Usability
Out of context: Reply #115
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I am not protraying myself as an artist- nor would a design a site with hidden features-
I am using the examples that design, whether it be print or web content- does not work like the gas peddle on a car- it works like the remain elements- the shape and form, a subjective way of determining where the other key elements can bt place and how they will function when a user interacts with them.
The gas peddle remains constant- this is the internet-
what's on the internet and how it functions is subjective in terms of the proper way to deliver the content and have the user interact with it.Take Newstoday for example-
According to the views of usability elites-
A user would look for a menu navigation system on the left side or top of the website-not individual sets of menus at the bottom of the page.
iframes are do not work on all versions of browsers so should not be used, plus the content can not be easy indexed this way or printed or referenced alone without know how.
Only visited links should be red- not links that have yet to be visited...
ETC.
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But this website is very functional- it delivers the content and navigation in an original way without taking away from it's purpose. It suggest a first time user expierence it's purpose.It is subjective to determine if this is any worse or better than typical teachings of what is supposedly "usable".
Who determines if this communication work? The focus group? Throw some members here in that focus group and they would tell you that the design would fail- that the site is un managable. Instead we as the target audience adapted to it's form and bookmarked it's content.
So a one direction determination about what is and is not usable becomes subjective to the audience and stepping outside the "box" in this case did not bring down the purpose of this website- if anything it inforced it.