It was interesting getting a view into the minds of the people who design the products that we use in our everyday lives. I was continually amazed at the number of designs for chairs that are possible. Our use of chairs is a fairly simple interaction; the only moving part is the person sitting in it or getting up, however the considerations that go into making it seem to be endless. From the shape, material, comfort, aesthetics, sustainability, and how easy it would be to mass produce, it’s no wonder that even today, there isn’t a definitive chair design. This example obviously lends itself to any kind of designed object. Everything that we use has at some level been tailor to an expected use case. It was also interesting seeing the discussion about designing a more comfortable grip for the vegetable peeler. The invented design was actually the version of the product that I was familiar with and this really emphasised a couple of points for me. When a design is really good, you don’t think about it. It seems simple and it can become harder to even imagine things being another way. It also highlights the speed of adoption and ubiquitousness that these designs can take. This being a field that I feel passionately about, I have a huge amount of appreciation for the type of people who constantly re-evaluate these designs and iterate upon them. Jony Ive talking about late 2000’s Apple design philosophy is an absolute treat. It’s clear how their attentiveness to design catapulted the success of their products to the level they have reached today. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this doc and I will probably try to watch Hustwit’s Helvetica at some point in the near future.
Week 7 – Chapter 6
I think that one of the most important things that I learned while reading chapter six was that it is super important to recognize societal rules that dictate our behavior in daily life. These rules can include talking loudly on a bus, in a library, hospital waiting room, or even walking up the down escalator. It’s important to keep those in mind because when designing, if something you create makes someone break these rules and they fall victim to the repercussions of those actions, then inevitably it is your fault.
All of this is essentially to point out that as a designer you have a responsibility to take part in ethical design, as what you create has a lot of weight socially and could possibly influence people to do things you didn’t originally intend for.
The Role & Responsibility of Social Media
As it currently stands, social media is a domineering force in society. The internet has gone through a process akin to that of capitalism in that the necessity for small businesses has dwindled. The maintenance of a social media site is reliant upon both combining a functional one-stop-shop for a multitude of services enjoyed by users, as well as preying upon human weakness. This human weakness is targeted in a multitude of ways, and primarily in the case of social media, it turns the use of the site into an addiction. Notifications that can be perceived with both sight and sound are capable of inciting a Pavlovian effect that keeps people looking in hopes of receiving something positive. Likes offer a short-form validation without needing a single bit more input from a user on the opposing end but a tap or a click on a button. This leaves people coming back for more validation consistently through the platforms.
For many, social media can function as a prime alternative to many different websites and purchasable services. With only a wi-fi connection, you can access a website that allows for you to communicate with anyone you know, anywhere in the world, instantly, at any time. Instant messaging is a social media standard, and the options it allows for range from simple text based messages to photos and videos to voice messages. There are so many options within the few tech giants controlling social media that it gives many little reason to explore anywhere else on the internet outside of these select few websites. This contrasts with the early stages of the internet during and following the Dot Com Boom, which was a world that needed search engines in order to find the specific sites you might be looking for. It was a much more varied internet that allowed for many more inventive ways to have an individual web experience. However, this is lost today in the current internet landscape. While many of the positives are very good, giving a select few companies with exclusively profit motive full range of control over the attention of nearly 2/3rds of the world population with internet access.
Algorithms have been designed to better cater to the interests of users as well, which start out niche, but due to the lack of complexity in these bits of code, they eventually push toward an extreme direction. While starting off, a person may only look at a site like YouTube for certain kinds of videos, they may slowly be grouped into a greater overlapping niche that requires less work on the end of the algorithmic functions. Videos are linked into the system and are sent out to millions who have been placed into a specific category of person that is no longer in their own, individual, niche corner, but makes up a large population who is being fed the same exact information. This becomes incredibly dangerous once the factor of fear is included. Titles that shout an extreme inspire fear or outrage in an individual, and it becomes much more likely that a person will click on those. Even a single click onto one of these articles, videos, or likes on an account can lead to a streamlined page of content feeding into a precise ideology that preaches a world that is irredeemable and plagued by a certain group of people.
