[Grok-dev] Re: Grok site: changing "Learn" to "Documentation" in the main navigation

[Sebastian Ware]

4 jan 2008 kl. 18.49 skrev Tres Seaver:
>
> Design by committee is always somewhat painful.

Actually, my frustration wasn't about the design process (eventhough I  
agree with your comment). I was frustrated over how the agreed upon  
design was gradually being changed during implementation and that it  
was more due to difference of opinion rather than problems with  
realising the design on the designated platform.

> Please note that some
> of the choices you point out are not "design":
>
>  - Using nouns for the "URL structure" of the site is "information
>    architecture", not design.  I'm pretty sure that lots of folks will
>    find it "normal".  Note that the site still uses "steering" verbs  
> on
>    the home page.
>
>  - Even though it is spelled via CSS, setting font sizes relative to
>    the user's own preferred size is an accessibility / usability
>    change.

I was talking about design in a broad sense. Not specifically graphics  
design. I think I must have confused you. And I would appreciate a  
more humble approach when trying to "educate" on this subject. You  
might find the work I do to be of low quality, but I put a lot of  
effort into graphics, usability and information architecture when I do  
design. Whereas I don't have a formal education in this area, I have a  
lot of experience. I find this comment patronizing at best.

>
>
> I *can* suggest a form of argument which might be more useful:   
> create a
> second skin for the site, and "restore" the elements of the original
> design which you believe to have degraded.  People can then compare  
> the
> two by hacking the URL bar to select skins, or even choose the one  
> they
> like as their preference.

It isn't (only) the implementation of the graphics that bothers me. It  
is all those subtle things that make up the information architecture  
and usability of the website. Like dropping the tags, loosing the  
"Download" shortcut, introducing new elements in the "Grok navigator"  
etc. It isn't a skinning issue, and I am not sure I want to spend time  
implementing the website the way I intended it just to make a point.

Besides, skinning Plone sounds like a nightmare to me...

mvh Sebastian