Priya sends news from mission control. Another outpost tested an early plant app last season.
"It photographed every plant each hour," she says. "The botanists loved it."
"But the relay filled up with photos, and crew messages had to wait in line."
Comet frowns. "Nobody planned that. The photos were supposed to help."
Wren taps his clipboard. "What do you notice? The same feature helped one group and slowed down another."
Nova dims her lights thoughtfully. "Interesting," she says. "So Beacon's design should ask who else it affects."
People create computing innovations. Because people make them, people can also think about their effects.
Not every effect of a computing innovation is expected in advance.
A single effect can be seen as helpful by some people and harmful by others, or even both by the same person.
Computing affects personal, ethical, social, economic and cultural practices. That is why developers evaluate their designs.
| Beacon feature | Who it might help | Who it might make things harder for |
|---|---|---|
| A photo of the beans every morning | Tomas, who tracks growth | Anyone waiting to send messages on a busy relay |
| Alerts only when a plant needs attention | Priya, who wants fewer messages | Lena, if she wanted a daily all-clear |
| A sound when a row is dry | Lena, working far down a row | Tomas, who reads quietly nearby |
| Week review | True or false? |
|---|---|
| A computing innovation can be an idea, like shopping online. | ? |
| Interviews, surveys, direct observation and user testing are ways to investigate. | ? |
| Requirements describe how a program must function. | ? |
| Every effect of a computing innovation is known in advance. | ? |
| Incremental development makes each piece work before adding it. | ? |
What a first week, developer. Tomorrow's Mission Quest turns your family into users and developers.