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From: rthomson@mesa.dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Reorganization
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.164526.5141@dsd.es.com>
Date: 18 Apr 91 16:45:26 GMT
References: <26213@hydra.gatech.EDU>
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Reply-To: rthomson@dsd.es.com (Rich Thomson)
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In article <26213@hydra.gatech.EDU>
	kirlik@chmsr.gatech.edu (Alex Kirlik) writes:
>[...] Besides interface software
>design, cog-eng relates to hardware design, documentation, training,
>the design of a telephone, a stapler, the layout of you-are-here maps
>in shopping malls [...]

Most of the "you are here" maps I've seen in shopping malls were
obviously "designed" by someone without cognition.  Why else are they
so damned hard to use?   Things like the index being next to useless
unless you already know the name of the store, the "grid" coordinates
not aligned to any grid (might as well be a street address), the "you
are here" marker not shown in a distinctive color from the map (god
forbid if you're color blind), etc.

While I can imagine a cog-eng might be able to do a great job designing
one of these things, they always look like the average fourth grader
could do a better job.

						-- Rich
-- 
  ``Read my MIPS -- no new VAXes!!'' -- George Bush after sniffing freon
	    Disclaimer: I speak for myself, except as noted.
UUCP: ...!uunet!dsd.es.com!rthomson		Rich Thomson
ARPA: rthomson@dsd.es.com			PEXt Programmer