Interface Design - An interview with Manuel Clement 
Manuel Clement
Experience Design & Research
Microsoft
Hi Manuel, you are a lead of XDR. Can you tell us what it stands for? What is your background and what are you doing?
XDR means “(User) Experience Design & Research”. We are in charge of designing the user experience including interaction models of the Windows operating system as well as the Windows Live connected services (Messenger, Spaces, SkyDrive, etc) and Internet Explorer. UX Lead means User Experience (Design) Lead. Essentially I manage a team of people and I also contribute to the design of various products as a Designer. My specific team designs Common Controls, UI Patterns, Alternative Input (handwriting, touch, voice), Live Mobile-Client integration, UI Platforms. My background is a blend of programming, visual, sound and interaction design. I have also published a number of books over the years, on Photoshop and Flash.
What do you think about the web today?
Considering the fact that we are essentially still in the “Ford Model T” era of computers and the internet, I can only be amazed at how much it has already changed the way people live their lives. The potential of what we could do in the future is simply mindboggling. This “2.0” term is being defined in many different ways by different people. My definition is mainly that people have started to express themselves more easily than before (publish videos, documents, photos, blogs, etc), keep in touch, and think about the web differently than pre-2000 overall. I believe that we are definitely in the right direction. It is increasingly more about people and less about the computer itself, or the technologies used. It should always be the case.
Do you see the emergence of a web 3.0? What are the next steps for user interfaces?
I think that once we have pushed HTML/Ajax and other native web browser UI technologies, we will start seeing Client Applications UI run seamlessly inside the browser. Today we have technologies to do such things (see “XBAP” and various ActiveX technologies out there) but it is not mainstream yet. Client applications have advantages in terms of performance and others. Both application “styles” (web pages, client applications) will still exist, but having to go to a specific computer to run a client application, moving the center of gravity from human to machine, is not an optimal experience.
Let’s come back to your role at Microsoft. As an UI & UX expert, what are your main challenges when pushing your ideas? Is it more technical? More cultural?
Everyone – designers or not - truly want users to love their experience. The main thing about User Experience Designers is that we focus on doing the following: framing the problems, scoping the goals, non-goals, and exploring solution, always from an end-to-end point of view, visualizing the “vision” we all need to achieve. Having UX Designers on a team is key to achieving end-to-end, scenario-based results. I have been impressed by the breadth and depth of influence and contributions my team has had in both Windows, Live, and Internet Explorer over the last few years. The main challenge is to speak the same language as others. One has to be comfortable speaking in technical terms, communicating ideas with Technical Architects for example. It is an exciting challenge.
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Автор : Тоцкий Александр aka Милый_котёнок он же zaika .
Иcточник: www.microsoft.com
Опубликована - 14.01.2008
Я вообще мягкий и пуфыстый 
