05.30.07
Design and Usability in A Blog
What's currently your favorite site/project? I am looking at Signal vs. Noise, a Weblog by 37signals (whose products I use and appreciate).
What's the subject/topic of it? They discuss "entrepreneurship, design, experience, simplicity, constraints, pop culture, their products and products they like."
What's so great about it? I don't know the guys behind 37signals personally, but I love the Basecamp project management tool. They've inspired our company to dive into Ruby on Rails, and in general I really enjoy the discussions they have going on.
What makes it technically compelling? Well I don't stop-in first thing in the morning due to the site's technical feats—much more so for its content. However, what 37signals does technically is compelling; we have definitely benefited from their hard work and observations. They are pushing the envelope when it comes to great code, great usability and well-considered solutions. Simplicity is one of the biggest challenges in most mediums, and they have conquered it in their products.
How would you improve it? Or would you? Of course there are always things that will make something better or more useful, but they seem actively engaged in that process already, so I can just sit back and wait. However, with the hope that they'll read this, the one thing that I would really use would be a feature for Basecamp that woud send an e-mail to the assigner of a task after the task was marked "complete" by another member of the team.
What's your job? I am the creative director and co-founder of fastspot. In reality, I do many things, like lately I have been doing nothing but writing proposals and putting together presentations. When we started I was actually doing the designing and coding, but they were never my strengths. Luckily my coworkers are truly talented, so I can focus on the big-picture stuff, and make sure everything we do is the best possible work we can deliver. I would say that my job is to steer the ship, make sure we head in the right direction, focus on the right technologies and don't compromise our standards.
Where do you work? I work in Baltimore, Maryland, in a neighborhood called Butcher's Hill in a beautifully restored old storefront. It's a perfect fit for us. About half of us bring our dogs to work, and every morning, we sit in the kitchen visiting while the dogs romp around and say hello. There really is no better stress relief (at least for me) than to have my dogs with me at work. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I work with some of the funniest, wittiest people around.
If you have a degree in what field is it? I have a BFA in painting from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and an MFA in painting from Maryland Institute College of Art.
How did you get involved in this industry? I got my first Macintosh Performa in 1994. I had missed out on having access to computers in school, but was fascinated by this thing called the Internet. I was thrilled with the possibility of putting out pictures of my art for anyone, anywhere, anytime to see. It seemed like a great alternative to sending out slide packages and all the other crap a fine artist is expected to do. Then, in grad school, I took a Web class and started learning HTML, Photoshop and After Effects. I also got really into making short clay animation videos and editing them on the computer. At the same time, I was also enjoying what I was doing as a painter, but realized that I wasn't interested in doing it to earn a living. That's when I realized I could support myself with my computer skills.
What's your biggest Web (design) turn-off? At this point, when I see bad Web design, it's the person behind the work that's the turn-off. I really can't tolerate arrogance, ignorance or hostility; unfortunately, those things come through in design.
Who, in this industry (or not), has been your biggest inspiration? Like many other people, Joshua Davis was a huge inspiration to me when I was first getting involved in the industry. I admire his ability to put concept and creativity ahead of convention, and to execute with such complex yet intuitive solutions. I am also a big fan of Second Story; I've admired their work since seeing Brad Johnson's piece Pinch. When I need inspiration, I browse their portfolio.
What's the weirdest thing you've bought online? These Japanese noodles that arrived floating in some sort of fluid, in plastic baggies, in a box of dry ice. I was a bit skeptical about eating them. A close runner-up, though, was this crutch-thing called iWALKFree that my business partner ordered for me after I broke my ankle. It was terrifying to be strapped to it, but everyone at the office had a blast peg-legging around on it.
What do you do in your spare time? I paint, hang-out with friends and family, play with my dogs, Rufus and Stella and try to play lots of video games (I'm currently addicted to Elebits for Wii). I'm also a music junkie and a self-taught musician, so anytime I get a chance to play along in a jam session, I do.
What product/gadget can you not live without? My new Blackjack. I can check e-mail, IM and text and, when I need to, store 2GB of pretty nice quality pictures and videos, surf the Web, and use it for file storage and transfer.
What's your dream computer set-up? A powerful Mac and two huge Cinema Displays. More than anything, when I work, I need space.