Reading Response for Lecture 08

Where use cases tell us what a system ought to do, this week's technical reading identifies the additional issues that arise when we try to build an actual working system that interacts with users.  Meanwhile, at GMI...

Below is a list of the readings for this class with some suggestions on how to approach them and questions for discussion in class. Please create a post in this discussion consisting of at least 200 words discussing any issue from the required reading for the week (you do not need to address one of the discussion questions below, but you are welcome to do so).  See the Reading Response Grading Rubric for details about how posts will be graded.

The Readings

Norman on The Psychopathology of Everyday Things (online reserves). Do not be put off by the very outdated technology examples. This book still has a lot to teach us about user interface design. Donald Norman Links to an external site. is a very influential researcher and writer in the area of user interfaces and these are the opening pages from his classic book The Pyschology of Everyday Things (later renamed to The Design of Everyday Things). As you read, take note of the series of basic principles which Norman sets out, starting with the concept of affordances.

Discussion questions: Think of more modern examples of the issues which Norman raises. For example, how would you assess the usability of APEX through the lens of Norman's principles? Try applying the principles to the system you are designing or systems you currently use.

Severance Chapter 5: Reacting to Abrupt Changes in Strategic Priorities. This chapter is where things take a dramatic turn for GMI. A change in the business environment drives significant changes in plans and priorities and things start to seem quite a bit less rosy. While your mileage may vary, I found this chapter to be as close to a page turner as a book on I/T implementation could ever get.

Discussion questions: Where has GMI departed from best practice? Is there anything they could have done differently at this point? What decisions, strategic or tactical, would you like to focus on in our class discussion?