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What is Design? Why does it matter? David Vronay Research Manager Windows UI Strategy Microsoft, Inc. Dave Vronay • Current Role – Research Manager, Windows UI Strategy (MSX) • Previous Roles – Research Manager, Microsoft Research Asia Center for Interaction Design – Researcher, Social Computing Group, Microsoft Research – VP Technology, ImaginEngine (children’s software) – Researcher, Human Interface Group, Apple Computer, Inc. • Educational Background – Philosophy – Cinema Production – Game Programming (self-taught) © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Class Process and Agenda Class Structure • Five day seminar • No Previous Design Experience Necessary • No programming required – But the lectures will assume a knowledge of programming concepts • Participation both inside and outside of class – You will only learn this stuff by trying it yourself © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Assignments • Every Seminar ends with an assignment • Each day’s lecture builds on the assignments of the previous day • Assignments can be done individually or in groups – I recommend diverse groups © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Getting the most out of the seminar • Do the assignments • Use the TAs • Take advantage of your instructor – Ask questions!! – I am around outside of class – [email protected] • Embrace the concepts – Don’t just focus on the work – Make it relevant to what you do every day © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What is Design? MSX and Design at Microsoft • MSX = Microsoft User Experience Team • In reality, MSX focuses on Windows, not all Microsoft products – Shell, IE, Media Player – Not MSN, Office, Money, Halo, etc. • Set & enforce style guidelines • Define the computing experience for the rest of the world © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What does MSX do? • Interaction Design of Windows! • What is interaction design? • Making something look good © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What is Interaction Design? Device Capabilities & Device Limitations User Needs and User Abilities USER INTERFACE © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What designers do • Understand the user – Needs, capabilities, desires • Understand the problems – Frustrations, confusions, inabilities • Propose solutions – enable technology to meet the user’s needs without exceeding the user’s capabilities • Test Everything – Design decisions are not opinions, but are strenuously tested in formal usability studies • Iterate as necessary – Design is a process of moving ever closer to (but never reaching) the mythical ideal solution © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Common Design Myths • MYTH: Designers are artists – • MYTH: Designers are really creative – • © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Truth: Designers do not do any technology! Therefore, it is essential that we collaborate with other groups (like yours). MYTH: Design is a luxury – • Truth : Design should start as early as possible. The longer you wait, the less benefit you can get from design. Ideally, design should start before any other work. MYTH: Designers are aloof and in their own world – • Truth : Design is much more about being methodical than creative. Designers want to test and measure every possible approach and variable MYTH: Designers come in at the end to polish the final work – • Truth: most designers are not particularly good artists, and most artists are not good designers Truth: Actually, design can be especially valuable in cost-conscious projects because it can stop you from going down dead-ends In general, design is just a method for solving problems! Roles in Design • Interaction Designers – Design the user model and overall flow • Visual Designers – Design the look and feel • Industrial Designers – Design the hardware • Usability Experts – Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists • Prototypers – Fast programmers who help realize designs • Production Team – Artists, Animators, Musicians – Production Managers – Internal Tools © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Why does design matter? A History of the World • • • • • • Stone Age Bronze Age … Agricultural Age Industrial Age Information Age • And now, the Conceptual Age © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Welcome to the Conceptual Age • Programming has become a commodity – Today China & India – Tomorrow, Vietnam – Soon, gone all-together • Technology is not enough – How the technology fits into the human lifestyle is what determines success • Example: iPod, cell phone, etc. © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. What skills are needed? • Everything that was needed before, plus… • Deep Understanding of Technology • Sense of Aesthetics • Concern for the human condition • Love of perfection © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Design in the Software Development Process The Old Way Code © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Ship! The Old Microsoft Way Write Spec © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Coding Testing Ship! The Current Model Design and Write Spec Coding Testing Serious problem discovered! © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Usability Ship! A Design-Centric Model Define Problems & Goals Design Solutions Rapid Prototype User Test Less than perfect Close to perfect Write Spec Coding © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Testing Ship! In summary… • Design produces a better product – Iterate and test many versions instead of just one • Design saves money – Rewrites and changes are discovered during prototyping, while they are still cheap to fix © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Now it is your turn! Current calculator is unchanged from Windows 1.0 © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Time for a redesign © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Let’s design Calculator XP! © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Assignment 1: Calculator XP • Redesign the calculator to make it better than the one currently shipping in XP • Produce a simple walkthrough that explains your design – PowerPoint, Acrobat, HTML, etc. – No more than three pages • Do not write code © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Understanding the space • • • • • © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. Problems with current design Limitations with current product Capabilities of the computer Features we could have Uses and users © 2005 Microsoft, Inc. © 2005 Microsoft, Inc.