Changing course

I can’t remember when was the last time I wrote a post. Every week I think for myself “tomorrow i’ve got to post something” and, eventually, that never happens.

The funny part is that when I started this blog I expected to post at least 2 times a week and never put personal stuff in here. Well it seems that life has a strange way to play with us and, after a bunch of months, this post will be about something personal.

I’ve recently and a life changing experience. Something happened that made me think about the meaning of my job, my freelance work and my material desires.

Codebits’08

Well it’s over. Codebits was a blast. I’ve the pleasure to meet great portuguese young talents and see people that I haven’t seen for a while. After 24 hours non stop I manage to do a strange presentation about my new project Rock My Tent!

Me and Pedro Custódio didn’t had the time to do a working version of the site to the presentation, so I sketched a quick layout and manage to create the subscription page to the site.

Ok…I’m a swimmer!

It seems that rumors about my spectacular swimming incident on Shift’s pizza party have been going around.

If you think the story was fun you should have seen it. So this was what happened:

I really, really, really needed to go to the bathroom. The place where we were is divided by a small river-like thing, with small bridges. As I said I really needed to go, so I start running and when I was over the bridge I slip hurt my leg and fell in the river. Suddenly somebody yield “Bruno’s disappeared!” everybody start running towards me and there I was, taking a little swim.

ZeNuno started filming, actually I hope to post the video soon.

My leg still hurts a bit but I bet I’ll always be remembered “The Shift08 Swimmer”.

Shift08

Well… it’s over!

Shift08 was awsome!

Great Speakers, Great Participants, Great Party.

After three crazy days I can finally rest a bit.

Hope everyone enjoyed it.

Usability vs Creativity

A couple of days ago a friend try to convince me how usability can be a problem in web design creativity.

After a long talk I started thinking really hard about it.

The creative work is always limited for a various number of reasons. Lets say, I would love to have a flying car but we don’t have the technology to make it happen, or a suit that change color according my mood. Of course that are people and companies walking towards that but for now designers can only dream about those things.

The design process as evolved according technical changes and at the same time forced the industry to search for new goals, but that’s a subject for another post.

So, is usability a creative blocker? I say no!

Usability is simply a guideline, of course you can ignore it, but I think that you can only broke the rules if you fully understand them and the consequences of not following them!

If you are designing a chair you need to know how people usually seat down, or the best position to eat, or to work, because all those things matter. In web design you also need to know a various number of things like, what are hotspots in your site or the way that the brain processes the information that you try to send. Is the register process on your site easy, or your users have to fill 500 forms and wait 3 days for an e-mail confirmation? Do you really think that any user dare to come back to your site?!

Don’t try to do something “Stupid friendly” just simply User Friendly. Giving a user a positive experience is giving him a reason to come back.

And how do you know if you are in the right track? USABILITY!! Hundreds of really smart guys (not like me) studied that stuff. Read it, study it, and then, if you want to, cross the line.  

The Design process have lots of guidelines and “rules”, is the understanding of that conditions and the ability to create something inside that tiny little square that makes you a good designer, and maybe, who knows, you will find a way to reinvent that square and change it to a circle.

We should be able to see the difference between an order and a advice. Usability isn’t an order is simply a friendly advice. You can follow it or simply ignore it, but either way be conscious in your choices.

Welcome

Well this is my brand new blog!

First of all a early apologize for my lousy english.

I will try to post as often as I can, but don’t expect much!

Once again thank you for visiting.