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Objectified- Allee Thompson

  1. Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

I agree with what the German designers says. I agree because designers and producers need to think clearly about how a product is being created and manufactured. Not just producing something in mass just to put something out. I also agree with his “good design is…” statements.

  1. Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

I thought that design had to be something very visually stunning all the time. There have been products that never fully change after each update. Those updates and changes are subtle but they try to be better than before. Now a design just has to be functional and visually appealing.

  1. Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

I would define design by saying that design is a process that includes drawing a future product, testing the design, revising the design, and then finally finalizing the design and producing. It has changed because I always thought that design was something visual and artistic rather than a process.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design 1&2- Allee Thompson

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

Interaction design is made up from a designer, technology, and communication between a consumer and designer. Some industry challenges would be tight budgets and lack of creative freedom from companies.

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

Interaction design is the creation of communication between a person and a product or system. It changes as the communication changes. It changes when consumer and clientele needs change. It draws from cognitive psychology.

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AR Questions – Danica Teodoro

Grocery/Nutrition Experiences

  1. Tell me about your typical day.
  2. Tell me about how you fit grocery shopping into your schedule.
  3. Tell me about the foods you most often buy at the grocery store.
  4. Tell me a funny story about when you forgot what you were supposed to buy.
  5. What aspects of grocery shopping do you love? You hate?
  6. Tell me about past experiences that made you feel this way about shopping.
  7. Tell me about a time you impulse-bought at the grocery store. Tell me about your last impulse buy?
  8. Tell me about the last time you had difficulty finding an item in the grocery store.
  9. How do choose what grocery store to go to?
  10. Tell me about what keeps you loyal to your favorite grocery store.
  11. How does nutrition play a part in your life?
  12. Tell me what you look for in nutrition information before buying a product?
  13. Tell me about your experiences with any nutrition changes or diets you’ve tried in the past? 
  14. When you follow a specific diet or follow dietary restrictions, tell me about how you obtain and prepare those foods.
  15. Tell me about your interest in eating a healthy diet.

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AR Questions – Hannah Kerber

  1. What do you like about traveling? Tell me about what you enjoyed most about your last trip?
  2. How does traveling make you feel? Tell me about the last time traveling made you feel… Stressed / Excited / Overwhelmed / Adventurous
  3. What’s a trip that you’d like to go on? If you could travel anywhere, and money was no object, tell me about your ideal trip?
  4. What do you like about flying? Tell me about the last flight you enjoyed.
  5. What do you dislike about flying? Tell me about the last flight you couldn’t wait to get off of.
  6. How do you feel when you’re in the air on a plane?
  7. How does traveling, in general, make you feel?
  8. What’s your favorite trip that you’ve been on?
  9. How do you prepare to fly? What are is your pre-travel routines?
  10. In what ways is driving better than flying?
  11. In what ways is flying better than driving?

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Chapter 6 Response

One of the most important concepts, which I read about in chapter 6 of “Thoughts on Interaction Design”, is that interaction designers must be able to “advocate for humanity at all levels” (p. 94). This advocating involves educating people about various skills, apart from that of analog skills, in order to understand the digital culture of today. Since design is largely focused on technology, it’s important for designers to be able to take a step outside of it in order to create. Interaction design is about so much more than just technology. It’s about understanding the culture we’re in and the changes that go along with it, in order to be able to meet the needs of various users. By acknowledging the presence of norms in our society, designers can help to change, contribute to, move, and even shape these norms, which are responsible for cultural change, in a positive way. This is just one way that design can be used to help the everyday man, It helps to reshape the way people view, react, and respond the experiences going on around them.

