Duality of Design
By Dr. Robert DeVargas
I'm an idealist. I love the idea of having a Grand Idea and seeing it come to life. And since it's a Grand Idea, by definition it should flawlessly solve all the problems which give rise to it, right?
OK, I know, idealists need to come down to earth and walk in the real world. So, in that sense I am also a pragmatist. I know that our "Grand Ideas" will, like a battle plan, seldom survive the enemy. So this duality of design--the idealism of a great idea and the pragmatism of real-world usability--makes for an interesting ride in the arena of custom website or application design.
When we first meet with clients, we strongly encourage them to break out of narrow thinking and dream big--to envision the Grand Idea that will solve all their needs. That's the idealist.Then, when it's all down on paper, we hammer out the more practical, doable and affordable solutions.That's the pragmatist. This one-two approach seems reasonable enough.
But even plans formed by this one-two punch seldom survive the battle. Sure they're great for a while. Maybe even for the entire length of the product's projected lifespan. But at some point the plan has to change. Features must be added. Once-useful functions are modified or deactivated. Or another newer product is called for. Why? Because life is dynamic. People and needs change. Problems and opportunities are always in flux.
This presents an additional challenge to us who produce custom web applications. Besides fulfilling the immediate requirements of a scope of work, we also have an eye toward the future. Looking, as it were, into a crystal ball, trying to predict future growth, use and trends of the client's operation and their industry. We also must anticipate changes in technology itself--new hardware; new media; new versions of platforms, programs,and plug-ins; new whatever.
So we develop with a certain anticipation. A certain hedging of what's to come. In this way we not only make our clients happy in the near term, but we set ourselves up to make them happy in the longer term as well. And, to me, that seems like a Grand Idea. RD
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