Day 3, 4 and 5: CUA, HFI

So, I am done with the next 3 classes with HFI and must say there has been such an expansion of knowledge, insights, and thinking.

These 3 days were completely focused on User-centered analysis: Introduction, methodology, models, and how we can apply it for any project.

What I loved about the course was there was a step-to-step process (including interviews, task flows, data gathering, task analysis, etc) that was explained during the class, that can be followed for finding a solution to any problem! And trust me it made executing projects look so simple.

I also loved the fact that we took/picked-up real-life examples and then, worked on them-> step by step which made everything crystal clear.

Apart from that, I love the way the CUA program takes you through various psychological factors like mental models and encourage to keep you everything simple and familiar. We do not follow this rule in our regular work — we think making something look different makes it better, doing something that is already established in a different way is creative! But this course explains why in a quest of making things different and creative, we mess up the whole thing!

In a nutshell, I loved the 3 days of this program — what a journey, what an amazing learning! I am absolutely in awe with the concepts, models that HFI teaches.

Another brilliant thing that I learned was the ROI part. We think just because we are in design, we do not need to align ourselves with the business aspect of an organization. But is that right? No! because until and unless you understand the business implications of design on any project, you will not be able to prove the results! And that is why it is so absolutely important to understand the ROI for design and how to calculate it for any project!

This can give an edge over everything else.

I am so glad I decided to take this course!