nundroo

Didier Hilhorst Speaks

note: This interview was republished with the permission of Justin Goodlett. It was originally published 22nd of March 2004.

skinnyj

As mentioned not too long ago, I promised an interview with the brilliant Didier Hilhorst. A couple weeks have passed since that first mention and I am absolutely thrilled to bring you this Skinnyj exclusive:

Justin Goodlett  Didier, you are known for doing some incredible work for the web using standard compliant markup. You live in the Netherlands and are enrolled in a graduate program for economics and informatics. Can you tell us a little more about yourself and how you got into design?

Didier Hilhorst  My parents got an internet connection in 1996, though I didn’t care much for web design at the time. I was more interested in skateboarding, drawing comics and designing cars. About a year later my younger brother was goofing around in Photoshop. I gave it a try and instantly realized the power of software in design. But it took a few more years to get me into the whole web design scene.

After graduating from high-school I went straight to university in the Netherlands. The whole experience was new and very much nerve wrecking. While I’m Dutch, I never actually lived in the Netherlands before. It rather felt like being a tourist in your own country — odd sentiment. During my first year at university I got to spend a lot of time in front of a screen. Consequently I got back to using Photoshop more again and started building my first ever website somewhere in 1999 I think.

As I started to be more of a regular student I spent less time in front of a screen and more time in the pub. Slowly I was able to find a good balance between design, university and social life. Some time after completing my first year at university I was contacted by my first ever client. Shitty rate, bad code and poor design, but at the time it felt like an achievement. I did a limited number of small projects during the following year. In November 2002 I met with Kees van Iwaarden, managing director at Cinnamon and discussed the slump in the web industry and the importance of standards. The following year talented people such as Jeffrey Zeldman, Todd Dominey and Douglas Bowman made me realize web standards matter.

Justin Goodlett  How old are you?

Didier Hilhorst  I define my age with a mathematical formula: Cd(mod n). According to this formula, my age equals 547(mod 65). First one to post a correct answer along with a rationale of the calculation in the comments will receive a $20 gift certificate from amazon.com.

Justin Goodlett  Was your undergraduate degree in a similarly related field of study as your current program?

Didier Hilhorst  Yes and no. Yes, because I have a bachelor degree in economics and my graduate program is a mixture of economics and computer science (informatics). No, because I really changed my focus to strategic and managerial aspects of information and communication technology. My undergraduate degree integrated subjects such as accounting, finance and marketing.

The graduate program I’m currently attending includes courses in EDP auditing, information economics, strategy development and information management. Fortunately, as of late I have been able to focus more specifically on the role of branding, usability and human-computer interaction on the web. Researching the impact of these particular fields on business — and how they impact strategy development. Moreover it has brought my field of study somewhat closer to my love for design.

Justin Goodlett  What made you want to study HCI and issues of usability?

Didier Hilhorst  Why do people buy online? How can a better website lead to more transactions? How does better design affect usage? By how much percent did sales increase due to better usability? How does your website impact strategy? Questions like these fascinate me, yet are difficult to answer. In my opinion these subjects have received too little attention in both academia and practice. If it does not make cents, it does not make sense.

Justin Goodlett  For you, what does a “usable site” really mean? Does a usable site achieve a balance of accessibility, usability and aesthetic quality or does it posses more of one quality?

Didier Hilhorst  I think improving accessibility is to leverage physical barriers to entry (can I access the content?), while good usability practices support users in their tasks (can I find the content I’m looking for?). Finally, aesthetic quality translates into attractiveness (is the experience pleasing to the eye?) referring to visual elements, most notably colors used and overall design. Colors and design are direct interface features. In my opinion the level of attractiveness directly affects ease-of-use, enjoyment and usefulness. A good website, as opposed to just a usable website, should seamlessly blend accessibility, usability and aesthetic quality. Exclusively addressing usability is not enough — it will, unfortunately, not make your website de facto attractive, useful or enjoyable.

Justin Goodlett  Many usability gurus, who are well respected in the community of all things web, have horribly designed web sites. Why do you think this phenomenon occurs?

Didier Hilhorst  In general usability experts are not designers. My best advice is to stick to what you know best. Need a decent website? Hire professionals.

Justin Goodlett  Do you think Jakob Nielsen knows that his site makes most designers retch?

Didier Hilhorst  After seeing his assortment of pressphotos I seriously doubted if this guy was even for real — his haircut is definitively not usable. Seriously though, it’s a bit of a guess, but I think he does. At the same time I don’t think he really cares, partly because his views on the matter are by and large abstracted from aesthetics. Besides I don’t think he’s the kind of person to accept critique from designers that easily. While Nielsen has knowledgeable stuff to say, he barks a lot. His overly aggressive and suggestive tone of voice really pisses me off at times. In that respect I much more prefer his colleague Don Norman.

