Cooper article: Aha!

Amazing article Eric found that gets at the soul of our approach.

From Cooper -Digital Product Design firm in San Francisco

http://www.cooper.com/insights/journal_of_design/articles/design_engineering_the_next_st.html#part2

“The Triad … Interaction design is design for humans, design engineering is design for computers, and production engineering is implementation.”

“And that is exactly what programmers at all levels and in all sub-disciplines of computer programming do: they design code at the same time as they build it. If we could untangle these two parts of the programming job, we could begin to defeat the apocalyptic horsemen.”

“Software is the only medium where the construction materials are entirely the same as the design materials: source code…. In no other medium is this true and it is this watershed more than any other that defines the post-industrial era.”

“In my 30 years experience designing and building software, I have learned that the most expensive software to build is the wrong software. You might think that I’m describing the situation where you build the wrong software, have to throw it away, and then build the correct software. Actually, that’s not a bad thing to do at all, as long as it’s disposable code.”

“Currently there is a pitched battle raging in the programmer world between conventional engineering methods and Agile methods… Both methods are correct, but only when used at the correct time and with the correct medium.”

“By getting the right people doing the right jobs in the right sequence, the whole process becomes more predictable, faster, and less costly.”

What is a prototype?

When we say prototype, are we saying visualization? Most of the time the answer is yes. I think there are 3 types of prototypes at 3 different places within the diamond process.

1. Interactive Concept – Reality = 0%

• To show proof of concept
• Lots of ideas, need to visualize to see what works
• Very thin and quick to create
• Sales tool to sell an idea
• Early first diamond

2. Design Validation – Reality = 50%

• To allow user feedback
• Many ideas narrowed to one or a few
• End of first or start of second diamond

3. Pre-production – Reality = 99%

• Technical foundation leading into implementation
• Maybe an evolution of an early prototype, maybe not
• End of second diamond before implementation

Adobe XD Team

The XD Best practices session at Max was quite interesting. A member of Adobes XD team spoke. Their framework broke things down into 3 areas: Team; Process and Principles. Go to their site at xd.adobe.com.

Team
1. Emphasis Making
* Deconstructing
* Generalist over Specialist
* Wholistic
2. Promote Trust and Freedom
3. Have Fun
* Personality and Fit are critical

Process
1. Communication is Critical
2. Process isn’t that important
3. Five ways to work (rules)

• Simplify the problem
• Trust your instincts
• Share everything
• Fail Fast (to succeed sooner)
• We are peers before the Object

Principles (How to Work):
Useful -> Usable -> Desirable (eg. washing machines)

4 Cornerstones:
What is the Point?
* Have a clear design objective
* Task first
* Keep it simple
* Focus and Emphasis

Content is King
* Content before Chrome
* Provide flexibility
* Enable direct manipulation

Create an Experience not an Interface
* Create a spark
* Make it personal
* Just enough is more
* Respond, don’t dictate
* Respect design objective

Choreograph, Sequence and Flow
* Design is a whole
* Establish hierarchy
* Motion has meaning
* Guide and orient
* Preserve context
* Be consistent

Funny opinion about Agile….

From a UX article recklessly associating “Agile” with “quick and cheap”…

http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000198.php

jobrien wrote: “Agile” UX is a bit of a stretch. Much like the Communist Manifesto, “Agile” anything all sounds great in the book, but in application, not so much—relative to design anyway).

Sure design is discussed within the context of true Agile development, but from my experience, design really doesn’t/can’t fit, because there’s generally “no time for it.”

You got UX in my Agile…

Here is a white paper Eric found from Thoughtworks in the UK that identifies the similarities and stark differences between UCD/UX and Agile development methods. They propose a method of blending the two.

Discuss.

User Centered Design in Agile Application Development by Marc McNeill