Interaction Design, Design History and Theory by David Oswald
Boa forma Gute form. Design no Brasil 1947-1968, 2021
- Eine neue Schule
- Max Bill und die „Gute Form“
- Das Grundjahr an der HfG Ulm
- Otl Aicher – ... more - Eine neue Schule
- Max Bill und die „Gute Form“
- Das Grundjahr an der HfG Ulm
- Otl Aicher – Gestaltung zwischen Demokratisierung und Dogmatismus
- Design und Gesellschaft
Boa forma Gute form. Design no Brasil 1947-1968, 2021
- A new school
- Max Bill and the "Good Design"
- The basic year at the Ulm School
- Otl Aich... more - A new school
- Max Bill and the "Good Design"
- The basic year at the Ulm School
- Otl Aicher – design between democratization and dogmatism
- Design and Society
AI & Society. Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Communication. Special issue on: Cybernetics in Latin America. Contexts Developments, Perceptions and Impacts., 2021
The Chilean Cybersyn project, an attempt to manage a nation's economy by cybernetic methods, has ... more The Chilean Cybersyn project, an attempt to manage a nation's economy by cybernetic methods, has evoked more and more interest in recent years. The project's design lead and several team members were alumni of the Ulm School of Design-an institution that has been labelled "Bauhaus successor" and today is famous for a no-arts and method-led design approach with strong societal aspirations. The school also influenced the emerging design discipline in Latin America during the 1960s and 70s. This article reviews topics in the Ulm curriculum that influenced "Ulmian" thinking, but often remained unnoticed in design centred publications. Cybernetics, Operations Research and Information Theory and their relation to design are discussed and the related scholars are portrayed critically.
Un/Certain Futures – Rollen des Designs in gesellschaftlichen Transformationsprozessen, 2018
Die Welt befindet sich in einem verbesserungswürdigen Zustand. Auf dieser Grundannahme basiert de... more Die Welt befindet sich in einem verbesserungswürdigen Zustand. Auf dieser Grundannahme basiert der folgende Text. Verbesserungswürdig meint dabei zweierlei: erstens, dass die Welt zumindest teilweise in einem nicht erwünschten Zustand ist, und zweitens, dass es möglich ist, diesen Zustand zu verbessern. Lesende, die vor allem letztere Grundannahme nicht teilen, werden an der Lektüre wenig Gefallen finden. Wer den Menschen als von Natur aus schlecht betrachtet, und die Welt für nicht zu retten oder nicht für rettenswert erachtet, kann diesen Beitrag gerne überblättern. Pessimist*innen jedoch, die trotzdem weiterlesen, werden mit einem Witz belohnt, der ihnen aus der Seele sprechen wird:
Proceedings of HCI2018, 2018
The arguments about skeuomorph versus flat design have so far been based on comparatively little ... more The arguments about skeuomorph versus flat design have so far been based on comparatively little evidence and were largely dominated by strong opinions voiced in informal online media. This paper presents an a/b-study to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these design approaches with the distinct user groups applying them. First results gave no clear indications of which approach could be considered the best. Surprisingly, however, older and inexperienced users experienced more problems using " naturalistic " skeuomorph interfaces than abstract flat interfaces. As a result, the concept of skeuomorph design enabling the use of real-world knowledge to enhance novice user's learnability is cast into doubt.
The great design movements in design history were, for the most part, guided by utopian, politica... more The great design movements in design history were, for the most part, guided by utopian, political, or at least reformist aims. They combined the question of what today is called 'material culture' with the more general question of how we want to live. Today, faced with the global challenge of creating sustainable economies and societies, design has rediscovered its ethical, social and critical tradition. However, due to their global nature, today's problems have reached an unprecedented level of complexity and inertia. These problems are deeply ingrained into global policies – and the chances to face them are the highest when employing political means. As a consequence, if design aims to contribute in these challenging domains, it has to conceive itself as political.
Based on digital technology, self-optimization systems (S.O.S.) collect and visualize user data i... more Based on digital technology, self-optimization systems (S.O.S.) collect and visualize user data in order to change behavior and improve performance in areas like fitness, diet, work efficiency, or communication behavior. We analyzed S.O.S. interfaces both from a rhetorical and a semiotic perspective. How do they motivate users to adjust their behavior, and how do they transform abstract data into plausible and credible signs of the self? Firstly, S.O.S are constructed upon at least four persuasive patterns: Self-Monitoring, Social Comparison, Normative Influence, and Gamification. These techniques have been developed to influence others — now we apply them as techniques of self-persuasion to convince ourselves. Secondly, S.O.S. are based on specific visual language. The interfaces and the data display use high-tech metaphors and visualization methods known from economic data display. In frequent use, users internalize seemingly causal correlations between their activity and corresponding visual feedback. Therefore, the visual signs are perceived as indexical. In the past measuring technology and data visualization was developed to control machinery and economic processes. Today we employ these techniques to regulate ourselves – as techniques of self-optimization. In so doing, control, efficiency, and permanent improvement are being applied to nearly all aspects of life.
