A3AdamMork

A3AdamMork

To Do

1. try to explore the web to get an idea
   • who Herbert Simon was
   • what Simon's book is all about (one summary about this book can be found: http://www.cyberiapc.com/writings/almossawi_2005_2.pdf)
2. which was the most interesting idea/concept you learned from the article?
3. articulate what you did not understand in the article but it sounded interesting and you would like to know more about it
4. discuss what the following statement means to your group:
   • Simon discussed social plans and policies as designs. He considered the Marshall Plan and the U.S. Constitution as specifications for organizational designs. These designs are not mere blueprints, as are some of the key examples elsewhere in the book (clocks and houses), but starting points for living systems that grow and evolve over time- systems whose structure and consequences cannot be anticipated at the time of their design.
5. discuss what the following statement means to your group in relationship to the problems which we explored in the last few class meetings (Number Scrabble versus Tic-Tac-Toe; Mutilated 8x8 Matrix; Mutilated Chessboard):
   • Intelligibility of Design Representations - Meaningful user participation in design requires that the discourse constituting the design work be accessible to all stakeholders.

Group Members

Adam Mork

1. Who was Herbert Simon

Herbert Simon (1916-2001) was a founding father to many of today's scientific domains such as: artificial intelligence, problem-solving, and participatory design. He is a Nobel Prize winner for his research into decision making process' within economic organizations. Simon is also an ACM Turing award winner for his contributions to artificial intelligence. One of his most famous works "The Sciences of the Artificial" talks about design of structures in a new light.

2. Most interesting idea/concept you learned from the article?

It focuses of participatory design which means that the end users are actively involved in the development of new designs. Often times there exists a gap between designers and users. This gap results in misunderstandings about what the average usage scenario for the given design will be. This can lead to embarrassing mistakes that highlight the designers lack of social understanding regarding a design. I found this idea of participatory design most interesting, not only because it is a relatively new way to do design, but also because it recognizes the difficulty of design, as well as the possibility of improvement through interaction with end users.

3. What did you not understand.

Something that I found interesting, but did not totally grasp, was the concept of design representations. In the paper "Dimensions of Participation in Simon's Design," (2006) it is discussed as being an organization. An example about the ECA, the organization that instituted the Marshall Plan, is given saying that out of 6 original and competing roles/designs, one design won out since it was the most effective. Im not sure if a design representation is a proposed model, or the state of a given organization at a specific time, but either way it has something to do with an organization and its structure.

4. First Discussion

In part 4 of this assignment we are asked to discuss the meaning of the quote:

"Simon discussed social plans and policies as designs. He considered the Marshall Plan and the U.S. Constitution as specifications for organizational designs. These designs are not mere blueprints, as are some of the key examples elsewhere in the book (clocks and houses), but starting points for living systems that grow and evolve over time- systems whose structure and consequences cannot be anticipated at the time of their design."

I think that this quote is important because it recognizes the reality that effective organizations are made to fulfill a purpose, where the method of fulfillment is to be determined based on conditions and feedback. Meaning that purpose is statically defined, but the implementation is dynamic and willing to change. The US constitution is one of the most adaptive yet effective pieces of government. It owes this quality to its ability to change and mold to the current situation. Through amendments a type of participatory design can be carried out. For any type of design, if it is able to adapt over time, it will last longer because the design doesn't need to be totally reworked every time the user needs something. The small changes and needs can be integrated into the existing system with less work.

5. Second Discussion

The last part of this discussion focuses on the quote: "Intelligibility of Design Representations - Meaningful user participation in design requires that the discourse constituting the design work be accessible to all stakeholders."

The above statement is simple, if the stakeholders or users aren't involved in the design process, than participatory design wont work. It goes further saying that internal discussions need to be made available to users. I think that it really gets at the idea that finalizing most of the design and then asking for input is not the way to go. Users need to be involved in the design process from the start to get effective designs.