Employee Corner: David Glassman
Control Concepts is excited to introduce the newest member of our team, David Glassman. David joins the CCI Team as Junior Programmer, coming to us from within the audiovisual industry with a diverse background that blends graphic design, AV sales, and customer support.
We sat down with David to discuss his ideas on programming and design and what the next generation of users expects from their interfaces and devices.
What unique insight do you have to programming because of your work in the field of design?
Design is so engrained in how I think through a project- thinking visually is almost an instinct at this point. The design background comes into play now that I am working with programming. It’s a natural, normal thing as I am going through a touchpanel to think about how to improve it.
The difference here is that I have to think about the user, it has to be functional for them first. More than anything else, users want simplicity. They have all this equipment in the room and first, they just want to work, to give them what they need.
Are users’ expectations changing and does that have anything to do with their experiences with the devices they use at home/on their own time?
In the iPhone age, end users are used to very simple interfaces that are easy to use, nice to look at, and that stand out. Ease of use is number one but a lot of times when designing and programming you can get so locked in functionality that you forget it should also be something nice to look at. If presented with a nice interface, the user wants to spend a little more time with it and that helps get the job done.
Users have come to expect a level of ease of use and functionality from devices carry around every day and if users don’t see that from designers and programmers, it tends to be off putting or confusing.
Our customers live with devices they know and trust and when they come to the office or conference room, they want devices that work the same way
What are your tips for designing a user interface?
- Make everything easy to find
- Avoid overloading because overloading paralyzes
- Keep the interface simple but show everything that the user needs to do
- Give all functionality but do not make it overwhelming
- Make buttons simple and appropriately sized
- Think about color choices- I am really into contrasting colors and fading
- Make it pleasing to the eye
- Be able to design a panel that is more aesthetically pleasing
Before coming to CCI you worked in sales and customer relations for an AV integration company so you know users. What do you think they’re ready for next?
Users are ready for more creativity but there is a standard that has been set and it’s hard to get away from that and start thinking differently. When I first started designing, I thought the look was most important but then I talk with industry veterans who say there is a certain way of doing things we can’t change… I think the end user is getting ready for that change.
We have to embrace change and not get locked into ways of doing things just because that’s the way they have always been done. I am not suggesting reinventing wheel but incremental changes and making things better should be the goal.
What I’ve seen so far at CCI and is similar to what we are trying to do for the users of our systems, to streamline operation, be forward thinking, progress, and make things better
We at Control Concepts are pleased to have David join our Team. His unique insight is yet another way in which we keep the user experience central to the services we provide to our clients across the industry. Stay with us for more updates about new interface design, products and services that Control Concepts has in store.
If you have questions for David or would like to extend your own welcome message to him, you can reach him at davidg@controlconcepts.net or at (201) 797-7900.
