design process...

[Jens Knutson]

On Fri, 2004-03-12 at 02:11, Marky Goldstein wrote:
> get 10 agencies or designers. choose the best.
> set up a theme database. create themes per designer,
> agency, group.. let them produce the components/icons/etc.
> let the public vote and choose the default.
> outsource the work because internals need competition
> to learn how to run. think about it.

Wow...  I didn't think I'd get to use one of my new favorite Havoc
quotes yet, but it's too fitting:

"Linus isn't taking an opinion poll on patches and neither should
interaction designers take an opinion poll on designs." 

Granted, he was referring to interaction design in that quote, not
graphic design, but the principle still applies.  Feedback from users is
good, but letting the public decide on design issues through opinion
polls is *not* a good idea.  Besides, I don't think "themes" are that
big of a problem for the Linux desktop right now.  How about more and
better graphical config tools (note: Webmin, while useful is not really
a graphical tool) for various daemons like Postfix and Dovecot, or some
hardcore UI reviewing on OpenOffice?  Compared to those things, I think
the themes part of the Linux desktop is doing just fine - Bluecurve
looks great, and covers almost all of the desktop!  If you don't like
that, Ximian's Industrial is pretty slick, too.  Granted, there can
always be improvement, but I just don't think it's worth getting too
worked up about or putting just a ton of sweat into - when CIOs evaluate
the Linux desktop against Longhorn, I'm quite sure the "pretty" factor
will come near the end of the evaluation list.

Besides, Mr. Garrett has done a fine job, and I'm sure the person they
hire for their new position will do great stuff, too!

 - jck

-- 
"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of
life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be
enthusiastic about."
 -- Albert Einstein