An introduction to the purpose, principles, and practices of design for software.

1. Design for the Design Illiterate
J O N A H B A I L E Y
What you won’t learn today:
- tips and tricks about how to make your app look good
- how to use specific implementation tools like Sketch and Photoshop
- I’m not here to teach you to write, I’m here to teach you how to read.

2. What is design?
What do designers do?
How can I participate in design?
What you'll learn here today:
- Deeper understanding of what design is
- high level understanding of what designers do
- How to work with designers on projects

3. WHY COMPUTERS?
Before we talk about design, let’s talk about computers.
We’re going to be thinking about a very specific type of design, software design.
Therefore, I think it’s helpful if we orient ourselves toward the problem space.
Why computer science? Why programming?

4. ACTIVITY
Y O U ’ L L N E E D :
A N S W E R :
Why computer science?
Why programming?
Post-Its Marker Dot Stickers
Grab your post-its and bring them up. If you see an answer you agree with, add a dot to it.
Don’t be shy. This isn’t a time to be cautious, it’s a time to be courageous.

5. It's an exciting time to be in software.
- Software gives people superpowers to be able to do things previously thought impossible
- Technology today is growing and innovating incredibly quickly.
We've harnessed the power of this complex decision-making machine for the good of humanity.
We can do almost anything with software. The technical challenges are a simple matter of programming.
But computers are only good at solving a very specific type of problem: “Well structured problems"

6. Herb Simon
Herb Simon - political scientist whose research focused on cognitive psychology, cognitive science and computer science at Carnegie Mellon in the 70’s and
80’s
Although his work initially focused on pragmatic administrative and economic theories, he soon gravitated toward understanding how people solve problems,
because problem solving is ultimately a process of decision making.

7. these problems can be hierarchical (big problem > embedded problem > embedded embedded problem)

8. CRITERIA
• Solution can be tested and repeated
• Initial problem state
• Identifiable legal moves
• Identify known knowledge of the problem
• Legal moves reflect laws of nature
• Legal moves required to solve the problem are
realistic
1. It includes criteria to test the solution and a repeatable process for applying the criteria.
2. We can identify the initial problem state.
3. We can identify "legal moves" — that is, the steps we take to solve the problem that fall within the logical constraints of the system.
4. We can identify any knowledge the problem solver has about the problem.
5. The "legal moves" required to solve the problem reflect the laws of nature
6. The "legal moves" required to solve the problem require only practical levels of effort

9. ACTIVITY
Y O U ’ L L N E E D :
A N S W E R :
What are the well-structured
problems you are trying to solve?
Post-Its Marker

10. Many of the remaining challenges aren't in "how are we going to do this?" But rather "what should we do? Who should we make it for? Why should we make
it?"
These are questions around the central theme here, design.

11. The world of humans is full of "ill-structured problems.
- we need to structure problems so that computers can solve them and humans can understand and grasp the solution.

12. ACTIVITY
Y O U ’ L L N E E D :
A N S W E R :
What ill-structure problems are you
addressing at MHacks?
Post-Its Marker
▾ A designer makes sense of source material
• A designer is good a teasing out what those goals are from the source material (data, clients, users, teammates)

13. ▾ At the core of what we do at AO are pulsing electrons.
• These pulsing electrons take the form of ones and zeros
▾ Computer programming represents a form of abstraction from those binary pulses which allows us to harness the power of this complex set of binary
switches

14. This is where design comes in.
• computers and computer programs aren’t enough to solve problems.
• Those computers and programs need to be presented with “well-structured” problems that they can understand and solve.
▾ Unfortunately, the world is not full of “well-structured” problems.
• The world is a mess of “ill-structured” problems that need to be broken down, reframed and structured in a way a computer can understand.
• Our work as software designers is in taking ill-structured problems and framing them in such a way that a computer can solve them.

15. HOW DOES DESIGN WORK?

16. I'll tell you how it isn't done
:MAGIC:
Designers don't go away into a room, do magic things and then come back with a fully designed concept that will attract and delight users.
There is no magic or mystery.

17. CONSTRAINTS
M AT E R I A L S
Fe a s i b l e
A U D I E N C E
D e s i r a b i l i t y
B U S I N E S S
V i a b i l i t y
At a very high level, design is simply problem solving within a set of constraints.
▾ Constraints can be:
• Available materials (feasibility)
• Audience (desirability)
• Business Requirements (viability)

18. SUCCESS CRITERIA
D E S I R A B L E
H u m a n
V I A B L E
B u s i n e s s
F E A S I B L E
Te c h n o l o g y
▾ Design’s success is largely determined by three criteria.
• Desireability - what makes sense to people and for people
• Viability - what is likely to become part of a sustainable business model
• Feasibility - what is functionally possible within the foreseeable future

19. SUCCESS CRITERIA
D E S I R A B L E
H u m a n
V I A B L E
B u s i n e s s
F E A S I B L E
Te c h n o l o g y
• Bringing those three into balance is the practice of a great designer.

