CCT204H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Semiotics, Ipod Shuffle, Vanishing Point
6 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
CCT204 Design Thinking
Dr. Ann Donar
Monday, June 4, 2018
Agenda
● D. Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things
○ Principles of good design
● Brainstorming exercise
● More on A2
○ Process
○ Drawings
○ Examples from previous years
*In which stage of the seven universal stages of
1. Guiding Question
2. Research and analyze findings
3. Define issues from the findings - find common themes that surface from research and
pinpoint the issues
4. Ideate - brainstorm for ideas*
Donald A. Norman
● Biography
○ Calls himself an “user advocate”
○ Business Week calls him a “cantankerous visionary”
○ Co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, an executive consulting firm
■ Human-centred products and services
■ Specializes in consumer products
○ Professor of Computer Science and Psychology at Northwestern University’ and
○ Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Science and Psychology U.C. San Diego
○ Former V.P. of Advanced Technology Group, Apple Computer, and an executive
at Hewlett Packard
● Engineer - understanding how people’s minds work when interacting with a physical
object - how efficient or whether something works in terms of function as oppose to other
values.
Conceptual Models
● Important concept in design
○ Mental models
■ Models people have of themselves, others, environment, things
■ Formed through experience, training, instruction
■ Mental model of a device is formed largely by interpreting its
● Perceived actions
● Visible structure (visible part - the system image)
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“When simple things need pictures, labels, or instructions, the design has failed.”
● We need to consider the user’s mental model, and the
designer also has the mental model. Does it work for you and the
target audience? The design needs to meet half way and it
needs to meet in the system (overall design of material object).
● User’s mode: Mental model developed through
interaction with the system
● Physical form is the system image
● System is hidden behind the image (mechanism inside)
● Physical structure includes documentation, e.g. labels,
instructions
Principles of Good Design
● Good conceptual model
○ Match mental model of target audience and consistent in the presentation of
operations and results and a coherent system image - simpler is better
○ Allows us to predict the effects of our actions
○ Without one
■ We operate by rote, blindly, do as we were told to do them, can’t fully
appreciate why, what effects to expect, what to do if things go wrong
○ For everyday things, good conceptual models need not be complex
■ E.g. scissors, pens, light switches
■ Visible relationships between actions and end results
● 1. Visibility
○ Be explicit - spell it out. Don’t take for granted that the marker knows or thinks
you are talking about what you have said.
○ By looking, the user can tell:
■ State of the device (Ex. “on” or “off”)
■ Alternatives for action; what can you do with it? (buttons, operations)
○ “Well-designed objects are easy to interpret and understand. They contain
visible clues to their operation.” The design will have visible clues.
○ Ex. Two door handles. Which door demonstrates a better principle of visibility?
The
one
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on the right has more visible clues (no way to push). The one of the right doesn’t show you
which side of the handle to push on.
If you you were asked to redesign a door, what visible clues could you add? Usually you want
more than one way to do something. Wave at door? A visible sign. Bright colour to gravitate
toward that area. Texture of handle invites people to touch it (fingerprints or indentation).
● 2. Mapping*
○ Mapping means the relationship between two things (between the controls and
their movements and the results in the world)
■ Possible to determine the relationships between
● Actions and results, controls and effects, system state and what is
visible; control - the things that let you use the device
■ Natural mapping
● Take advantage of physical analogies and cultural standards
● Leads to immediate understanding
○ Spatial analogy, to move an object up, move the control
up (ex. Car seat button, levers, mouse, steering wheel)
○ Additive dimensions, e.g. amount and loudness
○ Substitutive dimensions, e.g. higher pitch means more
○ “The relationship between controls and actions should be apparent to the user.”
Ex. Stove top and controls and light switch.
■ Controls: Buttons, dials, switch,
lever, the clapper (non-intuitive)
Which is easier to figure out? Proximity of the first one and placement is better and clearer.
Ex. iPod Shuffle - no mapping except volume buttons. How do you control (rewind, go forward,
play, or pause) with only the center button? The directions were not included, but you need to
learn the actions (click and hold, double click, triple-check and hold, etc.).
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
D. norman"s the design of everyday things. *in which stage of the seven universal stages of: guiding question, research and analyze findings, define issues from the findings - find common themes that surface from research and pinpoint the issues, ideate - brainstorm for ideas* Business week calls him a cantankerous visionary . Co-founder of the nielsen norman group, an executive consulting firm. Professor of computer science and psychology at northwestern university" and. Professor emeritus of cognitive science and psychology u. c. Former v. p. of advanced technology group, apple computer, and an executive at hewlett packard. Engineer - understanding how people"s minds work when interacting with a physical object - how efficient or whether something works in terms of function as oppose to other values. Models people have of themselves, others, environment, things. Mental model of a device is formed largely by interpreting its. Visible structure (visible part - the system image)
