About Face Chp.7, 9 & 18
Chp. 7
Design Values help the designer create ethical designs that are best suited for the users/audience.
Ethical (considerate, helpful)
Do no harm
Improve human situations
Interaction designers face more ethical situations and questions when designing something compared to
graphic designers. One has to think how the product will affect others, even if it does good for the users,
How will that hurt others around them. Need to reduce/minimize harm. The different types of harm are:
Interpersonal harm (loss of dignity, insult, humiliation)
Psychological harm (confusion, discomfort, frustration, coercion, boredom)
Physical harm (pain, injury, deprivation, death, compromised safety)
Economic harm (loss of profits, loss of productivity, loss of wealth or savings)
Social and societal harm (exploitation, creation, or perpetuation of injustice)
Environmental harm (pollution, elimination of biodiversity)
By deeply understanding your audience and doing proper research, a designer can avoid the two first
Harms. But by following other design principles when creating a software example, by making it user friendly
And simple. One can stop the user from feeling inferior. Additionally understanding how your product will make
The users feel can be properly executed through good research, in order to make sure nothing offensive to
the company or users is shown. Environmental impacts is also something designers need to be wary of
During these times. Consumers and the world need eco-friendly solutions and materials. So when it comes to
Producing and handling the product, how can the designer make it eco conscious. Improve human situations
With interactive design with these principles: Increasing understanding (individual, social, cultural),
Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of individuals and groups, Improving communication
between individuals and groups, Reducing socio cultural tensions between individuals and groups,
Improving equity (financial, social, legal), Balancing cultural diversity with social cohesion.
Purposeful (useful, usable)
Help users achieve their goals and aspirations
Accommodate user contexts and capacities
Understanding users goals and motivations. Using both the users weaknesses and strength to create an
effective design/software. The designer should, because they researched and understand their users,
know how to to exploit their strengths and fix their areas of weakness so that they can effectively use
the product and be happy.
Pragmatic (viable, feasible)
Help commissioning organizations achieve their goals
Accommodate business and technical requirements
Designers need to work with the business and engineering parts and create respect amongst each other.
This will allow designs to be created properly, and be used effectively. This makes sure the designer creates
Something good for the business, while the business needs to use the design properly. While designers
need to understand cost and scheduling to properly work with engineers.
Elegant (efficient, artful, affective)
Represent the simplest complete solution
Possess internal (self-revealing, understandable) coherence
Appropriately accommodate and stimulate cognition and emotion
A simple and complete solution. Basically saying using less to properly represent more.
Chp. 9
Postures for the Desktop:
Sovereign Posture: Long attention usage by the user. For example most job based applications are sovereign, like email, spreadsheets, etc. They are very complex and deep applications that are commonly left open on full screen and used frequently to get tasks done and communicate with others. Dominates the user’s workflow as its primary tool. Target intermediate users, normally people will try and learn more about their program if they will be using it so frequently. So by targeting intermediate people, it will allow the software to teach and grow with the person as they learn. It may not be terribly easy at first, but these individuals will learn to be able to use the software fully. Still people could use the function of the software without even knowing everything. Also because this is a very used and attention based software, designers should use the full length of the screen because it won't be competing with anything else, so they can have all their toolbars and functions readily available and have larger reading sections. Additionally mute and tone down any colors and textures the sovereign site/application uses because the users will be staring at it for a long time and it will reduce discomfort and irritation from looking at a screen all day. Nothing too distracting also, since this is a highly functional and effective base application so it should be simple and nice for the user.
Transient Posture: Comes and goes. Must be clear, simple and straight to the point. This function pops up/appears, performs its job, and then quickly leaves. Normally operates alongside sovereign posture. For example adjusting sound or simple settings, does not take up too much space, and shows up when needed, respects the sovereign part. Must have a more forceful visual design, needs more vibrant colors and textures to contrast against the sovereign posture. I Need to be bold, but also simple.
Daemonic Posture: Don't interact with the user, normally work in the background. Like a printer or network driver. The design purpose here is to make sure that the user is knowledgeable of their purpose and function. Keep it simple, clean, and small.
Chp. 18
Anatomy of the desktop: primary and secondary windows, the moveable and size adjustable windows in which softwares runs. Primary window contains applicant content, the secondary window supports that content. Basically sovereign and transient posture. Primary windows are broken up into multiple sections, main work space, menu, and toolbars. Overall a lot about different window layouts, overlapping windows, and multi paned versus full screened windows.
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