Ada Lovelace and Lillian Gilbreth both served as pioneers in shaping the fields of human- centred design and computer programming; although they lived in different centuries and worked on various focus, they both made remarkable contributions that still matter in the modern IXD studies.
Beginning with Lovelace, the genius daughter of Lord Byron who wrote an imaginary program for an imaginary computer. This may seen bizarre in the 1830s, but Ada envisioned beyond the limitations of what can a computer perform. More than calculations, but also entertainments and art. If possible, Ada would be so excited to see the modern world and digital media, where her imaginations come true. Like what Babbage says about Ada, she has the most creative understanding of analytical science and abstract , philosophical view on science/ computer. Ada sees potentials in computers to perform beyond just solving numeral equations, but also becoming companions of scientists and human being. Although none of Lovelace and Babbage’ imaginations of the smart computer were built successfully, they were the first to have the initials ideas in creating something as such; having the creativity is the most important on the path of design.
Lillian Gilbreth came along in the early 1900s, and her focus was less on machines themselves and more on the people using them. She was one of the first to emerge psychology into engineering and work design. Instead of treating workers like cogs in a machine, she respected their knowledge and tried to design tools and workplaces that reduced fatigue and made tasks easier. She’s responsible for things we still use every day, like the kitchen work triangle, refrigerator door shelves, and foot-pedal trash cans. She also worked to make life better for groups often ignored in design at the time — women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. She examined the abilities of older workers and opposed age discrimination. Noting that about 85 percent of purchasing was by women, she explored approaches to increasing customer satisfaction. Gilbreth showed that respecting the user’s needs is just as important as the technology itself.
Together, Lovelace and Gilbreth represent imagination and empathy in IxD history. Under a background of male-dominated fields, they were not only successful female scientists and designers, but also brave women who fought against prejudice and proved that diverse voices are vital in shaping technology. Their legacies remind us that good design always blends creativity with human understanding.