Essays & Articles
People-Centered (Not Tech-Driven) Design*
DesignHow did we reach the point where our technology is more important than people? How can we reverse this to ensure that technologies are designed with people in mind, more humane, more collaborative, and more beneficial to the needs of people, societies, and humanity?
July 26, 2019
7 minutes read
The Four Fundamental Principles ofHuman-Centered Design and Application
DesignHuman-centered design has four major principles: 1. Understand and Address the Core Problems; 2. Be People-Centered; 3. Use a Systems Approach; 4. Use Rapid Iterations of Prototyping and Testing.
July 23, 2019
12 minutes read
Why Criticism Is Good for Creativity
DesignA popular mantra for innovation is “avoid criticism.” Criticism, it is thought, kills the flow of creativity. We suggest that this infuses a superficial sense of collaboration that leads to compromises and weakens ideas. Effective teams do not defer critical reflection; they create through criticism
July 22, 2019
6 minutes read
Delightful Products for Healthy Aging
DesignMore people than ever are living long, healthy lives. The number of active, healthy oldsters is large–and increasing. Despite our increasing numbers the world seems to be designed against the elderly.
May 26, 2019
2 minutes read
Why I Don’t Believe in Empathic Design
DesignAn Article written for Adobe Blog. I approve of the spirit behind the introduction of empathy into design, but I believe the concept is impossible, and even if possible, wrong.
May 26, 2019
1 minute read
21st Century Design for Societal Problems. Combining Community and Domain Experts
DesignWe advocate a multi-step approach toward major societal issues, combining community-driven wisdom with knowledge of domain experts. Add an opportunistic, incremental approach to large problems, followed by continual attention to the fundamental principles of human-centered design.
April 20, 2019
9 minutes read
Inviting Workshop Proposals
DesignRequesting proposals for a workshop on Community-Driven Design (fort the ACM Designing Interactive Systems conference).
April 19, 2019
1 minute read
Overcrowded, by Roberto Verganti: In favor of criticism
Emotion & DesignIn his book Overcrowded, Roberto Verganti argues that the rule "don't criticize" is flawed. Criticism is good -- it leads to radical innovation. This is an important book for designers: read it!
April 14, 2019
3 minutes read
The driverless car revolution must proceed with caution
AutomobilesRecently, one of Uber's autonomous automobiles was involved in an accident where a pedestrian was killed. What lesson should we learn from this incident? The potential for autonomous vehicles to produce tremendous saving of lives and injuries while increasing our quality of life provides strong s...
March 24, 2019
4 minutes read
What Is the Future of Design (in 50 seconds)?
DesignA new talk,"21st Century Design: Addressing Major Societal Issues." I discuss what we in the UC San Diego Design Lab call "Complex Sociotechnical Systems." This "essay" is just the URLs of a 50 second video and the PDF of the slides.
January 26, 2019
1 minute read