Interface Design

 

  

We are easily frustrated when dealing with interfaces. Things get even tougher if we need to interface with a machine while others watch out of the corner of their eye—or while waiting behind us. Sometimes it is a good way to strike up a desperate conversation, perhaps proving people are generally kind.

Fundamentally, interface design requires discerning acceptable simplification. However, there is a limit on how much you can simplify a design—and you can never win— oversimplification irritates power users.

Designing interactions should pursue two categories of concerns: 1) simplify and 2) assist user.

Here are examples of human-machine interface challenges from the non-digital world.

Washington DC Metro: Scary and confusing. Need tourist mode.

Cricut Cutting Machine: Manageable and sufficient

Boat Design: Mechanistic and Non-mechanistic Influences

 

This is an extract from my latest book, Wooden Wonders: Traditional Malaysian Fishing Boats

The presentation of design influences on boats is best introduced by placing it in the context of what ancient philosophers asserted were the three motivators of all human inquiry: pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness. This triumvirate of cognition, aesthetics, and morality offers a framework for looking at traditional design as an attempt to 1) develop a boat that will be safe, durable and functional, 2) express cultural heritage and historicity, 3) incorporate belief systems, and 4) express an aesthetic quality. The first category can be referred to as mechanistic influences and the other categories can be referred to as non-mechanistic influences.

By design, boats place people far out on the water in an unnatural and hazardous environment. Therefore, boats are conservative in their design and often enshrouded by ritual and symbolic elements derived from belief systems. If one is to have faith in a boat when at sea, it seems natural to want to imbue the craft with as much safety as possible, both physical and spiritual. Horridge (1995) notes:

Because the use of them is dangerous, boats are particularly conservative structures and all cultures adhere to their own proven designs. Rigs are more easily copied than hull structures. When changes in design are introduced they are not admitted. In consequence, boatbuilding techniques may survive unchanged for 1000 years or may be quickly modified in a single generation as happens when designs are transferred from elsewhere.

Indigenous boat design knowledge can derive from traditional influences that lie outside the realm of naval architecture. This indigenous knowledge can consider available construction materials and fasteners as well as specific boat applications. This knowledge also leads to design details that affect performance and safety. When asked to explain specifics about a design, traditional builders may respond in a generic fashion, indicating there is no other way to design the boat or the design gives better performance. Construction details have been relayed from their ancestors and deviations from this tradition are considered dangerous (Horridge, 1995).

The details of the boat are ostensibly designed in response to a particular need. For example, the sharp bow allows a boat to pierce waves, a shallow draft allows passage over sandbars and an open transom allows nets to be easily pulled onboard. The overall boat design is dictated by needs for stability, buoyancy, maneuverability, seakindliness, draft restrictions, superstructure, and equipment requirements. However, in addition to these mechanistic elements, boat designs also derive from traditional designs, traditional construction methods, and available materials. In addition to these traditional influences, boat design is influenced by perceptions regarding durability, safety, comfort, and maintenance.

Boat designers make judgments as they contend with many conflicting design issues such as performance versus aesthetics, stability versus capacity, comfort versus seakeeping, safety versus speed, safety versus ease of use, hull size versus operating cost, and fuel efficiency versus production cost. The following sections describe a few important mechanistic factors that may be helpful in considering the photographs and data that follow.

---

 [o1]Remain as non-italic & bold.

Closing Thoughts from "Traditional Malaysian Fishing Boats"

This is an extract from my latest book, Wooden Wonders: Traditional Malaysian Fishing Boats

One quickly becomes defined by one’s discipline as we witness the academic, professional, and even legal walls constructed around disciplines. However, these walls can create an insidious environment where the physical sciences are honored while everything else becomes noise. I have a deep affection for the mysteries revealed by science, but I recognize the physical and life sciences have waded into matters that require involvement beyond science.

Science can also give an incomplete picture of truth. Philosophers have investigated the limits of the scientific method, but science can be blind to the broad swath of culture and therefore fails to provide all data and guidance for culturally appropriate designs. For me to make sense of the value of non-mechanistic design elements I needed to recognize the intangible, scientifically unapproachable aspects of these design elements. Not all questions are scientifically answerable and some can only be judged based on their value to the individual.

