Christopher Butler

February 6th 2012

I’ve got another short piece up over at HOW Interactive Design, this time on why “Interaction is More than Looking at Screens.” Here’s a clip:

“…Back in the ’90s, forward-thinking designers started playing with HTML. The ones who did might’ve had a sense that the web was going to be a big deal, but it wasn’t a prerequisite for experimenting with design and code. It wasn’t long before the web’s big-dealishness was obvious, and the mood shifted. The web was no longer about experimentation; it was about work. For many designers who began their careers in print, the web was what they did now. Since then, the big conversation has been about making the print-to-web transition. And we’re still having that conversation.

But just like in the ’90s, there is something happening on the fringes today that forward-thinking designers are experimenting with. And if we’re not paying attention, today’s interactive designers could get left behind just like the print designers did 15 years ago. We need to start shifting the conversation from “print to web” to something more nuanced and much deeper. It begins with expanding our definition of “interactive” to push beyond work made for the screen…”

Read the whole thing here →

Posted at 2:57pm and tagged with: design, the-future,.

I’ve got another short piece up over at HOW Interactive Design, this time on why “Interaction is More than Looking at Screens.” Here’s a clip:
“…Back in the ’90s, forward-thinking designers started playing with HTML. The ones who did might’ve had a sense that the web was going to be a big deal, but it wasn’t a prerequisite for experimenting with design and code. It wasn’t long before the web’s big-dealishness was obvious, and the mood shifted. The web was no longer about experimentation; it was about work. For many designers who began their careers in print, the web was what they did now. Since then, the big conversation has been about making the print-to-web transition. And we’re still having that conversation. But just like in the ’90s, there is something happening on the fringes today that forward-thinking designers are experimenting with. And if we’re not paying attention, today’s interactive designers could get left behind just like the print designers did 15 years ago. We need to start shifting the conversation from “print to web” to something more nuanced and much deeper. It begins with expanding our definition of “interactive” to push beyond work made for the screen…”
Read the whole thing here →

January 20th 2012

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So Much Left Unseen…

…in which I ramble about what fully “sensed” design might be like. Or at least the limitations of designing only for a screened environment. A clip:

I heard it said once that given all of the information in the universe and the comparatively tiny bit of it we can see, we human beings might as well be blind. After all, we’re missing out on a ton. But we do experience the world with other senses—not just sight— and with that in mind, it’s fascinating how much emphasis we place on creating experiences that are almost purely visual, isn’t it?

Read the whole thing here >

Posted at 7:24am and tagged with: design,.

So Much Left Unseen…
…in which I ramble about what fully “sensed” design might be like. Or at least the limitations of designing only for a screened environment. A clip:
I heard it said once that given all of the information in the universe and the comparatively tiny bit of it we can see, we human beings might as well be blind. After all, we’re missing out on a ton. But we do experience the world with other senses—not just sight— and with that in mind, it’s fascinating how much emphasis we place on creating experiences that are almost purely visual, isn’t it?
Read the whole thing here >

January 19th 2012

5 notes |#

I’ve got a short piece over at the HOW Interactive Design community on “why you should consider being a generalist.” Here’s a snippet:

“But while specialization is necessary for businesses, it’s not always necessary for individuals (or even individuals who work for specialized firms). In fact, I believe employing individuals who are generalists can bring immense value to a creative firm. A serious, disciplined generalist will savvily navigate many fields to understand the big picture. They’ll see influencing factors that may come down the road and may otherwise be hidden in the blind spots of your firm’s narrow focus. They are human synthesizers. They see the unseen connections between things and act as the trimtab of your ship—sensing even the subtlest shifts in the current and adjusting your trajectory accordingly. They may not be comfortable with commanding the big, heroic reactions necessary to survive the rogue waves that come up every now and then—but they’ll probably have had a sense that something was up.”

Read the whole thing here >

Posted at 12:37pm and tagged with: design, Business,.

