On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 7:10 AM, dave malouf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Again, if all you want to think about is UCD as a philosophy of > empathy towards users than it needs to be considered as one part of > a greater whole of total design methods that have to include centers > of markets and technology as well. It is at least a 3 legged stool > and the designer needs to consider all of them. > Agreed, and that's exactly where I think things like DDD help, at least for internal apps. For products, well, that's why you want to have product managers and devs/architects participating in the research and design. I wouldn't say UCD is just a philosophy; it's that but also a procedural framework and set of techniques. > > Now not all UX Pros are designers so maybe they can focus on > evaluation of user success or do up front user research. But the > designer needs to be holistic and inclusive of the user perspective, > but not centered on it. > If you don't know who your users are, what they want to do, and maybe sometimes even how they like to do it, common sense seems to say you won't be able to design successfully. I'd love to just tell the business to "trust me," and some will (as no doubt you've found). But that's just not going to fly with many, maybe most. At least that's the feeling I have based on my gut. Just trust me on that. :) Having some framework and set of standard techniques to add some predictability and reliability is not only far more attractive to those spending the money, but it is also helps guide designers to do the right thing, especially less experienced ones. I hear what you're saying about user centricity in that the user perspective is one piece to the overall design puzzle. I agree. But I'm thinking if something has to be at the center (and I tend to think our human nature will make this so), maybe users are the best choice for building successful things that are to be used. > I still don't get this whole political/power thing. > My experience and current thinking is such that you need to try to get it to function well in human society. The desire to control others seems to be part of our DNA. I was just thinking about this yesterday as I suffered through this talk on "Standards in the Enterprise." Standards. Governance. Management. Process. Etiquette. So much of our social fabric is permeated with control structures that, if looked at cynically, are all about one person/org trying to control others, through money, through force, or through social pressure. Of course there are positive sides to most of it. Working towards the shared good being at the core. Streamlining communication. Providing safety and predictabiliy (even if only ephemeral). But it does seem to be an inescapable reality, so factoring it into my approach to life and, in particular, dealing with others, seems essential to success. (Sorry; don't give me any philosophical bait. :) ) Thanks for the thoughtful response, Dave. --Ambrose ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
