welcome to... INFO 360 design thinking Jason C. Yip, Ph.D.
1 Brief Introduction (5 minutes) Design activity (15 minutes) Design experiences (10 minute video) Class introduction (10 minutes) Design of the course (15 minutes)
Break (5 minutes)
Project theme (10 minutes) What is design (25 minutes) Class activity #1 (10 minutes)
2 about me (5 minutes)
I earned my BA in Chemistry (2001) and my Masters in Science and Math Education (2002) at the University of Pennsylvania 3 about me from 2002-2008
I was a chemistry teacher for 6 years 4 about me from 2008-2014 I did my Ph.D at
Science education Child-computer interaction Learning sciences Participatory design 5 about me from 2013-2014
Joan Ganz Cooney Center Research Fellow at Sesame Workshop 6 I do a lot of research, specifically on designing new technologies for families and children. 7 Some designs… Nickelodeon - Do Not Touch Button
8 Some designs… ScienceKit
9 Some designs… Science Everywhere
10 Participatory design KidsTeam UW
11 Nikita Redij - about me
A Masters in Information Management student at the iSchool, specializing in User Experience Design.
She's passionate about designing intuitive user interfaces and studying user behavior.
Originally from India, she has received her Bachelors in Information Technology Engineering.
Having previously worked as a User Experience Designer, her work includes bridging the gap between technology and people to make it more user-friendly.
12 Daisy Yoo - about me
Daisy Yoo is a Ph.D. candidate and a member of the Value Sensitive Design Research Lab at the iSchool.
Her work spans the fields of interaction design, human- computer interaction, and information science.
In particular, Daisy is interested in the use of digital technologies to support public dialogue on sensitive and controversial political topics.
Daisy received her Master’s in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University.
13 this is a class about design
The word design is everything and nothing. The design and the product itself are inseparable.
— JONATHAN IVE
14 design = making
The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
— Alan Kay
15 activity (15 minutes) how can a blind person know the denomination of a bill? find a partner redesign $1, $5, and $10 bills (10 minutes) test your new bills with another pair of students (5 minutes) have the pair you are testing with close their eyes (to mimic blindness) train them on the meaning of the bills see if they can successfully give you back exactly $12 16 did your bills work? why? why not? what made it difficult to answer this question with certainty?
17 what is it like to be a designer? 10 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F19x_QBEY1E
18 design involves... understanding problems through research ideating, prototyping, testing, justifying, explaining, and communicating solutions it requires research, science, persistence, rapid failure and lots of feedback
19 what do Informatics students design? information architectures interaction techniques data structures user interfaces web sites services policies apps and so much more! 20 Introductions (10 minutes) introduce yourself to the class in in 10 seconds name the last thing you designed to solve an information problem in your life, however small
21 the design of this course 10 minutes iconfinder.com
22 every detail about the course is available on the Canvas page for this course
23 the structure of each week
1st lecture lab 2nd lecture
lecture skills homework due activity reading presentation homework critique
homework is due every week
24 centers around a design project teams of ~2 - 3 we create teams to balance expertise each homework moves your project forward week 1 – problem definition weeks 2 – 4 – ideation & iteration weeks 5 – 8 – design specification weeks 9 – 10 – communicate your design culminates in three deliverables design specification process book video prototype
25 specification a team deliverable, 24% of grade a clear description of the design problem a clear description of the project scope details about every design decision made within the project scope rationale for every design decision that may affect your solution’s effectiveness this is the document that explains what your design addresses, how it works and why
26 process book an individual deliverable
a visual story, using artifacts from your group’s design process, that explains the origins of your final design and your role in its creation.
save EVERYTHING you do all of it could be of use in your process book
don’t save all of this for the end it’s due at the same time as everything else
27 video prototype a team deliverable
a multimedia story, persuading a stakeholder of your design that they should invest time, money, and attention to make your design a reality. let’s look at a few examples...
