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Objectified Response

Objectified was an interesting watch and it reinforced a lot of my ideas as a designer. I didn’t know a lot about what professionals in my desired field did and being able to see their processes makes me feel a lot better about my own work ethic. For example, when these designers are brainstorming ideas they do a mind web and write down absolutely every idea on post-it notes and arrange them by category. That’s the method I’ve used for every single project, paper, and speech I’ve worked on. These designers also stress the significance of every little design choice, which I knew was important but didn’t realize just how important it was.

It was interesting to see how all the designers agreed and disagreed on points they were making. One designer said that you needed to remove as much as you can to keep a design simple, whereas another designer wanted to add things to make it more aesthetically pleasing. It’s unclear which is the correct way to do it, as both designers are highly regarded. But it’s interesting to see how they approach it, and I believe I’d rather remove as much as I can to keep it simple, because adding buttons on a couch merely for aesthetic purposes may not please everyone. I need to empathize with my users.

One big thing that changed about my view of design was the purpose of redesigning. Throughout my life, I never really pick up on problems with objects, I just think “well that’s just how it is and it works so it doesn’t need to change.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth, as anything can be redesigned, and probably should be. One example used in the film was hedge shears. An elderly woman was having issues cutting her hedges because her shears were bothering her arthritis. So the designers were able to redesign how the handle was shaped and this gave her a better grip, therefore removing the issue. As dumb as it sounds, I usually just assume things just are the way they are, and it’s pointless to redesign something.

Another thing I never realized was designing around the longevity of a product. One designer made it very clear that because iPhones are updated so often, they should be designed with biodegradable material. iPhones aren’t meant to last forever, there’s a new one nearly every year, so why are they designed to last so long? One might argue that we need them designed this was so they don’t break, but most people buy cases to protect their phones so that argument is out. If we’re going to buy cases to protect our phones anyway, why aren’t designers making them to be environmentally friendly so they aren’t piling up in dumps?

I used to see design as a way for the designer to communicate with the user, and I think that comes from my graphic design background. I thought of 2D posters or digital ads that were meant to persuade or inform. Now I think of design as a way for the designer to empathize with the user/viewer and effectively give them the information or product that they want so well that they don’t even realize it. For example, hedge shears should be designed so well that anyone of any age could use them without an issue, they don’t even realize how well it was designed, they merely use the product. Information should be so readily available and easy to find that the user doesn’t have to think about it. And the designer really has to empathize with users of all ages and backgrounds to make something that good.

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TOID: Ch. 3, 4 & 5 Response

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)

Ethnographic tools are tools that provide an alternative to traditional quantitative research. Tools such as interviews, observations, and surveys could help improve the interactivity of an online banking website by:

  • observe people using the website to see how they react to certain features
  • survey users to see if they trust the banking system
  • ask if they would refer the system to a friend/family member
  • watch users navigate the website to see if it functions the way you intended it to
  • conduct a personal satisfaction survey after the first use of the service
  • select several random users and interview about their experience using the website

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)

Designers are in the unique position to improve all aspects of human life. When designing a product, it is important to take into the consideration of the user first before the designer puts in theirs. A design is finished once it is functional, easily understood by those who didn’t make it, and it meets consumer needs. After these needs are met, the product is able to be used for human consumption. If the design is successful, it is well reciprocated by users, performs its intended purpose, and meets user needs. The purpose of the design is how designers plan on solving an issue or completing a task in front with their design and how it will impact users in the long run.

 

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding effected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)

Ever since I was in elementary school, I was surrounded by Apple products. I was taught how to type on a Mac Desktop computer and was awarded an iPad in Middle school when our school was chosen to test a system develop online learning. I have never once tested or used an Android product because my heart and my opinion has always been set around Apple products. I find it annoying when people don’t have iPhones so I can’t send them emojis. I hate people who don’t know how to navigate through my computer as well as I can. I think PC’s are chunky and unnecessarily large. But the funniest part is, I don’t know why I feel this way. The Apple brand has played a huge role in developing the kind of technology I use and how efficiently I use it. I know how to use universal programs such as Microsoft Word much easier on Mac computers than I do PCs. I 100% will always be an Apple user until someone proves there is something better out there for me (which is very unlikely).

