I have been reading Designing Interactions by Bill Moggridge for a while. It is a lengthy book that covers interviews and sessions the author held with large number of luminaries in the design field. A really wonderful compendium.

 

Today I read about John Maeda. There have been a number of subjects that have got my attention but for some reason this one resonated with me. Mr. Maeda is currently at the The Media Laboratory at MIT (his MIT web site here) and has spent much of his time focusing on how to simplify interactions. One initially grabbed me was his recognition that building connections and interactions you also need to have a substantive infrastructure to support the system. I like the analogy because it speaks to me about how when designing interactions there is a need to look deeply not only at how the behavior and interaction with the user can and should be, but also at the back-end pieces that need to support the design and relationship. Nice.

Mr. Maeda also has written a couple of books. One, which I am ordering from Amazon, is called Maeda@Media which would seem to be the work of a nut case (in the good sense). Each of the 480 pages was hand designed and sweated over by Mr. Maeda himself. Nothing like a devoted author to draw my interest.

 

He has also written a bit about simplicity (and actually has a new book on the subject here). Listed in the book are John Maeda's eight rules of Simplicity. Here are the first three:

John Maeda's First Law of Simplicity

"A complex system of many functions can be simplified by carefully grouping related functions."

John Maeda's Second Law of Simplicity

"The positive emotional response derived from a simplicity experience has less to do with utility, and more to do with saving time."

John Maeda's Third Law of Simplicity

"When the richness of an experience is increased in a manner that facilitates the perception of the overall intent, by all means don't skimp. Add more!"

 

The first one is applied common sense. The second I really like as it points to a similar argument that Steve Krug makes in his book Don't Make Me Think where he talks about web site design. Most people are trying to get something done and the often the best point to keep in mind (at least initially) is the functional time saving aspect of design or simplification. Nice. The Third Law also rang true with me. Design can have a positive impact on usability and the experience. If you hit the right notes and can reproduce it again, no need to shy away. Richness can add value.

 

Anyhow, great book. I'll write a little more about others who caught my eye when time allows. Today is Chinese New Years so I have today off and am catching up on reading.