Software Evaluation

Norman’s site as mentioned on a former entry is a site which gives ideas on the contextual aspects you have to consider when designing websites and software. It describes what attributes do sites have that make them successful.

There is an interview on the characteristics that Windows 8 has and how this new interface can get Microsoft back to the top. The author compares Windows 8 characteristics to those of Android on the mobile segment and explains why the first is going to be better than the second one.

Nielsen’s site is a very interesting one because it offers a wide variety of links to different sites where software evaluation is being carried out. On the News Section there are links to different sites and articles that evaluate webpages and software.

There is a link to the BBC: “The Daily Mail has mastered the art of the long website headline”, which makes an evaluation about the success “The Daily Mail” has achieved. In the evaluation process, the most relevant features used on the site are described and compared to other standards. There, we can see how an evaluation instrument is designed.

Finally, Norman’s and Nielsen’s site is an excellent one because it gets together both authors expertise on the field and gets them to respond their readers’ questions on a practical way. It is just great how they offer simple responses to day to day situations you might face when designing software as well as webpages.

There is one question dealing with user registration while doing business on the net. The way the situation is handle is just deep and simple at the same time. Besides, the way they describe the practicality of each one the characteristics as well as the possible results that can be gotten from them is just awesome.

It is good to have sites like these ones on the net because by reading the sample situations they present in each case, students not only learn how to evaluate software and website, but also the aspects to consider on design (contextual or goal driven) to develop product which respond to customers’ needs.

Software Design

Designing software or websites is not easy a task. It requires a lot of knowledge from the designer. There are three ways to designing well structure software or websites: simulation, contextual or goal driven design.

Even though the use of simulation is very popular on technology fields nowadays, when designing software or websites it poses a series of handicaps that make it not a good option to choose. Once the product is placed on the field, it might not satisfy the users’ needs and it might have to be restructured accordingly demanding investing more time on the design.

It order to avoid what described before, the designer can use contextual design. This kind of design can be observed on Norman’s site, where he explains how different product were and are designed using this approach and presenting at the time, and evaluation of the products by describing how their characteristics fit the design. This option allows the designer to be immerse in the field where the product will be used and observe how the process works so he can establish the needs and requirements the product will satisfy. It will be as having a suit tailored to fit.

Besides last option, it is also possible to use a goal driven design. This kind of designing is good because it gives the designer a look of what the final product will look like when it is finished. It is like designing from back to front. However, it lets the designer know where he is heading to.

The three tools described before have as their final goal to produce products what satisfy their customer needs. Thus, it is necessary for the designer to know how the three of them work and to use the one that best fits his situation. The recommendation is to use the three of them on a holistic approach.

Evaluación de software

Sitio de internet de Norman  http://www.jdn.org

Comparte contenidos acerca del proceso educativo del diseño en ingeniería, en sistemas digitales y computacionales. Don Norman menciona que se debe diseñar para las personas que son los usuarios de los productos y que su uso debe ser sencillo y amigable.