ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role that questions can play in the design of computer systems. There are two senses of questions in this design context. The first pertains to questions that arise in concrete software design activities aimed at developing software that meets multiple design and development objectives. I am especially interested in bringing to the design process questions that encourage user-centered perspectives on design. The latter include traditional usability concerns such as how quickly users can learn to use software, how productive they can be in accomplishing tasks of interest using the software, how satisfied users are using the software, and so on. These perspectives are as important for design as traditional software engineering objectives such as providing a certain range of functions within limited development time and resources. This chapter demonstrates how these perspectives can be expressed in questions about how users interact with software, and how software functions support tasks that users want to accomplish.