I’ve got a short piece over at the HOW Interactive Design community on “why you should consider being a generalist.” Here’s a snippet:
“But while specialization is necessary for businesses, it’s not always necessary for individuals (or even individuals who work for specialized firms). In fact, I believe employing individuals who are generalists can bring immense value to a creative firm. A serious, disciplined generalist will savvily navigate many fields to understand the big picture. They’ll see influencing factors that may come down the road and may otherwise be hidden in the blind spots of your firm’s narrow focus. They are human synthesizers. They see the unseen connections between things and act as the trimtab of your ship—sensing even the subtlest shifts in the current and adjusting your trajectory accordingly. They may not be comfortable with commanding the big, heroic reactions necessary to survive the rogue waves that come up every now and then—but they’ll probably have had a sense that something was up.”
Read the whole thing here >

January 10th 2012

3 notes |#

Future Daydream

The February, 2012 issue of PRINT Magazine is out. My column this time is called “Future Daydream,” and is a design-focused critique of how we envision the future and how that impacts our work. Here’s a clip:

…On the list of problems to solve, communication has sat at the top for far too long, and consequently, our countless solutions are what fill screens today. After a decade of focusing primarily upon the social applications of interactive technology, we need to turn our attention to other matters and use our many communication tools to address the interaction problems of 21st-century urbanity: resource management, transportation, energy, and infrastructure. It would be a shame to be remembered as the generation that tweeted while the world crumbled around us…

Read the whole thing here >

Posted at 11:20am and tagged with: design,.

Future Daydream
The February, 2012 issue of PRINT Magazine is out. My column this time is called “Future Daydream,” and is a design-focused critique of how we envision the future and how that impacts our work. Here’s a clip:
…On the list of problems to solve, communication has sat at the top for far too long, and consequently, our countless solutions are what fill screens today. After a decade of focusing primarily upon the social applications of interactive technology, we need to turn our attention to other matters and use our many communication tools to address the interaction problems of 21st-century urbanity: resource management, transportation, energy, and infrastructure. It would be a shame to be remembered as the generation that tweeted while the world crumbled around us…
Read the whole thing here >

November 29th 2011

2 notes |#

My latest article for Newfangled is up today. Here’s a clip:

There is No Box!

We used to joke around the office that our work amounted to an unending cycle; “Another day, another rectangle,” we’d say. And in some ways, that still works. After all, new devices are popping into existence all the time; each one with its own unique, glowing, rectangular screen into which will eventually be squeezed the information we create. The trouble is with over-thinking the rectangle part. We used to get as specific as possible about the dimensions of our designs, doing our best Bob Villa impressions just short of pulling out our tape measures to frame up just how wide, exactly, this thing is going to be. Today, that’s a quaint approach. As if we can really know for sure.

As far as context is concerned, we’re at a point that is far beyond individual devices—or even screen dimensions specifically. Think of it more like playing baseball without the field. How much of the game would work without being grounded—literally—with all the hard edges and linear cues that players and spectators are used to? In baseball, the game is the content; the trappings of the game—the field, the equipment, the lights, and the stands—are all parts of the container. The question is, does the game exist outside of the container? Some might say no, but then what of fantasy baseball, a thriving virtual league that exists unconfined by the field in computers, on pieces of paper, and in minds of enthusiasts. This is exactly what is happening on the web. Our game—content—is being released from its field. Rather than see this as a shocking catastrophe, one that sends us sprawling to catch every last worm spilling from the proverbial can, we should instead take note of the opportunity before us. We no longer have to design the container! Instead, we can focus on designing resilient, flexible, and scalable content…

Read the whole thing here >

Posted at 9:06am and tagged with: web-design, design, mobile, responsive-design,.

