Hugh Dubberly Interview
What is systems design?
design is simply the design of systems. It implies a systematic
and rigorous approach to design—an approach demanded by the
scale and complexity of many systems problems.
Where did systems design come from?
Systems design first appeared shortly before World
War II as engineers grappled with complex communications and control
problems. They formalized their work in the new disciplines of
information theory, operations research, and cybernetics. In the
1960s, members of the design methods movement (especially Horst
Rittel and others at Ulm and Berkeley) transferred this knowledge
to the design world. Systems design continues to flourish at schools
interested in design planning and within the world of computer
science. Among its most important legacies is a research field
known as design rationale, which concerns systems for making and
documenting design decisions.
What can interaction designers learn from systems design?
Today, ideas from design methods and systems design
may be more relevant to designers than ever before—as more
and more designers collaborate on designing software and complex
information spaces. Frameworks suggested by systems design are
especially useful in modeling interaction and conversation. They
are also useful in modeling the design process itself.
What is the most important thing to be aware of in systems
A systems approach to design asks:
- For this situation, what is
- What is the environment?
- What goal does the system
have in relation to its environment?
- What is the feedback loop
by which the system corrects its actions?
- How does the system measure
whether it has achieved its goal?
- Who defines the system, environment,
goal, etc.—and monitors it?
- What resources does the system
have for maintaining the relationship it desires?
- Are its resources sufficient
to meet its purpose?
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ABOUT HUGH DUBBERLY
Dubberly is founder and principal at Dubberly Design Office (DDO),
an interaction design consultancy in San Francisco. Before forming DDO,
he served as vice president for design at AOL/Netscape and as creative
director at Apple Computer, Inc. He has also taught at San Jose State
University and Stanford University.
FROM THE BOOK
Table of Contents
Read an excerpt "The Elements of
Interaction Design" in
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