Fishing boats are an important part of the cultural heritage of Malaysia. Their role in commerce will necessarily change in response to the dynamic forces applied to the Malaysian society. These boats provide food and livelihood for many. They are designed with care, built with integrity, and reflect the pride and dignity of their builders. This consideration of traditional Malaysian fishing boats was not intended as a nostalgic reflection but rather an investigation of the gritty, every day issues of boat builders and fishermen. These men were motivated by market forces even if they did sense the twilight years of their work. The builders and fishermen I visited were not striving to be curators of old technology, they were living their lives with the mixture of dreams and practical resolve that motivates us all in our labors.

Wooden Wonders: Traditional Malaysian Fishing Boats

I had the pleasure of discussing my work with traditional Malaysian fishing boats and my book, "Wooden Wonders" yesterday. You can watch the presentation at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwv23DiaJMY

Contending with Complex Interdisciplinary Problems using Affinity Congregates

Many innovations come from those in marginal positions in a discipline, and these individuals therefore greatly benefit from the support afforded by like-minded people. James Watson, co-discoverer of the double helix nature of DNA, stated the power of collaboration unequivocally: “Nothing new that is really interesting comes without collaboration”. However, in some groups a dominating person might drive ideation. As discussed previously, group dynamics need to be recognized in group settings. Particularly in the case of new groups, such as in a classroom setting, an affinity congregate allows people to individually express their ideas before becoming engaged in a group situation. This is a small variation of affinity diagraming because affinity congregating focuses on initial, independent problem solving before bringing ideas to a group so that participants may collectively identify affinities. Affinity congregation preserves the independent voice of each student. This approach is intended to prevent group dynamics from taking over the ideation process.

With affinity congregating, the participants are presented with a problem or design prompt, they individually write solutions on a sticky notes or other suitable media. When they are finished writing proposed solutions, the notes are collected and assembled by a moderator and grouped by affinities or themes into an affinity diagram. The themes arise from the data, which is founded on grounded theory. Grounded theory is a method common in the social sciences that allows categories and concepts to develop based exclusively on data and not from predisposed theories.

While these affinity congregations shown by the groupings of notes is subjective, general themes or affinities arise in a logical fashion. A variation of this approach is to have the group identify themes rather than a moderator. In this approach, the group gathers around the notes and identifies logical groupings. The notes are reviewed and duplicate ideas are stacked on top of each other. Finally, the affinities can be discussed and each idea can be critiqued by the group.

Affinity Congregating Technique Summary

1. Problem statement or design prompt.

2. Individuals write proposed solutions on sticky notes.

3. Moderator collects notes and assembles by affinities or themes that arise (affinity diagrams). Alternatively, the group identifies affinities as a team.

4. Duplicates omitted.

5. Group critiques affinities and proposed solutions.

Outcomes of Affinity Congregation

One example of applying this technique to professional practice is addressing the issue of palliative care in the developing world. In this case, I invited two physician colleagues to partner with this investigation. Because we came from different disciplines (design, pain management and palliative care), the congregation technique was used to prevent the board-certified palliative care specialist from overwhelming the pain management expert and the engineer. This cooperation led to identifying four tracks of palliative care: physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual as shown in Figure 4. These tracks were further divided into key concerns and we developed practical treatment options.

In this example, the most common concerns were identified as pain, dyspnea (air hunger), nausea and vomiting, delirium, anxiety, and terminal secretions (‘the death rattle’). The affinity aggregation allowed artificial intelligence driven diagnosis systems to inhabit an equal space as recommending paracetamol or diclofenac for pain relief. This technique worked well in this interdisciplinary environment because we concluded with specific recommendations as well as the somewhat surprising result that the patient care should be the responsibility of a loving caregiver rather than a medical professional.

 

Figure 4 – Integrative palliative care factors.

