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It is the responsibility of the designer to ensure the technology they develop is usable. It is not the user’s burden to understand the technology. More often than not, it is not the user’s fault for committing errors or mistakes.
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Radical, disruptive designs entail reformulating the goals of the user based on what they really want by determining why they behave a certain way.
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Technology changes the way we do things, but fundamental needs and the social nature of humans remain unchanged.
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Communication of design is just as, if not, more important than the affordances themselves. *Allow users to understand and rectify their mistakes easily. *
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Design is also about reducing the cognitive load expected from the user. This is done by making knowledge readily available in the world instead (i.e., via constraints, signifiers or natural mappings)
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Design should take into account the cultural knowledge of its users. What is natural for one user may be unnatural for another even though both can logically rationalize their viewpoints.
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As much as possible, design should be consistent with pre-established conventions. But, if a new way to do things outweighs the old, it is far better to break conventions and, if all else fails, standardize. However, be prepared for people to find new conventions inconvenient (analogous to here).
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The usability of a device correlates with how well the user’s conceptual model matches with using the device for an intended outcome. A good conceptual model need not be accurate. A good conceptual model makes complex devices usable.
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Design should account for errors. Designers should investigate the root cause of why these errors occur and improve the design to eliminate or reduce the impact of errors. Errors are more often than not a symptom of faulty design.
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Good design prevents slips and mistakes, but delivering good and safe technology to the user does not stop at design. Since societal pressures are powerful and can lead to human error, there needs to be appropriate policy, regulations, and trainings in place.
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Good design integrates people and machines. People act with intent, machines are precise, and both complement each other. Human error is human action inappropriate for the needs of technology.
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We are dependent on technology. We are smart with it, but take it away and we become dumber. That said, technology frees our mind to concentrate on more important things, the creative and meaningful things.
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The first step of design is to find the real problem. What people say they need is often what they actually need.
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Principles regarding the design process are agnostic to the domain they are applied in. They are universally applicable.
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Design for people. Design with people in mind. Technology is meant to serve a purpose.
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What works well in theory does not always work well in practice. Design is successful only if the final product is successful.
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Sometimes poor design is the consequence of poor communication between and among the design team.
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Don’t underestimate how external factors prevent the creation of good design. Competition and budget constraints play a role in why products become poor. Good designers account for these external factors.
Topics
- The Psychopathology of Everyday Things
- The Psychology of Everyday Actions
- Knowledge in the Head and In the World
- Knowing What To Do — Constraints, Discoverability and Feedback
- Human Error — No, Bad Design
- Design Thinking
- Design In the World of Business