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Ch. 6 Response

Madisyn Kovach

Designing for New Media Ch. 6 Notes

  • The Designer as Persuader 
    • A designer associates and embeds existing words into his design, which then becomes a proxy for the designer himself. This view of design language is the view of designer as persuader.
    • Buchanan argues that designers can not help but persuade, and technology is often used as smoke and mirrors to insert an empty dialogue. 
    • Rhetorical argument implies a sense of purpose: “Indeed, design is an art of communication on two levels: It attempts to persuade audiences not only that a given design is useful, but also that the designer’s premises or attitudes and values regarding practical life or the proper role of technology are important, as well.”
  • Designed Artifacts Identify an Underlying Culture
    • Product form language is the basis for how people generate and interpret their surroundings.
    • This has great implications for the design of mass-produced items 
    • The Interaction Designer shapes culture directly through the creation of new visual form language.
  • The Honesty of Poetic Interactions 
    • Honesty is a difficult word to discuss as applied to product development, as it brings to mind issues of ethics, morality, and the basic axioms of humanity
    • Frequently, business decisions are made with a great deal of thought and consideration, yet the dissemination of these goals is thwarted by tiers of middle management that twist and convolute both the decision and the rationale for that decision.  
    • A designer needs to be present in the boardroom, where these decisions are made.
  • Providing a Vivid and Refined Attention to Sensory Detail
    • In addition to honesty and mindfulness, a vivid and refined attention to sensory detail can be thought of as the last necessary element to encourage a poetic and resonant Interaction Design.

Thoughts on Interaction Design:

I honestly like the thought of interaction design. I like the parts of thinking digital products, environments, systems, and services that could interest the user. I always enjoy thinking about how I could make devices easier for the user when I am using that device. The only thing that I am really not a fan of is the actually coding of the design. I was never a huge fan of coding on dreamweaver so I don’t think I would like actually creating the device. I only like coming up with different ideas and designing the page attractively. This is how I feel about interaction design.

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Objectified Response

Madisyn Kovach

Designing for New Media

When watching Objectified, I did not really disagree with anyone’s comments.  The person that I agreed with most was Alice Rawsthon. One of the things that she mentioned about design that really stayed in my head was when she stated that “when you wake up, everything has been designed one way or another.”  I feel like I agree with this one the most because just think about what you look at in the morning. Some things that I look at include my phone, clothing, toothbrushes, and coffee. If you think about these objects, they all have a logo or design that people know of.  If you think about design, it is all over the world around us. This is why I felt like her quote really left the biggest impact.  

I feel like Paola Antonelli’s objective made me look at design a little differently than how I used to look at it.  Her objective stated to change the perception of design, making sure that people are aware of the importance of design in everyday life.  Now that I think about it, I feel like people should be looking looking at how important design is. Sometimes when I tell people what my major is, they will give me a funny look and ask what that is and how will I be successful in life.  Design is used in everyday life and I feel like people should be aware of that.  

I would say design is made to attract or detract your eye, to help pull you over to something or ignore it.  Design was created to make you look at something for a long period of time, or quickly catch your eye.  The more natural things appear, the easier they are to read. The most important things in my opinion are the readability and usability.  These are all a part of the purpose-built experience. I used to think that the purpose of design was to make everything beautiful, but it turns out, that’s not really true. The purpose of design is much more closely linked to strategy than aesthetics. Design is the process of intentionally creating something while simultaneously considering its purpose, function, economics, sociocultural factors, and aesthetics.  Design is very important and I feel like people should try and describe their own way of design more often.

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Chapter 6 Response -Allee Thompson

Cultural norms seems to factor into the creation of products. Products are created and produced for the society they live in. That may not end so well because it can sacrifice the real need for functionality of a device. Even though a decision may seems small it can have a big impact on public and the device in the future. It was very interesting to see all the different things people have created within this chapter like One Laptop Per Child.

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“Objectified” Response – Hannah Kerber

After watching “Objectified”, I have a better understanding of the importance of design.  One statement, from the documentary, that really stood out to me was the idea that design helps us to “understand ways to improve everyday life.”  I like this thought because it really captures the importance of design.  Design isn’t just about creating something that’s pleasing to the eye, but it’s about creating tools to help make life easier for the consumer.  This thought brings more meaning to the way that I view design.   It helps me to shift my focus from the creative aspect of design to a more purposeful outlook of design building.  Another thought, by one of the designers, that changed my thinking is the idea that design involves what’s going to happen next, as opposed to what’s already taken place.  I think this is an interesting perspective to keep in mind.  Since design is about being innovative and creative, with the purpose of making life easier, it makes sense that designers should focus more on the future instead of the past. If designers want to create a product that’ll enrich the lives of their consumers, then they need to look towards the future of design.  They can do this by thinking outside of the box in order to create something new.  They can’t create a new design if their main focus is on what’s been done already.  Design should always be moving forward, not backwards.  However, I don’t think designers should ignore this all together.  It is important that designers take note of what worked and didn’t work in past designs.  By studying old designs, designers are able to gain a better knowledge of what their consumers want and how they can improve designs for the future.  All that being said, I believe that design is best described as a tool that enhances everyday life through the use of creative processes.  In other words, I like to think of design as art with a purpose.  Not only does it allow one to practice their creativity, but it also gives them a chance to make a difference as well.  That thought is something that I never really focused much on until recently.  I knew that design could help people, but I always focused more on the creative aspect of it.  Watching “Objectified” really helped me to realize just how big of a role design plays in helping to enrich our everyday lives. 

