One of the things I love about doing experience design is that you have the opportunity to learn from other fields. One area I have learned from is Architecture. There is a rich history of creating places that enable people to have great experiences.
There are many great architects. Two that have had the biggest influence on me are Christopher Alexander and Sarah Susanka.
Architecture and Patterns
In The Timeless Way of Building, Christopher Alexander provides deep insights into how patterns are used to create a range of buildings from a small house to a great cathedral. He describes how people can use a language of patterns to create a building just like people use a language of words to create a book. For example, in describing how a cathedral was built he says “There were hundreds of people, each making his part within the whole, working, often for generations. At any given moment there was usually one master builder, who directed the overall layout … but each person in the whole had, in his mind, the same overall language. Each person executed each detail in the same general way, but with minor differences. The master builder did not need to force the design of the details down the builders’ throats because the builders themselves know enough of the shared pattern language to make the details correctly, with their own individual flair.”
If good design patterns were available and a team understood the pattern language well enough, then great and consistent products could be built with minimal specifications. There are some good places to start with pattern libraries – but they may not yet have achieved the pattern language concept that Alexander describes. Still, patterns are a great place to start when attempting to quickly design a product.
Architecture and Quality
Sarah Susanka has created a whole collection of books based on the Not So Big concept, starting with The Not So Big House. She makes the case that it is not the quantity of rooms or the number of square feet that make a house comfortable. Rather, it is about optimizing the space for the people who live in the house. In real estate, pricing is often based on the size of the house and how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has. Sarah has found a different way to design, one that is fundamentally different from the normal style, but one which provides a better quality of life for its occupants. The homes she designs don’t cost less that much larger homes, but they are optimized for the quality of use, the quality of experience for their owners. Sarah says “I do not advocate that everyone live in small houses. What I do suggest is that when building a new home or remodeling an existing one, you evaluate what really makes you feel at home. In other words, concentrate on, and put more of your money toward, what you like rather than settling for sheer size and volume.” She also says “What also defines the character of a house are the details, such as a beautiful stair railing, well-crafted moldings around windows and doors, and useful, finely tailored built-ins.”
In software products, teams often get caught up in having more features than the competitors. They want to be bigger and better than the rest. In doing so, what they miss are the details that ensure people can efficiently use the product – the things that make using the product a great experience. By having fewer features but optimizing the product for its user, a better overall experience can be built. And, just like in a quality house, people really do notice the quality of a well crafted software product or web site.
What do you think?
For me, I have learned to create better designs by learning from architecture. What has your experience been? Do you have a favorite place? How does its design impact your experience?
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