With youths specifically involved in social media, it can be extremely dangerous on their impressionable minds. However, a group of people that seems to lack quite a bit of discussion as they often trust that they are free from naivety is the massive crowd of boomers and gen x’ers using Facebook and repeating information that could be outright lies as if that’s the reality they’re living in. I believe a large scale example of such an event was during the capital riots, in which we most frequently saw grown adults in their 40s as opposed to the youths that can be started at most urban protests. Working in retail and food service has given me an especially personal look, with older Americans reciting details of Communist takeovers through credit cards, vaccines containing the mark of the beast (causing all who receive it to be sent to hell), and two week long meat shortages purportedly being attempts at global starvation, to which they will respond by cannibalizing their neighbors rather than pursuing farming or any method humans have used for tens of thousands of years in the past.
Government regulation can only go so far when the government in itself is too easily avoided by a company. Amazon can avoid spending billions of dollars in a multitude of taxes based on their involvement in the government as well as playing with a few of the loopholes in tax laws regarding intellectual property. In addition, they receive billions in tax exemption every year. The days of muckraking are long gone, and a few lone companies have prevailed on top, leaving small businesses essentially as legal mercy so that they can still be justified under the law. Social media has offered quite a bit of freedom to business owners in maintaining a monopoly over internet users sheerly based on the plethora of websites that exist being able to counter the argument that their existence makes up such a massive part of market share, and only within the last two years has been brought into questioning regarding their control.
With the thought of government regulation in mind, it would be within the best interest of these companies that free capitalist laws are continuously enforced, making it incredibly convenient that these are the types of beliefs that spread like wildfire on social media, transfiguring an egomaniac child rapist born into billions of dollars of wealth like Donald Trump into the savior of the small man. The rights of monopolistic business owners are being upheld specifically on account of the algorithms of social media over the individual, and there is being little done to combat it. Social media has allowed for simple defenses that people once had against the shackles of people like Jeff Bezos to become synonymous with extremist ideologies and Communism, rather than basic common sense. It’s a machine that feeds itself, trapping people into a bubble of never-ending fear, sacrificing their rights in favor of becoming militant members of a violent business government.
The greatest responsibility of social media is to their users, as any government has. However, to turn social media into something humane rather than something disgustingly human in a way that encourages man’s greatest vices would require an incredible restructuring. At the same time, considering these, it brings to question how much of user content can be blamed on the site itself. The algorithms achieve what is ideal for the company, and it uses specifically user content. In the end, I find myself puzzled and greatly without answer. There are extreme changes required that could restructure notifications, algorithms, the placement of advertisements, and the amount of control businesses have over what you see, but then what? What could be done with user content? The same collections of lies with sprinklings of verifiable truth can still flourish. Perhaps there is a greater problem with the state of technology altogether that can be put to questioning.
Chapter 5 Responses
What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?
Interaction design is a highly complex field that pulls from many studies to design products to apply an understanding of human behavior to designing products and systems. This new industry is still working to establish and differentiate itself from the other disciplines that it is closely related to. Also, the industry has been revolutionized in the past years by growing technologies and is struggling to have a firm place in the process of development.
What is interaction design, how its evolving? What fields does it draw knowledge from?
Interaction design is applying knowledge in human behavior to designing products, services, or systems for humans. In recent years, interaction design has shifted its application to many different users flows in regards to designing technology. It is a study that overlaps with many other fields such as psychology, design, engineering, and anthropology.
Social Dilemma Response
There’s no doubt about it; Big Tech controls our minds and lives. Within my lifetime, Facebook has gone from not even existing as an idea, to being the most influential corporation in history. The amount of power we grant to Google through our usage shouldn’t be treated lightly. At one point in the documentary, someone mentioned how 25 guys in a room in Silicon Valley have the power to make decisions that affect and control humanity. As terrifying as this thought is, it doesn’t seem to be far off from the grim reality that faces us. It doesn’t seem to be an original thought to make the statement “social media = bad”, but I don’t think this makes it any less true. Whether it is feeding us misinformation that spreads like a wildfire or capitalizing on people’s fear, there is no doubt that the profit driven business models of these internet services can cause immeasurable harm.
The statistic about the increasing rate of suicide and self harm amongst adolescent girls since the inception of the internet was particularly alarming. Occasionally, I will open the augmented reality filters on Snapchat and several of them are particularly weird and funny, just perfect to send to friends. However, when I click on one of the beauty focused ones and then tap back to the regular camera view, I am startled by how “off” my own face looks. Imperfections are drastically highlighted in the contrast between the altered view, and reality. I experienced this in just a few moments of using my phone, so it’s not hard to imagine some of the more extreme cases of body dysmorphia that could occur through constant use of these filters.
