Comments on: histograms be damned http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/ "Never mind the maneuvers... always go straight at 'em." Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:44:10 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: sunspotted « Second Verse http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-710 sunspotted « Second Verse Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:52:09 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-710 [...] In a recent Signal vs Noise post, the guys at 37signals were nice enough to draw attention to the essay I wrote about designing Sphere. I think they liked the emphasis my team and I put on keeping the experience as simple as possible. That emphasis worked out great, for us and the client, so I’m happy that the essay is still getting read a few months after it was written. [...] [...] In a recent Signal vs Noise post, the guys at 37signals were nice enough to draw attention to the essay I wrote about designing Sphere. I think they liked the emphasis my team and I put on keeping the experience as simple as possible. That emphasis worked out great, for us and the client, so I’m happy that the essay is still getting read a few months after it was written. [...]

]]> By: Second Verse » Blog Archive » lesson learned http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-26 Second Verse » Blog Archive » lesson learned Wed, 17 May 2006 21:50:27 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-26 [...] So if you avoid labelling people “retards,” you actually make a succinct point about about designing for the TechCrunch crowd. [...] [...] So if you avoid labelling people “retards,” you actually make a succinct point about about designing for the TechCrunch crowd. [...]

]]> By: ryan http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-22 ryan Mon, 15 May 2006 23:33:20 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-22 Retards aside, indeed. I agree completely with you that the histogram has become the de facto visual representation for Sphere on blogs. I should have anticipated that; having spent so much time looking at MeasureMap this past year, I completely spaced that many people have NOT had an opportunity to play with the histogram. In many ways, Sphere was the public debut of that functionality - something I could never have anticipated when we were designing it. Thank you for your kind comments re: my essay and my response to criticism. I *liked* what you had to say - and I hope you don't mind I used it as an opening to talk about the more vitriolic comments I've seen elsewhere. I've subscribed to your blog, and I'm looking forward to more comments and critique from you. Retards aside, indeed.

I agree completely with you that the histogram has become the de facto visual representation for Sphere on blogs. I should have anticipated that; having spent so much time looking at MeasureMap this past year, I completely spaced that many people have NOT had an opportunity to play with the histogram. In many ways, Sphere was the public debut of that functionality – something I could never have anticipated when we were designing it.

Thank you for your kind comments re: my essay and my response to criticism. I *liked* what you had to say – and I hope you don’t mind I used it as an opening to talk about the more vitriolic comments I’ve seen elsewhere. I’ve subscribed to your blog, and I’m looking forward to more comments and critique from you.

]]> By: leisa.reichelt http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-19 leisa.reichelt Thu, 11 May 2006 23:35:14 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-19 hey Ryan, well, I'm just excited that you and Dan read my post and I think this is a pretty measured response (retards aside). ;) I hope I'd respond as well as you have if someone criticised something that I'd designed. It is really interesting to be able to get a little bit closer to understanding how the design decisions were made - there are always factors that we can't see from the outside. I think the way that the histogram seems to have become *the* visual for Sphere in blogland has organically created user expectations for how prominent the histogram will be in the interface. This isn't necessarily something that you could reasonably predict in the design phase. Anyways, as I said to Tony, I'll be interested to see how Sphere evolves in the coming months. Oh, and I really liked your essay. All designers (interaction and otherwise) should do that. :) hey Ryan,

well, I’m just excited that you and Dan read my post and I think this is a pretty measured response (retards aside). ;)

I hope I’d respond as well as you have if someone criticised something that I’d designed.

It is really interesting to be able to get a little bit closer to understanding how the design decisions were made – there are always factors that we can’t see from the outside.

I think the way that the histogram seems to have become *the* visual for Sphere in blogland has organically created user expectations for how prominent the histogram will be in the interface. This isn’t necessarily something that you could reasonably predict in the design phase.

