Universal Methods of Design is an immensely useful survey of research and design methods used by todays top practitioners; and will serve as a crucial reference for any designer grappling with really big problems. This book has a place on every designers bookshelf; including yours! mdash;David Sherwin; Principal Designer at frog and author of Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills"Universal Methods of Design is a landmark method book for the field of design. This tidy text compiles and summarizes 100 of the most widely applicable and effective methods of designmdash;research; analysis; and ideationmdash;the methods that every graduate of a design program should know; and every professional designer should employ. Methods are concisely presented; accompanied by information about the origin of the technique; key research supporting the method; and visual examples. Want to know about Card Sorting; or the Elito Method? What about Think-Aloud Protocols? This book has them all and more in readily digestible form. The authors have taken away our excuse for not using the right method for the job; and in so doing have elevated its readers and the field of design. UMOD is an essential resource for designers of all levels and specializations; and should be one of the go-to reference tools found in every designerrsquo;s toolbox." mdash;William Lidwell; author of Universal Principles of Design; Lecturer of Industrial Design; University of HoustonThis comprehensive reference provides a thorough and critical presentation of 100 research methods; synthesis/analysis techniques; and research deliverables for human centered design; delivered in a concise and accessible format perfect for designers; educators; and students. Whether research is already an integral part of a practice or curriculum; or whether it has been unfortunately avoided due to perceived limitations of time; knowledge; or resources; Universal Methods of Design serves as an invaluable compendium of methods that can be easily referenced and utilized by cross-disciplinary teams in nearly any design project.This essential guide:- Dismantles the myth that user research methods are complicated; expensive; and time-consuming- Creates a shared meaning for cross-disciplinary design teams- Illustrates methods with compelling visualizations and case studies- Characterizes each method at a glance- Indicates when methods are best employed to help prioritize appropriate design research strategiesUniversal Methods of Design distills each method down to its most powerful essence; in a format that will help design teams select and implement the most credible research methods best suited to their design culture within the constraints of their projects.
#628293 in eBooks 2006-07-24 2006-07-24File Name: B007V69DTK
Review
55 of 55 people found the following review helpful. It most certainly is complete!By HeatherHHThis book is a hefty volume at almost 700 pages. but. of course. it covers 600 hymns and praise songs. Each entry averages just over 1 page in length. All the old standards are covered. as well as many less commonly-known ones. including many that I do not know. By far. most of the entries are hymns. Off hand. Id probably say that around 90% or more of the songs referenced were written before 1950. This book is well-organized. The songs are organized by topic. and there are indexes by title. author. and theme.Here is a sample entry that I opened to randomly: I Need Thee Every Hour. We learn the hymn was written by a 37-year-old Brooklyn housewife while she was busy with her household chores. She could closely feel the nearness of God. and she sat by an open window and wrote out all the verses. When she gave them to her pastor. he wrote the chorus and the music. Evangelist Dwight L. Moody discovered the hymn and began using it in his meetings. which led to it becoming famous. After that background information. we are given several Bible verse references (not the text of the verses themselves) related to the hymns topic (Psalm 86:1-4. Psalm 109:22. Philippians 4:19). the themes of the hymn (prayer. meditation). and then the lyrics of the hymn.I have a few small gripes with the book. There are several newer praise songs that do not have lyrics included. presumably because they are under copyright and permission was not granted for their use. And. there are a few of these newer praise songs that are rather short that I would have left out. but thats a small gripe.Overall. this is a valuable resource for any Christian. This book is nice for looking up a particular hymn. but also for just browsing through. In that sense. it could be a good "coffee table book." while also being of benefit in personal or family devotions. or church music ministry. It might also be a way to find some new hymns of value. You can always look up a hymn at CyberHymnal to hear the accompanying music! I highly recommend this book.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Works great as a devotional!By TR JohnsonI ended up using this book for family devotions as each hymn story has several Bible passages assigned to it--as every good hymn should draw from Scripture! Every evening at supper time. our family (including three girls ages 10. 8 and 6) take turns in reading Scripture. reading the story and then singing the hymn! The latter presumes the one knows the melody. which. sadly isnt always the case. I estimate that Im familiar with about two-thirds of the included hymns and Im in my mid-40s. In general. these are extremely sing-able hymns. so even the kids enjoy the melodies. irregardless of the hymns age (theyre also good vocabulary builders too as older English is often used).If you dont know a hymn melody. I suggest you go to [...] which has the .mp3 tunes available to download for over 4000 hymns! That would make it possible to sing almost every hymn listed in this book.Younger folks who grew up on contemporary music might not recognize many of the songs included in the stories. as theyre mostly older ones that are now in the public domain. The more recent songs (in the past 50 years) often ONLY contain the story behind the hymn or the author and dont include the lyrics because of copyright issues. That means you must search for the words elsewhere if you dont already have the song memorized--which is a bit annoying. but not impossible with the internet.My biggest complaint is that a great deal of the text refuses to scale up or down and seems to be a collection of images rather than normal text. That means some sections are tough to read--like the first paragraph in every song introduction.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Singing a Hymn is Great --- Reading the Hymns "Creation Story" makes Singing the Hymn even GreaterBy Bruce ThorsenExcellent Detailed Stories behind the writing of 600 (wow!!) hymns with lyrics of several verses. By not including the actual musical notes. one big book could be made for reference. Once a person has read The Hymn Story in Petersens book. then a person can go to a Church Hymnal and see the actual music. I purchased six copies to share with our Gospel Brass Band comprised of 2 Trumpets. Trombone. French Horn. Tuba and Percussion. Understanding the Hymn Stories makes playing the music much more meaningful for us. as well as for our audience. Now we can read the Hymn Story (from the Petersen Book) to our audience. and then play the music with the audience singing along. Both the brass band players and the audience (often at Senior Centers) are blessed. Praise the Lord.