From:  T. Ask, “Engaging Creativity: Classroom Exercises for Enhancing Engineering Students' Creative Self Identity,” 2019 ASEE Zone I Conference & Workshop, Niagara Falls, NY, USA, April 2019, https://peer.asee.org/33791.

And     T. E. Ask, J. Boll and A. Nesbitt, “Steps towards Integrative Palliative Care in the Developing World,” Design for All Institute of India, Newsletter Vol. 12, No. 3, p. 61, 2017.

 

Invention and Philosophy

 

Science seeks to investigate the sentient and identify truths within that realm. Although making, and design in general, seek to identify that which works, we run our hand along the guiderail of science so the philosophies of science are a relevant framework for makers. For example, exploring designs that might parallel those considered outside "normal science" or endanger an intellectual ecology can lead to resistance within the engineering and design communities.

Makers are comfortable with abductive reasoning but tap into positivism with alacrity. Moreover, nonmechanistic elements of design and building are a part of the maker movement. This includes creating things that are visually appealing, connected with a material culture, and communicate values. The process of building can also be an expression of filial piety or social dynamics and can be infused with improvised and planned agents. The joy of the designing and building process can be of greater importance than the object’s utility – the world of hands-on design teaches the heroics of the nail gun, the intimacy of the soldering iron, the magic of casting, and the crunching sound of failure. Makers know the dance of deep thinking and wonderful journeys.

From: Ask, T. E. (2016). Philosophical Foundations of the Maker Movement. Paper presented at the The Fourth International Conference on Design Creativity, Atlanta, GA. 

What about my dioxin footprint?

Carbon footprint has become a simplistic tagline for environmental impact. This term seems to discount concerns for profoundly hazardous chemicals. There are 187 hazardous air pollutants, that in the US, are controlled by the EPA. I have them listed at the bottom.

These pollutants can cause things such as cancer, birth defects, impaired lung function, and reduced fertility. They can also cause harm to the nervous system, cardiovascular, and brain.

I worry more about mercury and dioxin footprint than carbon footprint. I think the old-fashioned word “pollution” is better than “carbon footprint”. Everyone concerned with the environment should understand the notion of embodied energy, which considers the energy (and pollution) associated with a product, including things we don’t think about, such as mining, transportation, administration, disposal, etc.

Bad products that are expensive and then soon discarded always have a high embodied energy. Recycling has environmental impact, which is why reducing consumption is at the top of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra. Likewise, sequestering carbon artificially is not environmentally neutral – I’m a big fan of living trees for obvious reasons!

Personally, I think fine particulates (e.g., PM2.5) are the biggest immediate pollution concern. It is very sad to watch children running around outside enjoying the use of their healthy lungs and bodies while breathing all the nasty particulates in which we immerse them.

What level of sophistication is required by people that regulate us?

EPA’s Current List of Air Toxics

Acetaldehyde

Acetamide

Acetonitrile

Acetophenone

2-Acetylaminofluorene

Acrolein

Acrylamide

Acrylic acid

Acrylonitrile

Allyl chloride

4-Aminobiphenyl

Aniline

o-Anisidine

Asbestos

Benzene (including benzene from gasoline)

Benzidine

Benzotrichloride

Benzyl chloride

Biphenyl

Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)

Bis(chloromethyl)ether

Bromoform

1,3-Butadiene

Calcium cyanamide

Caprolactam

Captan

Carbaryl

Carbon disulfide

Carbon tetrachloride

Carbonyl sulfide

Catechol

Chloramben

Chlordane

Chlorine

Chloroacetic acid

2-Chloroacetophenone

Chlorobenzene

Chlorobenzilate

Chloroform

Chloromethyl methyl ether

Chloroprene

Cresols/Cresylic acid (isomers and mixture)

o-Cresol

m-Cresol

p-Cresol

Cumene

2,4-D, salts and esters

DDE

Diazomethane

Dibenzofurans

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane

Dibutylphthalate

1,4-Dichlorobenzene(p)

3,3-Dichlorobenzidene

Dichloroethyl ether (Bis(2-chloroethyl)ether)

