se. In that case usually nothing tangible is left behind. This is why Dumas and Minztberg claim that design champion – be that patron, crusader, team or consultant – in only a necessary first step in order an organization to be infused with design (Dumas and Minztberg, 1989). Out of that first step there are three other options of managing design and designing management.

Design policies very often occur because “everybody” has them. They are supposed to be suitable approach if they clarify beliefs that already exist in an organization. Other wise they are of little consequence. Design program has the main disadvantage as being “temporary design”. If this program is really a part of corporate strategy then as such could have a lasting effect for other initiatives. When design is only lagging in function it could be considered as only “cosmetic design”. The products may look a little better but this is only effect. It is difficult for designer in such an organization to make a difference without firm belief and commitment. In managing design as a leading function design could end up with “encapsulated design”. This could cause problems in internal efficiency of the organization (Dumas and Minztberg, 1989).

The least formal in the most developed is supposed to be approach were design is infused in the organization. It was pointed out that design cannot be managed as just another cog in a bureaucratic wheel. The infusion of design into an organization is described also as “silent design” (Dumas and Minztberg, 1989). And this is how design becomes a way of life in your organization.

The Figure of ways to manage design is already published in on the blog Design Strategy & Branding in the Corporations in the post Why is design-aware executive extremely important for any organization?.

Surce: Dumas, Angela and Mintzberg, Henry. 1989. Managing Design Designing Management. Design Managemet Journal: 1/1, p. 37-43.

Because this is the easiest way to infuse an organization with design.

In Slovenia there are 14 corporations among top 500 in Central Europe, according to consulting house Deloitte, data from 2008. These corporations are:
+ Petrol group on the 41st place;
+ Mercator group: 46th place;
+ Gorenje group: 134th place;
+ Merkur group: 143th place;
+ Revoz: 151st place;
+ HSE group: 199th place;
+ Lek: 204th place;
+ Krka group: 208th place;
+ Telekom Slovenije Group: 238th place
+ SIJ: 312nd place;
+ Engrotuš: 330th place;
+ Salbatring: 384th place;
+ Impol at 448th place and
+ Eles at 495th place.
There is no serious research needed to know that in these corporations there is no design or design management profile close to boards or CEO-s. In we take for granted the statement from professor Robert Hayes, Harvard Business School, who few years ago said: “Fifteen years ago, companies competed on price. Today is quality. Tomorrow it’s design.” then we know that tomorrow is today. Design needs to be a continuous process and as such part of any corporate strategy.

How to infuse corporation with design was in a stylized figure below presented already in 1989 by renown authors Dumas and Minztberg. These authors claim that is much more likely to infuse an organization with design via a design champion than via a function per se, because of its informal nature. And although the reality is much more complex this is the main reason why design-aware-executive is so important. In Slovenia we had such a case already in 1960’s when Davorin Savnik was not only the art director but also an influential consultant of general manager of Iskra corporation. And Iskra had in 1970’s 35.000 employees. My guess is that it was much bigger than all the above mentioned corporations. Maybe this is the route to be followed?

Figure: Ways to Manage Design

Source of tge figure: Dumas, Mintzberg, 1989, p. 43

Sources:
Angela Dumas and Henry Mintzberg. 1989. Managing Design Designing Management. Design Management Journal: 1/1.
Saša Bojc. 2009. Neuvrščeno oblikovanje. Delo: 13.11.2009.
www.deloitte.com
more authors in T. Lockwood&T. Walton (ed). 2008. Buiding Design Strategy: Using Design to Achieve key Business Objectives.

Marko Savić, managing director at Vizuarna, strategic design consultancy. Design manager and corporate identity consultant.

Na povabilo Društva oblikovalcev Slovenije, katerega član sicer sem, sem se odzval in pripravil predstavitev na temo dizajn strategij. Kratko, desetminutno predstavitev sem poimenoval Kdo rabi dizajn strategije? Dizajn ali gospodarstvo? – Zakaj povezati dizajn in dizajn strategije v korporativne strategije?

Več o sami predstavitvi je možno izvedeti neposredno iz pripete predstavitve: Kdo rabi dizajn strategije? Dizajn ali gospodarstvo? – Zakaj povezati dizajn in dizajn strategije v korporativne strategije
Predstavitev sicer vsebuje pet točk:
+ dizajn in korporacije;
+ dizajn strategije v korporacijah;
+ sodelovanje uprav, strateških načrtovalcev, dizajn managerjev in dizajnerjev;
+ kakšna je vloga dizajnerjev v razvoju dizajn strategij?; in
+ zakaj rabimo dizajn strategije?

V predstavitvi ugotavljam, da je na strateškem nivoju  v Sloveniji absolutno premalo dizajna, dizajn svetovalcev in dizajnerjev. Nujna bi bila izraba tudi dizajn managementa, kot sem že pisal o “stopnicah dizajn managementa”. Dizajnerji bi pa na drugi strani morali podrobno in natančno poznati tako generične strategije v življenskem ciklu izdelkov ali storitev – glej prvo sliko spodaj kot tudi znati prikazati vrednost dizajna v denarju.

Slika spodaj prikazuje šest generičnih strategij s primeri izdelkov iz leta 2007 in z navedenimi primeri korporacij, ki dokaj zvesto sledijo posamični generični strategiji.

Naslednje slika prikazuje optimalen primer razvoja inovativnosti v strateških investicijskih projektih. S krogom je označena vključitev dizajn za razvoj dizajn strategije že na začetku projektov oz. investicijskih ciklov, ko je običajno denarni tok še negativen.