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Objectified Response

Objectified is a documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and with the people who design them. It takes a deeper look into the creativity behind developing everything from household items to tech gadgets. The film documents the creative processes of some very influential product designers and how we can learn from what they do and enhance our lives just through design.

While watching the film, there was one particular quote that stuck in my mind and resonated with me for the rest of the film: “Almost everything that fills our world has been designed.” I had never really thought about how everything I use everyday was designed for a reason. Although the film touched upon items like computers, phones, chairs, vacuums and toothbrushes, every single item we use has been designed for a reason. The objects we use every day “reflect a personal narrative.” From what brands we wear to what color pencils we use, every aspect of design is communicated through how and when we use a product. “Good design is aesthetic, honest, obstructive, long-lived, and consistent.” As our demand for the newest and trendiest items increase, so does the supply. Companies are constantly developing new ways to enhance what has already been made. Watch designers in the documentary find new ways to change old products was truly intriguing and hopefully, some of the film’s ideas will become popular trends in the near future.

There is no telling what the future of design holds for our world, but if Objectified was any indicator, there are endless possibilities waiting to be explored and there is no stopping it.

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Objectified Response

Objectified was a very intriguing documentary to me. It helped point out things about designing that I have not given a lot of thought to, such as how much design goes into objects and how everything we interact with was designed very specifically to meet the needs of the user. Designers have to think about the majority of people that will be using the objects and design for them and not the individual. While I do believe this is important, I also think sometimes focusing on the individual can help pinpoint problems and can help identify problems that a mass of people are experiencing. This would be like the peeler that is designed in the documentary for arthritis. It can be hard for them to use small and simple objects, but without the husband noticing his wife struggling, it would not have been brought to the attention of designers as a problem that needed a solution.

The documentary also brought up some questions about design that I had not given thought to previously. For example, what will happen to the design, as not everything lasts forever? What happens when it serves it’s purpose? It can be hard to create something that eventually fades from existence, so how do you create something that stands the test of time? This may be related to environmentally friendly materials that will not harm the environment when disposed of, but also should make designers think of it’s usefulness now and whether it will still be needed or it will become obsolete by users. Building things to be permanent was once normal, as disposing of these objects was not thought of as a problem a while back.

I also found it very interesting how the designers personality comes to play. From talking about the first time a designer saw an Apple product and the amount of personality it had, to the authenticity of the product to what it is. This would be like the faces on the cars and how humanistic elements are being handled on inanimate objects. The design should be, as mentioned in the documentary, authentic to what it is, emotionally and functionally.

One thing that really hopped out to me is that the individual character being given to something that is mass produced can be hard, and that’s what designers should be looking for. With art, if you like something or are moved by it, it is affecting you personally because that moment comes to you as you are viewing the art. Designers should strive for that kind of emotional impact on the users, especially because the objects are used so often they become a part of “the family.” People attach memories to objects, and as the one designer mentions, we can hold on to objects longer because of this by remembering them as “the chair dad always sat in,” or “the vase that mom always used.”

I also found it particularly interesting that we design from familiarity as well. It was mentioned that cameras were designed at first due to film, but now, even though that design isn’t necessary, we still use the same shape of cameras for DSLR’s even though it does not necessarily need to be that way. We notice bad design, from poorly designed hotel rooms and chairs, and we are uncomfortable but do not fix it. We do not give much thought to the tools and objects we are using, even though they have been designed for us.

Design is much broader of a topic than I originally thought and this documentary helped bring some of the aspects of design to my attention. I particularly liked the variety of designers and how they all spoke of their own personal ways of designing, but they were all mostly saying the same thing. I love that design is so personalized but at the same time so consistent.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design Response Chapter 3,4,5

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?

