Singular XQ Ep 20: Going Meta with Charles Mauro
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jennifer-pierce28/episodes/2--20-Going-Meta-with-Charles-Mauro-e2700m4
Meta isn’t just a company led by a soon-to-be cage-fighter tech maven. Among other things, it means beyond a thing. Urban slang also means stepping out of something and talking about the “thing in itself,” as they say in Kantian philosophy.
That’s why we thought this title would be fun since we talked about all of the above with the founder and president of Mauro Usability Science, Charles Mauro. Charles has spent his career focusing on man-machine system optimization, usability, and human factors engineering science. We recently had the pleasure of having him on the air for a vibrant discussion about the relationship between usability science and what was once known as human factors engineering and how it relates to UX research. The roots of HFE go back to World War II in response to the creation of weapon systems that exceeded human capabilities, and Charles deftly narrates the history and evolution until today. It is the grandfather of UX and UX design — and yet, I heard a UX leader leading a portfolio of products in a multi-trillion dollar company the other day ask what “HFE” is.
Given the complexity of today’s security and data landscape and the automation of front-end design, it raises the question:
Should we return to the more sophisticated and thorough training of product design professionals?
Lack of understanding in these product endeavors leads to multiple regulatory risks and wasted revenue—food for thought from Mr. Mauro.
We discuss everything else: AI, anthropometry, biomechanics, study design, experimental study design, statistics, and diversity research. The term usability science is intended to separate it from traditional UX research. Mauro pointed out that hundreds of thousands of UX researchers and around 13,000 human factors research scientists are active today.
My favorite nugget is where we talk about the most persistent challenges at SXQ: the challenges of cross-functional and cross-disciplinary efforts in software design. Software design is a team sport; when any player takes control, things quickly grow out of balance. Research, he argues, as we do, is the glue that keeps it all together.
Lastly, he addressed the issue of using data scraped from the internet to teach large language models (LLMs).
We say this all the time, but, indeed, you’re not going to want to miss this one.
Singular XQ is a nonprofit software research and development consultancy dedicated to creating a more sustainable technology ecosystem by increasing access and education and engaging in sustained thought regarding technology and the world. Please consider donating to support programming like this and the continuing education, mentorship, and research we provide.
