Control

Control, is what Khoi says is the biggest difference between print and interactive design. I agree, in print design the designer can control everything that goes into the printed piece. When designing for the web, designers lose a lot this control. Not only does the designer have limited typeface choices, the users can adjust the size of the browser window or increase or decrease the size of the text, and they want to be able to have some control over their own user experience. Interactive design also has multiple states and the designer must consider how the content is going to behave in each of those states. Khoi says, that since the beginning designers have been trying to take back some of the control. A couple examples he gives are, rendering text as images instead of HTML or requiring users to download specific fonts before using the site. These ideas have been mostly rejected, because they make it to difficult for the user to actually experience the site. This brings up another point Khoi made that I think is really important to keep in mind when designing for the web, “Users to don’t learn how to use a site over time”. I think that it is important to remember that we are developing sites that users must intuitively know how to navigate and discover the information that they are looking for.

Web Presence.

Online communities like, Facebook, Myspace, Typepad, and Twitter are attracting more people than ever. Now days there is a need to establish a web presence whether is be creating your own site or becoming a member of one of the many social communities that the web has to offer. Having a web presence creates so many opportunities especially for young designers to network and become aware of the latest and greatest technologies and trends.

As I thought about my personal web presence, I found that what little presence I had did not really mean anything. I have a Facebook account, and that is about it. Although, Facebook is good for keeping in touch with friends, what purpose does it serve other than self promotion? The truth is it has no other purpose, it is “look at me” or “look at what I did this weekend”. I’m not on there talking about issues that matter or that will help become a better designer. I login out of vanity, to see how many people wrote on my wall or how many new friend requests I have. This is why I am excited to now have a blog, that will be professional, meaningful, and will open windows to things I may have never found otherwise.