The ethnographic tool is used to understand what peoples do and why they do it. It is often used to observe the user with their interaction within their normal environment. The tool can help designers identify problems with the existing designs. If I was to use the ethnographic tool to help me improve the interactivity of an online banking website, the tool would be able to me understand how people work, play and live, and identify why people do things they do with the product, service or system. By using the ethnographic tools, I would be able to know what our users use the online banking website mainly for and what the banking website could do for them to make them interact with the website more.

 

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp. 54-62)

A design can never be finished, one could work on it and think it is finished but it is not considered finished until the user considers it finished. If the user thinks that there is a design problem or cannot navigate or understand the product/concept then the design is not finished. What makes a design successful is if the design can interact with the user and create a dialogue that has can create an emotion with the user. A design’s purpose is to help the user engage in a conversation fluidly.

 

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding effected your use, relationship and experience with the product? (pp. 78-84)

A product family that I use regularly is Apple. I use their phone, tablet, laptops, and Macs. When I use my Apple products, I feel safe and secured. I think my products are reliable and they will do what I want it to do and more. Sometimes I even find new things to learn about it. The branding has affected my use by giving me that safety and draws me in to their new products and only stay in their family. I feel like because I used Apple on the daily, I feel as though I could not go to another product family because I feel like I am cheating on the company. When I get a new product from Apple, I always get excited because I know that I would not be disappointed with the product and the products are always so sleek and innovative.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design Response Questions

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

Interaction design, as defined by the textbook, is “ a creative process focused on people.” What this means is it’s a dialogue between the product and the user. Interaction design focuses on satisfying as many users as the design/product/service can. Interaction designers focus on usability and instead of just analyzing the details of what they are designing for, they instead imagine how they could be and what they could evolve to. While usability is a big part, it is just a portion of the large set of characteristics that become important during the dialogue that is interaction design.

Industry challenges could be, as mentioned in the book, how hard the designers job is compared to the artist. While the artist creates mostly for a reaction, a designer (and specifically an interaction designer) has to work for a function and understand all aspects of the product and how they affect the users. This requires more time and a specific way of thinking that requires deeper thought into the problems and benefits of the product they are creating.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

Interaction design is about the user, and focused on their needs. This means there has to be communication between the designer and user so the needs and wants of the user are implemented into the final product. This means that a strong purpose is needed for the designs to succeed, as there has to be a benefit to the user. Interaction designers are continuing to try to understand and alter what people do, how they feel, and what they think. The book states that because of this manipulation, the behavior is tightly related to power, politics, and control.

This means it draws knowledge from psychology and sociology, especially because it is so focused on how people act and why they act the way that they do. It is also important that designers know how to create the designs they are making so knowledge is also drawn from developers, engineers, and similar fields that create physical products that interaction designers are trying to create.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design Response

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

Interaction Designers are doing more than using technology to solve a problem. They are an expect on how human beings relate to each other, to the world, and to the changing nature of technology and business. Their creations should become vehicles to provide a dialogue between the designer and the viewer. This design is a dialogue. And getting to the point where a designer can honestly form a dialogue with a user is hard. There are six steps: Define, discover, synthesize, construct, refine, and reflect. These steps allow the designers to properly hypothesize scenarios and interactions that will exist with their product as well as evaluate what aspects of the design either need to be implemented or removed. This is important as hypothesizing scenarios allows the designers to contemplate their users. Empathizing with their users is important as interaction design is about humanity. The products should be focused on the human users, not the technology used to create the product.

