Interview with Luke Wroblewski
Malaysian Educators' Interview with Luke Wroblewski, May 2003
Senior Interface Designer, NCSA
Creative Director, LukeW Interface Designs

Q: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get into Web design?
A: I guess Web interface design, as a career, grew out of my bi-polar nature. During my undergrad years at UIUC, I was one of the only Fine Arts majors taking computer-programming classes. In the mornings I would draw nude models, then code C at night. One of my favorite definitions of interface design comes from Steven Johnson's book: Interface Culture. He calls interface design "the fusion of art and technology." So I fit right in. It's really a great medium for being visually and technically creative.

I focus on Web-based interfaces because the Web is much more of a communication medium than a tool (unlike many desktop applications). The interfaces tend to be more dynamic and there is always a message involved.

Q: You recently authored a book on Web design: Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability. How does it differ from other books about Web usability?
A: There are lots of books about the technical aspects of Web usability. By technical I mean issues like download time, the use of frames, the use of ALT-tags, and so on.

Site-Seeing, on the other hand, really looks at Web usability from the visual side. Which is very appropriate because the Web is a very visual medium. The book goes into great depth describing how the way Web pages look affects usability and the broader user experience -enjoyment, branding, etc. It also examines how interaction (how your site behaves in response to user actions), organization (the structure of your site), and presentation (how your site appears to your audience) issues interrelate. They really all need to work together to create a successful Web experience. However, a big portion of the burden is on presentation (the visual design of a Web site). When a user comes to your Web site they have only the presentation to tell them what your site has to offer and how they can make use of it. If the presentation is not clear, your audience might not be able to make it to your content. If the presentation is not engaging, your audience might not be motivated to try.

Q: What are the skills needed to create successful Web "presentations"?
A: First of all, a well-rounded understanding of all three Web design considerations (interaction, organization, and presentation) is key. You don't have to know every nuance of HTML code or information architecture principles, but understanding what each consideration brings to the table is a must. When you design for any medium, not just the Web, you need to understand the medium. Sculptors working in marble know the material. They understand its strengths and weaknesses. I'd even argue that the more they know, the more they can do. There is some engineering in that, not just artistic flair.

Strictly from the visual aspect, though, you need to understand visual communication. Visual communication can be thought of as making use of graphic information to "talk" to your audience. In Web design, we want to tell our audience about the information or services our sites have to offer and how they can make use of them. For this we rely on visual communication: personality, or look and feel, and visual organization. The personality of a presentation is what provides the emotional impact -your instinctual response to what you see. The visual organization is what creates meaning in a layout -the relationships between the various elements and to the whole. Color theory, typography, visual hierarchy, and more all play an important role in designing effective presentations.

Q: Isn't visual design really subjective?
A: Depends on who you ask. Seriously, though, there are underlying principles that we can count on to communicate to all people. The principles of perception give us valuable insight into how we visually group information -how we make sense of what we see. We can then use these principles to present Web page elements in meaningful ways. Additionally, we can turn to color theory and the universal psychological responses people have to color. Red, for instance, is associated with war and love: two really powerful emotions. As a result, red is used to grab our attention -on stop signs, negative stock prices, and more. So there is a lot that visual designers have to work from. Can you guarantee everyone will like a certain layout -probably not. But, you can get a consistent message out to people through the visual presentation of your Web site.

Q: Can you provide some design guidelines for K-12 and university-level course Web sites.
A: Take the time to plan your site. Many times the planning stages are rushed through because everyone wants to see "what it will look like". But your most important decisions are made during the planning process -the design should just naturally come from the decisions you make. Not the least of which is determining who your audience is and what goals and expectations they bring to your site. From state of mind (are they worried when they come to your site, excited?) to computer expertise (how familiar are they with the Web?), the more you know about your audience the easier it becomes to design for -and communicate to- them. A good summary of this principle comes from Ben Shneiderman: "Human needs should be the guide for our technologies."

Don't fight the medium. Sites that force your browser to a certain size or divide their layout into 4 giant images are fighting an uphill battle. To design successfully for the Web you need to accept its possibilities and limitations. This goes back to the three design considerations I mentioned earlier. Design in such a way that technology complements usability, design complements technology, and so on. Any time one of these takes over your Web site suffers. We saw this in the early days of the Web when technology was king. Many sites had massive java applets, Flash intro animations or other "technological wonders" that confused users and increased download time. It was technology for technology's sake -not for the end user's benefit.

Additionally, relying on Web conventions can often help create simpler interfaces. Most Web surfers expect navigation choices at the top or left hand corner of a page. That understanding amounts to one less step of thinking: Is this the menu?

Maintain a clear focus. Each time you consider adding or removing an interface element, put it through the wringer. Is it a necessity or an accessory? Does it support your main message? Remember, it's better to do one thing well, than many second-rate.

Educational sites are only unique because their audiences are unique. You may be designing a site for high school students or 10 year olds. That is going to make a big impact on the interface design. Appropriate and engaging for elementary students can be a far cry from what adults expect.

Q: Can you provide some good examples of online courses?
A: Tough question. The majority of sites I have seen coming from public education have lacked the resources to really develop a top-notch product. Ironically, many of these seem to lack the cross-disciplinary teamwork needed to create a great user experience. They are all either content-heavy, design-heavy, or usability-heavy, but rarely a good mix of all three. In the private sector, Donald Norman's ex-start-up, Cardean University had some nice things going in the past.

Q: Where can one go to learn more?
A: Well in addition to Site-Seeing, I've written several more condensed articles on many of these issues. You can read those on lukew.com. I've also got a list of categorized recommended readings that should give you a lot of options. Of course there are many great online resources as well. Two sites that I like to visit often are Boxes & Arrows and Peter J. Bogaards' InfoDesign.

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