[Sigia-l] Human-Centered Design 99% bad

[Anne Miller]

Z: No, no, no. These unintended consequences were *not* inherently part of
the design and, as you say, were not intended by the designer. They just
happened.

A: Utter nonsense! Of course they're part of the design. Just because the
designer didn’t *intend* these uses to be there but a user/observer found
them any way doesn’t make these uses any less part of the design - they may
be opportunistic or fortuitous but so what - such is good design. Design
that represents the only designer's *intent* belongs in an art gallery! 

Get thee to the closet Mervin!


A



Dr Anne Miller
Group Leader
Patient Safety Research Group
Key Centre for Human Factors
University of Queensland
Ph: 61 7 3365  4543
Email: amiller at humanfactors.uq.edu.au


-----Original Message-----
From: sigia-l-bounces at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-bounces at asis.org] On Behalf
Of Listera
Sent: Wednesday, 3 August 2005 8:58 AM
To: SIGIA-L
Subject: Re: [Sigia-l] Human-Centered Design 99% bad

Anne Miller:

> Z: Certainly, but those "uses" were *not* designed; they happened.
> 
> A: Exactly. They happened because these uses are inherent in the design,

No, no, no. These unintended consequences were *not* inherently part of the
design and, as you say, were not intended by the designer. They just
happened.

The fact that you used a phonebook as a monitor stand has absolutely,
positively nothing to do with its design. No phonebook designer takes this
into account while designing it. This would quickly approach arbitrariness
and, even, absurdity.

As I mentioned, my bias here is that I'm speaking as a designer, not an
anthropologist or a coroner doing a post-mortem. As a designer, I am
decidedly not going to spend even a minute "to extend, expand, and enable"
it to be a monitor stand, a doorstop on the Shuttle in space, edible, a
sponge for toxic chemicals, color coordinated with somebody's bedroom,
microwaveable, etc.

> as the designer the choice is yours.

Designers do *not* waste their time on things that are not reasonably within
the balance between the needs of users and owners. Good design doesn't
happen in a vacuum.

> You can also design an environment that appropriately constrains and
> appropriately enables activity.

Sure, but, like your own phonebook example, *arbitrary* uses just don't rise
to the level of consideration in the commercial design world.

Ziya
Rules without context are meant to annoy people who care.




------------
When replying, please *trim your post* as much as possible.
*Plain text, please; NO Attachments

Searchable Archive at http://www.info-arch.org/lists/sigia-l/

IA 06 Summit.  Mark your calendar.  March 23-27, Vancouver, BC


________________________________________
Sigia-l mailing list -- post to: Sigia-l at asis.org
Changes to subscription: http://mail.asis.org/mailman/listinfo/sigia-l