Discussion Archive: December 2004

"Whiteboard" goes poetic about design

As some of you know, I edit a column in ACM's "interactions" magazine
(http//www.acm.org/interactions), a column of opinion and sometimes
whimsy, aimed at designers who are not IxD or usability specialists but
who do have a clue and want to know more. The column, "Whiteboard," is
now five years old.

Multi-Mode Software

In most cases a tool or function is unexpectedly no longer available to the user when an application switches modes. The AP has a story on the accidental F-16 strafing of a NJ children's school due to pilot error and confusing software. The pilot had over 2,000 hours of logged flight time, nearly half of that in the same type of Jet. There are other scattered reports of defense-related mishaps due to poor design.

Aside from PLGR and the Blue Force System are there examples of stand-out successes in defense, security or law enforcement?

"Pilot Error Blamed in N.J.

When to bring in technology?

What about the data model or database design? Should we be considering that
separate from the technology?

Sometimes I think the data model should be made before the interface because
an interface that strongly reflects the data model is easier to use. That
is, users can more easily create a mental model of the data. Even a
task-based interface should account for that.

However, I've also run across many projects where the data gets modeled
based on how the user wants to approach the problem. This seems to be more
of a case in search and taxonomy however.

When to bring in technology

>First I want to say, that in general, I totally agree that design and
technology should be separated >as much as possible.....

I'm interested at what point in the process we should make a decision on
what technology should be used.