46 of 365 - factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
46 of 365 – factor of safety design principle (belt and suspenders) by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Factor of safety is about preparing for unknown flaws in a design, even though the issue may never arise. In the interest of preventing system failure, a designer can make more safety elements than are necessary. In general, it is the act of adding more elements than are strictly necessary in a design to prepare for situations that may or may not happen. In graphic design, you might add restatements of an idea to make more sure of the delivery of the message. In structural design, you might add more beams to the underlying structure. In urban design, more roads and parking, and so on.
I decided to illustrate the most common expression of the factor of safety that I can think of: “belt and suspenders”. In other words, you might say “belt and suspenders” in response to someone bringing a USB key with their materials to a presentation even though the materials available online. In the event that Internet access is down (e.g. the belt breaks) you’d still be able to present via USB (e.g. suspenders).
41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
41 of 365 – teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Teach a Man to Fish
Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. This rather common phrase is a core part of my philosophy in consulting. This is sort of a stretch as a design principle, and the first time in this series that I am straying away from my sources for design principles, but I use this one in every consulting situation.
Also notable was that this is the earliest known appearance of the analogy, written by Anne Ritchie in Mrs. Dymond in the 1800s. “He certainly doesn’t practise his precepts, but I supposed the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish  he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.” ~ Give a Man a Fish Phrase – Proverb Meaning and Saying Origins – https://knowyourphrase.com/give-a-man-a-fish
As I said, I use it in my work. For example, if you have consulted with me, we might have started with you asking me to have a seat at (drive) your computer. I likely gently declined. The two positions (driving and guiding) define the difference between repair and teaching. I’d far rather teach, even when repair is involved. By having my clients go through the motions of the issue, research along with me, and act on our findings, they can learn the ways to resolve their own issues at that level. The benefit for me, aside from an enlightened client, is that the next problem we work on will probably be far more interesting for both of us. Also, if we consult over video chat with screen sharing, I will likely ask you to share your screen and guide you. From time to time, I might jump on my browser to resolve an issue, but most of the time, it’s all you, with my help.Â
It also, strangely, is a big part of why I love open source, the software equivalent of getting a great dish with the recipe, as opposed to just the great dish. So, chances are when we work together, we both work. Unless you just want it taken care of, in which I’m pretty happy to do that too. 🙂
38 of 365 - exposure effect by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
38 of 365 – exposure effect by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Exposure effect says that a repeated exposure to an image or concept with an initially neutral response will have a more favorable response over time and with repetition. For example, part of the positive effect on viewers of propaganda or advertising is that people see the same messages repeated over and over. When there is a neutral or positive response at first exposure, the repeated viewings or exposures will have a positive likability effect on the exposed. Eventually, the exposure effect weakens because of boredom or normalcy. Exposure effect is commonly noted with meaningful quotes, jingles, photos, songs, art, people, and ads.
In this illustration, I decided to illustrate a favorite zen quote:
In walking, just walk.
In sitting, just sit. Above
all, don’t wobble.
36 of 365 - errors design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
36 of 365 – errors design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Errors are a part of design because designers need to consider that users may try to use their design in unintended ways, and try to offer guidance or reminders about how to use a system correctly.
In general, there are two kinds of errors: Slips and Mistakes.
Slips occur when a user does something out of unconscious habit, such as driving past a turn on a commonly traveled route towards a well-known destination, or visiting a website that they visit all the time, when trying to get to a new one. An example of a preventable slip in software is when you use the word attachment in your Gmail, but don’t add an attachment, Gmail reminds you that you may want to add the attachment before sending.
Mistakes, however, occur when a user makes a conscious mistake, like driving too far into a parking space and bumping the front of your car. Cars can prevent this kind of issue with alarms that let you know when you are about to run into something while parking or backing up.
In this illustration, I created an error dialog that makes the user admit that they are sure that they want to remove a lot of potentially precious data.
Technology and the Arts Special: Art All Night Trenton 2013
365 Days of Savings: 10 ways to lower your cost of living [INFOGRAPHIC]
Technology and the Arts Special: Art All Night Trenton 2013