My latest article for Newfangled is up today. Here’s a clip:
There is No Box! We used to joke around the office that our work amounted to an unending cycle; “Another day, another rectangle,” we’d say. And in some ways, that still works. After all, new devices are popping into existence all the time; each one with its own unique, glowing, rectangular screen into which will eventually be squeezed the information we create. The trouble is with over-thinking the rectangle part. We used to get as specific as possible about the dimensions of our designs, doing our best Bob Villa impressions just short of pulling out our tape measures to frame up just how wide, exactly, this thing is going to be. Today, that’s a quaint approach. As if we can really know for sure. As far as context is concerned, we’re at a point that is far beyond individual devices—or even screen dimensions specifically. Think of it more like playing baseball without the field. How much of the game would work without being grounded—literally—with all the hard edges and linear cues that players and spectators are used to? In baseball, the game is the content; the trappings of the game—the field, the equipment, the lights, and the stands—are all parts of the container. The question is, does the game exist outside of the container? Some might say no, but then what of fantasy baseball, a thriving virtual league that exists unconfined by the field in computers, on pieces of paper, and in minds of enthusiasts. This is exactly what is happening on the web. Our game—content—is being released from its field. Rather than see this as a shocking catastrophe, one that sends us sprawling to catch every last worm spilling from the proverbial can, we should instead take note of the opportunity before us. We no longer have to design the container! Instead, we can focus on designing resilient, flexible, and scalable content…
Read the whole thing here >

November 3rd 2011

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Making Sense of the Data

This week I’ve had the privilege of attending and speaking at the HOW Interactive Design Conference. Rounding out a program that included many fascinating topics presented by a fantastic, talented group of people, I focused on what, comparatively, is the boring side of interactive design: making sense of the data.

For those of you who couldn’t make it out in person, this article will compose everything I shared, just moments ago, at HOW…plus a bit more.

What You’ll Learn

How to start regularly gathering data that provides enlightening, qualitative insights
How to meaningfully connect metrics from analytics tools
How to gather data from real, live people

Ready? Let’s get started…

Posted at 10:25am and tagged with: measurement, web-development, design,.

Making Sense of the Data
This week I’ve had the privilege of attending and speaking at the HOW Interactive Design Conference. Rounding out a program that included many fascinating topics presented by a fantastic, talented group of people, I focused on what, comparatively, is the boring side of interactive design: making sense of the data.
For those of you who couldn’t make it out in person, this article will compose everything I shared, just moments ago, at HOW…plus a bit more.
What You’ll Learn
How to start regularly gathering data that provides enlightening, qualitative insights
How to meaningfully connect metrics from analytics tools
How to gather data from real, live people
Ready? Let’s get started…

October 17th 2011

9 notes |#

My latest article for Smashing Magazine is out now…

How Disregarding Design Limits The Power Of Content

It appears to be a reader’s market. More written content is freely available than ever before, accessible in just about every format you could imagine. If you want it on paper, you’ve got it. On screen? What size, friend? We can shrink, stretch and stitch it all together every which way because, really, we’re just talking about words here… Or are we?

As soon as I ask that question, several others quickly follow:

-Is content so flexible?
-Is content’s most basic unit the word? Or is it, perhaps, the message?
-In today’s reader’s market, what of the writers and the designers who make reading possible?
-And are we building tools that honor their work, too?

These questions didn’t randomly pop into my head one day. Nor did a design problem get me thinking along these lines. It was while reading — for pleasure — that I noticed something was wrong. After experimenting with a few different services that let me save articles to read later in a much more reader-friendly format (what I’ve come to call “reading advocacy” tools) it occurred to me that in the process of extracting content from its original context and accessing it elsewhere, I might be losing some information along the way.

I decided to see for myself by examining several pieces of content and comparing how they look and function in a variety of incarnations: the printed page, the Web and eReaders. What I found was both encouraging and, for a designer who loves to read and write, slightly troubling. I’ll warn you in advance: there are many examples below, but I think they’re all necessary in order to convey an accurate picture of just what happens to content when we start moving it around. To properly set it up, let’s first briefly look back in history…

You can read the rest here >

Posted at 10:13am and tagged with: design, content,.

