Comments on: Mountain Reflections https://blog.learnlets.com/2007/07/mountain-reflections/ Clark Quinn's learnings about learning Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:30:59 +0000 hourly 1 By: Clark https://blog.learnlets.com/2007/07/mountain-reflections/#comment-26546 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:30:59 +0000 http://blog.learnlets.com/wp/?p=171#comment-26546 s actually an elegant design, just subtle. As I used to teach interaction design (long story; short version is “anyone who studied with Don Norman can teach it”), I’m very interested in usability (anyone who designs should read his <i><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0465067107&tag=httpwwwotteco-20&camp=1789&creative=9325” target="-blank" rel="nofollow">Design of Everyday Things</a></i>). Particularly as we include a performance support focus, our systems will be as much about getting to and using (and creating) information as about ‘teaching’. When I talk about game design, I say we have to test usability first, then educational effectiveness, and only then can we worry about the subjective experience. There was a bear (or 3) marauding around the backpackers camp, but we’ve bear cans, and used the bear boxes. Others weren’t so lucky; some folks a few tents over didn’t quite shut the door on the bear box properly, and the bear swiped it open and ran off with some of their stuff! Across the river in the car camp, car alarms were going off all night as the bears cruised around (annoying).]]> Richard, good thinking. It’s actually an elegant design, just subtle. As I used to teach interaction design (long story; short version is “anyone who studied with Don Norman can teach it”), I’m very interested in usability (anyone who designs should read his Design of Everyday Things). Particularly as we include a performance support focus, our systems will be as much about getting to and using (and creating) information as about ‘teaching’. When I talk about game design, I say we have to test usability first, then educational effectiveness, and only then can we worry about the subjective experience.

There was a bear (or 3) marauding around the backpackers camp, but we’ve bear cans, and used the bear boxes. Others weren’t so lucky; some folks a few tents over didn’t quite shut the door on the bear box properly, and the bear swiped it open and ran off with some of their stuff! Across the river in the car camp, car alarms were going off all night as the bears cruised around (annoying).

]]> By: Richard Sheehy https://blog.learnlets.com/2007/07/mountain-reflections/#comment-26540 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 21:39:15 +0000 http://blog.learnlets.com/wp/?p=171#comment-26540 Clark,

Glad to see you made it back. I guess you were able to stay away from the bears.

The thoughts about tightening the line on your tent makes me think about usability and product design. I see the objective of usability being that it should be difficult to do things wrong. Not knowing the exact piece of equipment you were working with it is hard to criticize, but is there some way to make the function more obvious?

Just my thinking
Richrd

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