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“Objectified” Documentary Response – Danica Teodoro

Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?

I agreed with almost all of the designer’s statements. None of them spoke about anything that caught me off guard or I didn’t agree with. The first thing that I agreed with was right off the bat, design editor Alice Rawsthorn mentioned how “almost everything is designed one way or another” at 4:12. I agree with this and I don’t feel that many other people see things this way. As a graphic design student, people often say to me “what can you do with that degree?” I love to tell people and make them realize that everything is design so they don’t think design is a dumb career choice anymore. Dieter Rams, former design director says that “Good design is long-lived” at 12:51. I agree with this statement. A lot of designs now are sold with the intention of having a shorter lifespan. Although these products are probably sold more because they are “trendier,” I truly think a good design is meant to last. 

Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?

As I am still very new to being a design student, I am constantly learning more about it and beginning to think more from a designer’s view. Many of the designers made statements that truly made me change the way I think about design. The first is a statement by design curator Andrew Blauvelt. He explains at about 5:05 how a design may be used in different ways in different cultures and that there is a context that comes with a culture that makes the design makes sense. Also, Dan Formosa, responsible for design and research, said at 6:16 to look and design for the extremes on the user spectrum and everything else will fall in place. I would have never thought of this strategy but will take this advice when designing in the future. Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design, said something in his interview around 14:30 that made me realize that when we doubt or try to find solutions, even if it is in our mind, that we are designing. The last statement that changed the way I think about design is another one by Andrew Blauvelt. At 21:56 he says how the relationship to a Roomba is different. There is no human interaction relationship, but it is to the room it is cleaning. It was different for me to think like this. Before, I just assumed or didn’t really think that design could be made with no human interaction in mind. Overall, this documentary was very eye-opening for me in the way I see design.

Each designer interviewed for “Objectified” defined how they see Design, how would you define design and how has that definition changed?

The way I would define design is something that is made for the wants or needs of someone’s daily life. It should be easy to use and understand. The graphic designer in me also believes that everything should be very aesthetic, as well. A statement by Dieter Rams, former design director says that “Good design is long-lived” and I think this is true. To me, design should be creating something new, even if it is just an interface or surface-level change. I’m not sure that my definition of design has changed from this documentary, but my perspective definitely has. Watching it has made me more aware of how I deem a design as good or bad and how I see it in general.

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Different Questions for Users of Amusement Parks

Madisyn Kovach

Designing for New Media

Questions:

  • Tell me a story about your favorite time at an amusement park.
  • What scares you about rollercoasters? – Are there any rides you avoid at amusement parks and why?
  • What is you favorite type of ride? – Which are the rides you ride the most or most willing to wait in a long line for?
  • What made your thoughts on rollercoasters change? Is there a ride you were once afraid of, but now ride?
  • Tell me about your favorite food experience in an amusement park.
  • What is your favorite part about visiting an amusement park?
  • I get the feeling you are excited about rollercoasters. Tell me about your favorite rollercoaster.
  • I imagine you are scared of rollercoasters. Tell me about your scariest experience and what made you scared of them now. – What is it about rollercoasters that you find scary?
  • Tell me about a time you were nervous before riding a rollercoaster.
  • Tell me about the best photo that was taken of you on a ride
  • Tell me about a time that you felt unsafe on a ride.
  • What was your first amusement park experience like?
  • Who are the people that you go to the amusement park with often?

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Danica Teodoro – Interaction Design

Interaction design plays an important role in the lives of the common consumer. While it has only been well recognized within the last two decades or so, interaction design has been around for much longer. Most people do not understand what interaction design is and do not realize that interaction design is implemented into almost everything. However, it can be recognized through the senses, whether through visual stimulation, touch, or sound.