In my opinion, companies should absolutely have regulations regarding their habits of data collection and the ways that they use said data. In a world where I don’t care to remember what I ate for lunch three days ago, it’s bizarre to think that an audio clip of me saying “Hey Google” when I was 13 years old still resides on a server somewhere, and likely still will long after I am dead. In general, I don’t think most people realize just how much of their data has been and continues to be farmed, as well as just how inescapable it all is.
Since the first time that I watched this doc last year, I have been much more conscious of my own interactions with my phone. I have aggressively analyzed and deleted apps that I no longer use, and removed many permissions from the apps that I do use. I disabled notifications for pretty much anything that isn’t a direct text message. Every time I check my phone, I try to do it with intention. If I unlock my screen, I already have a goal of what I am going to accomplish so that I don’t just swipe aimlessly checking things out of boredom. A smartphone is still something that can provide a lot of utility to us and it can be hard to live without, but by being aware of the powers it has over us, we can begin to reclaim a bit of our lives. As a whole I think the documentary makes a very compelling argument for at the very least being more cynical about the workings and intentions of large internet companies. As our real world and the online world become increasingly the same, we have to continue to adapt and always stay vigilant.
Responsibility of Social Media Companies
I had a history teacher in high school who claimed that America has the most beautiful economic system because there is not a clearly defined one. Despite many Americans labeling our system as purely capitalistic, we also incorporate socialist practices to ensure safety and education for every American. The only reason there is a discussion around limiting the free market is that the hungry algorithms designed by large social media companies are threatening the safety and education of Americans. What these corporations are selling is information on an individual’s behaviors, often without the explicit consent of its users. Oftentimes, consent is given through the terms and conditions of the apps, and companies claim that users have the choice of whether or not to use their apps. In present times it is impossible to interact with others normally, function in school, and perform in the work environment without the use of these companies. Because we cannot function without these technologies, presenting consent to their terms as an ultimatum should be considered to be coercion and therefore illegal. This being said, social media companies are simply functioning as they are designed for, which is to create the most profit. The responsibility for public safety needs to be entrusted to the United States government, and these growing issues need legislation that can pose a framework that social media companies can flounder to gain profits within. That way all systems are functioning within their intended function rather than constantly swaying in public opinion. This solution can look very different depending on the ideas of many legislators and the millions of voices that, ironically, echo through social media.
Week 6 Reading Questions
What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?
Ethnographic tools can give loads of data that allow the designer to determine how to design specifically for the users of particular ethnic and geographic groups. This is beneficial because it reduces the risk of offending people in a particular group, which would be bad for business as you would be losing part of your intended users. With that said, things like symbols, colors, words, among other things can play a huge role in how a brand or product is perceived in different geographic and ethnic areas.
At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose?
A design is never truly finished because things can always be improved. There is a point at which the designer needs to make a decision to either continue working, or consider it “finished.” In terms of dubbing it a success, it can be considered as such when it has solved the problem outlined in the beginning of the design process.
Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affected your use, relationship and experience with the product?
Even though it is extremely popular, the first thing that comes to mind is my reliance on Apple products. The integration between my phone, my laptop, my watch, and my camera all make for the perfect workflow with the products of theirs that I own, even if they aren’t the newest models. To clarify, I do not own an apple camera, besides the one on my phone of course, but apps and Bluetooth connection on the iPhone allows for easy connection and transferring of photos and other data that would be time consuming and clunky to do between different systems. Their branding has affected my use and experience with the products because it all has the same look, layout, and generally operates the same way. This makes me far more inclined to want to use Apple’s products compared to others because the seamless transition between devices. I would even go as far to say that using their devices feels more like using Apple as a company, not the device itself.
Week 1 Reading Questions
What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook?
The goals of Apple’s website is to sell their products, provide information to the consumer, and to maintain brand identity. They do this through the consistent use of font, color, and big and bright graphics that pull in the viewer. They present their product lineup with almost a “godlike” quality that puts their market above all others.
Apple addresses the needs of new users by providing links to support and ‘Learn More’ sections of the website near the top in the main menu bar or right near the name of the product on the screen, making it easy for anyone to find and navigate.
What are the functional specifications of your preferred social media’s home page? If you are not on social media what are the specs for google?
A functional spec of Instagram would be something along the lines of, “Only show unfollowed accounts to user if attention time, likes, and shares are growing 20% more than an average post.” What this means is that Instagram is using an algorithm in their system to make sure that all the followed content is shown to the user. However, IG wants to show new content to users if they think they will like it. They can use metric data from previous posts on a particular account and compare them to others to see if they should promote the post outside of the followers’ circle.
