Reflection 1: Will We Be Replaced?

I would like to start my reflection by discussing the question of whether or not human centered design can be conducted online. In an ever changing world where our virtual and physical realms get ever more blurry, this question seems more important than ever. My answer, although more feasible with the advent of web 3.0 and other innovations, is still largely no, which I will expand upon in this reflection. Human centered design revolves around the understanding of the HUMAN aspect, which gets diluted if not completely lost when the design process is conducted online. There will be people that say physical interactions can now be replaced with recent online innovations. A survey can be conducted through google, meetings have largely moved to zoom, and apps can be prototyped and tested without anyone having any physical interaction. However, I believe that although we start spending more and more time in our virtual spheres, and our online and real lives get more and more intertwined, the web can never completely replace our physical experiences. For example a zoom meeting may not completely capture the micro expressions and energy of a person which greatly affects how one interprets the mood and success of an interaction. A survey conducted online, another example of the limitations of virtual interactions, can’t reach the same depth as a human to human conversation. Online surveys are very linear and rigid with a set list of questions while a human conversation/survey may meander to different topics that one may not have even deemed important beforehand. With all this being said, though digital tools have made it easier to conduct HCD, it can’t completely replace the unquantifiable that can only be revealed in person.