ENGR 101/HUM 200: Technology and Society October 6, 2005

Agenda Wrap-up of yesterday’s lecture Announcement of groups (posted to course website) Group assignment for Monday (preliminary list of topics for project) Designing the World

Sci-Fi As Snapshot of Culture

“The Psychopathology of Everyday Things” What is psychopathology, anyway? –The study of the origin, development, and manifestations of mental or behavioral disorders. –In other words, how did the things we use everyday come to be so messed up? What are affordances? –Properties of an object that determine how it can be used

Getting Used to Life’s Difficulties We’re all told life is difficult –You might have heard the version that goes: “No one said life was going to be easy.” Or “No one said life was going to be fair.” Why should objects be any different? Umm…. –(because one is a philosophical lament, and the other is a fixable problem, if only people cared to fix the problem)

A well-designed object… Is easy to interpret and understand Has visible cues about how it works Maps functions onto form Takes advantage of physical analogies and cultural standards Provides feedback to the user about what has been done and subsequently accomplished –Don’t just tell me I pushed the button; tell me what action has been called forth Is all-too-rare

The example of the door Why should you ever not know whether to push or pull a door? Or where to exert pressure on a door? The mechanism is not complicated! Why should a door ever obscure its function?

Principles of Good Design Visibility –Natural design; Not at odds with aesthetics Simplicity when possible –Airplane cockpit, no/ VCR, yes Appropriate clues Feedback for user actions

How does this “clue” thing work? Affordances –Look at the shape of an object, consider its weight and texture, look at its color in context. Constraints –What are the gaps in the affordances? What clearly can’t be done with the object? Or by the user? Mapping –Use what people already know how to do! Conceptual models are a designer’s friend.

Why is the world so complicated? Setting aside the philosophical lament part… Is it because of too many objects? Is it because of too many diverse users?

Natural v. Designed “Designing the World” –Objects we live with everyday become “naturalized” and we stop seeing what about them is manufactured to be a certain way. We stop seeing how they are “designed” to be a certain way. Whether it is an overpass, an energy source, or a book, we learn to stop seeing (or maybe we never learn to see!) the affordances of an object.

Five (5) Things To Keep in Mind When Designing Design is not just about coming up with good ideas. Don’t design for yourself!! Don’t become too attached to one approach. Don’t just focus on the top and bottom levels. Design is not a linear process.

1. You Need More Than Good Ideas Design is not just about coming up with good ideas. Creativity is important, but it is probably not as pivotal as you think. Ask yourself if your design is realizable. Ask yourself if your design is based on data. How have you analyzed your data? Ask yourself if your design is based on informed decision-making and analysis.

2. Don’t Design for Yourself! Remember when your parents told you that you were special? They were right! DO NOT assume you are a typical user. Respect your users; their constraints are not your failures. (In other words, keeping something simple to accommodate user constraints doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of designing something more complex.) Think about the environment in which the design will reside. Don’t assume you know the ins and outs of that environment; take the time to learn about it.

3. Don’t Become Too Attached to One Approach Even after you choose a design solution to pursue, revisit your ideas and continue to consider alternatives. Halfway through trying one approach another idea may present itself; remember that you only can see that new idea because of the distance you traveled down another path. Changing direction as you learn more about the specifics of your design is not a sign of failure; it is evidence of flexible thinking and creativity.

4. Don’t Spend All Your Time Thinking About Top and Bottom Levels Come up with concrete ways to go from your general ideas about function to specific ideas about the structure of a product. There are many steps between the first abstract notion of a design and the final finished product. How will you get there? How will you accommodate constraints at different levels? Will you be able to recognize changes to your design as you begin dealing with constraints?

5. Design is Not a Linear Process Design requires an iterative process. Revisit past decisions often. Don’t be afraid to ask yourself whether a decision made four steps ago was the right one given what you know now. Continue to evaluate alternatives even if they are not pursued. Elements of a rejected solution may prove valuable. Reevaluating past decisions does not mean you’re stuck. Looking at past choices through a new lens is in fact making a new decision.

Conceptions (and Misconceptions) about Design Designing is about: –Making trade-offs –Decomposing –Synthesizing –Generating alternatives –Sketching –Understanding the problem –Using creativity –Visualizing –Making decisions

What the Experts Say Professional designers DO NOT emphasize –Brainstorming –Creativity –Visualizing as critical activities when they talk about their work.

Make It Better example _ncenter05.html

Next class… Meet as a group and come up with a list of preliminary topics for design project. Turn in the list (with your names!) on Monday. Read The Diamond Age Read “The Road to Hell is Unpaved,” from The Economist Henry Petroski, “The Gleaming Silver Bird and the Rusty Iron Horse,” from Beyond Engineering “Air Travel: Its Impact on the Way We Live and the Way We See Ourselves” Preview Powerpoint slides (posted to website as of Friday)