David Liddle’s ideas: the Conceptual Model Information Systems Development 3 UQI107S3.

• David Liddle’s ideas: the Conceptual Model

Information Systems Development 3UQI107S3



• Software design is the act of determining the user's experience with a piece of software

• It has nothing to do with how the code works inside

• The designer's task is to specify completely and unambiguously the user's whole experience



• Everything else should be subordinated to making that model clear, obvious, and substantial

• That is almost exactly the opposite of how most software is designed


• Consider the following 3 slides decide:

what the slides seem to show whether they are “genuine” are they are connected whether there seems to be a time sequence what have been the main influences on the

changes in design

“desktops” for Windows 3.1, MSDOS and Windows NT

they are not genuine (they are “pictures” of the desktop - no cursor shown)

they are connected (all screen captures of desktops) there is a perceptible time sequence (B - A - C) the use of icons - a graphical user interface (GUI) -

simple, user friendly computing is this completely successful? (see Chapter 2, D. Liddle

In: Winograd, T. - Bringing design to software)

The 3 slides are about:



• the desktop is only a metaphor

• it is NOT their purpose to imitate real-world objects

• they are abstractions which users can use to relate to their jobs

• they allow people to use RECOGNITION rather than RECALL

from Liddle, D. - The Design of the Conceptual Model


• people are good at managing through RECOGNITION

• we are rather bad at performing even routine actions through precise RECALL

from Liddle, D. - The Design of the Conceptual Model

BOB



The desktop metaphor is replaced a cartoon picture of a room in a home Familiar objects, such as a calendar, a cheque book, and a notebook, are

scattered throughout the room Bob conveys an immediate impression of "This is not an office - it's not

heavy-duty business or technical stuff" Rather than using the abstract dialogue boxes of most current interfaces,

Bob communicates with the user through an animated character, such as a cute little bunny rabbit, or a squawky petulant parrot.

Bob does not entice the user to become an expert The message to the beginner is "You're as good at using the system as anyone

else is, so go-ahead!" Microsoft released its Bob software in early 1995

from Winograd, T. - Bringing Design to Software

• who has ever heard of who has ever heard of BobBob??

• Why hasn’t something like Why hasn’t something like BobBob taken off? taken off? become a new standard?become a new standard?

• Is computing still in some sort of elitist Is computing still in some sort of elitist stranglehold?stranglehold?

Questions for you:


• If it is still in some sort of elitist If it is still in some sort of elitist stranglehold, what does that mean for stranglehold, what does that mean for software design principles?software design principles?




• Software design is the act of determining the user's experience with a piece of software

• It has nothing to do with how the code works inside

• The designer's task is to specify completely and unambiguously the user's whole experience

So why was BOB not a success?




• in the first phase, the new technology is difficult to use and its benefits are not yet obvious. It appeals mainly to those people who are fascinated with it for its own sake - enthusiasts.



• In the second phase, the economic benefits are the focus in order to attract business users

• the bottom line the bottom line - not whether the technology is fascinating or easy to use, but whether it will promote greater efficiency, productivity, and profits

• In designing for it, the main consideration is cost effectiveness

but progress is made:


• The third phase reaches the public - the discretionary users who choose a product because it satisfies a need or urge

• They don't care about cost benefit analyses, but they do care about whether the product is likeable, beautiful, satisfying, or exciting

• design needs to focus on the userfocus on the user, rather than on the mechanisms

• David Liddle’s ideas: the Conceptual Modeland more progress:


• The third phase ...but they do care about whether the product is likeable, beautiful, satisfying, or exciting

• the second phase bottom line the second phase bottom line - not whether the technology is fascinating or easy to use, but whether it will promote greater efficiency, productivity, and profits

So why was BOB not a success?

• I would hypothesise that BOB failed because the product fell between second and third phases of development - it was neither

In considering software design and the evolution of interface design in particular we must also be aware of many other influences.

The main point:


The changing perception of “self” and “other” in society

The expectations of usersThe expectations of users Anthropomorphisation by many users

of their interaction with computers Increasing confusion between

hardware and software Increasing confusion between

content and context

Important influences:


Important influences:

is it, or is it NOT, reasonable to consider that a computer, or an information system, is human?

At first sight, this sounds crazy, but a deeper understanding of systems development, and computing in general, might indicate that it is not unreasonable to assume a human dimension to software (lecture 5)


Seely Brown & Duguid and Liddle touch on the same core idea

• Abstractions are very important - the Conceptual Model must be well designed but there must be a balance in this design between breaking new ground and establishing familiarity


David Liddle’s ideas: the Conceptual Model Information Systems Development 3 UQI107S3.

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