Form and Function should be One

Development is science and art. Science is the foundation and inspiration is the art. Science brings validation and repetition for a consistent, correct output. Science dictates problem definition with modeling and sufficient documentation to replicate the results. Art encourages interaction with the system, fostering natural curiosity and greater self satisfaction.

Science and the User Experience

The science of software development is well documented. For integration with art, the key component is the use case. The use case incorporates the four cornerstones of software architecture; requirements (communication), validation (foundation), business object s (technology) and alternatives (Implementation). The use case is a solid foundation for developing software and is more impressive when integrating it with inspiration.

Art and Usability Design

The art of software development is usability design. Usability defines how the user will discover software capabilities and experience greater sense of accomplishment. Usability is “horizontal” and “vertical”. “Horizontal” is the application of learned expectations in new situations. This promotes curiosity and encourages exploration. “Vertical” is the path of progress to complete an activity. This promotes self satisfaction when empowering the user to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Integrating Science and Art

Usability is integrated with use case by means of mapped use cases and wire frame mock ups. Mapped use cases depict the cross flow of use case cases and a sense of precedence. The wire frame is linked to states in the use case. The usability testing can now be applied to test use cases to reduce ambiguity “horizontally” and “vertically”. Modifications to the use case will result in a better solution and the integration of usability will improve the user experience, not addressed in a use case.