[Programmer],
Through a number of inputs — not the least of which is yourself — my mind has been directed and redirected to the all-important question of ‘the best design’. We also have the Japanese inputs of ‘reactor plant design’, ‘super-high speed train seat’ and ‘chop-sticks (o-hashi)’. My social/religious/political blog ErinPilgrim.com has received a face-lift as a result of these precious inputs, even though I have paying work which is overdue.
It has occurred to me that there are absolute designs and there are practical designs. An absolute design is when the designer sits down with pencil and paper and makes the best solution for all time. A practical design is when the designer takes the requirements that s/he has received from the engineering team, then with pen and paper at hand, comes up with the best solution to be implemented within the time constraint.
More or less, the [current] project at hand requires a practical design. Therefore, the user interface will be based on the functionality available from the engineering team (that’s you) between the time that the underlying database has been executed and the time that beta testing begins. (Originally, I had put, ‘and the time that we expect to go to market’, but post development testing is a given). Which is to say, that my best ideas are not as important as the ideas that will serve us best. When developing the user interface for the [current] application, I look forward to working with the inputs that you have implemented.
Best regards,
Shannon
