Artikel der Kategorie: User Centered Design

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Lesenswertes vom 26.11.2009 – The Agile Edition

  • Can UX Be Agile? | UXmatters
    Since agile methods appear to more closely match the way people typically solve problems, they can be helpful in solving the types of complex, interrelated problems organizations increasingly call upon UX designers to address. Understanding how user experience might operate in an agile development environment could help us respond more flexibly and effectively, regardless of the development methodology our organizations are using.
  • New to agile? Keep it very simple | Agile for All
    "When dealing with an agile implementation, particularly in the case of a new agile team, we often make things too complex and difficult. We tend to keep putting band-aids on the process until we have something that is overly burdensome and no longer useful. I’ve now seen enough of this to know there needs to be an intervention! So take a deep breath, relax and read how to simplify your life on an agile team."
  • Why Agile Needs to Start in Academia | Anders Ramsay.com
    "[T]he most important lesson was that of working across and truly integrating two disciplines, in this case art and engineering, and discovering that what the other does is not as mysterious and weird as one might think. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was my first foray into Pairing, a concept currently receiving widespread and well-deserved attention thanks to the Agile movement."

(via delicious.com)

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Nutzt der World Usability Day?

Gestern wurde der World Usability Day begangen. Ich war in Köln dabei und es war ein sehr angenehmer und gelungener Event.

Trotzdem (oder gerade deshalb) möchte ich Euch ein paar kritische Worte von Jared Spool über den World Usability Day nicht vorenthalten, liebe Zielgruppe. Der Artikel ist zwar von 2006, die Kritik ist aber immer noch aktuell…

Today’s usability practice is about measurement and evaluation. Can we determine how usable something is? Can we determine where frustration comes from? Can we determine when we’ve delighted a user (and how to do that again)? These are important things to know, but knowing them, by themselves, doesn’t change designs for the better.
It’s the practice of design where the change comes from. But World Usability Day doesn’t really talk about designing. [...] Most usability practitioners are not designers. They are an important part of the design process, but they are not the sole contributor. So, this effort of making products more usable needs to include the designers. [...]
It’s not clear that usability practice always makes good business sense. There’s no evidence, to date, that strictly following the doctrine of User-Centered Design always produces better market results. (In fact, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest it doesn’t!) There’s a lot that’s not understood about designing quality products, which is why even great design companies like Apple still have duds. We need to do more research into what really makes a difference and what is just the stone in the soup.

→ World Usability Day: Is it Harmful to Usability Practitioners?

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How Critics Reviewed the Macintosh in 1984

The nature of the personal computer is simply not fully understood by companies like Apple (or anyone else for that matter). Apple makes the arrogant assumption of thinking that it knows what you want and need. It, unfortunately, leaves the “why” out of the equation — as in “why would I want this?” The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a “mouse”. There is no evidence that people want to use these things. I don’t want one of these new fangled devices.

via John Gruber

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Why Computer Science needs HCI

Gut, ich bin da ein wenig voreingenommen, als Informatiker der sich mit User Centered Design beschäftigt, aber Russell Beale liefert eine sehr schlaue Begründung:

There is also a growing disconnect between the people developing cool innovative applications, and those doing computer science courses, [...] it suggests [...] that computer science is not seen as the course of choice for the bright developers, creatives, hackers and engineers out there. [...]

[W]e need to ensure we remember that HCI has to be at the heart of interactive systems, that good design can be taught, that creativity and innovation are at the heart of decent software engineering and that HCI provides these fields with appropriate tools.

Sein Vorschlag ist, dass Informatik und HCI (Human Computer Interaction) zusammen gelehrt werden sollten. Was mal eine gute Idee ist…

→ Russel Beale: HCI Education – where now – and how? (2.8mb)