Perspectives and Biases of Design
Mandatory texts
Carroll, J. M. (2000). “Making Use: Scenario-Based Design of HumanComputer Interactions”. The MIT Press. “The Process”.
Sanders, E. (2013). “Perspectives on Participation in Design”. Transcript Verlag.
Additional readings
Dubberly, H. (2004). “How do you design?” Dubberly Design Office.
Mareis, C. (2013). “Wer gestaltet die Gestaltung? Zur ambivalenten Verfassung von partizipatorischem Design”. Transcript Verlag.
Dreyfuss, H. S. “The designer’s role (sketch)”.
Kolko, J. (2011). “Exposing the Magic of Design: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Methods and Theory of Synthesis”. (Oxford Series in HumanTechnology Interaction) (1 ed.). Oxford University Press, USA.
https://reinventingorganizationswiki.com/
Notes on the texts
- Carroll, J. M.: Design is the quintessential human activity
- “Design problems never completely specify their starting conditions.” The first step is to identify the problem, then how to change it.
- “The description of the current situation in the world that drives the design reasoning is incomplete, inaccurate, or irrelevant.”
- Design problems also do not specify the ideal outcome.
- Ideal design completion must utilise each team member’s skills and individual knowledge correctly.
- Issues of reach and accessibility should also be considered.
- “Investing time and effort in developing an idea tends to increase one’s confidence that it is a good idea.” (Leon Festinger (1957). “A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance”.)
- Involving clients directly is also smart.
- “Expert workers […] know what to do, but they do not necessarily know how to talk about what to do.”
- Empirical Design = studying existing situations of use precisely and designing based on exactly those findings. → “However, (this) places a difficult analytical burden on the designer who must now serve as a sort of anthropologist-psychologist.”
- Simplifying the problem can help, but: this can lead to uncreative solutions. This is also problematic because the design problem can change throughout the design process; continuous adaptation is necessary.
- It’s very important not to lose sight of the big picture.
- Sanders, E.: “Participatory Design (PD) refers to the activity of designers and people not trained in design working together in the design and development process.”
- This approach is described as “human-centered” as it relies on people’s individual expertise and does not just abstract them into their role in the design process, e.g. consumer, designer.
- Terms like co-creation and co-design have been co-opted as marketing terms so there is much disagreement nowadays about the actual meaning of the term Participatory Design.
- Due to overconsumption and newfound environmental consciousness, there is newfound interest in PD.
- “The internet, and the social networks in particular, are making it possible for all people to take a more proactive role in the ideation, innovation, design and delivery of products and services. Younger people are particularly open toward and embracing of co-designing.”
- PD is being practiced within communities (See https://www.ideo.org/), within companies, between companies and their business partners, between companies and their customers (This last one is being focused on and talked about the most).
- PD in the design development phase: deciding if the deliverable will be a product / interface service etc, deciding whether it should be designed and manufactured at all.
- Three levels of value in co-creation: monetary, user/experience, societal. These values are linked and each need to be developed.
- Monetary value co-creation usually comes later in the process, within marketing, distribution etc.
- Prerequisites for the practice of co-creation: The belief that all people are creative and will participate in a creative process if correct circumstances are provided; diversity (Only consulting people of one background will make for a limited and non-innovative outcome); joint problem definition; Continuous dialogue; exploration and use of design tools; a focus on experiences (as a whole, not just a single touch point)
- Three activities in PD (exercised by the non-designer participants): making, telling, and enacting.
- “Participatory design is a collection of tools and techniques, a set of methods and a mindset.”
Notes on the authors
- John M. Carroll: distinguished Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Pennsylvania State University.
- Elizabeth B.-N. Sanders: https://design.osu.edu/people/sanders.82
Learnings from the texts
- The more you design while keeping your target’s specific wants and needs in mind, the wider your project’s reach will likely be.
- Designing with someone is much superior to designing for someone.
- Working in a team rather than as an individual, and fully drawing on each member’s experience and expertise, will yield great results.
Notes on the class
- There are many different levels to the history of interaction design and human-computer interaction. The computer, interface design, concepts of communication & information, social worries, etc.
- This is a life-long learning experience and won’t be completely contained in our 3-year BA programme.
- The importance of rules and breaking them in design, and our journey towards a more inclusive, open, unbiased, free, exciting design process.
- Background presence = an interaction where you’re interacting passively, not actively
- Parametric design = a design method where features (such as building elements and engineering components) are shaped according to algorithmic processes, in contrast to being designed directly. (Wikipedia)
- The invention and popularisation of 3D-printing / CNC fabrication (Computerised Numerical Control) was a huge step for Interaction Design.
- A very notable designer of the Arts and Crafts movement: William Morris.
- John Cage: artist, composer, pioneer of interactive art.
- Unbiased design: the world is made by and for men, design is created with the man’s body and needs in mind, women’s contributions have been historically erased (Book recommendation: “Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado Perez). Prime example: the standardised crash test dummy which is based on the male body, resulting in a higher likelihood of women in fatal accidents.
- Racism is also prevalent in the design world as it has been found that black people are disadvantaged by current established design standards. (E.g. facial recognition technology being used for racial profiling and prosecution)
- The (non-)ethics of Persuasive Design (Example: SWICA rewards programme)
- To look up: indigenous protocol and AI
- Decentring ourselves, the western world, decolonialising the perspective of the designer, the infrastructure.
