Comments on: Computer Human Values http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/ Boxes and Arrows is devoted to the practice, innovation, and discussion of design; including graphic design, interaction design, information architecture and the design of business. Wed, 15 May 2013 11:41:04 +0000 hourly 1 By: udanium235 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8623 udanium235 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8623 Yes! This is exactly what we need to hear–a strong recognition and appraisal of a humanistic approach to designing new technology products. Nathan’s piece confirms that at the heart of digital design is really social interaction, human communication, which should embody fundamental human values, like trust, respect, courtesy, etc., and expressed in the product itself.

Consideration for the totality of the human expereince of a product, beyond isolated tasks, and the values therein, suggests a more promising way to integrate products into our daily lives. So, they become true participants in our lives, not merely annoying things we have to deal with. Apple, Nike, Sony are all great examples, as Nathan pointed out.

A question is, how do we cultivate positive human values within interdiciplinary product development processes, so they become reflected in the products we design?

]]> By: Derek R http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8624 Derek R Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8624 Thank you Nathan

]]> By: Tad Davis http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8625 Tad Davis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8625 This isn’t so much a comment on this article as it is on this site, and the information architecture profession, as a whole.
When are we going to come up with something innovative? I don’t think I’ve read an article at Boxes and Arrows that was really the least bit interesting or even (heaven forbid!) a new idea. Let’s stop evangalizing the same tired message over and over again, and come up with something both new and useful.

]]> By: Andrew http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8626 Andrew Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8626 You know, I think that MS really was trying to make Word “context-aware” and “be more autonomous” when it formats consecutive numbers into lists.

I mean, in this article there’s unfortunately not even *one* actual example of an actual product that does any of this stuff successfully and behaves itself. Is it possible that only real-world experiences are able to do it, like the Apple Store example?

]]> By: christina http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8627 christina Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8627 We’re just waiting for you, Tad.
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/about/writeforus.php

]]> By: peterme http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8628 peterme Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8628 Clifford Nass should definitely be required reading. Here’s a PDF of an essay he wrote with a colleague titled “Machines and Mindlessness: Social Responses to Computers”
http://hci.stanford.edu/cs147/readings/nass.pdf

And here’s an earlier paper on a similar topic:
http://hci.stanford.edu/cs147/readings/casa/index.html

And here’s an essay Nass and Reeves wrote on Perceptual Bandwidth for Communications of the ACM
http://www.iha.bepr.ethz.ch/pages/leute/zim/emopapers/reeves-Perceptual_Bandwidth.pdf

I have to credit Andrew Dillon for being the one to first turn me on to Nass and Reeves’ research:
http://www.gslis.utexas.edu/~adillon/

Now, all that said, I find Nathan’s essay, while right on, also, um, “well duh.” And I fear that, at least here on B&A, he’s merely preaching to the choir. I don’t think any of us would challenge the notion of better incorporating human values into our work.

And I think interface designers, HCI types, and the like, have been trying to for years. (I just read an essay Alan Kay wrote in 1989 on his work in interface design, which talks about stuff very much like what Nathan’s describing.)

But it’s not happening. And simply saying, “It must happen,” clearly isn’t going to get it to happen. For a whole boatload of reasons, this stuff is hard to implement.

Why?

]]> By: christina http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8629 christina Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8629 Is it happening? I think the earlier comment on microsoft was right on… we should look to Tenner’s “Why things bite back” to understand the nature of the problem. MS thought they were being human centered when they made those godawful menus that hide half the options and are always changing based on use. It sounds user-centered… show items that are used often, and hide those that aren’t. But the reality is that the software program looks extremely arbitrary and unpredicatble to people who can’t remember what they used last, but sure as heck know what they need now and cannot find it. it’s no wonder people think of computers as humans…. they are fickle and unpredictable.

The design problem is determining what predicable and faithful would look like. And it is far more complex than most folks think.

]]> By: eric bort http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8630 eric bort Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8630 About Microsoft Word, I used to teach classes on all MS office products.. and to think back, everything I found annoying about Word was when it would try to take over and assume what you wanted next. I found it kinda amazing that after a while of indenting and adding a bullet, typing two letters in bold, then changing to a different font, Word would somehow remember all of this and soon enough I wouldn’t have to do any formatting myself, Word took care of it.

While sometimes annoying, like a little kid who starts off being a pain, then realizes how the world works and is able communicate, some programs are hinting at ways to serve people better.

If any of you played Black and White, you may have seen some interesting AI going on.. I just wonder how long that AI (a loose term) will integrate itself into more traditional applications.

]]> By: Kent Fitch http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8631 Kent Fitch Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8631 I find it ironic that an article which lays into Microsoft Word for:
“It knows better than you. You specify 10-point Helvetica but it gives you 12-point Times at every opportunity”
is hosted on a web page with hardcoded font sizes so that my attempt to increase the font size in my browser (IE5.5) to make it easier to read is completely ignored.
Physician, heal thyself.

]]> By: christina http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8632 christina Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://boxesandarrows.com/computer-human-values/#comment-8632 Now now, don’t blame Nathan for our flaws. We provide the “large font version” admittedly too small and ill placed; we’ll work on that soon (all long other tweaks that are fairly urgent… always in motion, B&A is). However, I can pretty much blame browser makers for the font resize problems, which as best illustrated here
http://www.thenoodleincident.com/tutorials/box_lesson/font/index.html

But that’s not what we are here to discuss. Personally, I think the problem is that which we see in both MS and in the earlier comment. people always think there is an easy true answer, and their isn’t. humans are complicated, building for them is very very hard. very few get it right. no one gets it all the way right. But, as I’ve said before, critiquing is easier than making.

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