1,3-Dichloropropene

Dichlorvos

Diethanolamine

N,N-Dimethylaniline

Diethyl sulfate

3,3-Dimethoxybenzidine

Dimethyl aminoazobenzene

3,3'-Dimethyl benzidine

Dimethyl carbamoyl chloride

Dimethyl formamide

1,1-Dimethyl hydrazine

Dimethyl phthalate

Dimethyl sulfate

4,6-Dinitro-o-cresol, and salts

2,4-Dinitrophenol

2,4-Dinitrotoluene

1,4-Dioxane (1,4-Diethyleneoxide)

1,2-Diphenylhydrazine

Epichlorohydrin (l-Chloro-2,3-epoxypropane)

1,2-Epoxybutane

Ethyl acrylate

Ethyl benzene

Ethyl carbamate (Urethane)

Ethyl chloride (Chloroethane)

Ethylene dibromide (Dibromoethane)

Ethylene dichloride (1,2-Dichloroethane)

Ethylene glycol

Ethylene imine (Aziridine)

Ethylene oxide

Ethylene thiourea

Ethylidene dichloride (1,1-Dichloroethane)

Formaldehyde

Heptachlor

Hexachlorobenzene

Hexachlorobutadiene

Hexachlorocyclopentadiene

Hexachloroethane

Hexamethylene-1,6-diisocyanate

Hexamethylphosphoramide

Hexane

Hydrazine

Hydrochloric acid

Hydrogen fluoride (Hydrofluoric acid)

Hydrogen sulfide

Hydroquinone

Isophorone

Lindane (all isomers)

Maleic anhydride

Methanol

Methoxychlor

Methyl bromide (Bromomethane)

Methyl chloride (Chloromethane)

Methyl chloroform (1,1,1-Trichloroethane)

Methyl ethyl ketone (2-Butanone)

Methyl hydrazine

Methyl iodide (Iodomethane)

Methyl isobutyl ketone (Hexone)

Methyl isocyanate

Methyl methacrylate

Methyl tert butyl ether

4,4-Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline)

Methylene chloride (Dichloromethane)

Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)

4,4'-Methylenedianiline

Naphthalene

Nitrobenzene

4-Nitrobiphenyl

4-Nitrophenol

2-Nitropropane

N-Nitroso-N-methylurea

N-Nitrosodimethylamine

N-Nitrosomorpholine

Parathion

Pentachloronitrobenzene (Quintobenzene)

Pentachlorophenol

Phenol

p-Phenylenediamine

Phosgene

Phosphine

Phosphorus

Phthalic anhydride

Polychlorinated biphenyls (Aroclors)

1,3-Propane sultone

beta-Propiolactone

Propionaldehyde

Propoxur (Baygon)

Propylene dichloride (1,2-Dichloropropane)

Propylene oxide

1,2-Propylenimine (2-Methyl aziridine)

Quinoline

Quinone

Styrene

Styrene oxide

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane

Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethylene)

Titanium tetrachloride

Toluene

2,4-Toluene diamine

2,4-Toluene diisocyanate

o-Toluidine

Toxaphene (chlorinated camphene)

1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene

1,1,2-Trichloroethane

Trichloroethylene

2,4,5-Trichlorophenol

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol

Triethylamine

Trifluralin

2,2,4-Trimethylpentane

Vinyl acetate

Vinyl bromide

Vinyl chloride

Vinylidene chloride (1,1-Dichloroethylene)

Xylenes (isomers and mixture)

o-Xylenes

m-Xylenes

p-Xylenes

Antimony Compounds

Arsenic Compounds (inorganic including arsine)

Beryllium Compounds

Cadmium Compounds

Chromium Compounds

Cobalt Compounds

Coke Oven Emissions

Cyanide Compounds

Glycol ethers

Lead Compounds

Manganese Compounds

Mercury Compounds

Fine mineral fibers

Nickel Compounds

Polycyclic Organic Matter

Radionuclides (including radon)

Selenium Compounds

Source:  https://www.epa.gov/haps/initial-list-hazardous-air-pollutants-modifications