Some unique challenges arise due to the human focus of the field. The industry is currently focused on technology, as it’s rapidly growing and there’s so much to know and do in order to become successful. So when hiring designers, they make job postings about HTML, Java, the Adobe Suite, and so on instead of what really matters: the ability to empathize with the user. And empathizing with a user isn’t as easy at it sounds either, it’s truly a tough task. A designer can only go so far before they need to do testing with their prototypes with real users. Designers will always believe that their designs are good because they know everything about them and have spend hours navigating the ins and outs of their work. Real users are never that involved in a product. The product should be able to effectively communicate with the user without distracting or humiliating them. A good design does not make a user feel stupid. A good design should be a perfect interaction between user and product, like an old, married couple that don’t even need to speak to understand each other. And the industry just doesn’t understand that. They hear interaction design and assume they have a computer scientist and graphic designer all in one, which leads them to focus on the technology and less about the people.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

“Interaction design is a creative process focused on people” (page 20.) It is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product. The dialogue doesn’t need to be lengthy and involved, as we interact with a number of things naturally without even realizing it. The way we sit in chairs, how we hold our silverware, if we use just one strap or both when we sling our backpacks on our backs… these are all interactions. We may not do what was intended by the designers, which is why design is seen in the fourth dimension, which includes time. Over time we will act differently with our products or we may not even interact with them at all. Landfills are just filling up with iPhones and dead technology because there’s nothing about it to keep it around. It’s not intended to last. And this is why interaction designers are working on better ways to communicate with their audience to create products that will meet user needs and become devices that no longer trouble or inhibit the user from completing their tasks.

Interaction design draws knowledge from several fields. Computer Science, Psychology, Engineering, and Graphic Design are the main fields. Designers must be able to interact with the user on any platform, with a physical product or through the use of technology. They need to be able to understand and empathize with the behavior of their users, to the point where they understand their users better than they understand themselves. And finally, they need to be able to engineer and construct products that match the vision they have created and ensure that the product properly converses with the user in an effective and clear manner.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design Ch. 1 and 2 Responses

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

An interaction design must include a goal-drive design which focuses on personas, user scenarios and experience maps. Usability is also important; the product must be intuitive and reliable before it can be used by users. Learnability, so that the interfaces would feel more natural and more usable with less distractions. The interface should also be quick at responding so that it would feel like a real conversation for the user. Some of the industry’s challenges would be trying to create convergent products that are easy to use and pleasant to encounter; however, as the physical and digital product development evolves, the only differentiator in service would be the cost. Not only should the design be easy to use, the design should also have a strong emotive aspect to engage the user.

What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

Interaction Design is the dialogue between person and product, system, or service. The dialogue is both physical and emotional in nature. The dialogue is manifested in form, function and technology. Interaction is evolving because interaction used to be intangible. Interaction design impressed users with simple interactions with unexpected to animation, but now it became a required feature with the interface. New interaction designs continue to arise as new technologies are developed. Interaction design draws its knowledge from the field of psychology because interaction design uses the cognitive, memory, and perception from it to create designs for the user.

 

 

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TOID: Ch. 1 & 2 Response

  1. What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry challenges?

Interaction Design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and product, service, or system. It is complied with many different aspects; some of which include media accessibility and usability, user understanding and learning ability, and physical and emotional dialogue between user and design. Although the concept is growing, there have been some challenges within the industry as a whole. The novel expressed the theory of “The User Is Not Like Me.” Sometimes, it is hard for designers to take into consideration the wants of a user since they are the ones designing the product. It is important to remember who you’re designing for and what they may want from you. Just because a design works for its creator does not mean it may work for everyone else. In return, it may become challenging for designers to be new and innovative with ideas and concepts. With demand for new media and technology growing at an alarming rate, it tends to be difficult to be new and creative; one of the biggest challenges of the industry is the industry itself.

2.  What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

As stated previously, interaction design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and product, service, or system. As demand for media evolves, so does the media itself. People are beginning to experiment with new ideas and concepts and incorporate more cultural and personal aspects into their designs. It draws knowledges from fields like computer software development, behavioral studies, data analytics, and construction (but on a different, non-building sky scrapers kind of way). It utilizes parts of each of these fields to effectively create new ideas and concepts.

 

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Thoughts on Interaction Design: Chapters 1 & 2

What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?

