whether, in doing so, we have not cut out vital parts of the anatomy. The danger of oversimplification is greater, the more multifarious and complex the phenomenon is” [ 9].

Idea

Subject

Keeping in mind the multifarious and complex nature of design—and the attendant dangers—we must bring more rigorous modeling to our work.

Observation may suggest models, but models also frame and Observation may suggest models, but models also frame and filter observations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hugh Dubberly manages a consultancy focused on making services and software easier to use through interaction design and information design. As vice president he was responsible for design and production of Netscape’s Web services. For 10 years he was at

Apple, where he managed graphic design and corporate identity and co-created the Knowledge Navigator series of videos. Dubberly also founded an interactive media department at Art Center College of Design and has taught at San Jose State, IIT/ID, and Stanford.

[ 9] von Bertalanffy, L. General Systems Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. New York: George Braziller, 1969.

DOI: 10.1145/1516016.1516029 © 2009 ACM 1072-5220/09/0500 $5.00

Idea Subject

Idea Subject Idea

Representation

Sharing a model may also change it. Sharing a model may also change it.

Idea Subject

Idea Subject Idea Representation

Representation

Thinking about how to explain our observations may lead us to think of alternatives or related ideas.

 

The process of representing an idea may change the idea itself.

All these feedback loops, and more, act simultaneously— shaping and reshaping our models.