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Contents : Integrating Human-Centered Design Methods from Different Disciplines: Contextual Design and PRInCiPleS Mark Notess Digital Library Program Music Library Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA mnotess@indiana.edu Eli Blevis School of Informatics 901 E. 10th Street Indiana University Bloomington Indiana USA eblevis@indiana.edu Abstract The human-computer interaction (HCI) community has developed primarily among those trained in computer science and psychology. Design methodologies within HCI tend to address the needs and interests of those who have been trained in cognitive science human factors or software engineering. This paper illuminates the similarities distinctions and opportunities existing between one of the better known HCI methodologies Contextual Design and an encapsulation of the oral tradition of studio-based design methods that we call PRInCiPleS. PRInCiPleS forms part of the curriculum in HCI design at the Indiana University School of Informatics. We present a case study wherein both methods were used and we draw from that experience and our own analysis to compare and contrast HCI approaches and studio-based design approaches generally suggesting how each may benefit from the strengths of the other and postulating a coherent integration. Introduction Today s information systems for all their technical muscle result in far more annoyance than organizations or individual users would like. Within the information systems design community the human-computer interaction (HCI) specialization has developed methods to help software engineers build systems that are more human centered. But the HCI tradition draws mainly from computer science and psychology and lacks much of the understanding of meaning and form the cultural coherence of design interventions and other competencies of designers. The purpose of the present study is to compare a leading HCI method Contextual Design (Beyer & Holtzblatt 1998) with a recent encapsulation of method from design as it owes to traditions of product design communications art and architecture PRInCiPleS (Blevis 2004). Having compared these two methods both by analysis and through a case study we offer insights into how the two methods are improved by mutual acquaintance. Finally we suggest ways the design tradition can better contribute to information systems design. Contextual Design Contextual Design has developed within the information systems design practice of the high-tech industry. Many HCI methods are point techniques for addressing a particular need during product development: user testing heuristic evaluation task analysis personas use cases etc. Even articulations of HCI design processes such as are found in Preece et al. (2002) merely lay out broad stages of design activity and suggest a broad range of HCI techniques that may be used within each stage. Contextual Design is one of a very few comprehensive methodologies to emerge within HCI that actually prescribes a set of techniques and representations. Another comprehensive approach which bears mention is Carroll s ScenarioBased Design (Carroll 2000). Contextual Design is more fully elaborated than Scenario-Based Design and it has been taught and written about as a coherent methodology for a longer period of time. Contextual Design provides a systematic method whereby interdisciplinary design teams can use data gathered through field observations to arrive at a shared understanding of work processes participants and environments. Various models capture this understanding and drive a work redesign and validation process resulting in an implementable system design. Table 1 shows the six steps of Contextual Design in summary form. Contextual Design is a team-based design process. After the interdisciplinary design team forms the team members agree on the work context (type of work or activity) they will explore and they identify a focus within the context. Contextual Design specifies activities for each step as well as deliverables resulting from those activities. Contextual Design has been taught and used in the IT industry for over a decade and has been applied to such varied design problems as enterprise portals system administration tools and library systems (Holtzblatt 2001 Rockwell 1999 Curtis et al. 1999 Normore 1999). PRInCiPleS At the School of Informatics at Indiana University we teach a design method of our own invention we call the PRInCiPleS method of design. PRInCiPleS is an acronym for Predispositions Research Insights Concepts Prototypes and Strategies. The PRInCiPleS steps are analogous to steps of an idealized scientific process initial hypotheses prior art research hypotheses experiment design experiments and peer review these are simply analogies not equivalences. PRInCiPleS is inspired by the tradition of design methods as interpreted by the second author a former faculty member at the Institute of Design in

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