Če vse skupaj poenostavim. Profesor Robert Hayes, Harvard Business School je pred leti povedal: “Petnajst let nazaj so gospodarske družbe tekmovale s ceno. Danes je to kakovost. Jutri bo dizajn.” Jutri je danes. Tu in zdaj.

In kot sta ugotavljala profesorja iz mariborske in ljubljanske ekonomske fakultete jeseni leta 2009, ena od možnih strategij Mure, podjetja in ne reke, bi bila ustanovitev oblikovalskega oddelka s 500 oblikovalci, če bi želeli zadržati 3.000 zaposlenih za doseganje ustrezne dodane vrednosti.

Zaradi vsega povedanega je jasno, da bi morala vsaka resna gospodarska družba imeti postavljeno celovito dizajn strategijo znotraj korporativne strategije.

Še fotografiji. Na prvi fotografiji z leve predsednik DOS-a g. Robert Klun, predsednica uprave Peka ga. Marta Gorjup Brejc, kreativna direktorica Gorenje Design Studia ga. Lidija Pritržnik in generalni direktor Gospodarske zbornice Slovenije g. Samo Hribar Milič. Na drugi je moja malenkost v očitno zelo sproščeni pozi.

Viri:
+ več avtorjev v T. Lockwood&T. Walton (ur). 2008. Buiding Design Strategy: Using Design to Achieve key Business Objectives.
+ S. Bojc. 2009. Neuvrščeno oblikovanje. Delo.
+ www.deloitte.com
+ M. Tajnikar, K. Pušnik. 2009, Mura ni reka, je podjetje. Reševanje tekstilnega giganta. Delo, Sobotna priloga.

Marko Savić, managing director at Vizuarna, strategic design consultancy. Design manager and corporate identity consultant.

Trends, according to the Joziasse, that caused design going beyond merely estethics and/or decoration in becoming a source for gaining sustainable competitive advantage were supposed to be:
+ design as a core competency
+ integration of design into the business world
+ design management and planning as a focus for consultancies
+ the merging of business and design education:

The consequence was that some prospect corporations have developed design as a continuous element of corporate strategy.  And out of that is the claim that sustained design strategy allows companies to take leadership positions in their sectors.

Sources:
Joziasse, Frans. Corporate Strategy: Bringing Design Management into the Fold in Lockwood Th. & Walton Th. (eds). 2008. Building Design Strategy: Using Design to Achieve Key Business Objectives. DMI & Allworth Press, 257 p.
Lockwood, Thomas. Design Value: A Framework for Measurment in Lockwood Th. & Walton Th. (eds). 2008. Building Design Strategy: Using Design to Achieve Key Business Objectives. DMI & Allworth Press, 257 p.

Marko Savić, managing director at Vizuarna, strategic design consultancy. Design manager and corporate identity consultant.

Managing Oneself by Peter F. Drucker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Really interesting to find out that this book has only 60 small pages. I don’t know what I actually expected but this was a nice surprise. In the book there are some really good advices.

First thing to remember from this book in my opinion is:
+ Successful careers are not planned. But naturally one has to be prepared for it. Even more, if you succeed you should develop a parallel career.

Maybe even more important:
+ It is everyone’s duty to take responsibility for your relationships. You should ask everyone with whom you work the following question: what do I need to know about your strengths, how you perform, your values, and your proposed contribution? Naturally the answers for those question is something everybody should have for himself too, especially if you are above mid 20.

And then there is something very interesting to me. What should I know about myself in order to find out how do I perform best:
+ Am I a reader or listener? Usually one can not be both. Second thing to know is: How do I learn? By listening and reading or by writing? Or by doing? Or hearing yourself talk (usually to others). And not lest: Do I work well with people or am I a loner? And there are the other questions like: Am I a decision maker or an adviser? Do I perform well under stress? Do I work best in a big organization or in a small one? And one question that the author is explaining in more detail: What are my values?

And the last thing to remember from this book in my opinion:
+ The secret in “managing” your boss is to adapt yourself to what makes your boss most effective.

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Marko Savić, managing director at Vizuarna, strategic design consultancy. Design manager and corporate identity consultant.

HTML (HyperText Markup Language), je prevladujoč označevalni jezik za spletne strani. Zagotavlja nam sredstva za oblikovanje teksta (naslovi, paragrafi, povezave,…), opcije vstavljanja slik in drugih objektov in se lahko uporablja tudi za izgradnjo interaktivnih obrazcev (form). Lahko naložimo tudi druge skripte kot so JavaScript, s katerim lahko vplivamo na prikazovalnik (IE, FireFox,…), ali CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) s katerim si pomagamo oblikovati stran. Imamo različne ukaze (HTML element), sestavljene iz besede »tag«, katero obkrožajo kotni oklepaji <>. Na hitro: Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) je kodirna shema, katera se uporablja za kreiranje in oblikovanje spletnih dokumentov.

Primer:

<html>
<head>
<title>Hello HTML</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello World!</p>
</body>
</html>

Ukazi se nahajajo v oklepajih (<ime-ukaza>vsebina</ime-ukaza>). Z znakom / povemo, da ukaz zaključimo. Naveden primer pa nam bo izpisal na ekranu “Hello World!”.

Design, in the end, is about creating better things for people.
Along the way, it can generate better profits as well.
Bruce Nussbaum, Editorial Page Editor, Business Week

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