28 video prototype a team deliverable
designs do not have to be digital
29 video prototype a team deliverable
good videos clearly identify a problem and solution
30 video prototype a team deliverable
videos can be simple
31 these three deliverables should be the first of many pieces for your portfolios portfolios showcase your talents and experience save everything you do from every course, not just this one employers and clients are looking for evidence of skills, not grades if you have skill, you’ll get the grades, so focus on skill
32 grading activities 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 labs 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 critiques 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 reading 10 total individual homework 2 points each, 20 total team/indiv. specification 24 points team process book 12 points individual video prototype 10 points team 100 points
33 these are based on attendance activities 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 labs 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 critiques 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 reading 10 total team/indiv. homework 2 points each, 20 total team/indiv. specification 24 points team process book 12 points individual video prototype 10 points team 100 points
show up, get credit this is an effort grade 34 readings due by last lecture of each week activities 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 labs 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 critiques 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 reading 10 total team/indiv. homework 2 points each, 20 total team/indiv. specification 24 points team process book 12 points individual video prototype 10 points team 100 points Each week will have a theme associated with the reading.
35 readings due by last lecture of each week
Week 1 - Design problems Week 6 - Usability testing and evaluation Week 2 - Empathy Week 7 - Accessibility and Week 3 - Ideation design for all Week 4 - Prototyping Week 8 - Visual design Week 5 - Usability and end user experience
36 discussion forum (1 point) you can find the forum on the course website either address the reading prompt or reply to another student’s response
1.0 point – thorough, insightful, accurate
0.5 points – accurate, but lacking in substance
0.0 points – missing, incomplete, or incomprehensible we’ll discuss the most interesting posts in class on Wednesdays
37 discussion forum (1 point) posts on the 1st reading are due this Wednesday at 8 am At the end of the quarter, you should have 7 discussion posts for the 8 readings.
38 Reading presentation (3 points)
Each week 1 - 2 groups will present a reading of their CHOICE associated with the theme. Select content from research, interaction design blogs, magazines such as ACM Interactions. If the choice is compelling enough, a video is fine too. Your team can always check in with me to make sure the selection is appropriate.
39 Reading presentation (3 points)
The presentation should be about 4 to 5 minutes and cover these three parts: 1. Briefly summarize the choice in reading. (1 point) 2. How does this reading complement the theme and the other reading of the week? (1 point) 3. Convince us why we should read this piece (most important). What is innovative and/or important about this piece? (1 point)
40 weekly homeworks, graded weekly activities 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 labs 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 critiques 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 reading 1 point each, 10 total homework 2 points each, 20 total specification 24 points team process book 12 points individual video prototype 10 points team 100 points
you should be able to get full credit on homeworks just based on effort, but I will give critical feedback 41 submitting homeworks nearly everything is submitted via the course website
42 graded at the end of the quarter activities 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 labs 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 critiques 1 point each, 8 total miss up to 2 reading 1 point each, 10 total homework 2 points each, 20 total specification 24 points team process book 12 points individual video prototype 10 points team 100 points
these grades are based on quality, not effort these are the test of the design skills you learn this quarter 43 late work late work is not accepted except for documented emergencies if you miss class, expect it to affect your learning and your grade you can miss up to 2 activities, 2 labs, and 2 critiques with out it affecting your grade ...but it will affect your learning
44 what to bring to class everyday a red pen for feedback a black sketching utensil (pen, pencil, etc.) a sketchbook, at least 60 pages, no lines
45 During lectures…
You do not need to take notes. However, that also means that I will politely ask to put all electronic devices away for about 30 minutes.
Please, however, bring your laptops, tablets, and smartphones because the rest of the time, you will need these devices for the rest of class.
46 Break (5 minutes)
47 your projects will be about... health and wellness
48 Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
49 Health is a huge part of informatics and human-centered design
http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/36e06c4/2147483647/thumbnail/418x278/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia %2F45%2Fb6%2F01f48a1f40a1b7628047992ce333%2Fresizes%2F500%2F140320-healthtechnology-stock.jpg
50 Wearables and fitness trackers http://www.fitbit.com
51 The Internet of Things - Smart pill bottles http://www.vitality.net/press.html
52 Personalized health https://golantern.com/
53 54 55 Important: Health is very personal
Health is a very sensitive topic.
