Objectified Response
1) Do you agree or disagree with any of the designers’ statements, why?
As I was watching through the documentary I didn’t disagree with any of the designers statements. This because I like to keep an open mind to possible influences on my own design from seasoned professionals. I did however agree with many statements and enjoyed these looks on design. The first statement I agreed with was when Dan Formosa said that when you design you need to design for the outlier. If you approach something like this then everyone is covered. I really agreed with this because it is a great way to approach design. You are designing for as many people as possible so designing with the outlier in mind really ensures that your product or service will succeed. The next designer statement that resonated with me was when Jonathan Ives said when something is done right, it “almost feels undesigned.” I really agreed with this statement and it is something that I have never really thought about before. When you think about design you want to have your creation stand out for being great but when it feels undesigned it is accomplishing just that. The last statement that I really enjoyed was when the french brothers Irwin and Ronan Bouroullec were talking about design being related to creating music because they both include the need of harmony. I enjoyed this because it is a great way to look at design and is something I have never thought of before personally.
2) Has anything the designers said changed how you thought about design?
Many of the things that the designers have said about design have opened up new ways of looking at design that I never have before. One of the main statements that changed how I thought about design was when Karim Rashid was talking about his problem with the longevity of objects and the materials used to make them. He thinks that if any product has a shelf life of 11 months or less, it should be all 100% disposable. He questions why anything is built to be permanent.This really got me thinking because this is never something you think about when designing new products. As a designer you want your products and creations to look new, clean, quality, and timeless and often the materials used for this are ones that are produced to last forever. This just accounts for a lot of waste when the latest and greatest product comes around and replaces the one you are currently using. This is definitely something I am going to keep in mind when designing and analyzing designs I see in everyday life.
3) 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 as creation for the improvement of the overall good. This is because whether you are designing a visual or physical art form you are trying to evoke emotion from your audience and improve society in one way or another, however you see fit. I don’t really think my definition of design has changed but the way that I look at design and the materials used has definitely. The longevity of design has never been something I have payed much attention to. After hearing what these designers had to say I will definitely be taking into account the longevity of my design and the materials used.
Thoughts on Interaction Design Ch. 1 and 2 Questions
What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?
Interaction design is made up of the “creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, service or system.” It is designing products, services, and systems to fit with the behaviour of the every day person. This is done through research, analysis, surveying, interviewing and observing. All of this is put together to ensure the best quality item is produced for the end user. Some of the industry’s challenges are figuring out a way to “understand the problem space.” This is because interaction designers are rarely given a blank slate to work off of but instead have to redesign existing products or services to find ways to make it more consumer friendly. It is this designing for the consumer that produces the greatest challenge and is something interaction designers are faced with every day.
What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?
Interaction design is a “creative process focused on a people.” It is designing for behaviour and creating a design “that assists the viewer in not only experiencing a particular emotion but also in truly understanding the content.” Interaction design is evolving even though it is still recognized as a new field. This is because people have been designing interactions for centuries! Technology involving computing and communication has increased in speed, function, and capability and decreased in size and cost. This means that more consumer products can be found to contain some form of digitization. With this digitization comes the increased complexity of the user experience, and therefore Interaction designers are tasked with easing the suffering of the end users. Interaction designs draws knowledge from the field of cognitive psychology with regard to “cognition, memory, and perception.” It also draws from art as it “encompasses aesthetics and emotion.”
Thoughts On Interaction Design: Reading Response
1) What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website? (pp. 48-54)
Ethnography is typically a research method that is an alternative to traditional laboratory research. Ethnographers study people, social groups, ethnic populations, etc. through observing, interviewing, survey, and analysis. Ethnography has been integrated into the design process “as a method of understanding people and problems associated with work.” This is exactly the information that the ethnographic tools can give you, problems with work and how to fix them. Through observing people using the banks website, interviewing people about their experience, surveying people’s experience and analyzing all this gathered data, valuable information is gathered about the interactivity. This information would include what aspects of the website are easy to use, which aspects are not, aspects that can be added or removed and much more. Altogether this would show how the website can be improved to make the experience better for the majority of users.
