An interesting talk that nicely spans two key areas: Data and User Experience.
http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization.html
Good design is imperative for allowing easy consumption for data. However data can be extremely abstract and hard to reconcile, but properly visualised data can tease out relations within the data that isn’t immediately obvious. This kind of visual data is however useless without the correct and relevant data. This is where a proper combination of visual design and data can lead to more productivity.
What does this have to do with User Experience for Krescendo? Everything, almost everything we do is heavily data based and it is the presentation and editing of this data that is our primary role. Forget for a minute the info graphics and funky visualisations, the basics are the same. We need to present data to the user in a manner that makes consumption and editing of this data easy. I feel that should be the goal and in the forefront of people’s minds every time they create any interface.
I found the section on how the overload of visual design we all experience everyday means we all know and can recognise well designed and well presented data and pages. I think this is hugely relevant, as I feel we can all recognise good design and the importance of spacing and layout within pages and as such we should no longer accept or settle for anything less.
This visual overload is leading to a clamour for ‘sexy’ interfaces from all people in everything they do. People want well structured and well presented data and unless we give it to them they will get it from elsewhere.