20. OVERVIEW
I N S P I R AT I O N I D E AT I O N I M P L E M E N TAT I O N
Designers follow a process that looks something like this:
Inspiration
Ideation
Implementation
We have a whole set of tools we employ to help us move through the process.

21. MINDSET

22. CONFIDENTIAL
“Creative confidence is the
notion that you have big ideas,
and that you have the ability to
act on them.”
D AV I D K E L L E Y, F O U N D E R , I D E O
Mindset: Creative Confidence
Creative confidence is the belief that everyone is creative, and that creativity isn’t the capacity to draw or compose or sculpt, but a way of understanding the
world.
Creative confidence is the quality that human-centered designers rely on when it comes to making leaps, trusting their gut, and chasing solutions that they
haven’t totally figured out yet.
It builds over time as you succeed time after time.

23. CONFIDENTIAL
“You’re taking risk out of the
process by making something
simple first. And you always
learn a lesson from it.”
K R I S TA D O N A L D S O N , C E O , D - R E V
Mindset: Make It
Making an idea real reveals so much that mere theory cannot.
Making is also a fantastic way to think, and it helps bring into focus the feasibility of our designs.
Making an idea real is an incredibly effective way to share it and gather feedback.

24. CONFIDENTIAL
“Don’t think about it as
failure. think of it as
designing experiments
through which you’re
going to learn.”
T I M B R O W N , C E O , I D E O
Mindset: Learn From Failure
Human-centered design starts from a place of not knowing what the solution to a given design challenge might be.
We design experiments, prototypes, and interactions and to test hypothesis and validate.
As long as something is learned from one of those experiments, it is not a failure–even if it a hypothetical solution is invalidated.

25. CONFIDENTIAL
“In order to get to new
solutions, you have to
get to know different
people, different
scenarios, different
places.”
E M I K O L A W O L E , S TA N F O R D U
Mindset: Empathy
Human- centered design is premised on empathy. That by knowing people, their lives and situations, we will gain deep understanding of possible problems
and solutions.
We come with a beginners mind, knowing that the people we come in contact with during the process have all the knowledge we need to find the best
solution to a problem.

26. “We want to give
ourselves the permission
to explore lots of different
possibilities so that the
right answer can reveal
itself.”
PAT R I C E M A R T I N ,
C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R , I D E O . O R G
Mindset: Embrace Ambiguity
We don’t get insecure about finding the “right” solution the first time. Or that “our” solution is the best one.
We live with the understanding that getting it right is hard and takes time. We stay open to new possibilities even when we feel like we have arrived at a
solution.

27. “Optimism is the thing
that drives your forward.”
J O H N B I E L E N B E R G ,
F O U N D E R , F U T U R E PA R T N E R S
Mindset: Optimism
Human-centered designers are persistently focused on what could be, not the countless obstacles that may get in the way.
Optimism is the embrace of possibility, the idea that even if we don’t know the answer, that it’s out there and that we can find it.

28. CRITIQUE
Critique is a funny word. It sounds like critical and therefore we think our critic should be critical and harsh.
Nothing could be further from the truth
A key component of any design practice is critique. In a lot of places, critique isn't done well.
If it's done right, you should finish a critique session feeling energized and excited about new prospects.

29. CRITIQUE
• Intent (What problem are you trying to solve?)
• Product (How successful is your solution?)
1. Intent (What problem are you trying to solve?)
- What was the creator trying to achieve?
- How did they try to achieve it?
2. Product (How successful is your solution?)
- How effective were those choices?
- Why is or why isn't what they did effective?

30. GOOD CRITIQUE
• Focus on the work, not the person
• Lead with questions
• Seek to understand, not judge
• Talk about strengths
• Account for context
Good critique will:
1. Focus on the work, not the person
2. Lead with questions
3. Seek to understand, not judge
4. Talk about strengths
- Be constructive, not instructive
5. Understand and account for context

31. GUIDELINES
• Avoid problem solving
• Everyone is equal
• Everyone is a critic
• The creator of the work is responsible for next
steps
Guidelines for Critique:
1. Avoid problem solving
2. Everyone is equal
3. Everyone is a critic
4. The creator of the work is responsible for next steps

32. Critique is a key part to finding the right solutions to the right problems.
- Helps us converge from many possible ideas to a few good ideas.
Doesn't require any design "skill", but it does take practice to do well. So let's practice!

33. Critique is a key part to finding the right solutions to the right problems.
- Helps us converge from many possible ideas to a few good ideas.
Doesn't require any design "skill", but it does take practice to do well. So let's practice!

34. ACTIVITY
Y O U ’ L L N E E D :
Something to Critique
# Would anyone like to volunteer any of their work so far for critique?
- remember that this is a safe place.

35. Thanks!