2) At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose? (pp54-62)
The point in which a design is finished is different for every designer. I feel that a design is finished when the goal the designer has set out to accomplish is complete. This consists of the work being done to a level where the designer is comfortable calling it complete. A successful design is made of up many different things. The design has to meet the needs of the client or whoever this design is for. It needs to have a good concept and ample research used in the process. A design being simple and timeless while meeting its goal will also ensure success. The purpose of a design is to be a visual representation of the concept, research, and goals used in the creation of it. If a design can visually represent these things it will be finished and a success.
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)
A product family that I use regularly is the Sensodyne family of products. The branding has effected my use by first of all getting me to purchase the product. I have sensitive teeth, so when I see the countless ads about how much these products can help sensitivity, it makes me want to use Sensodyne. This goes to effect my relationship because once I actually have the product, due to the effective branding, I begin to build a relationship with them built off of prolonged use. I think branding has effected my experience with the product by putting this image in my mind that it is really helping my teeth. The sensitivity of my teeth is still an ongoing issue and the toothpaste could be doing little to nothing at all. Regardless of this, all of the ads ensuring a decline in sensitivity make me believe it is doing something and makes want to keep using the product.
Reading Response
What are the goals of Apples website? How does Apples website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)
The goals of Apple’s website are to make the company money, provide information regarding products and services the company provides, and to give the user a hassle free navigation experience. Apple addresses the needs of a user who just purchased their first MacBook by providing them with a way to learn how to set up and use the product. Apple makes available to you the resources needed to set up a new computer and tries to make the experience as easy as possible for the user.
What are the functional specifications of Facebooks wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements an Prioritizing Requirements)
The functional specifications of Facebook’s signup page are as follows:
- Provide an area for the user to insert information needed to register.
- Provide details regarding why certain information is being collected.
- Include fine print which tells the user what they are agreeing to when they sign up.
•What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)
The four architectural approaches to information structure are hierarchical structures, matrix structures, organic structures, and sequential structures. An example of a hierarchical structure is a website like Blackboard where nodes have a parent/child relationship with other related nodes. This means that every link clicked has a place it came from until you finally would reach the beginning of your navigation experience. A Matrix structure “allows the user to move from node to node along two or more dimensions”. An example of a matrix structure would be Amazon where customers can browse through the different products available using whatever criteria is important to them. In organic structure. there is no strong sense of sections and the nodes are “connected together on a case by case basis.” This means you can freely move between any information you want but finding your way back to the start would present a challenge. An example of organic structure would be on Wikipedia. The user has access to any area they choose by clicking on the various links but this can also lead to getting lost in the vast expanse of information. Sequential structure is when the information is presented in logical order to meet the users needs. An example of sequential structure would be a website like Apple where the user has to go from one task to another in order to complete the purchase.
•What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)
I believe that the Huffington Post index page is 50% navigation and 50% content. This is because although the entire page is full of links to various articles, there are headlines and brief article summaries which is content. Google’s index page is 100% navigation. The user can search whatever topic they choose or there are links to the various Google applications. Wikipedias index page is also 100% navigation. Very similar to Google, the user can search for whatever information is needed and there are also links to the various applications provided by Wikipedia. Etsy’s index page is 75% navigation and 25% content. This is because the majority of the page is made up of various links for the user to navigate around the site. The 25% of content is made up of brief user reviews, a company overview, products advertisements and previews of blogs within the site.
•How does http://landor.com guide the readers eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye )
This website guides the reader’s eyes and focuses their attention on what is important by using colour and design. When you first arrive on the page your eye is drawn to the white type which if offset against the yellow background. The eye is then drawn to the white arrow at the bottom of the page which directs your attention down and into the rest of the site. These arrows are scattered throughout the site and allow the user to progress between content or into different articles. Throughout the rest of the site the contrasting colours provide an inviting feel and guide the reader to the important information that the company is trying to portray. The interactive links throughout the page change from white to black or black to yellow when hovered over by a mouse. This draws the users attention to these links and focuses their attention on the important information that they include.