My latest article for Smashing Magazine is out now…
How Disregarding Design Limits The Power Of Content It appears to be a reader’s market. More written content is freely available than ever before, accessible in just about every format you could imagine. If you want it on paper, you’ve got it. On screen? What size, friend? We can shrink, stretch and stitch it all together every which way because, really, we’re just talking about words here… Or are we? As soon as I ask that question, several others quickly follow: -Is content so flexible? -Is content’s most basic unit the word? Or is it, perhaps, the message? -In today’s reader’s market, what of the writers and the designers who make reading possible? -And are we building tools that honor their work, too? These questions didn’t randomly pop into my head one day. Nor did a design problem get me thinking along these lines. It was while reading — for pleasure — that I noticed something was wrong. After experimenting with a few different services that let me save articles to read later in a much more reader-friendly format (what I’ve come to call “reading advocacy” tools) it occurred to me that in the process of extracting content from its original context and accessing it elsewhere, I might be losing some information along the way. I decided to see for myself by examining several pieces of content and comparing how they look and function in a variety of incarnations: the printed page, the Web and eReaders. What I found was both encouraging and, for a designer who loves to read and write, slightly troubling. I’ll warn you in advance: there are many examples below, but I think they’re all necessary in order to convey an accurate picture of just what happens to content when we start moving it around. To properly set it up, let’s first briefly look back in history…
You can read the rest here >

September 19th 2011

7 notes |#

Smarter, Better Cyborgs

…or, as I originally titled it, “Designing the Unseen.” But, this title plus Tim Lahan’s awesome illustration make me very happy. Cyborg’s? Holodeck? You’ve made this nerd’s day.

Anyway. My latest Interaction column for Print Magazine is now out in the October issue!

I’ve reposted it here, though you’ll soon be able to read it over at Print, or, for the best possible experience, pick it up in its native yet ephemeral dead-tree format ;-)

In the future, you will design the unseen. You will design with sounds, textures, vibrations, smells, and temperature, along with the media you already know so well—text, color, and light. You will design environments and interactions that are immersive. You will once again create things that do more than match eyeballs with ads. I promise.

We’ve already begun stumbling in this direction. In fact, today we have the technology needed to cohere this vision—technology that enhances device awareness by sensing, analyzing, and predicting—yet our old ways of seeing and doing remain a barrier to using it at its full potential.

Read the rest here >

Posted at 8:39am and tagged with: design, augmented-reality, cyborgs, the-future,.

Smarter, Better Cyborgs
…or, as I originally titled it, “Designing the Unseen.” But, this title plus Tim Lahan’s awesome illustration make me very happy. Cyborg’s? Holodeck? You’ve made this nerd’s day.
Anyway. My latest Interaction column for Print Magazine is now out in the October issue!
I’ve reposted it here, though you’ll soon be able to read it over at Print, or, for the best possible experience, pick it up in its native yet ephemeral dead-tree format ;-)
In the future, you will design the unseen. You will design with sounds, textures, vibrations, smells, and temperature, along with the media you already know so well—text, color, and light. You will design environments and interactions that are immersive. You will once again create things that do more than match eyeballs with ads. I promise. We’ve already begun stumbling in this direction. In fact, today we have the technology needed to cohere this vision—technology that enhances device awareness by sensing, analyzing, and predicting—yet our old ways of seeing and doing remain a barrier to using it at its full potential.
Read the rest here >

May 17th 2011

3 notes |#

The Folly of the Flock

My first Interaction column for Print Magazine is now out in the June issue! (Hi, Mom!)

After a long search—it’s tough to find design magazines in my neck of the woods—I was able to pick up a copy and take a close look at it. I’m of course proud of the article, and very thankful for the opportunity to write for the same design magazine that inspired me so much as a student at RISD. I am also pretty excited about the illustration that Jennifer Daniel created to accompany the piece—it’s very cool!. I hope you’ll be able to see the printed version at some point. Anyway, the editors at Print have graciously ok’ed me republishing the text of the article here. Enjoy!

Read it here >

Posted at 8:14pm and tagged with: design, attention,.

