Lecture slides for "The human side for design" as presented to Engineering students

1. The human side of design

2. A little about me

3. Hi! My name is Max
this is Som Tum (papaya salad)

4. I am a user experience consultant

5. I love snowboarding

6. I was born in a land called Burma

7. © irrawaddy.org
© drea
mstime
.com
My dream... © guardian.co.uk
is to one day start up a school in Burma

9. other things I’ve done...

11. Now... let’s talk about the human side of
design
(and why I’m here)

12. The human side of design needs to
be considered so that products are
usable

13. Why must things be usable?

14. Eliminate confusion in a person’s thought process

16. Eliminate confusion with

17. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)

18. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)
• learnability

19. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)
• learnability
• efficiency (doesn’t take up more resources/time than needed)

20. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)
• learnability
• efficiency (doesn’t take up more resources/time than needed)
• memorability (easy to remember)

21. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)
• learnability
• efficiency (doesn’t take up more resources/time than needed)
• memorability (easy to remember)
• error prevention (car gears - reverse)

22. Eliminate confusion with
• effectiveness (does a specific task well)
• learnability
• efficiency (doesn’t take up more resources/time than needed)
• memorability (easy to remember)
• error prevention (car gears - reverse)
• satisfaction (a sense of accomplishment)

23. #1 rule: Don’t MAKE me think

24. Remember: Eliminate confusion in a person’s thought process

26. Eliminate confusion such as:

27. Eliminate confusion such as:
• “Why is it called _____?”

28. Eliminate confusion such as:
• “Why is it called _____?”
• “I thought _____ does something else”

29. Eliminate confusion such as:
• “Why is it called _____?”
• “I thought _____ does something else”
• “Can I press it?” / “Should I press it?”

30. Eliminate confusion such as:
• “Why is it called _____?”
• “I thought _____ does something else”
• “Can I press it?” / “Should I press it?”
• If something is not a button, DO NOT make it look like one

31. Eliminate confusion such as:
• “Why is it called _____?”
• “I thought _____ does something else”
• “Can I press it?” / “Should I press it?”
• If something is not a button, DO NOT make it look like one
• “Where did they put _____?”

33. Ultimately you are designing for people

35. usable

36. useful
usable

37. useful
usable desirable

38. useful
usable desirable
accessible

39. useful
usable desirable
accessible
credible

40. useful
usable desirable
findable accessible
credible

41. useful
usable desirable
valuable
findable accessible
credible

43. These factors must be combined for success

44. useful
usable desirable
valuable
findable accessible
credible

45. Why is any of this important?
Why should you care?

46. It is necessary for success

48. • Too difficult » people ditch your design for something
simpler

49. • Too difficult » people ditch your design for something
simpler
• Lost in a process » people ditch your design

50. • Too difficult » people ditch your design for something
simpler
• Lost in a process » people ditch your design
• Too hard to understand (cues) » people ditch your design

52. • Don’t understand what to do next » people ditch your
design

53. • Don’t understand what to do next » people ditch your
design
• Too much to do » people ditch your design

54. • Don’t understand what to do next » people ditch your
design
• Too much to do » people ditch your design
• overwhelming information » people ditch your design

55. Beyond designing for humans

57. • not pretty colours

58. • not pretty colours
• not a creativity killer

59. • not pretty colours
• not a creativity killer
• not about focus groups

60. • not pretty colours
• not a creativity killer
• not about focus groups
• not about customer satisfaction surveys

61. You don’t revise design to show you’re correct, you use it
to become correct

62. Examples of overlooked designs

70. When to factor people in design

71. “You can use an eraser on the
drafting table or a sledge hammer
on the construction site” - Frank
Lloyd Wright

73. Considering people in design should come:

74. Considering people in design should come:
• Before the requirements

75. Considering people in design should come:
• Before the requirements
• Before the visuals

76. Considering people in design should come:
• Before the requirements
• Before the visuals
• Before the development

77. Human factors are key to your strategy
Get in early

78. How do we go about doing this?

80. Understand what works and what doesn’t:

81. Understand what works and what doesn’t:
• Before starting a new design, test how the old one is doing

82. Understand what works and what doesn’t:
• Before starting a new design, test how the old one is doing
• Analyse your competitor’s design, test it with people

84. Understand your audience

85. Understand your audience
• Understand their natural habitat » conduct a field study

86. Understand your audience
• Understand their natural habitat » conduct a field study
• Create prototypes » test them with people

88. Iterate. Learn for past designs

89. Iterate. Learn for past designs
• You shouldn’t need to (and cannot) be perfect straight
away

90. Iterate. Learn for past designs
• You shouldn’t need to (and cannot) be perfect straight
away
• But it must be usable

91. Iterate. Learn for past designs
• You shouldn’t need to (and cannot) be perfect straight
away
• But it must be usable
• Improve on each revision

92. There is no perfection. Perfection is subjective. There is
only change

93. To wrap things up...

95. • Don’t make me think

96. • Don’t make me think
• Not usable » lose out

97. • Don’t make me think
• Not usable » lose out
• Good experience » increases productivity » saves time and
money » people will love you

99. • Start factoring people as soon as possible

100. • Start factoring people as soon as possible
• Don’t try to get everything right at once, perfection is subjective

101. • Start factoring people as soon as possible
• Don’t try to get everything right at once, perfection is subjective
• Revise changes

102. And most importantly...

103. Create and design for people

104. Real people

105. People with passions

106. People with dreams
© irrawaddy.org
© drea
mstime
.com
© guardian.co.uk

107. The design should adapt to people, not the other
way around

108. Questions?

109. www.maxsoe.com find maxsoe on:
maxsoe@gmail.com