The class will serve as an introduction to cognitive science and its use in product and space design. In particular, the class will focus on the cultural variations as described by the cognitive variables (background knowledge, memory, attention controls, perception, personality differences, and the effects of the environment) and how these variables can be used to clarify the conceptual, interaction, and interface designs of product and spaces. The first two weeks of the class, students will engage with the material through lectures, discussions, and show-and-tell presentations. During the last week of instruction, students will use basic ethnographic methods to collect data on-site and make recommendations to the product/space redesign based on user constraints, environmental context, and developer capabilities. Working in groups or alone, students will generate a basic product design document using the information learned in class and the data collected in the field. Please download the 2010 AUP Student Final Report on Museum Usability Study.

• Sheena Iyengar: The Art of Choosing
  

  Sheena Iyengar talks about cultural differences and choice.

Cultural Differences in Negotiation Styles

Here’s a wonderful chart from British linguist Richard D. Lewis from his 2005 book: “When Cultures Collide.”