- What do you like about traveling? Tell me about what you enjoyed most about your last trip?
- How does traveling make you feel? Tell me about the last time traveling made you feel… