What is Design? Why does it matter? David Vronay Research Manager Windows UI Strategy Microsoft, Inc.

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Dave Vronay Current Role –Research Manager, Windows UI Strategy (MSX) Previous Roles –Research Manager, Microsoft Research Asia Center for Interaction Design –Researcher, Social Computing Group, Microsoft Research –VP Technology, ImaginEngine (children’s software) –Researcher, Human Interface Group, Apple Computer, Inc. Educational Background –Philosophy –Cinema Production –Game Programming (self-taught)

Class Process and Agenda

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Class Structure Five day seminar No Previous Design Experience Necessary No programming required –But the lectures will assume a knowledge of programming concepts Participation both inside and outside of class –You will only learn this stuff by trying it yourself

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Assignments Every Seminar ends with an assignment Each day’s lecture builds on the assignments of the previous day Assignments can be done individually or in groups –I recommend diverse groups

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Getting the most out of the seminar Do the assignments Use the TAs Take advantage of your instructor –Ask questions!! –I am around outside of class Embrace the concepts –Don’t just focus on the work –Make it relevant to what you do every day

What is Design?

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. MSX and Design at Microsoft MSX = Microsoft User Experience Team In reality, MSX focuses on Windows, not all Microsoft products –Shell, IE, Media Player –Not MSN, Office, Money, Halo, etc. Set & enforce style guidelines Define the computing experience for the rest of the world

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What does MSX do? Interaction Design of Windows! What is interaction design? Making something look good

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What is Interaction Design? Device Capabilities & Device Limitations User Needs and User Abilities USER INTERFACE

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What designers do Understand the user –Needs, capabilities, desires Understand the problems –Frustrations, confusions, inabilities Propose solutions –enable technology to meet the user’s needs without exceeding the user’s capabilities Test Everything –Design decisions are not opinions, but are strenuously tested in formal usability studies Iterate as necessary –Design is a process of moving ever closer to (but never reaching) the mythical ideal solution

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Common Design Myths MYTH: Designers are artists –Truth: most designers are not particularly good artists, and most artists are not good designers MYTH: Designers are really creative –Truth : Design is much more about being methodical than creative. Designers want to test and measure every possible approach and variable MYTH: Designers come in at the end to polish the final work –Truth : Design should start as early as possible. The longer you wait, the less benefit you can get from design. Ideally, design should start before any other work. MYTH: Designers are aloof and in their own world –Truth: Designers do not do any technology! Therefore, it is essential that we collaborate with other groups (like yours). MYTH: Design is a luxury –Truth: Actually, design can be especially valuable in cost-conscious projects because it can stop you from going down dead-ends In general, design is just a method for solving problems!

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Roles in Design Interaction Designers –Design the user model and overall flow Visual Designers –Design the look and feel Industrial Designers –Design the hardware Usability Experts –Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists Prototypers –Fast programmers who help realize designs Production Team –Artists, Animators, Musicians –Production Managers –Internal Tools

Why does design matter?

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. A History of the World Stone Age Bronze Age … Agricultural Age Industrial Age Information Age And now, the Conceptual Age

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Welcome to the Conceptual Age Programming has become a commodity –Today China & India –Tomorrow, Vietnam –Soon, gone all-together Technology is not enough –How the technology fits into the human lifestyle is what determines success Example: iPod, cell phone, etc.

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What skills are needed? Everything that was needed before, plus… Deep Understanding of Technology Sense of Aesthetics Concern for the human condition Love of perfection

Design in the Software Development Process

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. The Old Way CodeShip!

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. The Old Microsoft Way Write Spec CodingTestingShip!

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. The Current Model Design and Write Spec CodingTestingShip!Usability Serious problem discovered!

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. A Design-Centric Model CodingTestingShip! Write Spec Define Problems & Goals Design Solutions Rapid Prototype User Test Less than perfect Close to perfect

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. In summary… Design produces a better product –Iterate and test many versions instead of just one Design saves money –Rewrites and changes are discovered during prototyping, while they are still cheap to fix

Now it is your turn!

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Current calculator is unchanged from Windows 1.0

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Time for a redesign

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Let’s design Calculator XP! ?

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Assignment 1: Calculator XP Redesign the calculator to make it better than the one currently shipping in XP Produce a simple walkthrough that explains your design –PowerPoint, Acrobat, HTML, etc. –No more than three pages Do not write code

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Understanding the space Problems with current design Limitations with current product Capabilities of the computer Features we could have Uses and users

© 2005 Microsoft, Inc.