Thursday, 15 January

Key Terms/Concepts/People, Firms

User Interface (UI), User Experience (UXD), Project Life Cycle, Iteration, Reflective, “Computer Administrative Debris,” Principles of Good Design, Edward Tufte, Dieter Rams, Sir Jony Ive 


Osborne 1 -- the first "portable" computer (circa 1982, $1,795, equivalent of $4,400 2014 dollars)

Select student projects from last semester:

 

Reading Suggestion:

 The book provides an excellent overview of:

• The development of the technology industry in Silicon Valley
• Great case studies of design philosophy and product development
• History of the development of Apple's genre-defining products (e.g. iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.) [what was the first idea for the iPhone interface?]
• The wacky personality of Jobs -- behavior Human Resources would no longer let you get away with
• Key observation: if you have an "open system" no one is responsible for the user experience, with closed systems, like Apple uses, someone it -- user focused rather than tech focused

Additional suggested reading: 

ACM (Association for Computer Machinery) Interactions Journal

http://interactions.acm.org/


Questions on course, materials?

Discussion of homework questions:

1. Your current understanding of HCI/d and its importance
2. Your expectations for this course
3. How you hope to benefit from the course

The Importance of Design (Tactical) and Design Thinking (Strategic)


Design has significance beyond the aesthetic, reaching into other fields, especially business.

Design thinking is a "third way" that is:

• synthetic, not (solely) analytical
• incorporates rationality and intuition
• holistic
• characterized by learning by doing, not formula following
• fosters innovation, not merely refinement of ideas

According to design theorist Nigel Cross, in his book Designerly Ways of Knowing:

"Even a ‘three cultures’ view of human knowledge and ability is a simple model. However, contrasting design with the sciences and the humanities is a useful, if crude, way of beginning to be more articulate about it."

"If we contrast the sciences, the humanities, and design under each aspect, we may become clearer of what we mean by design, and what is particular to it.

"The phenomenon of study in each culture is

• in the sciences: the natural world
• in the humanities: human experience 
• in design: the artificial world

"The appropriate methods in each culture are

• in the sciences: controlled experiment, classification, analysis
• in the humanities: analogy, metaphor, evaluation 
• in design: modelling, pattern-formation, synthesis

"The values of each culture are:

• in the sciences: objectivity, rationality, neutrality, and a concern for ‘truth’
• in the humanities: subjectivity, imagination, commitment, and a concern for ‘justice’ 
• in design: practicality, ingenuity, empathy, and a concern for ‘appropriateness’

"From these ways of knowing I drew three main areas of justification for design in general education:

• Design develops innate abilities in solving real-world, ill-defined problems.
• Design sustains cognitive development in the concrete/iconic modes of cognition. 
• Design offers opportunities for development of a wide range of abilities in nonverbal thought and communication." 

 Jeroen ven Erp's Cone Model:

What is "Good Design"?

Dieter Rams and Sir Jony Ive
from Objectified 

Ram's 10 Principles of Good Design

Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple. 

Charles Mingus (jazz bassist and composer, 1922 - 1979)
 

Michele Kelmer from University Information Technology Services (UITS) @ 10:15 am


Homework for Tuesday, 20 January at 12:01 am through Oncourse Assignments:

Read User Experience Design (UXD) pp. 10 – 25; 106 - 111

1. What is UXD?
2. What are the characteristics of UXD? 
3. What is the importance of UXD? 
4. What are the various roles related to UXD? 
5. Where do you see yourself fitting in the design and development team roles outlines on page 23? 
6. What is a “project life cycle” and what are the major stages of it? 
7. What is “iteration” and what is its role in the design of interactive systems? 
8. What, according to Edward Tufte, is “computer administrative debris”? Does he consider it a good or bad thing? Why? [Based on video clip shown in class on Tuesday, 13 January]