"The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to 'tidy up' the mess, as opposed to understanding it's a 'day one' issue and part of everything."
Tom Peters, Author of "In Search of Excellence"
Design Checklist
Attractiveness
Are
design attributes properly selected and applied?
Is there an overall sense of style?
Integration
Do
the parts work together gracefully? Are
there lateral hyperlinks or cross-references among
functional sections? Is there an overall sense
of seamlessness?
Organization
Is
the whole greater than the sum of its parts?
Are the pieces properly placed? Is there an overall
sense of structure?
Coherence
Are
the workflow roles and tasks clear from the screen
design? Are text descriptions adequate
and understandable? Is there an overall sense
of context?
Consistency
Do
functions operate according to common rules?
Are valid differences clarified? Do design elements
conform with one another? Is there and overall sense of conformance
to a standard?
Appropriateness
Do
functions flow gracefully? Are there sensible
shortcuts and defaults? Is there and overall sense
of stickiness and the inheritence
of relevant information?
Functionality
Are
all important features supplied? Do critical
functions operate consistently and completely?
Is there an overall sense of utility?
Helpfulness
Does
it automatically perform sensible actions?
Are you reminded or informed of what needs to
be done – or are you are required to do
everything? Is it polite?
Forthrightness
Is
the workflow obvious in the interface?
Is necessary information emphasized? Are error
conditions announced? Is there an overall sense
of clarity?
Personalization
Are
default conditions and views customized to you
as an individual? Is there “permissioning”
entitlements to help guide
the work process? Is there an overall sense of
boundariesandentitlements?
Design is the method of putting form and content together. Design, just as art, has multiple definitions; there is no single definition. Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.
Paul Rand
Natural paths make The Fewest Clicks to Satisfaction.