What are four architectural approaches to information design and organization? Find one example of each.
Hierarchal: Global Links nonprofit website
Matrix: Amazon or Ebay’s product listings
Organic: Wikipedia
Sequential: any checkout section of a commerce website (Best Buy)
What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy?
Huff Post has a very index, navigation-heavy page when you land in the website. The only content available are the headlines and photos that go with the article. However, that changes once you decide what you want to read. Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy, however, while being very different kinds of websites, all have very content-heavy pages.
How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important?
Initially it pulls the user in with the use of yellow as the main color on the page. Making everything one single color pulls the depth out of the photo and directs the eye to the text, which is the first thing they want the users to read and notice. The color is reintroduced after the header has been read and the rest of the browsing experience can begin.
Week 5 Readings – Ch. 1 & 2
What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?
Interaction design in made up entirely by the people who do it. Their ideas, research, intuition, eye for design, connections with people, experiences, education etc. All of these make up the inspiration for which a UX designer create a tool or product that will (ideally) flawlessly work the way it was intended to be used. However, it’s very rare that that happens the first time. This brings in the challenges. It is nearly impossible to think of every possible issue that could occur with a new product that has been designed. With that being said, one of the challenges in the industry is the constant evolution and testing loop that needs to occur to finish a product. Accompany that challenge with deadlines and you have a lot of pressure to produce quality work.
What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?
Interaction design in a relatively new field, introducing elements from many different disciplines and industries. Some of the first and most obvious fields are graphic design and web design, but it also pulls from psychology and most importantly, the users. The users’ thoughts and insight are the most important when it comes to development in the interaction design field.
The Social Dilemma Response
My thoughts on The Social Dilemma, despite a particularly clear standpoint on the responsibilities of the businesses mentioned, are incredibly mixed. While I’m happy that it brought a more prominent light to the serious issues that social media represents, it doesn’t offer very much else. It refuses to touch on a large portion of the causes, as it seems to fear it might get too political and touch on how big businesses become governments all to their own, refuse to treat people justly, and will use any loopholes possible to exploit human nature in favor of profit. It also contrasts what should be a deeply serious topic with a particularly poorly acted and melodramatic dramatization. The conclusion in itself doesn’t offer any answers to all of the questions, but it’s built in such a structure that has you convinced, particularly through the dramatization, that this problem is already being solved by the sheer realization alone that these things are incredibly negative. Still, after this movie has had its moment in the spotlight, these issues are more prominent than ever and are hardly being solved.
Week 5 Questions Response
What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?
Interaction design is creating products, systems, and services with user behavior in mind. Interactive media is more heavily technologically centered than human centered, and since there is so much that goes into the making of any design, the user’s goals and expectations may be overlooked at times.
What is interaction design, how it’s evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?
Interaction design is now an important consideration even for products that used to be quite simple, as digital components become cheaper and easier to implement into existing products. This design practice is closely tied to the fields of cognitive psychology and art.
Week 6 Questions Response
What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)
Observing real use of the website can give ideas for how people intuitively react to certain prompts or layouts. Some users may have biases such as already being familiar with another banking website, so the designers should account for what the user may already know and be accustomed to, even if it is not the most logical approach at first glance. This can be accomplished by interpreting user actions from market research, as well as gaining additional information from interviews and surveys.
At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)
A design is never truly finished because it can always be improved or iterated upon. The user needs or context of application of the design may change over time. Designs can, however, be subject to deadlines or other constraints that would cause them to be abandoned.
Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)
I am a frequent user of services designed by Google; almost all of the apps on my phone are made by them. Many of these are default apps that come preinstalled on the Android operating system and I quickly became accustomed to them so I never had the need to search for alternatives. Some, however such as a podcast app, I had to choose for myself. When confronted with those decisions, I still typically opt for the one provided by Google, as I am already familiar with the interface and layout that is consistent across their range of services and I can reasonably expect a certain level of quality. Being a creature of habit, this may even cause me to choose something I am accustomed to over an alternative that may provide more functionality.
Week 1 Questions Response
What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)
The primary goal of Apple’s website is to get you to purchase their products. It also emphasises its brand identity by being consistent with the clean look and colors seen in their products and stores. The landing page is mostly dedicated to showcasing their lineup. There is a link to the Support page prominently at the top right on the navigation bar that can be useful to a new MacBook user.
