Lessons from a poet

Last night I read an article about poetry – not a subject I can claim to have very much knowledge of at all. It described the creative process and referred specifically to the structure of a sonnet. By the thirteenth century, a sonnet had come to be defined as a poem of fourteen lines that follows a strict rhyme scheme. This structure did not inhibit the creativity of the poet, it merely provided a framework within which to operate.

In fact, many of the most famous poems are sonnets. Even un-poetic people like me have heard Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 that begins ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’, and there are many more. To me, they all seem incredibly creative despite the rigid framework within which they had to be written.

There’s an irresistible analogy here for me. There is a myth that says usability practices stifle designers’ creativity. I have felt for a long time that this simply cannot be true and that designers overcome far greater challenges arising from technology, brand and proposition than any that usability could create. Perhaps by comparing the restrictions web designers face with those of the poet, we can understand that true creativity is about finding new solutions that meet the technical requirements, but also create a great experience for everyone.