A4hiphophippotomi

A4hiphophippotomi

To-Do

1. selection process: choose one of the design methodologies (not yet taken by another group) from the list (and mark it as chosen by editing the wiki page with the list of options — “first come / first served”)
2. do research (read papers, interview software designers, analyze existing systems—hint: the abovementioned wiki site contains references to resources) and answer the following specific questions for your chosen design methodology:

Define your chosen design methodology.

Hiphophippotomi: Jon Mai Ariel Aguilar Eric Holton

Professional dominated design is the practice executed by professionals that provides the opportunity to utilize prior knowledge and successes to create a systematic-based design.

"In professionally dominated design, professional designers (such as architects, software developers, urban planners, and teachers) engage in design methodologies founded on the belief that they understand the users’ needs. At design time, they create artifacts with which users “have to live” at use time. In professionally dominated design, the “experts” see the creation of artifacts as their primary tasks (e.g., architects build buildings, software developers create software systems, urban planners design cities, and teachers develop courses); and understanding and communicating with other stakeholders are seen as secondary tasks representing extra work and thereby taking resources away from the primary task (Rambow & Bromme, 2000)."

Fischer, G., & Ostwald, J. (2005). Knowledge communication in design communities. In R. Bromme, F. Hesse & H. Spada (Eds.), Barriers and biases in computer-mediated knowledge communication--and how they may be overcome. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publisher.

Characterize your chosen design methodology.

When a company uses a small group or single individual (as opposed to a large group of designers collaborating on the project) to design a product based on their degree or prior experience, leaving the design choices in the hand of the professional and relying on their knowledge to drive the process (instead of the users or outside influences).

What are the strengths of your selected methodology?

Very professional, well-thought out and systematically formulated. The final product will work because the designer has the knowledge to make it work, and very often the final product will be finished quicker than it would be when created collaboratively.

What are the weaknesses of your selected methodology?

Many professionals assume their audience has a stronger understanding than they actually do, leading to difficult to understand topics and writing styles. This method also assumes their is a distinct, proper way to approach a problem, much of which is based on past events.

For what domains or problems is your selected design methodology appropriate?

For higher end technology that most of the users would not have the ability to grasp what is happening without prior knowledge or expertise. Also, time constrained projects can often be motivated by professional dominated design.

For what domains or problems is your selected design methodology inappropriate?

For learning environments, where the users are meant to learn about and collaborate on the subject. Professional dominated design projects are often extremely static and limited in their scope, which can be detrimental to an individual's learning. The professional can only have a certain degree of empathy, whereas in a group it's far more likely that the specific needs of a diverse group of users will be taken into consideration.

Why is design methodology important (suited) or not important (suited) for human-centered computing?