[Baz]

Originally Posted by Snowshiro

Nielsen makes good points at times, but he also has a very narrow view of what constitutes good design. His entire thought process is based on functional design, with absolutely no attention to aesthetics.

Useit.com is a perfect example of a Nielsen's wet dream (sorry I can't hyperlink it because the forum says I haven't posted for long enough.)

Is it clear - yes
Easy to read - yes
Easy to use - yes
Mind numbingly bland - Abso-bloody-lutely

If Nielsen had his way, buildings would be designed with doors that had "THIS IS A DOOR" written on them in large type in case any poor soul couldn't figure out how to use the exit. He credits web users with the mental processing capacity of a garden snail.

The point is, there has to be a balance between usability and aesthetics, otherwise we're all out of a job. You could program a computer to design the kinds of sites he likes. A design which makes it difficult for the average person to navigate a site, is detrimental to its overall effectiveness. But most graphic designers are smart enough to know when they've stepped over the line from a usable design into something that is going to confuse the site's visitors.

Nielsen will keep on moaning, and that's a good thing because it keeps us all in check, but his extreme philosophy is no more applicable to reality than a graphic designer who thinks white on white is a good color scheme.

What a great follow up reply!
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