Anyways, as I said to Tony, I’ll be interested to see how Sphere evolves in the coming months. Oh, and I really liked your essay. All designers (interaction and otherwise) should do that. :)

]]> By: ryan http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-16 ryan Wed, 10 May 2006 23:52:40 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-16 kind words, tony. thank you. the design for sphere has always been intended to adapt to user needs - tony and his team are not only sensitive to that, they demanded it from the beginning. if one of the tweaks they need to make in the future is to surface the histogram, it'll be because I misjudged the audience and what they were looking for. i'm totally comfortable with that. kind words, tony. thank you.

the design for sphere has always been intended to adapt to user needs – tony and his team are not only sensitive to that, they demanded it from the beginning. if one of the tweaks they need to make in the future is to surface the histogram, it’ll be because I misjudged the audience and what they were looking for.

i’m totally comfortable with that.

]]> By: sphere http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-15 sphere Wed, 10 May 2006 23:37:31 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-15 hey ryan - you and AP did great work for us. I'm sure there is some tweaking here and there that needs to happen but overall, we're pleased with the AI, design and very comfortable with the decisions we made as a group. Nothing is perfect with us being the latest example - :) Tony Conrad (Sphere Founder) hey ryan – you and AP did great work for us. I’m sure there is some tweaking here and there that needs to happen but overall, we’re pleased with the AI, design and very comfortable with the decisions we made as a group. Nothing is perfect with us being the latest example – :)

Tony Conrad (Sphere Founder)

]]> By: Chen http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-14 Chen Wed, 10 May 2006 23:18:16 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-14 probably the reason two people have made immediately knee-jerk posts are because they're antagonized by the post's tone, just linked here from kottke and really have no idea what Sphere is. now I'm not an expert, but http://www.technorati.com/search/ireland%20map is more by about anyone's definition a "spamfest" than Sphere's results. probably the reason two people have made immediately knee-jerk posts are because they’re antagonized by the post’s tone, just linked here from kottke and really have no idea what Sphere is. now I’m not an expert, but http://www.technorati.com/search/ireland%20map is more by about anyone’s definition a “spamfest” than Sphere’s results.

]]> By: Chen http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-13 Chen Wed, 10 May 2006 23:14:47 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-13 Because Sphere doesn't make one feature easily available, it means their design process is entirely flawed? One crack doesn't reduce a stone to rubble, young padawan. That said, the histogram isn't so difficult to locate it can't be easily found if you knew what its function was. If you didn't, it was because you were after eye-candy, and likely wouldn't have been a target user of that feature, anyway. Because Sphere doesn’t make one feature easily available, it means their design process is entirely flawed? One crack doesn’t reduce a stone to rubble, young padawan. That said, the histogram isn’t so difficult to locate it can’t be easily found if you knew what its function was. If you didn’t, it was because you were after eye-candy, and likely wouldn’t have been a target user of that feature, anyway.

]]> By: John Handelaar http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-12 John Handelaar Wed, 10 May 2006 22:31:10 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-12 Me, I had no idea what Sphere was, so followed your link and entered "Ireland Map". The result page is a complete spamfest. Daily use isn't likely to become a problem if that's your best shot. Me, I had no idea what Sphere was, so followed your link and entered “Ireland Map”. The result page is a complete spamfest.

Daily use isn’t likely to become a problem if that’s your best shot.

]]> By: ZF http://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-10 ZF Wed, 10 May 2006 20:10:35 +0000 https://secondverse.wordpress.com/2006/05/10/histograms-be-damned/#comment-10 I arrived at Sphere interested, after reading about it and seeing an example elsewhere, in whether this particular piece of 'eye candy' had been deployed in a way which would make it useful. I too couldn't find it and quickly left, convinced that the UI design process was screwed up, as you now confirm. Congratulations on finding a spectacular new way to have the technical development process foul up a company's communications strategy and launch implementation. I arrived at Sphere interested, after reading about it and seeing an example elsewhere, in whether this particular piece of ‘eye candy’ had been deployed in a way which would make it useful. I too couldn’t find it and quickly left, convinced that the UI design process was screwed up, as you now confirm.

Congratulations on finding a spectacular new way to have the technical development process foul up a company’s communications strategy and launch implementation.

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