In order to survive crossing the streets of Chicago (or any large city I suppose) one must anticipate not assume approaching cars are going to stop at red lights. This, I thought, is a good way to explain how I as an interaction/interface designer try to design things. When designing something I think it’s a good idea to try to anticipate what and how someone may use what I design not assume how they are going to use it. The difference is assuming turns a blind eye to alternative possibilities, whereas anticipating sets a initial direction but acknowledges that users may have a totally different way of approaching something. It may be subtle but very important. For example, suppose I’m building a project management application. I notice that when people make to-do lists, they often categorize those to-dos by project…”these to-dos belong to ProejctXYZ”. But when creating an interface I don’t assume that every person will want to classify to-dos under a category called Projects. Rather, I anticipate this behavior but acknowledge that some may use this categorization as something completely different…”these to-dos belong to my Urgent category!”. This perspective has a significant impact on how the interface looks and how the interaction works. This anticipation makes for a more flexible and therefore more accommodating interface that users will grow to appreciate.

Technorati Tags: Interaction design, interface design