A QUARTER CENTURY of User-Centered Design Engineering Project Classes with Multi-Disciplinary Teams

Abstract

Carnegie Mellon University has developed and employed a User-Centered Interdisciplinary Concurrent System Design Methodology (UICSM) that takes teams of electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, computer scientists, industrial designers and human computer interaction students that work with an end-user to generate a complete prototype system during a four-month long course. With more than 25 years of use, the last 20 years in a formal class setting, the methodology has proven robust in creating increasingly capable applications leveraging state-of-the-art components. For example, wireless technology bandwidth increased by over four orders of magnitude during the course. UICSM is web-supported and defines intermediary products that document the evolution of the design. These products are posted on the web so that even remote designers and end-users can participate in the design activities. The design methodology proceeds through three phases: conceptual design, detailed design and implementation. End-users critique the design at each phase. In addition, simulated and real application tasks provide further focus for design evaluation. Th e methodology has been used in designing more than three dozen computer systems, with diverse applications ranging from inspection and maintenance of heavy transportation vehicles to augmented reality in manufacturing and plant operations to car/driver interaction. [SSLT 1994; SS 1999; SS 2002a; SS 2002b; SSS 2001; SSMRT 2005].