![[About]](../img/about.gif){kind=small}
![[Portfolio]](../img/portfolio.gif){kind=small}
![[Résumé]](../img/resume.gif){kind=small}
Philosophy
Design is worth caring about. As the systems we use become increasingly complicated increased investment in user experience is more important than ever. Great usability is a result of not only smart design but smart collaboration across all layers of product development. Design strategy is a critical component of this, not only to ensure quality but also to bring all the people involved into participating in bringing a superior experience to end users.
Design is easy and hard. You don't have to reinvent the wheel on every project. We are fortunate enough to be able to use the learning of others in developing interfaces. An interactive system that is more familiar to end users will provide a superior experience to one that is entirely novel. That's not to say that new interactive models are bad but if you're going to build something entirely new it is critical to ensure that it's entirely superior to any alternatives, including an existing version of the same product. The hardest part of interaction design is having the discipline to maintain simplicity and the confidence to make difficult decisions.
Design is everywhere. Formal usability labs, industry events, articles, blogs and the like are valuable resources. On the other hand there is no better way to educate and improve your own awareness and ability in UI design than being a conscientious consumer of interfaces. We all use a vast number of interfaces every day to live our lives. Think critically about all the tools you use, both digital and physical.
Contact Info
James R. Dezendorfjames@faustlabs.com
