This reading had one quote that extremely stood out to me and it was as follows “It is the duty of machines and those who design them to understand people. It is not our duty to understand the arbitrary, meaningless dictates of machines”, I have to admit I used to be one of those people the author describes in the reading that think that design is pretty straightforward and is pretty much based on logical decisions. I didn’t think that there is a human behavioral aspect to it. But it makes sense that designers should be able to understand human behaviors to tailor their products to be most comfortable for users, and not the other way around.
I must say, I had my fair share of frustration using laundry machines here on campus, each machine has a different set of features and It’s really hard for me to memorize every single functionality so I tend to choose a random setting each time. The amount of times I’ve thought to myself if only I was smarter to interpret what the signs mean without having to google the manual every time I’m doing laundry are countless. Therefore, Laundry days are almost always so emotionally overwhelming for me and so dreadful. The laundry machines are only one example of complex machines that tend to make me blame myself for being stupid and not competent enough, that’s why I resonate so much with what the author is saying that designers must understand that design is not just about delivering a working product but also about understanding how easy/hard this product will be for the general public and not to fellow engineers/specialized personnel.
However I cannot deny that multiple questions pop up in my mind about the feasibility of intertwining technology and psychology together for enhanced design. I wonder how combining both fields would affect each other. What sorts of compromises have to be made for Human Centered Design to take place? I know that it’s not about choosing one or the other but rather about integrating behavioral sciences within design, but without doubt there will be consequences. How can designers work on simplifying individual complex functionalities without affecting their overall product functionality, because I believe that having to come up with something logical is easier and more straightforward than having to think about all aspects of the human brain and decision making while designing a product that meets certain criteria. I often think that designers are bound by the rules and criteria set to them to make their product as efficient as possible on a budget, so it makes me wonder how taking human centered design into consideration affects all that.