When it is approaching the end, I started to take it seriously. I found myself standing on thin ice --- the methodology of the whole work wasn't quite right.
The updated thoughts about the project would be:
1) Find out what user needs (instead of inventing them by myself).
2) Pick most wanted features, make a list of detailed requirements.
3) Several iterations of Step 1 and 2.
4) How to make it work: text description, graphical architecture for starters, and if more time available, try to come up with a functional demo or even concrete product.
It's not quite often that I found myself having a hard time in solving problems (Step 4 above), as long as I know what the problems are. Actually it kinda fun when you build it brick by brick, or even block by block. But PhD study is not just about solving, but really about identifying problems, which is the area I'm not confident in.
My project is to create services/applications for end users, and that is why it is dangerous if I jump over them and make up feature list on my own. Fortunately after some digging, I found out that there are standard methods of iterative design. And more specifically, usability engineering.
Jakob Nielsen is an expert in usability engineering. I found myself enjoying to read:
"Usability Engineering", on Amazon, and
"Usability Inspection Methods", on Amazon
Hopefully I'll be able to crack a good way of implementing Step 1 to 3. As for the last step, there's a "must-read" as well:
"Software Architecture in Practice", on Amazon
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