Distilling Your Design Heuristics: A Report and a Challenge

Rebecca Wirfs-Brock

Over time, we build up a personal toolkit of design heuristics. I’m been designing software for many years and I’ve seen many alternative design solution solutions that work, so I am hesitant to say any one is “best.” Yet I have my own style and distinct design preferences I have accumulated over years of experience. You do as well. This talk will share a few design and modeling heuristics that were distilled during our pre-conference workshop and reflect on the difference between what works in theory and what we see in practice. And it will challenge you to grow as a designer by becoming more aware of your personal design heuristics and how they are shaped and evolve. You can grow as a designer by examining and reflecting on the decisions you make and their impacts, becoming more aware of seemingly minor decisions that were more important than you thought, and putting your own spin on the advice of experts.