The Folly of the Flock
My first Interaction column for Print Magazine is now out in the June issue! (Hi, Mom!)
After a long search—it’s tough to find design magazines in my neck of the woods—I was able to pick up a copy and take a close look at it. I’m of course proud of the article, and very thankful for the opportunity to write for the same design magazine that inspired me so much as a student at RISD. I am also pretty excited about the illustration that Jennifer Daniel created to accompany the piece—it’s very cool!. I hope you’ll be able to see the printed version at some point. Anyway, the editors at Print have graciously ok’ed me republishing the text of the article here. Enjoy!
Read it here >

March 30th 2011

6 notes |#

My latest article for Newfangled is up. Here’s a clip…

Prototyping for Designers

Over the past month, I’ve been conducting interviews with many of our agency partners, clients, and colleagues to gather their feedback and deepen our understanding of the industry we serve. The things I’ve been hearing are both affirming and challenging, and I’m excited to begin to apply their insights to a variety of things, from how we work to the kinds of content we create. While I’m naturally cautious and unlikely to rush into things, I don’t want to waste any time in acting upon feedback if there’s something I can do differently right now. In fact, I’m starting with this article, which I’ve written in direct response to some particularly wonderful feedback I received from our friends at Callahan Creek in one of these interviews just a couple of weeks ago.

The gist of it was this: There is still come confusion about how designers should interpret prototypes, resulting in many unanswered questions up front. What, exactly, is the role of design in prototyping? Once a prototype is approved, which aspects of it should designers take literally and which are more flexible? As I listened to these questions, I realized that, despite having plenty of content about why we prototype and how the process works, we needed to answer them with material directly addressing the relationship between prototyping and design.

So, without further delay, here it is. Just a heads-up: this article is quite long and includes many visual examples that I hope will clarify the prototyping and design relationship. It doesn’t need to be read in one sitting, but if you do want to tackle it all at once, you might want to top off your coffee and find a comfortable spot…

Read the rest here >

Posted at 8:00am and tagged with: design, prototyping, web-design, longreads,.

My latest article for Newfangled is up. Here’s a clip…
Prototyping for Designers Over the past month, I’ve been conducting interviews with many of our agency partners, clients, and colleagues to gather their feedback and deepen our understanding of the industry we serve. The things I’ve been hearing are both affirming and challenging, and I’m excited to begin to apply their insights to a variety of things, from how we work to the kinds of content we create. While I’m naturally cautious and unlikely to rush into things, I don’t want to waste any time in acting upon feedback if there’s something I can do differently right now. In fact, I’m starting with this article, which I’ve written in direct response to some particularly wonderful feedback I received from our friends at Callahan Creek in one of these interviews just a couple of weeks ago.The gist of it was this: There is still come confusion about how designers should interpret prototypes, resulting in many unanswered questions up front. What, exactly, is the role of design in prototyping? Once a prototype is approved, which aspects of it should designers take literally and which are more flexible? As I listened to these questions, I realized that, despite having plenty of content about why we prototype and how the process works, we needed to answer them with material directly addressing the relationship between prototyping and design. So, without further delay, here it is. Just a heads-up: this article is quite long and includes many visual examples that I hope will clarify the prototyping and design relationship. It doesn’t need to be read in one sitting, but if you do want to tackle it all at once, you might want to top off your coffee and find a comfortable spot…
Read the rest here >

November 16th 2010

2 notes |#

My latest post for Imprint is up:

Offline Thinking for Screen Workers

“We are what we know.”

Science historian James Burke created a ten-part mini series for the BBC, called “The Day the Universe Changed,” around this idea—that our experience of the world is shaped by the things we discover and create. Typical of the kind of profound and pithy statements for which he is well known, it burned itself into my memory the moment I heard him say it, and has become somewhat of a working slogan for me since.

Think about it: Your identity as a designer—your ideas, skills, habits and proclivities—doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it is the organic aggregate of your experiences. Who you are professionally includes, perhaps, a bit of your college professor, your first boss, the art director of your favorite magazine, the trend strategist who began a process culminated in your most stylish shoes—whom you don’t know and will probably never meet—and countless other influences that you may not even recognize. When you create something, you can quickly identify it as yours, yet also perceive the mark of that vast assembly within it if you look long—and honestly—enough.

So what does this have to do with web design? Nothing in particular. Or everything, depending upon your perspective. For my purposes, and for the time being, I’d like to stick with everything…

Read the whole article here >

Posted at 4:31pm and tagged with: web-design, design, web-development,.

