Usability is beautiful. I think it shines when the interface is simple. Simple to the point that users get it when they see it (an Ah-Ha moment), and the flow comes naturally. That simplicity comes with a focus on understanding your user and the problems they want to solve. Your solution orients them in a way to solve their problem more effectively and moves complication out of the picture.

I attended Refresh the Triangle for the first time last Thursday at iContact in Durham.  Rob Goodlatte gave a great talk on “Justifying Design”.  He made some good points about what to consider when designing for the web.  There were two points that he made that I certainly agree with and I think are worth mentioning again:

1. Design is about Problem Solving.
2. Define Goals by Asking Interesting Questions.

As a designer/developer, when creating a website or web application, your goal is to understand and solve a problem for your user.  In order to do this, you have to ask the right questions throughout the build process.  You have to be intentional about understanding your user and identifying their whole problem.  The result (and what I think Rob’s ultimate conclusion was from his talk) is a functional and elegant user experience.

Also, iContact did a great job of hosting the event.  It was nice to meet with some of their developers and their host for the night, Brandon Milford.