[SIGCIS-Members] Importance of history to practitioners

[McMillan, William W]

Greetings, all.

I thought you might like to hear the following.  In a meeting with a small software company in Ann Arbor that emphasizes user-centered, agile development, a colleague and I asked what subjects should be included in an academic program in interaction design.  The firm's chief designer, who also has a programming background, said that the most important course would be history of computing!

His justification was that a designer needed to know where all the tools and techniques came from before designing current systems.

His point might be obvious to many on this list, but when professionals in the practical world say things like this, it makes it a lot easier to get approval in a university to offer -- or even require -- classes like history of computing.

Regards,
Bill