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And curse you Dan Saffer too. You guys made me quit my job!
Sometimes someone comes along and formulates clearly and precisely a problem that you are struggling to see clearly in your head. Here I was, thinking about problems at work when I came a cross an exchange these two gentlemen had on the IxDA mailing list. And it immediately was clear to me what to do. I had to quit. I'm not joking :-) I'm available for hire as of today: mhjerde at gmail dot com.
Here is a part of the IxDA mailing list exchange:
Scott Berkun wrote:
Yes - I'd go even further and blame development tools. Here's a theory:
1. The design of development tools is indifferent to the making of good UI.
2. Programmers are efficient (or lazy :)Therefore
3. Programmers will tend to make bad UI... until development tools make it almost as easy to make good UI as it is to make lazy UI.
A development tool that makes it easy to follow basic UI guidelines is 20 times more valuable than any book on UI design. Instead of blaming programmers, it'd be better to aim at the programmers who make tools for programmers.
Dan Saffer wrote:
Designers are getting involved in those too. One could argue, in fact, that the most important interaction (and visual design) being done today is in the "tools for making other tools" realm. Baking in good design farther upstream will yield better results for everyone downstream.
Make it easy to do good.
These guys can get a point across!
Leaving mBricks
mBricks builds a tool for programmers that makes it easier to create mobile applications. My main task at mBricks was to make the tool better from a UI design perspective. To make it easier for developers to create a great UI with mBricks. But despite good intentions, little programming resources were spent "baking in good design upstream".
Resources are always limited and any company has to decide where to invest its energy. Investing in a great user experience would have been a bold and differentiating move, and I was excited about that!
Alas, I don't design for paper. If my work is not making it into the product, I'm in the wrong place. I've decided it's time for me to move on.
So.
Anyone knows who's hiring in London now?
PS
I love the guys over at mBricks, and I wish them the best. Who knows, maybe we'll do some work together some time in the future.
Amen!
Posted by: Whitney Hess | July 09, 2008 at 14:49
I've just sent you an email!
Posted by: Simon Richardson | July 09, 2008 at 10:37
Oh man. Their loss is someone else gain! You should talk to Jason at Paxmodept. (I'm in the U.S.)
ceo
Posted by: C. Enrique Ortiz | July 09, 2008 at 00:59