  • There are Six Core Components in the process of design that Kolko defines (Page 22) as follows:
    • Define- team building; technical assessment; hypothesizing
    • Discover- contexts; benchmarking; user needs
    • Synthesize- process maps; opportunity map; frameworks; personas; scenarios
    • Construct- features and functions; behavior; design language; interactions and flow models; collaborative design
    • Refine- evaluation; scoping; interaction; specification
    • Reflect – post mortem; opportunity map; benchmarking; market acceptance
  • Some Challenges in the Industry:
    • Discovering the needs and wants of potential users. Needs and wants of users is not always made completely obvious. These “hidden wants, needs, and desires” are things that designers need to dig for and design for in advance. The potential user is not always like the designer, therefore, the designer needs to design for the audience and not themselves. Designers cannot be selfish. Going to the Users is often the best way to figure out how they will move within an app/design.
    • Staying focused within the context of the project sometimes proves to be a challenge. Designers want to be able to have everything, but the book makes it a point to stay focused to find more detailed information.
    • I don’t know if this is a challenge, but the book mentions divergent thinking. Kolko says that is can sometimes be tricky because it can get very complicated very fast, but it can often lead to extremely innovative ideas.
    • Benchmarks for success for prototypes and user testing is muddy. There is always a lot of self-criticizing and this makes it harder for designs/projects to get off of the ground and into further production.

 

What is interaction design, how it’s evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?

  • Interaction Design:
    • Design that is honed in on the way something or someone (the user) will interact with the technology and functions of the technology. The function is paid attention to just as much as the physical appearance of the system. Interaction design uses function and design elements to make a system work efficiently and effectively for the desired user.
  • How Interaction Design is Evolving:
    • Other fields have to be involved. Outside sources need to be considered and consulted. As answered in the next question, interaction designers draw knowledge from other fields to help improve the function and reception of their work. By outside sources, I mean other companies. With the app that we have been working on in class, like many other apps that already exist, we would need to consult with gas companies and convenient stores to come up with a points system that they would all agree upon. Then we would have to get them all using the same type of technology to make out app function at its full capacity and properly. There is more than just the design that goes into the success of an interaction designer’s project.
  • Fields that Interaction Design Draws Knowledge from:
    • There is a lot of mention in the book about pulling information and knowledge from graphic designers, industrial designers, and user interface developers. These fields all bring forth knowledge about design, technology, and user experience to help strengthen interaction designers’ work.

 

Source: Kolko, J. (2011). Thoughts on interaction design: A collection of reflections. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Morgan Kaufmann.

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Narrative Description of App

Jerome is having a bad day. This day is only made worse by waking up to an empty gas tank, not being able to pay at the gas pump, and having to wait in line with other grouchy customers for a cashier that isn’t the fastest at ringing people up.

These problems could easily have been solved with an all-in-one app for gas.

The app would be designed for the users needs when it comes to gas stations and an easier time filling your gas tank, along with information and other services. Features are available but can be turned off easily as to not overwhelm the user with unnecessary features, creating a personalized experience.

The app would allow people to pay for their gas quickly with no need to pull out specific membership cards, as they would already be programmed into the app by the user. This helps to avoid errors while paying, along with creating a more time efficient experience.

Another main feature of the app is it’s connection to the user’s gas tank. The user can allow notifications for when their tank is getting low. By having this ability, the user will not be surprised when running late to work with an unexpected stop at the gas station.

The app also caters to saving money for the users. Not only can the app provide up to date information on prices of gas at different stations, it can also connect with the fuel perks and other membership cards to save money for the user. This allows them to compare not only the prices, but the benefits they receive and how best to utilize them.

Now, how exactly does this app work?

By connecting with your bank information in an “apple wallet” way, we safely and securely store your information. Having a dedicated user base to update gas prices, along with the developers, information is always accurate and readily available.

By just tapping the phone to the pump, the app and pump communicate to receive information on the receipt (how many gallons, prices, etc.) and the pump receives membership programs, gift cards, credit card payment, or preloaded amounts. This allows full accessibility to different payment types.