why writing is a good thing!

why?!

why? because…!

why? because…!writing allows you to share what you know and what you believe!

why? because…

have an argument!

suggestion one:!

an argument is a good thing!

why an argument is a good thing!

The Cat Genie, Self-Flushing, Self-Washing Cat Box is bad design.!

Why is the Cat Genie, Self-Flushing, Self-Washing Cat Box bad design?!

The Cat Genie, Self-Flushing, Self-Washing Cat Box is bad design because…!

Cat Genie takes the small unpleasantness of daily cleaning the litter and it saves it up and releases that unpleasantness as one big unscheduled, unpleasant inconvenience every week or two. Advanced monitors will ensure that the device failure will occur during the workday, as you prepare for your important meeting with your prospective client. Nothing like cleaning out wet cat poo in your nicest suit. Or, you may be pleasantly awoken in the middle of the night by the repeating three beeps of "there's poo and hair in the hopper." You will become more familiar with your cat's feces every day as the cat genie gently fills your home with the aroma of baking excrement. Plus, you get to pay over $300 for technology that was "designed" and built for less than $2. The "processor" unit was designed in 1967 and allows all the functionality of the most advanced microchip devices of its era. It has both on and off modes. (Note: off mode available only while unplugged.)!

-NA Cat Lover!

suggestion two:!

use your evidence for analysis!

The problem was not that the screen was in black-and-white; if it had really been black-and-white, that would have been fine. The problem was that the screen was gray. And it wasnʼt just gray; it was a greenish, sickly gray. A post-mortem gray. The resizable typeface, Monotype Caecilia, appeared as a darker gray. Dark gray on paler greenish gray was the palette of the Amazon Kindle. This was what they were calling e-paper? This four-by-five window onto an overcast afternoon? Where was paper white, or paper cream? Forget RGB or CMYK. Where were sharp black letters laid out like lacquered chopsticks on a clean tablecloth?!

-Nicholson Baker, “A New Page: Can the Kindle Really Improve on the Book?”!

analysis: word and image!

Dunne and Rabyʼs Compass Table tracks the invisible electromagnetic forces in our environment to challenge usersʼ relationships with everyday objects.!

Tyranny of the “I”!(first person, first)!

Tyranny of the “I”!(first person, first)!

I have carefully evaluated the design of your XYZ and I can safely say that there are key areas that could be significantly improved. I suggest that you minimize the applications on the XYZ. I also think it would be beneficial to use a more harmonious colour palette. I am certain that my suggestions will help your company sell more products. I am the most qualified designer for this task.!

Tyranny of the “I”!(first person, not always first)!

Having carefully evaluated the design of your XYZ, I can safely say that there are key areas that could be significantly improved. Firstly, minimizing the features on the XYZ, in combination with a more harmonious colour palette, will result in a more engaging and user-friendly product. Secondly, the …There is little question that my suggestions will improve sales of your product, and with my design skills and knowledge—as described above—I am confident in my qualifications for this task.!

My goal is to get designers thinking more about writing the way writers do—as a tool, a craft, and yes, an art in its own right—rather than a necessary chore. Your training as a designer will influence your writing, and your work at turning ideas into narratives will influence your design, and who knows, that might not be a bad thing.!

William Bostwick, “How to (not) write like a designer,” Core77.com 02/02/09!

final reminder:!

analysis + evidence = argument!