Everything is an argument
(flickr tag: argument)
One of the things I remember best from my writing classes in college was the premise that everything is an argument. No matter what you are writing or designing, you are making an argument of some sort. For instance, if you’re designing a travel website, you’re making the argument that this is the best site to use — all the elements should work together to convey that information and persuade the user that your argument is true. In fact, a lot of branding concepts seem to deal with this very issue. The “brand” is the argument that you want to make and “branding” is the act of making that argument (the persuasion).
We all know that it’s good to have a goal for what you want to achieve with your piece of communication (whether it’s a letter, website, or software). But thinking of the process of achieving that goal as an argument helps make sure that our methods are effective. In high school we learned that every essay should consist of at least 5 paragraphs: the first sets up our hypothesis and offers background information; the second, third, and fourth provide three reasons in support of our hypothesis; the fifth provides a summary and conclusion. This a classic formula for making an argument and even though effective arguments don’t always follow this formula, they do always contain all the basic elements.
Applying this to UI design is surprisingly easy. The hypothesis is the goal of your product (e.g., “to make it easy for users to find inexpensive air travel”). The background information is the context in which your product lives (e.g., competitor websites, airline customer service, travel agencies) and the users you are targeting (e.g, frequent business travelers, vacation goers, families traveling on a budget). The 3+ arguments in support of your hypothesis are the UI itself (e.g., quick find option, comparison between multiple airlines, flexible travel dates, immediate price information, etc.). The conclusion is the feedback you get in the form of usage statistics and customer contact that tells you how successful your product is.
I always think of communication in these terms. If someone disagrees with me, then my argument is not strong enough. There is often no one right position, so it’s important to acknowledge and accept that fact as part of your argument. That’s the background information. You need to be aware of conflicting points of view and address them appropriately.
The way I see it, a good UI == a good argument == a good product. That middle part may seem repetitive, but it can be a helpful tool for creating an effective design.
