Week 1: What is Human Computer Interaction Design?
Mini Case Study
What is Interaction Design?
Definition of IxD:
Interaction Design (IxD) defines the structure and behavior of
interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful
relationships between people and the products and services they use,
from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond. http://www.ixda.org/about/ixda-mission
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| Self-service check out at Kroger -- a machine, not human-centered, design. |
ACM (Association for Computer Machinery) Interactions Journal
The Importance of Design (Tactical) and Design Thinking (Strategic)
Design has significance beyond the aesthetic, reaching into other fields, especially business.
Design Thinking at Intel:
http://blogs.intel.com/evangelists/2015/06/10/adventures-in-design-thinking/
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."
Course overview:
- In this course we’re going to do things
- We’re going to explore a series of frameworks/perspectives/lenses for understanding design in use (there is no "unified theory")
- Technology is the how, HCI/d is the why
Review Syllabus, Course Topics, and Support Materials
The Academic Code
Questions?
Homework for Wednesday, 26 August due at 11:59 pm through Canvas:
- Review course materials
- Get book
- Read User Experience Design (UXD) pp. 10 – 25, “Introduction” through “Today’s Interdisciplinary Teams”
- Write initial Reflection paper: answer the following questions, using no more than three pages, and submit through Canvas
- What is your current understanding of HCI/d and its importance?
- What are your expectations for this course?
- How do you hope to benefit from the course?
- Where do you see yourself fitting in the design and development team roles outlined on page 23?
You might wish to create subheadings for each of these questions.
