HCI:
Sketching

Mick McQuaid

2024-02-22

Week SIX

Today

• Next week’s guest speaker
• Setareh—can she switch with Ananya?
• Tutorial emphasis
• Q and A from last time
• Discussion leading (Mick McQuaid)
• Design Critique (Aneri Dipakbhai Dalwadi)
• Article Presentation (Carlie Ruelas Herrera)
• Sketching
• Figma? WAADs?

What was the most important point you learned today?

The Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal is another example where automated data collected from 87 million Facebook profiles was used for political advertising. The more I learn about these cases and how privacy regulations formulated to benefit the data companies, I freak out about how much control these algorithms have over my life.

Don Norman’s obsolescence of design highlights the responsibility of designers to create products that are durable, upgradable, and timeless, reducing unnecessary waste and promoting sustainability. I definitely agree with it as it also highlights the role of consumer behavior and societal trends in shaping product obsolescence.

I learned about the different resources available to us for exploring more in-depth about research techniques for collecting user data.

I found the discussion section during the beginning of class super insightful, especially when hearing my peers’ perspectives on determining a hard stop for data collection. We discussed about the idea of implementing specific metrics that could be used to help with implementing a hard stop. Thank you for such amazing insights!

The ethical line combating misinformation and freedom of speech is very blurred.

Repair, reuse, regenerate, and more transform ideas in design! “Do not create waste, so you do not need to recycle.” This idea is beyond the design of matter and is about efficiency in thinking and research in a way that, in combination of going over the research design, inspired me to change some aspects of my research agenda. Specifically, being more mindful of the research design and how it can alter my results; thinking of more intuitive measurements; and not committing to outdated measurements of new concepts.

Rachel was wonderful as always. Also, great presentations! The shift of the format from a traditional class setting to a seminar-style significantly altered the atmosphere of the class (an experiment in its nature). I thoroughly enjoyed the in-depth conversations and could actually hear everyone.

I like the part of sharing what people think are the most useful visualization tools. From my perspective, turning any visualization into 3D , such as making it an isometric or vertical layering, is useful when there are comprehensive information. It is easier for human vision to capture the structure of the model. When the entire presentation or portfolio is in a flat style, 3D graphics can be very compelling.

When taking about how we are dragged to buy new versions when we are using the apple watch in contrast to having a traditional watch, the thought that stayed is the strategy to keep the users hung to the product. “The Apple Ladder” does the exact same thing – launching versions every year, marketing at the peak. Their approach, combined with their diverse range of products and the strong loyalty they’ve built with their customers, has helped Apple stay ahead in the tech industry. The ladder they pull is by keeping the initial price range quiet high, and keeping the subsequent products at close range in prices. So a customer will inturn endup buying somwthing worth $800 when they started from $350. I think it’s smart!

What question(s) do you have about the material covered in today’s class?

No questions in today’s class! Figma tutorials are very helpful!

I was curious with how facebook quantified/measured the result of the experiment they carried out on their users’ change of moods.

Will we be practicing data modeling in class at all, such as workshop-style?

Also, will we be covering components in Figma? I have not had time to dig into those more, and I find them incredibly useful in theory.

In terms of visualizations, are there specific visuals that have the potential to evoke emotions from our audience when showcasing your work? Will we have the opportunity to explore this topic further in future classes?

With foreign governments (we have evidence that Russia is sowing discord in our country using online platforms), and social media algorithms (some of the engaging content that is pushed can often be flat our wrong) dividing our country and spreading false information, what can we do to to combat this?

No specific question I was wondering if there are any suggestions for prerecorded Figma tutorials so we can be more prepared.

When speaking of the chaos of user research in reality, I wonder how much we should take control over the research (for example interviews) , and how much freedom we should give to interviewees.

We talked about various ways to collect and work with information with their flaws, including diaries, surveys, case studies, how can I ensure that the data collected through each method aligns with the goals and objectives of the product development process?

Discussion

Metaphors beyond visual cues

How can UX designers use metaphors beyond mere visual cues? Mental shortcuts … enriching usability but also promoting sustainable practices …

What does design mean to you?

(a question we have to keep asking ourselves)

Feedback

How can the design team effectively gather and synthesize user feedback?

Validity

Given the subjective nature of user feedback and potential biases inherent in self-report measures, to what extent can the results obtained from such studies be considered reliable and valid?

Top-down design

Can we also say that the initial phase of top down design is not user centered?

(Example: Apple Vision Pro)

Continuous innovation

What are some methods or strategies you could implement to ensure continuous innovation?

Ahead of the wave, yet riding the crest

How can designers innovate to stay ahead of current trends, while ensuring that their technology catches on and becomes mainstream?

Values inherent in top-down and bottom-up design

Would you expect a workspace using a specific approach to hold certain values? If yes, what values do you would you expect?

Drivers of top-down design

The article says ‘Top-down design is heavily driven by domain knowledge’, while I think top-down design is more driven by technology. How do you understand this question?

Sketching

typical user-centered design stages

1. Contextual Inquiry (also known as user research)
2. Personas (also known as modeling)
3. Scenarios (also known as storyboarding)
4. Lofi Prototypes (also known as sketches—our subject today)
5. Hifi Prototypes (I include midfi in this category)
6. Handoff to developers

Here is an example of how a design team might work. There might be frequent communications with the developers, but ultimately there is usually a handoff of a hifi design to developers. By the time we hand this design off, we’ve done several things. We’ve researched the situation of users at work (or perhaps at play). We’ve used the output of that research to create personas to serve with our design. We’ve injected these personas into scenarios where they use our design successfully. Then comes the fun part. We brainstorm or ideate several solutions that would fit into the scenarios. These usually take the form of sketches. The heart of design is choosing between these sketches for further refinement. The hifi prototype is this refinement and it may go through many iterations.

Design is all about constraints.

— Charles Eames

Eames, half of the famous husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames, said this in an interview. After the interviewer asked him to elaborate, he replied “Aren’t constraints enough?” This speaks volumes about the difference between design and art, which is relatively unencumbered by the constraints clients place on design.

lofi from Buxton (2007)

The “conversation” is between the sketch (right bubble) and the mind (left bubble). A sketch is created from current knowledge (top arrow). Reading, or interpreting the resulting representation (bottom arrow), creates new knowledge. The creation results from what Goldschmidt (1991) calls “seeing that” reasoning, and the extraction of new knowledge results from what she calls “seeing as.”

Goldschmidt gives an example where an architect named Glenda, sketches some squares: Glenda sees that the squares could be treated as basic elements. The square configuration could be seen as a puzzle. She sees that this metaphor leads nowhere. She tries another metaphor: seeing the square pattern as a casbah. She sees that in a casbah there are confined territories.

In this short passage the designer alternates her reasoning modality with every argument she makes.

My drawings have been described as pre-intentionalist, meaning that they were finished before the ideas for them had occurred to me. I shall not argue the point.

— James Thurber

Sketching capabilities from Buxton (2007)

lofi and hifi from Buxton (2007)

Sketchbook pages exhibited in Buxton (2007), pp 194–5

Readings

Readings last week include Hartson and Pyla (2019): Ch 9, 10

Readings this week include Hartson and Pyla (2019): Ch 12, 13, 14

Assignments

Project 2 due Friday

References

Buxton, Bill. 2007. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufman.

Goldschmidt, G. 1991. “The Dialectics of Sketching.” Creativity Research Journal 4 (2): 123–43.

Hartson, Rex, and Pardha Pyla. 2019. The UX Book, 2nd Edition. Cambridge, MA: Morgan Kaufman.

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