Justin Goodlett  Can you give me an example of some sites that are “good websites” in your opinion?

These are just a few websites and are not necessarily perfect of course, but they do a great job in an assortment of either decisive factors such as ease-of-use, enjoyment and usefulness.

Justin Goodlett  How did you get partnered up with Dan Rubin of SuperfluousBanter?

Didier Hilhorst  Dan contacted me after my entry appeared on the CSS Zen Garden. We exchanged a few e-mails and talked about partnering up. We got along almost instantly and think fairly similar about all things web design. In addition our skills are very much complementary. SharkVentures (formerly known as SharkRodeo) became to be the first concrete project to com from our partnership — for which I was in charge of design.

Justin Goodlett  How does that arrangement work out for you?

Didier Hilhorst  The arrangement is very much ad hoc. We communicate regularly about a range of topics related to business, life and design. However, I have always clearly stated that I’m unfortunately unable to commit fulltime to this undertaking — yet. But I’m delighted to work with a talented person such as Dan. Aside from doing research on the subject at university it allows me to put my money where my mouth is and improve my skills.

Justin Goodlett  Besides contributing to Dan’s web log, what other projects have you been working on? Anything you can tell us about?

Didier Hilhorst  Dan is currently working on a number of designs I have produced. These websites should go live in the coming months. I’m also thrilled to announce that Dan and I will make a publication available soon. Stay tuned. In addition I’ve recently been contacted to work on the interface of the web designer's online magazine of choice. Exciting stuff.

Justin Goodlett  Who are some designers out there right now whose work just excites you?

Justin Goodlett  What is it about their work that’s exciting?

Didier Hilhorst  My all time favorite designer has to be Philippe Starck. I just love the things he creates — and while some might argue he thinks more in terms of business success than design, I truly admire his work. Besides I enjoy people that stir controversy in design, and Strack did exactly that. Rem Koolhaas (from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture) is a famous Dutch architect with achievements that are both impressive and inspiring. Edward Tufte is high on my list because of his views on information design and related topics. Two people that influenced me most during my first steps into design are Hillman Curtis and Joshua Davis. Both have strong personalities and are frighteningly talented. More recently people such as Douglas, Todd and Jason inspire me to make the web a better, more attractive and friendly place.

Justin Goodlett  Where does your “style” in design come from? Can you attribute any of it to a particular person or movement?

Didier Hilhorst  I don’t think I can attribute my style to a particular person or movement. My style changed and matured over the years. I started out being more of an artsy designer so to speak. I regularly checked (and still check) design portals such as K10k, Surfstation and DiK and back in the days even participated in Half Project. I was improving my design skills and working a lot in Flash. Later, I slowly shifted my attention to more functional and task oriented design. Right now I mostly work on interfaces and occasionally go wild in Flash. From time to time I take a brake from my screen and use a good old pencil along with a fresh piece of paper — nothing beats old-school techniques.

Justin Goodlett  What inspires you? This doesn’t have to be design related.

Didier Hilhorst  In no particular order:
Wallpaper*, movie trailers, physics, BBC Essential Mix, books, fast cars, technology, science, debate, a round of golf, art, biotech, Kruder & Dorfmeister, yummy food, architecture, comics, simplicity, Büro Destruct, mathematics and much more.

Justin Goodlett  What saddens you?

Didier Hilhorst  Terrorism.

Justin Goodlett  Do you have a favorite food? Can you go into detail as to why it’s your favorite?

Didier Hilhorst  French and Italian cuisine for its tasty and delicate ingredients.

Justin Goodlett  Tell me 3 things you would like to achieve before you leave this world?

Justin Goodlett  Do you have a favorite saying? What about a favorite curse word?

Didier Hilhorst  My favorite saying at the moment would be “I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else.” by Pablo Picasso. My favorite curse words are all voiced in this hilarious commercial (~3MB), which is full of profanity — you have been warned.

Justin Goodlett  After you graduate, what comes next for Didier Hilhorst?

Didier Hilhorst  Hah, good question. If only I knew... At the moment I live on a day by day basis without any real worries — the good life. I have several options, ranging from design to more traditional consultancy, though to be honest I have not made up my mind yet.

Justin Goodlett  If you had to pack up and move tomorrow, where would you move to and why?

Didier Hilhorst  Dan would like me to say Florida, but unfortunately I would probably choose for either France or Italy. I really feel at ease in these countries. Both their cultural and historical background fascinates me.

I attended an international high-school and really grew up to be cosmopolitan, something which had a tremendous impact on my view on society. Being among different nationalities makes you understand cultural disparities and be more tolerant about differences.

Copyright © 2004 Didier Hilhorst. All Rights Reserved.

Remember that this is a personal web site — its content does not reflect the position or opinion of my respective employers or academic institutions.

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