I generally agree with this post, and sympathize with Doug Bowman's frustration ... I can understand how he felt stifled.
But I wonder about this sentence:
Even more frustratingly, they often lie to you about their reactions because they don't want to be seen as imperfect.
While that is true, I imagine the data Google bases their design decisions off of are primarily analytics-based, recording what users actually do as opposed to what they say the do - the infamous "41 shades of blue" problem is likely an example. In these cases, lying is countered by hard data.
Generally, I think it's healthy to ask for data to back up broad design decisions, even by a designer as accomplished and admired as Doug Bowman.
That said, requiring a designer to take the time to present a case for a detail like border width suggests a culture so caught up in data that it misses the forest for the trees.
by Aliotsy — Mar 22
But I wonder about this sentence:
Even more frustratingly, they often lie to you about their reactions because they don't want to be seen as imperfect.
While that is true, I imagine the data Google bases their design decisions off of are primarily analytics-based, recording what users actually do as opposed to what they say the do - the infamous "41 shades of blue" problem is likely an example. In these cases, lying is countered by hard data.
Generally, I think it's healthy to ask for data to back up broad design decisions, even by a designer as accomplished and admired as Doug Bowman.
That said, requiring a designer to take the time to present a case for a detail like border width suggests a culture so caught up in data that it misses the forest for the trees.