[IxDA Discuss] Software companies actually using UCD

[Juan Lanus]

On 7/1/06, Mark Schraad <mschraad at mac.com> wrote:
> ustomers do not
> know what is cool until they (Oakley) design it & present it.
Mark, this is absolutely right!
I think it was Jakob Nielsen (among others) who said about doing what
the user want, but not the way they say.
IMO the design process is this translation, interpretation, from what
the users say to what the users want.
Other people wrote about this design step. For example Larry
Constantine in his famous "What do users want" article
http://www.foruse.com/articles/whatusers.htm

A mother, when her baby cries, she interprets the baby's needs and
solves them. By instinct, experiece, try and error, or chance.
This is similar: you don't expect the user to express the solution but
the needs. Like in the "homermobile" episode of The Simpsons.
Then you "design" a solution, cool if possible. There is some mistery
in this step, from the problem to the solution, from the baby cay to
the warm bottle. For a single interaction "problem" there are so many
solutions, one for each designer ...
--
Juan Lanus
TECNOSOL
Argentina




On 7/1/06, Mark Schraad <mschraad at mac.com> wrote:
>
> On Jul 1, 2006, at 8:17 AM, Juan Lanus wrote:
>
> > [Please voluntarily trim replies to include only relevant quoted
> > material.]
> >
> > Cool factor? Cool to whom?
>
> I am not a proponent of this mentality, but if you asked the folks at
> Oakley a few years ago they would tell you that they do not believe
> in market research or pre design research because customers do not
> know what is cool until they (Oakley) design it a present it. This
> likely more of a PR spin than a methodology, but it is exemplary of
> ego-centric and myopic design.
>
> > For anything to be adopted it must be cool for those who will use it
> > (as opposed to the designers, or the developers, or the computer
> > itself, for example).
>
> As well as paying Michael Jordan, Tiger, and George Foreman etc.
> millions to use the product.
>
> > This is the underlying idea of the UCD, its cornerstone.
> > Designing for the user is not acting a predefined ceremonial steps
> > like having meetings and wearing persona's caps. Sometimes it can be
> > done in isolation maybe while watching the sun setting behind the sea.
> > This is how innovation comes to life. No use testing, no focus groups.
> > You can't walk the streets asking people what they think about a flock
> > browser, or anything else, like al iPod before it was released.
> >
> > Anyway, do it alone or in massive rituals, UCD is simply the oppposite
> > to self-referential design and those who don't do it usually hav in
> > trouble.
> > My point it that everybody designs for the user. Maybe the wrong one
> > but the user.
> >
> > If you are in a company, and doing something not-so-small then you use
> > a methodology.
> > Here is where other differences show. With the same tools, different
> > people do different things according to their involvement, the
> > environment, and ultimately the "ambiental talent".
> > That's why mileages vary. This might be the answer to Daniel's
> > question about 'the *other factors/elements* that impact product
> > success.'
> >
> > Also, I've noticed that size matters. There are methods and tools
> > published by big companies that only apply for the biggest projects.
> > I'm seeking a method for smaller ones. In all cases, what's always
> > true is that the more design you set before starting development, the
> > better and the sooner satisfaction is achieved.
> > --
> > Juan Lanus
> > TECNOSOL
> > Argentina
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> Mark Schraad
> mschraad at mac.com
>
>
> "Surround yourself with people that you admire and desire to be more
> like."
>
>
>