Netimperative features an interview with Nico MacDonald, author of the excellent book What is Web Design. An excerpt:
- “The most common, if understandable, mistake is to assume that the Web is the best medium to use. In reality the PC-based Web browser is almost never the best platform on which to realise a client’s objectives. The PC is already overloaded with tasks, browsers are clunky, interaction models are limited, even laptops have only limited portability and connectivity, and screens represent a very small window on the world. But the bigger issues is the lack of innovation and investment beyond the Internet-connected PC.
“In developing Web sites, clients tend to be poor at writing design briefs, and often write the brief in terms of solutions rather than outlining the problem or opportunity and the constraints. They tend not to do enough research into how their intend users really live and work, limiting the possibility of getting the right design solution. They also rush to implement the technology side of a project, rather than allowing the design process to inform it. And they also push designers to present developed design solutions, rather than allowing them to work through the various kinds of prototypes that help with problem-solving and design iteration.”
I’ve got a copy of his book on my desk.