Comments on: The C Word: How context can inform our design process http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/ The Web Practitioner's Blog Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:33:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Dan Donald http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17916 Dan Donald Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:04:11 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17916 @Chris point taken ;) I think, in my eyes the 'context of use' is less abotu profiling and more about considering the wider audience and niche cases so a presentation consideration can be made outside of your target audience. An example might be creating a site around English speakers in China, where most of the content is likely to be relevant to a locality - what should people outside of this target audience see or people from within the locality that don't speak this language? Whether the term context is always relevant, looking at all of these ideas/concepts before system/aesthtic design should help us to push things forward! @Chris point taken ;)
I think, in my eyes the ‘context of use’ is less abotu profiling and more about considering the wider audience and niche cases so a presentation consideration can be made outside of your target audience. An example might be creating a site around English speakers in China, where most of the content is likely to be relevant to a locality – what should people outside of this target audience see or people from within the locality that don’t speak this language?

Whether the term context is always relevant, looking at all of these ideas/concepts before system/aesthtic design should help us to push things forward!

]]> By: Chris Mills http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17915 Chris Mills Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:57:40 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17915 Nice article Dan. I like this article, although I don't agree with all of it. I think that some of the stuff you flag as context is really just persona/profiling. Some of it is also included later in the standard design process, although you are right to say that we should be considering it earlier. For me, the big three for context are location, user nationality, and device, and you've covered those bases nicely. This kind of thinking is more important now we are looking more at optimization for mobile web users. Nice article Dan.

I like this article, although I don’t agree with all of it. I think that some of the stuff you flag as context is really just persona/profiling. Some of it is also included later in the standard design process, although you are right to say that we should be considering it earlier.

For me, the big three for context are location, user nationality, and device, and you’ve covered those bases nicely.

This kind of thinking is more important now we are looking more at optimization for mobile web users.

]]> By: Dean Vipond http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17910 Dean Vipond Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:18:29 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17910 Very interesting article. Context is just as important during the design process as knowing your audience. I noticed you mentioned using personas, which can be a really valuable tool for encouraging business clients to see users as individuals, rather than just a set of demographics. Tying context into a personas exercise can be really powerful. Understanding the context of someone's personal circumstances, and not just the context of the data and images you're dealing with, is super-important. David may be accessing your site in the evening, on his laptop, in a leisurely, not very task-focussed way, while watching TV, whereas Susan might only have 5 minutes to look at your site during her tea break at work (on a machine running IE6 of course!). Taking the circumstantial context of your users into consideration will help you deliver a better user experience. Very interesting article. Context is just as important during the design process as knowing your audience. I noticed you mentioned using personas, which can be a really valuable tool for encouraging business clients to see users as individuals, rather than just a set of demographics. Tying context into a personas exercise can be really powerful.

Understanding the context of someone’s personal circumstances, and not just the context of the data and images you’re dealing with, is super-important. David may be accessing your site in the evening, on his laptop, in a leisurely, not very task-focussed way, while watching TV, whereas Susan might only have 5 minutes to look at your site during her tea break at work (on a machine running IE6 of course!). Taking the circumstantial context of your users into consideration will help you deliver a better user experience.

]]> By: social network design http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17906 social network design Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:57:12 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17906 Yaa its really a nice comment,i got a good design tactics also from this. Yaa its really a nice comment,i got a good design tactics also from this.

]]> By: Andreas Möller http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17899 Andreas Möller Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:28:56 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17899 http://twitter.com/zeldman/status/804159148 http://twitter.com/zeldman/status/804159148

]]> By: Dan Donald http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17854 Dan Donald Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:01:52 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17854 @Ann thanks for your comment. While I refer to "design" in the aesthetic sense, I do also mean within system design/architecture. By having a process right near the beginning of a project such as this, this will no doubt influence both design processes. While a lot of the things I've mentioned are being done, it's grouping them together at a very early stage, which I feel could really expand on what we do. Hope that makes sense ;) @Ann thanks for your comment. While I refer to “design” in the aesthetic sense, I do also mean within system design/architecture. By having a process right near the beginning of a project such as this, this will no doubt influence both design processes. While a lot of the things I’ve mentioned are being done, it’s grouping them together at a very early stage, which I feel could really expand on what we do.
Hope that makes sense ;)

]]> By: Ann Edwards http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17852 Ann Edwards Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:17:50 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17852 The "design" you repeatedly refer to is only the aesthetic design. I completely agree that we should all be taking into consideration the "context" as you call it here, but this should be a given. Aesthetics are only one part of Design. If the other components aren't taken into consideration, you're just making things look pretty without true functional purpose. And that is not consistent with the definition of Design, what you are creating is art. The “design” you repeatedly refer to is only the aesthetic design. I completely agree that we should all be taking into consideration the “context” as you call it here, but this should be a given. Aesthetics are only one part of Design. If the other components aren’t taken into consideration, you’re just making things look pretty without true functional purpose. And that is not consistent with the definition of Design, what you are creating is art.

]]> By: Dan Donald http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17851 Dan Donald Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:50:59 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17851 Thanks a lot for the comments guys - they're really appreciated! Thanks a lot for the comments guys – they’re really appreciated!

]]> By: Noel Wiggins http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17848 Noel Wiggins Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:09:27 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17848 I like the idea here. It ads a level of strategy to the process that I feel is missing with any new client project I work on. The idea of doing a little more research and dig a little deeper in the thinking of what the purpose of the marketing piece will be used for, for print or web. Every design decision should be geared towards making a connection with your audience. and knowing who this audience is and what they expect will aid in designing an effective piece. -- Thanks and Regards Noel for Nopun.com <a href="http://www.nopun.com/" rel="nofollow">a graphic design studio</a> I like the idea here.

It ads a level of strategy to the process that I feel is missing with any new client project I work on. The idea of doing a little more research and dig a little deeper in the thinking of what the purpose of the marketing piece will be used for, for print or web.

Every design decision should be geared towards making a connection with your audience. and knowing who this audience is and what they expect will aid in designing an effective piece.

–

Thanks and Regards

Noel for Nopun.com
a graphic design studio

]]> By: Nathan Beck http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17845 Nathan Beck Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:10:12 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17845 Great article Dan, lots of very true points there. Like a lot of things, much of this seems fairly obvious when it's laid down in front of you. Most of the above is common sense that is frequently overlooked by even the best of us. Cheers, Nathan Great article Dan, lots of very true points there. Like a lot of things, much of this seems fairly obvious when it’s laid down in front of you. Most of the above is common sense that is frequently overlooked by even the best of us.

Cheers,
Nathan

]]> By: Dan Lewis James http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17835 Dan Lewis James Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:06:07 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17835 Good article, thanks. Context is a rich seam full of opportunities for further development and ideas. There must be loads of possibilities for improving the consumption of information through context. Good article, thanks. Context is a rich seam full of opportunities for further development and ideas. There must be loads of possibilities for improving the consumption of information through context.

]]> By: Kevin Milden http://thinkvitamin.com/design/the-c-word-how-context-can-inform-our-design-process/#comment-17833 Kevin Milden Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:26:39 +0000 http://carsonified.com/?p=4159#comment-17833 This is a terrific article. We are currently working on a large life insurance website for 2010 and part of our process is to help the organization understands the context such as the audience and location. Some of your additional suggestions such as what social network they may have come from or link from which site could be interesting. This is a terrific article. We are currently working on a large life insurance website for 2010 and part of our process is to help the organization understands the context such as the audience and location. Some of your additional suggestions such as what social network they may have come from or link from which site could be interesting.

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