 The benefits and value in interaction design are so important that it is defined as the very first sentence of the book itself “Interaction design is the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, service, or system” (Kolko, Connors, 2010, p. 11). Some things to consider when reflecting on interaction design is that it “shapes human behavior” in a never-ending cycle. Much of the influence for designs comes from behavior and then is redesigned based on that behavior. An interaction designer combines the artistic thoughts of an artist with the form and technicality of designers.

Interaction design draws from many industries. Many people aren’t even sure which it belongs to because defining where the field belongs gets a little bit cloudy. It is often recognized in art, engineering, and business strategy, but is a part of so many more. Interaction design also pulls from the thought processes through psychology so it makes sense that it also gets confused with this field as well. 

Some other difficulties and challenges that the interaction design industry faces is with coming up with something new and fast. The competition for technological advances is hard, as you always want to be the first. This can cause it not to be the best ergonomically or functionally. Convergent product design is also a major problem. As interactive design in engineering and psychology start to merge with new technology, the job of the designer becomes more difficult. Other countries such as China and India are becoming especially good at the technology and form it takes to have a well-developed outcome, so the United States is left with figuring out the best ways to fuse the two (Kolko, Connors, 2010, p. 23).

The benefits of new innovations in technology and an increased need for interaction designers heavily outweigh the disadvantages of the industry. With the growing exposure to these interactions, I believe people will become more familiar with the industry and will gain an interest in it as well. 

Reference:

Kolko, J., & Connors, C. (2010). Thoughts on interaction design: a collection of reflections. Burlington (MA): Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, an imprint of Elsevier.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design: Chapters 3,4,5 – Danica Teodoro

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

Ethnographic tools can help people to see what is working in a design and what isn’t. Sometimes journey mapping can be a great tool to help plan how a user could use the product in “real life” scenarios. An example of how an online banking website could use ethnographic tools is through analytics. Through analytics of a website, you can find the number of page views and view time, and compare this to other times. This can help to identify what was the most successful and least successful parts of the site and how people navigate through the site itself. This can be important when thinking about redesign and updates for the site in the future. 

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

A design is almost never finished. It can only be “finished” when it satisfies all of the client’s needs or when it has to be completed by a certain deadline. Even when a piece is “done,” there can always be updates or improvements to be made. As technology is always changing and evolving, designs and trends follow. A successful design is one that is functional in relation to its purpose and is easy for the user to comprehend. The purpose of a good design is to leave the user with a design that will do a task for the user or better their life. 

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)

My family is mixed between technology brands, but personally, I am an avid Apple user. I got my first Apple iPhone about three years ago because my Motorola one was old and I wanted to “fit in.” It seemed everyone in school had an iPhone at the time, so I decided to try it out. After that initial purchase, I realized how much I liked the interface and brand experience and never turned back. Even when I was inexperienced with Apple devices, the familiarity I got from both the website and friends helped me gain familiarity and grow confidence in the brand. Since then, I have bought the iMac to use in college because I realized that many people in the creative industry use them. I noticed this through the recommendations from professors, friends, and through social media. Last winter, I also bought an iPad Pro in place of a laptop so I could have the drawing aspect as well as most of the functions of a basic computer. I feel these products are really useful for graphic designers and to use in daily life. Apple did well in marketing that they are meant to allow you to express yourself. Also, the branding really helped to convince me that I was buying the right product. It is advertised that it is easy to sync all devices with each other, which was a big selling point for me. They also are known for their great customer service and have a lot of information on the products on their website that help you to solve many problems yourself. This takes the inconvenience of waiting out of the picture. These views helped me establish a positive feeling towards the brand and their products. 

