Some quotes to capture the IE direction

3 quotes that in some essence capture the research

1 The nature of the problem

"The prevailing computer-human interaction (CHI) model of interface design has been partly responsible for the current state of the desktop computer. The breakthrough on which the field emerged was the admission of psychological principles. The resulting graphical user interface has been the focus of the field of computer-human interaction for nearly 20 years. This interface is a virtual control panel whose design has remained quite technology-centered. -- Malcolm McCullough, Digital Ground, 2004"

This in a way for me is drawing on the reason why the metaphor of the ecology and move towards the information ecology concept is significant - as we need ways in which to re-frame the technology centric view is designed.

2 The software design challenge

"Software design is the act of determining the user's experience with a piece of software. It has nothing to do with how the code works inside, or how big or small the code is. The designer's task is to specify completely and unambiguously the user's whole experience. -- David Liddle, From Bringing Design to Software, edited by Terry Winograd, 1996"

This really captures the nature of the design challenge and from the 1st quote sets how this process must move towards a user centric approach.

3 What the research must accomplish
"Good designers can create normalcy out of chaos; they can clearly communicate ideas through the organizing and manipulating of words and pictures. -- Jeffery Veen, 2000"

The question now of how the information ecology can form the communication to allow for clearer understanding of the environment.