May 20, 2023 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Empathetic Design
May 20, 2023 at 12:43 pm
I have commented for many years that software developers, and even for most product developers, it should be required that they actually use what they design. It just doesn't make sense to do otherwise. We all need to plan ahead for the possibilities.
And here's a related thing regarding the comments on being disabled or wheelchair confined. When you consider renting or buying living quarters, you should consider the perspective of having to use them in the event of temporaary or permanent needs. My wife when past age seventy became a bilateral below-knee amputee. She has adapted very well to using prosthetics, but there are things that needed to change. There are periods when she must use a wheelchair and suddenly it was not possible to maneuver through 32" doorways in our home. We have now needed to remodel our second living quarters to install 36" doorways. Fortunately it has been possible to accomplish this in both cases, but at considerable expense.
But there is also an irony involved in empathetic design and planning. I'm an 80-year-old retiree, and and this point I own burial plots the three states.
A further issue in design I have found is trying to determine a reasonable internet-TV service. And this one is actually done on purpose to increase revenue. We switched from Comcast to Metronet due to outrageous, ever-increasing costs and requirements that you pay for many sources you never use. So after a 10-day period with parts of my INTERIOR network failing due to having to switch out the modem/router, I had to purchasse an ethernet router (already had two that are obsolete), hardwire several devices, and even then am told they want to charge more for a static IP to aleviate some other issues.
Sometimes non-empathetic design in purposeful.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
May 21, 2023 at 3:10 pm
Excellent reminder, Louis! I've talked about what I've seen before in these forums, so I won't repeat myself.
Yes, considering how users will use what we write is important, but sometimes it is ignored.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
May 22, 2023 at 2:37 pm
Rod, I will respond to your original post that I still have in an email notice. Your description of your work situation regarding the boss and software design is intriguing, to say the least. My first response is that I certainly hope you have exceptioinally well designed integrity constraints in those db's. Secondly, I wonder how you handle enforcing normal business logic as well.
And my third, and well-considered response is: 'Get the hell out of Dodge".
Or, do you have something on him that he is paying yo to keep hidden? On the serious side, it would appear that he is restraining folks from doing the best job they can, continuing to develop further design skills, and enjoying the results of their efforts in IT.
And another response to it all: Your company would be better off without your boss.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
May 22, 2023 at 6:03 pm
I find that a serious percentage of front-ends qualify as "empathetic - em" design. For example, long gone are the days when the menu remained visible when scrolling down or a new window popping up where the only field you need to fill is doesn't automatically have the focus. There are many more "empathetic - em" design flaws today but too many to cover here and it wouldn't do any good but I had to mention it.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
May 22, 2023 at 6:55 pm
Even a single extra click per transaction can drive someone crazy if they are in a high-volume environment. User interfaces need to not only be accommodating of those with different needs (screen readers, "soft" keyboards used by mouse or mouse emulators, etc.), but also as efficient as possible. Jeff's example of a dialog with a single entry field where that field doesn't automatically get focus is a great example.
May 22, 2023 at 6:58 pm
I have a 36" wide stairway to my basement. The builder installed a 32" door at the top of the stairs. It saved money, but I can't get most couches/sofas down there. On the other hand, maybe it preventing an occupied wheelchair from going down the stairs is a feature. 🙂
I'm not saying every doorway in every house should be 36", but it would sure be nice.
May 22, 2023 at 7:17 pm
I have a 36" wide stairway to my basement. The builder installed a 32" door at the top of the stairs. It saved money, but I can't get most couches/sofas down there. On the other hand, maybe it preventing an occupied wheelchair from going down the stairs is a feature. 🙂
I'm not saying every doorway in every house should be 36", but it would sure be nice.
I hear you on carrying things to the basement. Add to that the thought that I have installed a stairway chair lift so my wife can get to our basement. Even when folded, the lift sticks out more than half way across the stairs. We could not take furniture in or out without at least dismantling the chair from the track. Might lift a small piece such as a cabinet over it, at the risk of falling. Fortunately I have a son and grandson across the street. A good part of the design is that there is a doorway to the garage directly atop the stairs.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
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