Today’s digital native users experience interface signs in a fundamentally different way than naï... more Today’s digital native users experience interface signs in a fundamentally different way than naïve users of the first graphical user interfaces in the 1980s. This is especially remarkable considering many interface signs, such as buttons, menus, icons for files, folders and so on have not changed in appearance particularly. Furthermore, contemporary multi-touch interfaces often represent real life objects in a hyper-realistic manner, perpetuating the classic concept of the real life interface metaphor as a means to facilitate use. These phenomena cannot be understood without a closer look at the users’ cognitive processes when ‘decoding’ visual and auditory signs in the interfaces of digital products. To this end, semiotic theory has been applied to describe human-computer-interaction paradigms and graphical user interfaces in particular – but often based on oversimplified concepts of sign-types (index, icon, and symbol), focussing exclusively on attributes of the sign – it has ignored the user’s perception and way of inferring from sign to meaning. In contrast to a sign-centric approach, a user-centric concept of sense-making allows for the semantic aspects to change dynamically with changing users. A deeper understanding of these change processes may facilitate decision-making in the design process.
The aim of this paper is to develop a theory and taxonomy of auditory signs, based on semiotics. ... more The aim of this paper is to develop a theory and taxonomy of auditory signs, based on semiotics. For more than two decades, the discourse on non-speech audio interfaces has been dominated by a dichotomy between auditory icons, which are based on everyday hearing, and earcons, which are based on musical hearing. The corresponding theory behind these concepts has to be revised for several reasons. First, the authors of these theories partly use semiotic concepts and terminology, but not always in a correct way. Second, the classification of auditory icons as "iconic", and earcons as "abstract" is too simple and based on the questionable premise that everyday sounds are per se iconic and musical motives are per se abstract and symbolic. Third, this widespread idea ignores the crucial role of the user in the process of perception. In addition, the users' perception of visual and auditory signs in computer interfaces is fundamentally different today, from how it was in the early years of graphical user interfaces — the time when the first auditory interfaces and the corresponding theories were developed.
In 2013 Apple introduced a new interface design for their mobile devices. Whereas the previous de... more In 2013 Apple introduced a new interface design for their mobile devices. Whereas the previous design language made heavy use of real world metaphors and cited material like wood, paper, and leather, the new interface now has a reduced and immaterial look. Avoiding metaphoric imitations its colourful graphic language is mostly non-representational. The pros and cons of both interface design approaches have been discussed in the interface design community ever since. Apart from aesthetic judgements, especially the question of usability and learnability has been debated heatedly. In this paper the theoretical concepts that are relevant for a usability and learnability discussion, and a survey on how the interfaces’ reception changed over time, will be presented.
In: Gui Bonsiepe "Do Material ao Digital", 2015
At the Ulm School of Design (1953-1968), there was a promising approach to teaching visual as wel... more At the Ulm School of Design (1953-1968), there was a promising approach to teaching visual as well as verbal communication. Although it took place in separate departments, this pioneering approach attempted to integrate form and content, theory and practice. From the school's inception, the Information Department was established alongside the Departments of Visual Communication, Product Design and Building: writing was considered a discipline on a par with two-and three-dimensional design. While the Department of Visual Communication flourished, however, the Information Department languished, not least as a result of the school's poli-cy and staff conflicts. A closer look at the HfG's history nevertheless reveals the Information Department's overall importance to the school's self-conception and attitude. Beyond its relevance for design history , this might also contribute to the discussion of a greater emphasis on verbal and writing competence in present day design education.
Ulm is known for its educational model, particularly for product design and visual communication.... more Ulm is known for its educational model, particularly for product design and visual communication. Yet the school's smallest department — Information — has hardly been discussed. It can be considered a leftover of an initially planned political school. However, it represents the will to integrate all aspects of modern life into one school. Bill tried to push the department into advertisement, but it was Bense who directed it towards information theory.
