At this point in time, I would have to say that even the lack of a reaction to something we read is, in itself, a reaction. Does that make sense? I keep reading it, and it feels right. So here is an example. I read Sharon Lee's "Human-to-Human Design." and even though I understood the content, I didn't have a strong reaction one way or another to her comments.
I've learned (and I think that I've mentioned this before) that if I underline or mark up something I read a LOT, then I'm definitely connecting to the piece. Oooooo, so is there a difference between connecting and reacting? Hmmm, I don't think I want to go there tonight. At any rate, there is very little marked in Lee's article. First, she begins her piece by writing "it's not new to say that we now live in an age in which survival in business depends on your ability to communicate effectively through the internet" ("Human-to-Human"). Wow, I'm sorry, but for me, that simply is not much of a hook.
Everyone knows that it is the beginning that sets the tone. In a book, it's those first few pages or maybe the first chapter, but in an article as short as Lee's, it's gotta happen in that first paragraph. It didn't happen, therefore, I've lost interest from the beginning. Now this does not mean that I don't believe Lee's article gets across some important information. It just doesn't do it in a very effective way for me.
So when she writes about audience and how we, as web designers need to have a more narrow focus of exactly who that audience is so that we can design better websites, it's not that I don't agree with her. It's just that the way she has written it has bored me. However, when she later argues that "storytelling is a rich and compelling way to involve the user in a design, evoke an emotional response, or enhance a user's learning experience", my "ears" perked up immediately. I understand these words, and more importantly, the adjectives she uses: "rich", "compelling", "emotional". This sentence was under the heading of "Tell me a story" and I got it.
When I arrived at the section sub-titled "Enchant me", I expected the same kind or similar language, but it left me dry. For instance, "design can create order and instill a feeling of peace and serenity" just left me feeling nothing. Lee fails to get across this idea of "Human-to-Human Design" that the title indicates I should understand by the end. I either failed as a reader to connect to her ideas through her writing (which is entirely possible), or she failed to communicate them effectively with her choice of language. Go on over to the site, read it, and let me know your thoughts!! http://www.alistapart.com/articles/humantohuman/
I've learned (and I think that I've mentioned this before) that if I underline or mark up something I read a LOT, then I'm definitely connecting to the piece. Oooooo, so is there a difference between connecting and reacting? Hmmm, I don't think I want to go there tonight. At any rate, there is very little marked in Lee's article. First, she begins her piece by writing "it's not new to say that we now live in an age in which survival in business depends on your ability to communicate effectively through the internet" ("Human-to-Human"). Wow, I'm sorry, but for me, that simply is not much of a hook.
Everyone knows that it is the beginning that sets the tone. In a book, it's those first few pages or maybe the first chapter, but in an article as short as Lee's, it's gotta happen in that first paragraph. It didn't happen, therefore, I've lost interest from the beginning. Now this does not mean that I don't believe Lee's article gets across some important information. It just doesn't do it in a very effective way for me.
So when she writes about audience and how we, as web designers need to have a more narrow focus of exactly who that audience is so that we can design better websites, it's not that I don't agree with her. It's just that the way she has written it has bored me. However, when she later argues that "storytelling is a rich and compelling way to involve the user in a design, evoke an emotional response, or enhance a user's learning experience", my "ears" perked up immediately. I understand these words, and more importantly, the adjectives she uses: "rich", "compelling", "emotional". This sentence was under the heading of "Tell me a story" and I got it.
When I arrived at the section sub-titled "Enchant me", I expected the same kind or similar language, but it left me dry. For instance, "design can create order and instill a feeling of peace and serenity" just left me feeling nothing. Lee fails to get across this idea of "Human-to-Human Design" that the title indicates I should understand by the end. I either failed as a reader to connect to her ideas through her writing (which is entirely possible), or she failed to communicate them effectively with her choice of language. Go on over to the site, read it, and let me know your thoughts!! http://www.alistapart.com/articles/humantohuman/
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