Key Takeaways from The Design of Everyday Things : Chapter 6

Design Thinking

Overview

1. Discuss two views of human-centered design:

• the British Design Council’s double-diamond model
• the traditional HCD iteration

2. The role of standards

3. General design guidelines

Activity-Centered v.s Human-Centered Design

1. When design a product which is intended for people all across the world:

• Activity-centered design: Focus on activities, not the individual person.

2. An activity is a high-level structure (go shopping).
A task is a lower-level component of an activity (drive to the market/find a shopping basket)

Complexity vs. Complicated

• Complexity is good; It is confusion that is bad.
• Life is complex, as are the tasks we encounter. Our tools must match the tasks.
• Complicated = confusing

The stigma problem

Many devices designed to aid people with particular difficulties fail. Most people do not wish to advertise their infirmities.

Solve the correct problem

Double-Diamond Model of Design

Start with an idea, and through the initial design research, expand the thinking to explore the fundamental issues. Only then is it time to converge upon the real, underlying problem. Similarly, use design research tools to explore a wide variety of solutions before converging upon one.

The Iterative Cycle of Human-Centered Design

• Observation: Applied Ethnography
  To observe the would-be customers in their natural environment, in their normal lives, wherever the product or service being designed will actually be used.
• Idea generation (ideation):
  * Be creative without regard for constraints.
  * Generate numerous ideas
  * Question everything
• Prototyping
• Testing

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