Can stronger system design = weaker human insights? Gary Klein – Seeing What Others Don’t

Can better design limit our insights? More extracts from Gary Klein’s ‘Seeing What Others don’t’.

This covers some unintended consequences of ‘good’ principles of computer system/info system design (image 1):

· “The system should help people do their jobs better”

· “It should clearly display critical cues—the items of information that users rely on to do their jobs”

· “Conversely, the system should filter out irrelevant data so that the operators aren’t drowned in meaningless messages”

· “And the system should help people monitor progress toward their goals”

· “The system we design to help people do their current jobs may lock them into the original job concept and reduce the chance for insights”

· “This guideline can make it harder for them to rethink their jobs”

· “Guideline 2: The system should clearly display critical cues” but when “When we identify critical cues in advance, we’ll likely miss those that unexpectedly become relevant after we have an insight”

· “The original database structure is likely to become obsolete as knowledge workers gain more insights and revise their thinking”

· “The recommendation to filter out irrelevant data sounds good as long as we know in advance which data are relevant. It screens out the happy accidents and unexpected cues that often spark insights”

· “A powerful search engine such as Google can be too helpful. It learns our preferences and shows us matches that are likely to satisfy us, but we don’t get exposed to other kinds of options”

· “Google is wrapping us in a cocoon of our own beliefs”

· “A system that keeps us on track to reach our original goals is likely to interfere when we discover new goals”

· “STRONGER DESIGN = WEAKER INSIGHTS”

· “Each of the four design principles listed at the beginning of this chapter depends on order and structure, whereas insights are disorderly”

· “System designers should make it easy for users to shift goals and plans without getting disoriented”

· “Don’t get me wrong. I still consider the four guidelines useful. However, I now see how they can interfere with insight by freezing users into obsolete job practices”