Chapter 6 of Thoughts on Interaction Design, “Judgement and Shifting Negative Behavior,” discusses the different decisions that a designer must make and the elements of society and culture that need to be taken into account when making these design decisions. Although usability is an integral part of a design, there is much more to the creative process than designing for optimal usability. Essentially, people must look beyond the surface of the design and the surface of the function and usability in order to grasp its significance. Thinking about the deeper meanings of what is occurring in he world will lead one to creating something that challenges both the designer and the user in profound ways.
The chapter also discussed discursive design, in which a design is intended to provoke thought and spark discussion among people. Ultimately, this transforms what the purpose of design is, for it becomes a form of commentary, something to be picked apart and analyzed rather than acknowledged and dismissed. This kind of design is much more interactive on the part of the user and is an important stage in the evolution of design as something larger than itself. Design becomes a catalyst for critical thinking and analysis.
Ultimately, the chapter reflected the ideas that design is a complex process and way of creating that alters based upon the ever-changing world and people around us, which makes it so challenging to define and pinpoint. The designer takes on a number of different roles in the process, and the user must adapt as well based on changes in the design presented and how it should be responded to, thought about, and discussed. This intricate web that has been weaved of designer, user, and design will only become more complicated as time passes and society progresses.