Humane Interface, The: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems

7-3. Ethics and Management of Interface Design

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable.

—George Bernard Shaw

It is difficult to create a good interface when management does not think that interface design is important. In the short-term view, careful interface design may appear to add to the expense of creating a product and to lengthen the development time. In my experience, the short-term view is wrong even in the short term; improving the user interface often simplifies the design. Careful design and detailed specifications do not hinder but rather speed implementation. A superior interface is also an exceptional ...