Chapter Six - Judgment and Shifting Negative Behavior

Abstract

A cultural acceptance of usability slowly began to shift the view of technology as something that only engineers could control. As it became culturally acceptable for regular people to utilize computers and even write software, traditional stereotypes of geeks and nerds have begun to break down. In many respects, and given the critical role assumed by designers in culture, a larger form of active judgment and criticism can be produced in the context of a specific design problem; and in particular cases, this judgment and criticism must be produced. The designer plays a role of utmost importance in dictating the future. A person is motivated to buy a specific item based on price, or utility, or function, or style. These attributes, integrated as a whole, speak of the value structure that the individual claims and integrates into his existence. Looking for simplicity in technology requires a deeper understanding of human wants and needs and a dramatic departure from the heralding of technological advancements as ends in themselves.