Good Design in the Digital Age
Article by
Richard BuchananMay 1, 2000
Two big issues always hover around the concept of “design.”
The first is, What is design? The second is, What is good
design? Gain asked Richard Buchanan of Carnegie Mellon
University to reflect on both issues as they relate to design in
and for electronic, interactive media.
“Good design” is an important issue in current discussions of
websites and digital products in general. The explosive development
of the digital medium has flooded the market with a wide array of
information products of varying quality. Many of these products are
highly effective, but a significant number fail to meet the
expectations of consumers or satisfy the needs of business. As
competition increases, we wonder if there are criteria to guide the
development of new products for the digital environment. Is there a
practical framework we can use as a touchstone in judging the
quality of new products?
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