Mark Hart's page

An item that uses good writing, an intriguing concept, and neat execution to grab my attention

----------------------------------------------------------------------< The Line

An item that grabs my attention for the sake of grabbing my attention

A designer can't necessarily see The Line, but it is crucial that he knows when he's crossed it.

I have found that there is a cumulative "ugh" effect after reading through a dozen or so items that feature a high "ick" factor. It just gets to be too much...

This is just a guess, but it seems like the judges have developed, over the life of the contest, a shorthand series of words, phrases, and statements -- macros, if you will -- for evaluating items. Doing so would save the judges considerable time, both in reading and writing.

This could lead comments to seem terse to people outside the reviewing process. The only analogy that I can offer comes from the world of physicians (I work in a hospital). When doctors communicate about patients with one another, to someone outside the process their comments can come across as cold, harsh, or uncaring. In reality, the doctors are doing what they can to be efficient, and they often rely on somewhat terse communication.

Just a thought.