Kelly Goto Interview · 917 words posted 10/12/2001 05:32 PM
Kelly is principal of gotomedia, inc., a San Francisco based company focused on web redesign and user centered methodology. Kelly also continues to lecture and teach internationally on the topics of usability, information design and workflow.
Kelly recently co-authored Web ReDesign | Workflow that Works with Emily Cotler.
since1968: How can you come up with a common language within your design group so that one person’s “classic” isn’t another person’s “dull?” Short of mocking up a site, how do you ensure that you understand your client’s taste?
Kelly Goto: There is a book I read recently called Yes/No Design”. It is about understanding the tastes of the reader (in this case, it was interior design) by seeing what the they didn’t like as well as what they liked. We start all our projects by distributing a client survey that asks a lot of questions and starts the client thinking about how the site should be perceived, how it will be maintained, how it will be marketed. We try to identify adjectives that describe how the site should be perceived. “If you were a car, what kind of car would you be?” is something I sometimes ask. “Fresh, fun, friendly like the new bug? Sleek, sophisticated and luxurious like a Lexus?” By starting with terminology that is specifically non-design-oriented, we are able to hone in on what the client is looking for.
This information is translated into a Creative Brief that contains an overview of the projects goals and audience demographics, along with the desired perception in non-design terminology. We like to stay away from specific design directions and focus instead on what the site should make the user feel when they come to the site.
since1968: You address these issues in depth in Web ReDesign | Workflow that Works.
Kelly Goto: In the book, we talk about designing for the web being similar to product design. It is more than flat 2-D layout and design, it is designing a functional interface to allow the user to perform a specific task.
I use the term “smart design” When I work with my design team. It is designing with the client’s end goals and the user in mind. I don’t tell the designers to dummy down their concepts or their designs. Quite the contrary, I encourage them to think outside the box within the constraints of the project at hand. It starts with understanding the target audience, their needs, expectations and goals. Designing a site for a bank is quite a different target than designing a site for a new movie
release. The expectations of the audience are different.
since1968: How often in the web business can you really say “The customer is always right?”
Kelly Goto: Generally, the client (customer) knows their company, audience and industry better than the hired development team; however sometimes a fresh perspective from an outside team can be refreshing. Often, the client doesn’t see how their web site fits into the overall strategy. It is important to educate the client and work with them as a partner taking the time to identify the overall goals and strategy of the web site. Instead of doing everything for the client and telling them it is a valuable investment, work with them, educate them into the process and allow them to see the value for themselves.
since1968: You’ve created a Five Phase Workflow for designers. I’m primarily a developer. When I work with designers who set out the specs for me, I find that we have to both work very hard so that the conversation doesn’t devolve into “The technology doesn’t work that way” or “That’s a real waste of bandwidth.” Can designers use your Workflow to help developers grok what they do?
Kelly Goto: We face this issue quite often when working with backend developers. Workflow can either start from the front-end or the backend, depending on the project’s focus. For large projects with a lot of user interface needs and a lot of functionality, two separate processes emerge. It is a difficult process—working with specifications created by the design team. I prefer to take the information design phase (phase 2 of our workflow process) and work back and forth between the front-end user experience group and the backend development team. I find sometimes the backend group takes their own specifications and develops functional click-through prototypes to test the flow and functionality of the product. So much time is invested in this process, it is difficult to make changes at the design phase. Resistance happens. Chaos ensues…
Designers need to understand when they need to take a back seat to the overall process from an engineering perspective. For heavily backend oriented sites, the technical requirements and specifications need to be set up in advance of any visual design treatments. The two workflow methods come together during the information design phase when user paths and use case scenarios are created. Technical specs are very different from wireframes; however both need to be tested on actual users to make sure they function as expected. Too many times, so much time and energy is spent on documenting tech specs and requirements that ANY attempt at conducting usability tests or getting actual customer feedback is balked at. Too much risk at redoing all the work and allowing the schedule to slip. The solution to this is to bring in the usability experts and information design team early in the engineering process.
since1968: Thanks for your time.
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