Einstein: Information is not Knowledge

May 22nd, 2008 by Mitch Brisebois

SM friend Marko points us to a terrific software development site: SoftwareCreation.org. Author Andriy Solovey has just posted an essay detailing the principles of good user-centered design. This isn’t something that many (most?) developers pay attention to. Andriy’s mantra is different:

Effective Software Systems are the systems that are easy to understand and operate with human brains.

The key here is the human brain. There’s no Moore’s Law for genetics. Our brains can’t be upgraded just because our computers demand it. If it could, I’d be the first to upgrade to SQL 2008, just to remember all my account passwords!

Andriy lists seven areas that software developers should consider to better align their product to the user’s brain. It’s standard stuff for UI / UX designers, but worth repeating for the C# dudes out there!

1. Knowledge Creation and Retention – parsing, memorization and comprehension of the system ideas
2. System Organization – elements, relations and structure in the system
3. Sustaining Emerging Order – support evolution of the system and gain control over chaos
4. Minimize Noise and Purify – avoid adding unnecessary stuff to the system
5. System Discovery and Learning – making sense of the system
6. Mental Models – our internal explanations for how things are working in the real system
7. Shared Knowledge – ideas exchange, reconciliation of opinions and creation of mutually enhanced knowledge.