Boxes and Arrows: Comments by daria slivka

daria slivka — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:39:23 GMT

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – william morris

As consumers of so much marketed to so many, I believe we’re seduced and deluded in ways we don’t even recognize. I question whether we’re really more sophisticated consumers of “aesthetics” and “smart design”, or just better-trained sheep.

I’m all for //smart & pretty// when it produces value; don’t make me pay for “pretty” in my plumbing or circuitry. Too much for too little. A little restraint, please.

P.S. – The Honeywell thermostat Postrel rails against in her Forbes FYI article was replaced by a new generation of “easy-to-use” devices. Or maybe not; in Dec 2005, from the pulpit of his daily talk show, Regis Philbin screamed his frustration with his new Honeywell programmable thermostat….

daria slivka — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:24 GMT

I agree: when committed to a list, it’s like a contract, something with a higher likelihood of getting done. *** Like Jorge, I have *3×5 index cards* all over the place to help capture story lines, dialogue, gift ideas, intentions, even found objects. I dump them into an old tin, and every so often I read, sort, toss, file, or act on them. *** Jim’s mention of the *Ta-da Lists* is just what I was looking for to manage my reading, listening and watching lists. Can’t wait to check out the site. *** And like Pat, I also run across old to-do lists when pulling an old book or journal off the shelf. It’s like running into myself backwards. *** Thanks to all the contributors for their inspiration-information and pics.

daria slivka — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:24 GMT

Hobbs reinforces some of the same user-centered design principles of the likes of A. Cooper, J. Nielsen, JJ Garrett, L. Rosenfeld and others. His diagrams help convey and reinforce his concepts, and the need-satisfaction dialogues are similarly instructive. This material isn’t new or different; it is well-presented and informative.