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Thoughts on Interaction Design: Chapters 3-5 (Reading Response)

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

According to “Thoughts on Interaction Design” (p. 48), an ecosystem diagram is “a visual representation of a system or brand, commonly used to describe a set of user engagement points.”  The tools that an ethnographic system can give in helping to improve an online banking service are important to keep in mind.  These tools may include providing the customer with a roadmap that visually shows them how each function on the site works together, provides insight on how to interact with each banking feature, highlights the most important functions on the website, and helps the user to understand how each feature comes together to make online banking easier.  Another tool that they might use is a journey map.  A journey map “describes the sequence users go through, over time, as they encounter the various facets of the ecosystem diagram” (“Thoughts on Interaction Design” p. 50).  Similar to the ecosystem diagram, a journey map might provide the user with information on how to use the website through various visual representations.  For example, it might show the user how to connect their bank account to the online banking website, how they can set up their online banking, and so much more. I think it’s important to understand that these tools exist and how they work together because banking is an important job that needs to be done right.  Without these tools, to help the banking website run smoothly, the user may have a hard time understanding how to use the site, and therefore, they might mess up their banking account or make a mistake that could cost them later on. 

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

Designs are never fully finished.  There’s always room to improve and expand on them.  Since technology is always growing and the wants of users are always changing, a design is never fully complete.  However, I do believe that there’s a certain point where there’s no room left for improvement.  In that case, a design might be done when it has met the wants and needs of the consumer and/or has reached a point where re-working it would overcomplicate it or distract it from its purpose.  A successful design is a design that meets the wants and needs of the consumer.  It responds well to change, and it only gets better with time.  In order for a design to stay a success, it must be able to meet the consumer where they are, give them what they want, and show them what they need.  The purpose of design is to enhance the lives of the consumer by providing them with tools and experiences that’ll help them to improve their daily lives.    

3) 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)

One product family that I use on a regular basis are Apple devices.  I really like their products because Apple systems are very easy to use. Their branding really has effected the way that I use their products.  The first Apple product that I ever got was an iPod.  I remember that I was so excited to get it because I saw how much Apple promoted it and how cool it looked.  I mean who doesn’t want a music player with a screen that allows you to scroll through music or shows?!  Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on Apple products.  I think what makes apple such a success is the experience that it provides for the user.   Take the iPhone, which I use on a daily basis, for example.  Not only does it function as a cell phone, allowing me to call and text people, but it also acts as my own personal music device and search engine as well.  The app store, on Apple devices, is a great tool for helping to sell the brand.  With so many different apps to choose from, it enhances the user experience by giving them a network for engaging with different services.  I love the fact that I can easily connect with my family and friends through apps like Instagram or Facebook.  The app store also provides me with various design tools as well, such photo editing or video making apps.  These apps really help to enhance and build my relationship with the brand.  They do this by giving me a place to stay in touch with the social world and also encouraging me to use my creative skills. Additionally, Apple is also very good at making information readily available for their users.  On their website, for example, they provide a support page for each Apple product to help the user navigate through the different features of their device.  This is a great branding technique which sets Apple apart from other brands. When it comes to Apple, the needs and wants of the users always come first.  This is what makes my experience and relationship with their products so positive. 

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Ch 3,4,5 Response

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

By researching and developing both an ecosystem diagram and a journey map, an online banking website could better understand the process by which their site interacts with other products and their users throughout its “life”. An ecosystem map may be able to identify how the website performs on a desktop or laptop versus a tablet or mobile phone. It may also show how the website itself interacts with the physical bank and the bank’s accounting system. The journey map is better suited to illustrating how users of the website will be able to find information they want (how much they have in savings, checking, etc) and how to handle to potential issues (canceling a debit card, changing a PIN number, etc). The journey map can highlight the major points of each user’s interaction of the website from start to finish, including any system errors that may occur.

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

A design is finished when its users desire no more improvement, which is almost never. The aesthetic part of design constantly changes with time regardless, as fashion trends grow and recede with time. A successful design allows each user to have “an experience” in which said user is able to track the narrative of their interaction with the design and have the agency afterwards to explain its effects on them. Good design’s purpose is to leave the user with a positive narrative that they can easily communicate to themselves and others so that they develop a connection with the design as well as a familiarity with it.

  • 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)

I consistently use Fender products whenever I go to make music. It is a long established and well-respected brand in the music industry that to this day still strives to create interesting and new products while at the same time providing classic devices that long-time customers will be familiar with. From guitars, amplifiers, pedals, and other accessories, I feel I can trust Fender produced items to be of the highest quality and best value. When fellow musicians see that I play with Fender products, they recognize that they are professional grade instruments and devices that command a certain reverence, and in turn treat me with more respect. To many others and I, Fender is associated with longevity, pride, and musical excellence.