Ethnography Considered Harmful

The author discusses the issue of ethnography-overuse. Many people are using ethnographies in their studies and aren't adhering to the traditional methods of doing them. They explain that doing things these ways could be more detrimental than they are beneficial.

Additionally, blindly following the results could lead to bad design. Instead, additional factors should be considered in order to determine what the best design for a given problem is. I thought this paper was a pretty tough read. It came across as more of a rant than anything.

Human-Centered Design Considered Harmful

I think it was what I expected to read. He seemed to back-track yet again. Now, he talks about how design should follow a more activity-centered philosophy instead of being human-centered. Human-centered design leads to very complex systems. Every suggestion is taken into account and the final product is continually modified and expanded until it is a giant mess. With activity-centered design, suggestions are evaluated in terms of the requirements of the activity. He explains, "The best way to satisfy users is sometimes to ignore them."

Design this way requires developers that know exactly what activity they are designing a product for. When developing, they should maintain an "I know what's best for you" attitude. Human-design ensures that the products work and they are usable by those that they are meant for. Following an activity-centered approach can lead to great design. This is where the innovative products come from. A clear concept of the end-product is kept in mind, and things that contradict it are thrown aside.

Usability Evaluation Considered Harmful

Main message- "The choice of evaluation methodology – if any – must arise from and be appropriate for the actual problem or research question under consideration."

They explain that researchers should first sit down and look over what they are trying to demonstrate in their experiment. Then, the method that best demonstrates this concept should be used. Some of these methods include usability studies, design critiques, design alternatives, case studies, cultural probes, reflection, design rationale, etc. They go on to explain that a combination of these methods is even more useful to prove your point.

I doubt this is just me... but this is completely obvious. I would like the 20 minutes of my life that I spent reading these 10 pages back please.

Fitts' Law

Equation:





Basically, the law predicts the time required to point to a specific area using any type of pointing device. Proposed in 1954, the idea has withstood the rigorous test of time. Additionally, it is able to be applied over a wide range of devices. It first applied to very simple pointing devices that were used in the 50's. Today, the same ideas still hold true to stylus devices on multi-touch screens. Unfortunately, there are many interfaces that are designed which completely ignore Fitt's Law.