Goal Directed Design Prevents Dancing Bearware

Andrew Steeletwitter: ahsteele

blog: http://steelebit.comandrew.steele@sandia.gov

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration

under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

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The Inmates Are Running the AsylumIf you are familiar with Alan Cooper’s The Inmates Are Running the Asylum this presentation will be a refresher.

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DANCING BEARWAREit is omnipresent

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Look a dancing bear!The wonder isn't that the bear dances well but that the bear dances at all

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Causes of Dancing Bearware

• Software forgets• Software is lazy• Software is stingy with information• Software is inflexible• Software blames users• Software won’t take responsibility

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Software Solutions

is > than nothaving one

having one

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We Ignore Collateral Costs

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COGNITIVE FRICTION

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Cognitive Friction Creates Two Groups

Apologists Survivors

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We’re all apologists

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FEATUREShow we apologize (badly)

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Why do we use features?

• Features are quantifiable• Can be bargained over• Put programmers in control• Users are not compelled by features

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Product Feature List

1. Internal combustion engine2. Four wheels with rubber tires3. Transmission connecting the engine to the

drive wheels4. Engine and transmission mounted on metal

chassis5. Steering wheel

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Product Goal List

• Cuts grass quickly and easily• Comfortable to sit on

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GOALSdifferent than features

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What are goals?

• Goals are the reason why we perform tasks• Tasks are not goals

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Task-Directed Design

• What are the tasks?• Programmers do task-directed design

– Good programmers, of necessity, see things procedurally, or task-wise

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Examples of False Goals

• Save memory• Save keystrokes• Run in a browser• Be easy to learn• Safeguard data integrity• Speed up data entry• Increase program-execution efficiency• Increase graphic beauty• Maintain consistency across platforms

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PERSONAShow to kill the elastic user

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The Elastic User

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Persona Benefits

• Specificity• Hypothetical• Precision, not accuracy• Realistic look at skill levels• End feature debates

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Cast of CharactersBruce Hamilton Nancy Green

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Bruce Hamilton

• Age 52• Engineer• Prone to complaint• Intolerant of complexity• Computer Literate• Limited recreational internet use• Goal: Perform required task as quickly as

possible.

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Nancy Green

• Age 33• Center Business Analyst (money person)

• Prone to complaint• Power user of Microsoft office• Some recreational internet use• Goal: Track budgets quickly and easily.

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OUR RESULTyou didn’t think this was all academic did you?

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Isn’t it pretty?

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Another pretty picture.

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Application Praise

• ELA is nice and easy to use.• It doesn’t seem to work like other Sandia

applications.• I am usually astounded by how our systems at

Sandia are unintuitive and difficult to use, but in this case, the Enterprise License Accountability app was a pleasant surprise.

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QUESTIONS