Gerhard Fischer and Hal Eden: “Design, Learning, and Collaboration” — Spring Semester 2005

Assignment 8: HCI, HPDC, HFAs (Buxton Article)


paper

Buxton, W. (2001) "Less is More (More or Less)." In P. J. Denning (Ed.), The Invisible Future — the seamless integration of technology in everyday life, McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 145-179. available at: http://billbuxton.com/LessIsMore.html


Important:

with this assignment we split the members of the class into:

1. producers (students giving answers)

2. analyzers and summarizers (students evaluating the answers from the other students)

we will rotate these roles – for assignment 8, I suggest that

1. COYER, RYAN

2. DOAN, HENRY

3. BYRNES, KATIE

are the “analyzers and summarizers”! The “analyzers and summarizers” can do their work individually or jointly


due: Wed, Feb 16


1. producers: please submit by 9:00am to the class website ‡ please be on time, so the “analyzers and summarizers” can do their work!

2. analyzers/summarizers: please submit by 3:00pm to the class website



Briefly discuss the following issues:


1. what did you find (articulate the answers in your own words)

1.1. interesting about the article?

1.2. not interesting about the article?

2. what do you consider the main message of the article?

3. Please comment on the following claim: “Despite the increasing reliance on technology in our society, in my view, the key to designing a different future is to focus less on technology and engineering, and far more on the humanities and the design arts.”

3.1. agree / disagree?

3.2. which are the personal consequences which you draw from this statement?

3.3. are the educational programs you are involved addressing this claim?

4. Please comment on the following claim: “Given the much discussed constraints on human ability, how can we expect an individual to maintain the requisite specialist knowledge in their technological discipline, while at the same time have the needed competence in industrial design, sociology, anthropology, psychology, etc., which this essay implies are required to do one’s job?”

4.1. agree / disagree?

4.2. which are the personal consequences which you draw from this statement?

4.3. are the educational programs you are involved addressing this claim?

5. Do you feel that the “Design, Learning, and Collaboration” course addresses these two claims?