My latest post for Imprint is up:

Offline Thinking for Screen Workers
“We are what we know.”
Science historian James Burke created a ten-part mini series for the BBC, called “The Day the Universe Changed,” around this idea—that our experience of the world is shaped by the things we discover and create. Typical of the kind of profound and pithy statements for which he is well known, it burned itself into my memory the moment I heard him say it, and has become somewhat of a working slogan for me since.
Think about it: Your identity as a designer—your ideas, skills, habits and proclivities—doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it is the organic aggregate of your experiences. Who you are professionally includes, perhaps, a bit of your college professor, your first boss, the art director of your favorite magazine, the trend strategist who began a process culminated in your most stylish shoes—whom you don’t know and will probably never meet—and countless other influences that you may not even recognize. When you create something, you can quickly identify it as yours, yet also perceive the mark of that vast assembly within it if you look long—and honestly—enough.
So what does this have to do with web design? Nothing in particular. Or everything, depending upon your perspective. For my purposes, and for the time being, I’d like to stick with everything…

Read the whole article here >

October 15th 2010

1 note |#

Money First.

Talking about money can be awkward, which is why it’s often brought up too late. But no other diagnostic question you ask matters unless your client can afford to pay you for the work they’re hoping you’ll do. And oh boy does that mean that you had better be charging enough. But that’s another article …

I’ve learned that the best way to begin talking about a project is to discuss money. Too often, we wait until after the client has assumed control of the negotiations, after you’ve already spent a ton of time trying to close on the job, or worse yet, after work has already been done. By then, you’ve set a precedent that is almost impossible to reverse. And if you’re operating this way, you likely aren’t even certain what you need to earn for the work you’re doing. You’re winging it, and the client can see that. The only way you’re going to get the budget you need is to have the money conversation right away.

Read the rest of my article for Print Magazine’s ImPrint Blog here >

Posted at 2:31pm and tagged with: web-development, Business, design,.

Money First.
Talking about money can be awkward, which is why it’s often brought up too late. But no other diagnostic question you ask matters unless your client can afford to pay you for the work they’re hoping you’ll do. And oh boy does that mean that you had better be charging enough. But that’s another article …
I’ve learned that the best way to begin talking about a project is to discuss money. Too often, we wait until after the client has assumed control of the negotiations, after you’ve already spent a ton of time trying to close on the job, or worse yet, after work has already been done. By then, you’ve set a precedent that is almost impossible to reverse. And if you’re operating this way, you likely aren’t even certain what you need to earn for the work you’re doing. You’re winging it, and the client can see that. The only way you’re going to get the budget you need is to have the money conversation right away.
Read the rest of my article for Print Magazine’s ImPrint Blog here >

September 28th 2010

1 note |#

My first post for Print Magazine’s imprint blog is up…

A Permanent Work in Progress

Way back in 2007—and believe me, three web years is a long time—I read a column by Harry McCracken, the editor-in-chief for PC World, that I’ve not been able to forget since. In marveling at the pace of technological change, and its increasing scope of reach across the world, he wrote: “More than any communications medium before it, the Web is a permanent work in progress that’s always new.” I’ve probably parroted that line hundreds of times since then—to colleagues and clients alike—in order to impress upon them this truth that we will never be finished…

Posted at 5:27pm and tagged with: design, web-design,.

My first post for Print Magazine’s imprint blog is up…
A Permanent Work in Progress

Way back in 2007—and believe me, three web years is a long time—I read a column by Harry McCracken, the editor-in-chief for PC World, that I’ve not been able to forget since. In marveling at the pace of technological change, and its increasing scope of reach across the world, he wrote: “More than any communications medium before it, the Web is a permanent work in progress that’s always new.” I’ve probably parroted that line hundreds of times since then—to colleagues and clients alike—in order to impress upon them this truth that we will never be finished…

September 1st 2010

9 notes |#

If book designs disrespected attention as much as websites do, they’d probably look like this.

My thoughts on cultivating user attention…

Posted at 10:41am and tagged with: web-development, design, attention,.