It’s not just about “me”, but also about my family, friends, and community.
Health is a topic that we need to show and demonstrate empathy.
56 Important: Health is very personal
Please do not feel pressured to share information that you do not feel comfortable sharing.
But it is also ok to share stories to help us understand your journey and ideas about design.
57 process book an individual deliverable
When you write up the process book, use this as a way to discuss your thoughts about design and health, if it helps us understand your design process and if you feel comfortable sharing.
The process books will only be read by me and the TAs.
58 I don’t expect you to become an expert designer this quarter that can take years... but you will move beyond novice
59 1 you won’t be evaluated on whether your solution is effective
evaluating a design is a non-trivial task that can take weeks or months of planning you’ll learn how to do that in INFO 470 Research Methods
60 2 a “failed” design can get an A we’re evaluating how complete your designs are, how well you explain and justify them
61 3 you don’t have time to to solve a whole problem
no designer does so pick a scope that’s tractable to complete by your deadline it’s okay if you address just one aspect of a problem
62 4 design one thing completely not multiple things that are incomplete choose a scope that includes one thing you will be evaluated on how well you specify and explain this one thing
63 5 don’t get too attached to your ideas
you might have to abandon one in order to reach your deadline it doesn’t mean you abandon it forever, you just won’t work on it in this class.
64 6 you’re not implementing your solutions you’re designing them decide what your design does and how it does it don’t worry about making it actually do it (unless you want to and have time)
65 the most important thing to remember about this class feedback → success I will tell you when a design is bad potential users should tell you when a design is bad classmates should tell you when a design is bad you should tell yourself when a design is bad
feedback is the primary way to improve a design
66 What is design? (35 minutes)
I’ve been amazed at how often those outside the discipline of design assume that what designers do is decoration. Good design is problem solving. —Jeffrey Veen former User Experience Manager at Google
67 if design is problem solving
what is a problem?
68 some potential problems
cancer what makes these hunger problems? stress finding a job crime
69 Everyone designs who devises courses of “action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” — Herbert Simon (1969). The Sciences of the Artificial. Cambridge: MIT Press.
preference is something humans have are these problems?
trees fall maybe to unsuspecting park visitors
dogs are lonely maybe to owners
rocks are lost at sea maybe to boats
70 so what’s a design problem?
something you can address by
shaping something shaping activities → plans, procedures
shaping choice → policies
shaping metal, plastic → objects
shaping cloth → clothing shaping sentences writing, typography → 71 are these design problems?
buses are late computers are confusing people are depressed America has a jobs crisis politics is broken
if you can shape something that will lead to a preferred state, then yes... 72 what’s an information design problem?
something you can address through shaping information
73 information design problems & solutions
problem information people miss buses → bus schedules people don’t vote → advertisements → people overspend budgeting apps
74 to address a design problem, you first have to problematize a situation
for whom is the situation consequential? what is the consequence? what causes the consequence?
75 you can’t really capture a problem in a sentence
people miss buses.
who? why? so what?
76 you can’t really capture a problem in a few sentences
People plan to catch a bus at a scheduled time. Sometimes the bus comes early, sometimes the rider comes late. which people? are these the only reasons? what’s the consequence?
77 you can’t really capture a problem in a paragraph
People’s intentions to catch a bus at a scheduled arrival time are foiled by many factors: • Buses can be early what’s the consequence? • Riders can be late • Transfers can be early • Riders may not know the schedule and leave early • Riders may have misremembered their bus # • drivers may have forgotten to change the bus number sign after their lunch...
78 is this an adequate problematization?
