Thoughts on “Bringing design to software”.
5 core processes of interaction design: understand, abstract, structure, represent, detail.
Design languages are used to create products and help in learning to use them. An effective language brings coherence, relevance, and quality.
Development: characterization (of current languages), reregistration (of a new assumption set), development and demonstration (of language elements in scenarios, sketches or prototypes), evaluation (in context), and evolution.
Black-box designs can be foolproof, but lead to impoverished communities of practice. Transparent-box design reveals the functionality (as appropriate), allowing comprehension and skill development.
The more important a product is for the user, the more trouble he is ready to accept (threshold of indignation).
Action-centered design focuses on linguistic distinctions, standard practices, actions that need coordination among people, tools (usable without thought), breakdowns, and ongoing concerns.
Innovation demands that prototypes drive specifications, not vice versa. Rapid prototyping cycles are also necessary for quickly answering questions about design. Prototypes need to be community property (public) to be useful in eg. facilitating communications and redesign.
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