An Interview With Dan Saffer

Dan Saffer, an experienced design director at the design consultancy Adaptive Path, was interviewed by designinterviews.com mid August. The interview starts by discussing the benefits of self directed study and learning under tuition. "You need a (for lack of a better word) Master standing over you while you do your apprentice work." I found this to be the case last year whilst learning 3DS MAX with Andy Love but as do I Saffer finds value in learning things on your own. I learned a lot of the summer teaching myself HTML and CSS but as Saffer says "he doing is important; you can read every book in the field and be a terrible designer. You have to practice it, live, preferably with a client and (eventually) with users." As Theodore Roethke noted, "I learn by going where I have to go." As well as reading about HTML and CSS, I really put it to work and worked on a few sites for companies such as hrbusinessdynamics.com.

One thing Saffer mentions I have been coming across ever more frequently, understanding Interface design. I have helped build a message board forum for the gamer society website (Which I also built) and have received some concerns about interface design by the users. "Interface design is the physical expression of the interaction design: the skin over the muscles and bone. Interaction design says, 'We need a button to turn on the siren.' Interface design says, 'The button should be here and it should be red.' They are deeply intertwined, since you cannot have one without the other." Although a client/user has hired you/uses your UI, you can still learn a great deal from them.

Another issue I empathised with Saffer is getting to attached with your creations. "I'd say there are two mistakes that new designers make: one is not coming up with enough variations—or, more accurately, not being able to come up with more alternatives. Which is to say, falling in love with one direction and not being able to see others. Often, this is direction is something familiar, that the designer is comfortable with. It is hard to kill your babies, but sometimes you have to." Last year I felt like I missed the chance to create something great by hanging on to some 3DS Max animation just because it took me a ridiculous amount of time to make.

This interview also made me reconsider interactive design. I initially thought only of web design but technology appears to be ever leaning towards touch screen, motion sensor or more anthropomorhphic methods of interaction. "If you don't already, you'll probably own a touchscreen device or a Wii or at a minimum have used a public restroom where you put your hands under a sink to turn it on. Learning about how these work and how you could design them might make you a better designer." Even if I do focus on web design it appears interactive design will be unavoidable, I think this is a good thing.

'The Way you know is not The Way.' –Tao Te Ching

'A body in motion tends to stay in motion.' Newton's First Law

'If it was easy, then everyone would do it.'