People miss buses, making them late to meetings, wet if its raining, and possibly fired from their job. People’s intentions to catch a bus at a scheduled arrival time are foiled by many factors: • Buses can be early • Riders can be late • Transfers can be early • Riders may not know the schedule and leave early • Riders may have misremembered their bus # • drivers may have forgotten to change the bus number sign after their lunch... 79 problems can also be represented as chains of causality
light world traffic early cup bus extra fast miss coffee driver bus late toddler rider stressed tantrum stressed father mother 80 every problem is different for every person is this the same problem?
light world traffic early cup bus extra fast miss coffee driver bus back from forgot late vacation schedule rider toddler stressed tantrum stressed father mother 8114 when it comes to missing buses, there isn’t just one problem
as a designer, you have to
decide which specific causes you want to address and for
whom those causes apply
82 for example, consider this problem statement Many people miss buses because they do not know exactly when a bus is arriving. Being even 30 seconds off is enough to have a rider chasing the bus down the street. Even dedicated riders who know the schedule and arrive early will miss the bus sometimes. for whom does this problem apply? for whom does it not? 83 it doesn’t apply to
people whose buses do not run on a schedule (e.g., Sound Transit 540 is every ~15 minutes) people who live in cities where buses come every 15 minutes and buses are up to 10 minutes early or late (e.g., Portlanders) people who are not trying to catch a particular bus (e.g. those heading downtown from the Ave) buses that don’t come (e.g., routes that stop running when UW isn’t in session)
84 because not all problems apply to all people, not all designs help all people
which is the best OS?
depends on what a problems an OS will address for a person
85 another example of a design failing because it doesn’t solve a particular person’s problems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzah0A6IC5o
86 how can one understand the causes of a problem and for whom they apply?
INFO 470 Research Methods in Informatics (5) Introduction to the research process investigating information needs, creation, organization, flow, retrieval, and use. Stages include: research definition, questions, objectives, data collection and management, data analysis, and data interpretation. Techniques include: observation, interviews, questionnaires, and transaction-log analysis. INFO 380 Information Systems Analysis and Management (5) Examines the evolution of how information is defined and managed in order to add value to organizations. Views information management and the CIO as key facilitators in creating or improving relationships, processes, competitiveness, products, and services. INFO 454 Information Policy: Domestic and Global (5) I&S National and international information policy: public and private sector policy in terms of privacy, access, and exploitation; technology infrastructures and policies supporting the information industries; digital convergence and the emerging mega- industries. INFO 444 Value-Sensitive Design (5) Introduction to value-sensitive design (VSD), information system design that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner. Examination of existing systems from a VSD perspective. Explores VSD research methods including conceptual, technical, empirical investigations. Key values include accountability, autonomy, consent, privacy, property, trust, sustainability.
INFO 450 Information Ethics and Policy (5) I&S 87 Provides a framework for analyzing the ethical, legal, economic, and socio-political issues surrounding information, information technologies, and the information industries. Explores policy and ethical issues of information access and control including; intellectual property, file sharing, free speech, privacy, and national security. you can also learn about a problem by trying to address it... design
evaluate prototype
this is the design method that we will explore in the rest of this quarter 88 hints for elaborating on written design problem define every word in detail lectures are boring PowerPoint lectures do not engage students PowerPoint lectures that instructors read verbatim dispassionately do not engage students’ attention text-heavy PowerPoint lectures that instructors dispassionately read verbatim in monotone in the morning dark rarely engage students’ attention when those students have not slept well or just ate different definitions imply different causes 89 hints for elaborating on written design problem describe a problem so that it’s a solution’s effectiveness is testable text-heavy PowerPoint lectures that instructors dispassionately read verbatim in monotone in the morning dark rarely engage students’ attention when those students have not slept well or just ate how would you know if a solution to this problem successfully engaged students’ attention?
90 the gist
design problems are states of the world that humans do not prefer information design problems are addressable by giving shape to information defining an information design problem means describing its causes solutions address prevent those causes from occurring comments or questions? 91 homework 1 a skills survey, to help us form teams due today (Monday) at 11:59 pm!
92 reading 1 read Buxton 27-39 and 144-151 (what is design?).
what does Buxton think design is? List at least four ideas.
comments due 1/6, Wednesday morning 8:00 am
93 lab 1 today, you will work on practicing observations of users
94 activity 1 — now (10 minutes) choose one information problem related to health that is personally relevant to you. Please submit to Canvas under define every word in detail describe the consequence of the problem describe the causes of the problem
95