Setting a New Course: Teaching Professional Engineers the Merit and Methods of Human-Centered Design

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Engineering organizations typically excel at building things right. Trouble is, they often fail to build the right thing. This presentation highlights an educational effort to avoid that pitfall. In 2007, a division of General Dynamics C4 Systems set out to complement its technological prowess with an ability to design supremely useful and usable systems. In turn, MAYA Design was engaged to teach their engineers the merit and methods of Human-Centered Design (HCD). The 3-day class uses lectures, exercises and a full-day project to develop comprehension and initial competence in HCD. This report includes a summary of the instructional design process, a description of the corresponding syllabus and a sampling of student work.

Stream: Teaching and Learning

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Bill Lucas has designed experiential systems for a wide range of companies and government institutions – including Corning, General Dynamics, Merrill Lynch, Whirlpool, the United States Postal Service, and DARPA. Over the past twenty years, he has designed corporate identity standards, trade show exhibits, signage systems, and GUIs for web sites, software applications and physical devices. After serving as Director of MAYA's Visual Design Group from 1996-2001, Bill became the inaugural member of MAYA's Professional Practice Fellowship Program. He currently services MAYA's commercial clients and provides visual/interaction design leadership for MAYA's various R&D initiatives. Bill recently served as co-chair for the "Design Community" facet of CHI 2007. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Chapter of the AIGA. Bill has also assisted in teaching courses on typography, brand identity systems and user experience design at Alfred University, Carnegie Mellon University and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. His writing has appeared in the Design Management Review, Interactions magazine and BoxesAndArrows.com. Bill holds a B.S. in graphic design from the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude from the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

Francine is a designer and researcher with the Human Sciences group at MAYA Design. She specializes in new forms for interaction with digital technology. Francine works with interdisciplinary design teams to build an understanding of users context, goals, and desires to help shape a better product experience. Her work at MAYA has focused on new technology for military and industrial applications for clients such as General Dynamics and Eaton. Francine holds a Master of Design in Interaction Design from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.F.A in Industrial Design, also from Carnegie Mellon University. Before coming to MAYA Francine was a Design Researcher at Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Complex Engineered Systems for 8 years. At CMU Francine acted as an internal consultant on a variety of projects in robotics, wearable computing, and design. She has exhibited and lectured about her work at schools and institutions around the world. Francine is a professional member of the Industrial Designers Society of America. She has received two IDEA awards from the IDSA for her work in visionary design of mobile computers. She has five patents and over 15 publications to her credit.

Richard Tribone has worked for MAYA Design since 1997. He led the Engineering discipline for 7 years, and is now a jack of many trades spanning the business. Before joining MAYA, he spent 20+ years in the design and construction of information and automated control systems, leading development efforts and delivering large-scale custom systems to heavy industry. His experience covers all aspects of the engineering and design business, including strategic planning and operations management. Richard has expertise in process design, project planning, estimating, and risk management and a special interest in design processes and complex problems. Richard holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.