Using Data to Inform Design

Back in November I gave a presentation at DC Refresh titled Designing for One Billion People. One of the strategies I mentioned was being data-informed, rather than data-driven. The idea is that research and testing should be used to test hypotheses and inform decisions, but at the end of the day a designer has to base his or her decisions not just on numbers, but also other priorities like brand identity, business strategy and common sense.

[If you haven't already read it, Jeff Gothelf wrote a great post about this topic: "You vs. The Data: When to Stop Optimizing and Start Thinking."

This week, I have the privilege of joining Craig Green (web strategist at Network Solutions) and Paul Koch (marketing specialist at Viget Labs) on a DC Refresh panel moderated by Motley Fool's Greg Robleto to discuss data-driven design:

"This month’s event focuses on the science of making data-driven design decisions and the art of knowing when to listen and when to ignore the numbers. Join us this upcoming Thursday at Viget Labs for a panel discussion with seasoned experts in design, development and strategy as we discuss techniques, tips, and helpful tools for making calculated design decisions."

If you're interested in attending, we'll be at Viget Labs this Thursday evening at 6:30pm, May 19th. You can register (it's free) at Eventbrite:

• http://refreshdc-may2011.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you there- be sure to say hello!

A little bit of history repeating

I like to use Things, a task management application, to wrangle all my day-to-day todos and projects. After trying several different applications, I chose Things largely because it seamlessly syncs to my iphone, ipad and mac laptop, and has just the right mix of powerful features that don't get in the way of just wanting to quickly manage todos.

This post from Cultured Code's blog describes the team's approach to designing just one dialog: creating repeating events. This potentially complex interaction has been done very well, and very badly, in various calendar and todo applications. Here's an example of a team that got it right, and how they approached the design process.

Habemus Dialogum – We Have a Dialog


 P.S. For those recognizing the lyrics referenced in the title of this post: