Although the solitary creative process is often emphasized, creativity is actually very dependent upon group activity. Design in architecture is more often the result of a social process of interaction among the principals and of making sense of that interaction and of the context of the project. In successful architectural designs (1) both the architects and clients demanding the highest quality in all phases of the project, (2) neither the architect nor the client is rigid (each willing to go beyond boundaries and be flexible), (3) combine teamwork and independence, (4) exceed original specifications.
The six problems in the architectural design process are (1) Design in the balance, (2) Countless voices, (3) Professional uncertainty, (4) Perpetual discovery, (5) Surprise endings and (6) a matter of consequence. The major differences between engineering and architectural design are the extent to which engineering design builds upon previous systems and its profound concern with failure.
In software engineering, the specifications of a product spell out what the product is to do. The aim of the deign phase is to determine how the product is to do it. Software design is a creative process that requires experience and a certain amount of flair from the designer. A final design is an iteration of many preliminary designs. Designs cannot be learned from a book -- it must be practiced and learnt by experience.
Human computer interaction occurs in three ways: unobtrusive (computer present but interaction not noticed) functions, computer-facilitated (person communicates through computer, not with one) functions and person-computer interpersonal (person treats computer as communication partner) functions. One key difference between communicating with a person and a computer is that a computer is programmed and therefore often predetermined, predictable, structured, dynamic and repeatable. The ten principles that are essential to a successful human interface are predictability, consistency, progression, natural constraints, visibility, transparency, feedback, modes of operation, pace and appropriateness.
Depth, breadth, portability, ease of use of tools, efficiency for designers, quality of resulting interfaces, speed of resulting interface, price and robustness and support are the dimensions suggested by Myers for evaluating interface-building tools. Bass, Abowd and Kazman suggest (1) modifiability of the target system, (2) construction efficiency, (3) usability, (4) compatibility, (5) reusability, and (6) response time as dimensions for evaluating the tool's effectiveness on the target system. The GOMS conceptual model consists of goals, operators, methods and selection rules.
The Shneiderman taxonomy of interaction styles includes Menu Selection, Form fill-in, Command language, Natural language, and Direct manipulation. Variables that need to be considered are Media, Assistance, Special needs and appropriateness.