TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Design Techniques

Anders Mørch

TOOL 5100, 30.03.06

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Outline

• Multiple design techniques

• Three in particular– Empirical-based design– Participatory design– Evolutionary design

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Methods

• In the same way we have methods for evaluation we have methods for design

• I have chosen to put different approaches to design under the umbrella of “design techniques” and to focus on them in detail

• There are other ways to approach design, some of them more general, others specific

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Design techniques• Scenario-based design• Empirical-based design• Participatory design • Theory-based design• Evolutionary design• The techniques are partially overlapping and are

often used in combination

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Scenario-based design

• Simulation of future (envisioned) use• A textual description with (or without) screen mock

ups depicting an imagined sequence of interactions with a simulated system

• The context of the setting should be included in the description, so that the scenario is meaningful to as many as possible (see PD)

• Two types– Generic (domain independent)– Specific (domain specific)

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Empirical-based design (also called iterative design, prototyping)

• Suggest answers to empirical questions• Involving real users in order to support their

needs, not the needs of system developers, • Iterations of system building and evaluation with

users• Evaluation is often done in “usability labs”, but

can also be done using other means (see PD)

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Participatory design• User participation in the early phases of system

development • Users are considered equal partners with developers• Often referred to as “Scandinavian approach” to

system development (democratic design)• Understand what goes on at the workplace and in

the interaction between workers• Technology is “mediating artefact” alongside other

artefacts such as profession-oriented languages• Mutual learning and use of low-fidelity prototyping

techniques (see SBD & EBD)

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Theory-based design

• Using theories to inform and ground a design• A theory is sometimes used to create a conceptual model,

which is then used to create a design• Theories can also be used to create design principles• Originated in HCI (user interface design) and have been

successfully used in CSCW and CSCL• Taken all the way, the theory is “built into” the user

interface to express one or more ideas, e.g. :– Janus (reflection-in-action)– Coordinator (speech act theory)– FLE (progressive inquiry)

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Evolutionary design• Develop a new system based on an existing one• This is often the default approach for many developers, even

without being aware of it, because many developers have a repertoire of tools to build from

• Start from something that already works and available to low level inspection and code reuse

• Find out what can be improved and add the improvements to the existing working system

• Can be used in different ways – within one system (e.g. extending an open source system);– from one generation of system to another (e.g. product families); – and from one technology to another (mock up to computer display)

TOOL5100: CSCL Design techniques

A. Mørch, 30.03.2006

Examples

• 1) Empirical based design and evolutionary design (DoCTA case)

• 2) Participatory design and evolutionary design (Statoil case)