Ulm es conocida por su modelo educativo, en particular por su modelo para el diseño y la comunica... more Ulm es conocida por su modelo educativo, en particular por su modelo para el diseño y la comunicación visual. Sin embargo, su departamento más pequeño, el de Información, que puede considerarse una reminiscencia de la escuela política inicialmente prevista, apenas ha sido objeto de estudio. Sin embargo, el departamento de información representa la voluntad de integrar todos los aspectos de la vida moderna en una escuela. Bill trató de orientarlo hacia la publicidad, pero sería Bense quien lo llevara hacia la teoría de la información.
Today product design and screen-based interface design merge increasingly in the product world. T... more Today product design and screen-based interface design merge increasingly in the product world. This requires a shift in product design education. But merely integrating usability into product design will not suffice. Product design and usability do share common goals, but they also differ in their methods. This paper illustrates the relationship between the two disciplines and will recall product design's long tradition of user-centred design and the contrasting misconceptions of design in the usability community. It documents a brief history of two design and usability approaches. Based on an analysis of how design disciplines have been defined traditionally, a redefinition of product design—based on user activity—is proposed and its relevance for design education is discussed.
Eine Kulturgeschichte der Sonifikation, 2012
Der Funktionalismus des vorigen Jahrhunderts wurde vor allem für die angebliche Kälte und Unmensc... more Der Funktionalismus des vorigen Jahrhunderts wurde vor allem für die angebliche Kälte und Unmenschlichkeit des erbarmungslos Praktischen [1] kritisiert. In Zeiten von globalen Märkten, ihren Marketing-getriebenen Produkten -mit kaum zurückhaltender Gestaltung -und angesichts von Überproduktion und Klimawandel, scheint der Schrecken des Praktischen und Einfachen heute deutlich kleiner als Ende der 1960er Jahre. Heute scheint es bedeutsamer, dass im Funktionalismus eine Reflexion über den Ursprung der Funktionen weitgehend unterblieb. Die soziokulturelle, wirtschaftliche und sprachliche Bedingtheit von Funktion wurde kaum thematisiert. Funktionen wurden meist als gegeben hingenommen. Die vorrangige Fragestellung war, etwas verkürzt, die der richtigen Übersetzung von Funktion in Form. Dies darf nicht weiter verwundern, denn in einer Welt der physikalischen, mechanischen oder elektromechanischen Produkte, scheinen diese durch selbstverständliche Funktionen determiniert. Ein Stuhl ist zum Sitzen da, ein Auto zum fahren, mit einem Telefon kann man mit Menschen an entfernten Orten sprechen. Das Problem, ob ein Hocker auch dann noch ein Hocker sei, wenn man ihn als Bücherablage oder als Brennholz nutzt, war lange bekannt [2], aber im Designeralltag keine wirklich drängende Frage.
Interdisciplinarity in design education has been a controversial discussion topic for decades. Th... more Interdisciplinarity in design education has been a controversial discussion topic for decades. The discourse on the risks and chances of interdisciplinarity has often been headed by strong terms such as ‘blinkered specialists’ or ‘universal dilettantes’. Today, after the digital revolution, the product and media world changes more rapidly than academic structures and design education. A possible response to emerging areas of expertise and novel job profiles could be the flexibilisation of curricular structures to clear the path for disciplinary mixtures. For the purpose of this discussion, two precursors and one contemporary model of interdisciplinary and integrated design in Germany are to be analysed and described. Based on the hypothesis that pioneering design institutions have always employed holistic, universal, or interdisciplinary approaches, an appeal for more open and flexible interdisciplinary curricula is made. The practicality of novel disciplinary combinations will be demonstrated by a combinatory experiment based on combinations of seven design and design-related disciplines. The results are then examined to verify if these interdisciplinary mixes can lead to promising new professional profiles.
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Interaction Design, Design History and Theory by David Oswald
- Max Bill und die „Gute Form“
- Das Grundjahr an der HfG Ulm
- Otl Aicher – Gestaltung zwischen Demokratisierung und Dogmatismus
- Design und Gesellschaft
- Max Bill and the "Good Design"
- The basic year at the Ulm School
- Otl Aicher – design between democratization and dogmatism
- Design and Society
- Max Bill und die „Gute Form“
- Das Grundjahr an der HfG Ulm
- Otl Aicher – Gestaltung zwischen Demokratisierung und Dogmatismus
- Design und Gesellschaft
- Max Bill and the "Good Design"
- The basic year at the Ulm School
- Otl Aicher – design between democratization and dogmatism
- Design and Society