DESIGN TEAM PROGRESS REPORT
March 11, 2002
Over the past few weeks we have kept busy collecting data. We have been concentrating on the ideas of Donald Norman as espoused in the books User Centered System Design, The Design of Everyday Things, Turn Signals are the Facial Expressions of
Automobiles, and Things That Make Us Smart. In addition to Things That Make Us Smart we have collected a series of papers and comments by Norman from the web. Primarily we are using Donald Norman's home page which links to an entire archive of essays and articles, though we have also been exploring other design oriented sites with similar focuses.
Most of our research has been conducted independently. The next step in our project is to get together, compile all of our findings, and draw up a presentation.
Below are some links to the various articles and online documentation we are using in our research efforts.
Donald Norman Links
Applying the Behavioral, Cognitive, and Social Sciences to Products
Much as the title states, how social and psychological science can be applied to product design.
Human error and the design of computer systems
This article discusses human interaction with computers and gives some historical examples of poor interface design, and its consequences.
Design as practiced
This article discusses Donald Norman's design philosophy in the context of real world business constraints and restrictions.
Varieties and Issues of Participation and Design
This article critizes the traditional method of Design where the design process is left to professionals. The article discusses the benefits of users involvement in the design process.
An interview with Donald Norman.
Other Links
Good Grips: Usability before Branding
A short column by Bruce Tognazzini on a succesful attempt at putting usability before all else.
Jakob Nielsen
Jef Raskin
Design Independent Research Project