About

This blog presents lecture topics and linked material for Tom Mitchell's section of i300 HCI/Interaction Design class in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Monday, 8 September

Review course materials

Discuss journals and sketchnoting

Address reading response questions

Review: What were the organizing principles of the building?

What was your experience of trying to find an assigned book?


"It's a fact: People won't use your website if they can't find their way around it."

Steve Krug Don't Make Me Think

 
Stewart Brand clip on I.M. Pei's MIT Media Lab building from How Buildings Learn


Introduce Principles of Universal Design

Design thinking as a "third way" that is:
  • synthetic, not (solely) analytical
  • incorporates rationality and intuition
  • holistic
  • characterized by learning by doing, not formula following
  • fosters innovation, not merely refinement of ideas

According to design theorist Nigel Cross, in his book Designerly Ways of Knowing:

"Even a ‘three cultures’ view of human knowledge and ability is a simple model. However, contrasting design with the sciences and the humanities is a useful, if crude, way of beginning to be more articulate about it."

"If we contrast the sciences, the humanities, and design under each aspect, we may become clearer of what we mean by design, and what is particular to it.

"The phenomenon of study in each culture is
  • in the sciences: the natural world
  • in the humanities: human experience 
  • in design: the artificial world

"The appropriate methods in each culture are
  • in the sciences: controlled experiment, classification, analysis
  • in the humanities: analogy, metaphor, evaluation 
  • in design: modelling, pattern-formation, synthesis

"The values of each culture are:
  • in the sciences: objectivity, rationality, neutrality, and a concern for ‘truth’
  • in the humanities: subjectivity, imagination, commitment, and a concern for ‘justice’ 
  • in design: practicality, ingenuity, empathy, and a concern for ‘appropriateness’

"From these ways of knowing I drew three main areas of justification for design in general education:
  • Design develops innate abilities in solving real-world, ill-defined problems.
  • Design sustains cognitive development in the concrete/iconic modes of cognition. 
  • Design offers opportunities for development of a wide range of abilities in nonverbal thought and communication." 



Note: all sections will meet on Wednesday, 10 September at the Fine Arts Library. Tom and the AIs will be in the conference room in the library to help answer your questions.

 Homework:
  • Read Don’t Make Me Think, “How we really use the web.” pp. 20 – 27; answer reading response questions and complete interim assignment; submit through Oncourse assignments by noon on Wednesday, 10 September
  • Critically read Principles of Universal Design
Reading response questions:
  • What are the "three facts of life" Krug identifies in terms of how people really use the web? Briefly explain each, and its significance.
  • What is "satisficing"?  Why is this concept relevant to web (and all) design?

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