5

I have a couple questions that I hope the community can help me in understanding the closing of a question I posted just a few hours ago - https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/3951/should-a-ui-designer-use-a-mac-closed

First and foremost, I'm not sure I understand why it would be closed with such a cryptic message — "Demonstrating that you know the mores doesn't give you a license to ignore the mores." I may be showing my ignorance in some way here, but I have no idea what that means.

Regardless, it doesn't seem too conducive to bringing in new members to close a question and be unhelpful at the same time.

I can only guess that Patrick is assuming I demonstrated that I understand the issue is subjective and then went ahead and asked the question anyway?

That's my second question - I was under the impression that many of the Stack Exchange sites (this one included, from the FAQ) were under the Good subjective/bad subjective class of sites — subjective questions are meant to be answered here, but only under those parameters.

From experience, I didn't think I was ignoring those parameters at all. I have much more experience on Programmers, where really every question is subjective, so maybe I'm just more used to it, but this question is of the type Programmers sees nearly every day (just today - What is the greatest design flaw you have faced in any programming language?) and members are able to keep their cool.

I also felt I had made it clear that the question is not about the I'm-right-you're-wrong aspects of Mac vs. PC, but the practical ones — tools, design examples, community, etc. In fact, the question is very similar to one asked on Programmers, about developers — Why do programmers use or recommend Mac OS X? More or less, my question was, Is the common idea that designers should use Mac right, or does it not matter - and why?

In any case, I'm not here to argue against any community rules, but to find help to understand them. I read the FAQ to try to understand before I posted, and I didn't think to click the Flag button to see the close reasons, but I was not expecting to see a "subjective" close reason on a subjective site.

3 Answers 3

3

I was not expecting to see a "subjective" close reason on a subjective site

You basically asked "should programmers use Emacs?" here, and you're wondering why it was closed?

Pretty self explanatory to me.

1
  • If there was a prevailing belief that programmers couldn't use anything but emacs, then the analogy would fit. And because there is that, for UI and other designers, I'd like to validate or invalidate any objective reasons why. In fact, that question has basically been asked on Programmers, in several forms (some closed, some not)
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 14:22
0

One thing I would say about your question is that it is VERY off topic for this site. This is a site for UI experts, not designers.

8
  • 1
    Can you elaborate on what a "UI expert" does? 99% of the UI experts I know are designers.
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 5:05
  • @Renesis - then you don't know UI experts. A designer designs how things look. A UI expert deals in interactions that the user makes, workflow, usability, user experience, how a system reacts to the user and vice versa, etc. Just look at the questions on this site to see what UI experts do. Mar 8, 2011 at 5:10
  • @Charles agree to disagree on the meaning of "designer" then - you just described the jobs of those I was referring to.
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 5:15
  • @Renesis - if you really think that UI experts and graphic designers are the same thing, check out the numerous answers on this thread of questions that disagree with you: meta.ui.stackexchange.com/questions/204/… discuss.area51.stackexchange.com/questions/374/… Mar 8, 2011 at 5:19
  • 2
    @Charles You seem to be the one that keeps interchanging UI designer and graphic designer. Each time I say UI designer you change it to graphic designer. I was trying to say they are very different things, and that those "UI experts" I know are designers - UI designers.
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 5:26
  • @Renesis - your question talks about things that are clearly graphic designer issues, not UI designer issues. Even if you just say "designer", your context is very clearly "graphic designer". Mar 8, 2011 at 5:32
  • 2
    @Charles Your premise is based on the assumption that I see no or little difference between a UI and a graphic designer. That's not the case. You should reread my question with that in mind. If you still see no relevance to UI then lets leave it at that.
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 5:37
  • 1
    @Renesis - All of these points you made are definitely geared towards graphic designers and not UI designers because they don't apply to UI designers in any way: • There are more (or more efficient) design tools for the Mac • There is a stigma (from clients) against designers who use Windows • There is a stigma (from designers) against other designers who use Windows (in that a designer may not be welcomed into helpful communities) Mar 8, 2011 at 5:54
0

I apologize for posting such a cryptic comment. That was probably more frustrating than if I hadn't given any reason. Mea culpa.

Your interpretation is correct. You know that some questions are too subjective, even on a site where most questions have an element of subjectivity. You asked a question that -- if you're being honest with yourself -- you know isn't a good fit.

5
  • Thanks. Being honest, as a new user of UI, I simply don't/didn't know what is too subjective - at Programmers, it's not about more or less subjective, it's about answerable (as seen by the open/close fate of many different questions about platform, IDE, etc.). Also, maybe I'm simply bad at making a question answerable, but I feel like there is a question that can be answered in there somewhere.
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 15:28
  • Couldn't help but chuckle at the use of "mea culpa" as a response to someone who came to complain that he didn't understand "mores" :) Mar 8, 2011 at 16:37
  • @Vitaly I'm not totally uncultured!
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 17:45
  • @Renesis I totally didn't mean it to come off like that - it just seems funny "objectively", like in a joke. Mar 8, 2011 at 20:14
  • 1
    @Vitaly no harm done, I forgot my smily :)
    – Nicole
    Mar 8, 2011 at 20:56

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .