Jamin Hegeman

Tag: cmu

  • Support for a Connection Between Writing and Design

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    In relation to understanding the connection in my life between writing and design, I was inspired to read a comparison of the craft of writing to the craft of design in David Wroblewski’s “The Construction of Human-Computer Interfaces Considered as a Craft” from Taking Software Design Seriously. This was required reading for our seminar 2…

  • Swimming in Interaction Design

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    What is interaction design? I have to answer this question every time I meet someone new, which I say here a lot. Though the answer changes each time. It evolves. Sometimes it is clearer to me what I’m talking about. Sometimes it appears clearer to my interlocutor. This week, I have been swimming in the…

  • What’s wrong with “user testing”?

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    I’m talking about the verbiage. Bruce Hanington, who teaches my Research Methods for Human Centered Design course, tried to correct himself after saying “user testing.” He proffered that “product testing” is better because it alleviates the concern people have that they’re being tested. He’s not to first to make such an argument or to object…

  • And So It Begins: Semester II

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    Thus the silence is broken. The spring semester began today, albeit a half day due to MLK. That meant I only had one class, Seminar II with Jodi Forlizzi. Since “Seminar II” probably means nothing to you, the syllabus says, “This course will explore interaction design through definition, the history of the field, what disciplines…

  • Else/Where Video

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    For our final grad studio class, we presented our visualizing information space projects again, with any edits we made. Editing was not required as we had another deliverable due as well. I did not have much time to make major changes, but I did work on syncing the music to the video some more. Once…

  • First Semester Over

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    The part of my brain that??????s been constantly analyzing my schedule and managing my time, planning what I need to do next and how long I??????ll have to do it, does not now know what to do. I turned in my final assignment, a process book for my digital music device project, today at 3:30…

  • Final Week of First Semester

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    Last week was a crazy week. Each day something big was due. This week, I have my final presentation for the wearable music device for commuters that my team has created for John Zimmerman’s Interaction and Visual Interface Design class. Right now, that’s kicking my ass. As usual, I’m learning a bunch of stuff on…

  • Pluralism and Objectivity

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    My graduate seminar class with Dick Buchanan ended yesterday. For this last class, we discussed pluralism and objectivity, which Buchanan states as the fundamental problem of design. Why is it a problem? There is no subject matter in design. Designers make their subject matter. “This is a very peculiar thing,” Buchanan says. I agree. And…

  • Impact of Design on Humanity

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    Previously I mentioned a slight uneasiness with the notion that in some way designers hold an elevated status. What I may have really been recognizing is the burden of responsibility that design has on the designer, and the uneasiness was a realizing of the power of design in the wrong hands: i.e., someone who employs…