What are the functional specifications of your preferred social media’s home page? If you are not on social media what are the specs for Google? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements and Prioritizing Requirements)
The functional specifications of Google are primarily that it allows you to easily enter a search query. This field is large and placed front and center of the page, aside from which, the page is mostly empty space. There are of course links to some of Google’s other services and the user profile located in the top right corner.
What are four architectural approaches to information design and organization? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)
Hierarchical: RMU’s website
Matrix: Amazon product pages
Organic: Wikipedia
Sequential: Checkout process for an ecommerce purchase
What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)
Almost all of the Huffington Post’s index page is content, with only the navigation bar at the top and some links at the very bottom of the page, far out of the way. The same is true for Google and Etsy, with Wikipedia additionally having a small bar on the left edge of the page.
How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye)
The text on the landing page is boldly displayed towards the top of the page over a full page image that is mostly a single tone. A small arrow at the bottom center prompts the user to scroll down and as they do, the text fades, while the colors of the image shift to more vibrant hues. This fade in is used repeatedly as you progress down the page with new content becoming more visible as it nears the center of the page. The minimal navigation bar is hidden while scrolling down and only makes itself visible upon scrolling back up.
Elements of User Experience Response
- The website seems to emphasize, first and foremost, the sale of Apple products. Their most recent and updated products are put on display with sleek, advanced looking design choices to highlight them. Apple’s website provides a simplistic layout with visible options that can direct a new user of a MacBook to assistance in any way that they possibly can help, as well as solutions to frequently asked questions.
- Entry to instagram immediately makes a clear layout. The logo marks the top of the screen, paralleled by a square plus button, similar to the shape of the images that inhabit the main portion of the site (implying this button would add a new post), a heart button that has a red dot in its top right corner when you have a notification, and a button in the shape of a speech bubble with something that appears to be lightning in the middle, implying instant messaging. Immediately, the main portion of the website begins at the top left with your profile picture and text under it that reads, “Your Story,” which explains what the profile pictures to the right of yours mean: they are the stories of other users that you follow. Below that is the main content, which is an image that likely takes up a good half of the screen, as well as the username and profile picture of the user, a description under the image, and a comment section below the description with a date for how long ago the image was uploaded. The small bottom section of the screen is the navigation, which is separated into the home page, a magnifying glass signifying the, “explore,” page, a play button with the top of a clapboard on it for the, “reels,” a shopping bag for shopping, and your profile picture to show your own profile.
- The four listed architectural website approaches are:
- Hierarchal
- Newspaper Websites
- USA Today
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- New York Times
- Newspaper Websites
- Matrix
- Amazon
- Organic
- Wikipedia
- Sequential
- A majority of interactive documentaries
- Hierarchal
- The immediate opening to the page presents maybe 15% navigation, and as you scroll down, it represents much less. With the three bars on the side selected though, navigation becomes around 30% of the page’s makeup. Google’s navigation makes up maybe 5% of the top of the screen, 10% of the bottom of the screen, and the search bar takes up maybe 10% on its own. The screen has no content besides navigation. The wikipedia has a sidebar and navigation bar at the top that represent maybe 10% of a widescreen view with navigation. No matter the size of the page, the size of the navigation generally remains the same, allowing for the navigation to always have prominence. The majority of the screen is taken up with content that offers links to different areas on the site. Etsy offers navigation in the header and footer of the page. When scrolled to the top, the header is around 5% of the screen, where at the bottom, the footer navigation represents 25% of the visible content.
- Bold color choices distinguish what is most important at any given time, and even small areas of text are clustered in such a way that makes them an active presence on a page.
Week 5 Reading Questions
- Interaction Design is dialogue between a person and a product, system and/or service through the understanding of problem spaces and what people want and need. The industry provides challenges such as time constraints for project ideas/completion, deciding which problem needs solving, or the designer “being responsible for creating a product that affords, or encourages relationships between a product and a person in a very finite sense”. Chapter Seven also mentions “wicked problems” which are “a form of large-scale social or cultural problem that is difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements”.
- I answered what interaction design is above, but as for how it’s evolving, in Chapter Six it mentions how technology is beginning to become depended on in everyday activities. Kolko says, “Many people view Google or a similar search engine as an extension of themselves” which I see everyday. If you are having a conversation with someone and you both are unsure of a fact or statement that is made, someone simply pulls out their phone and google searches the question at hand. Interaction Design draws knowledge from a lot of user research data, which shows how people use technology on a daily basis and what their habits or tendencies when using technology are.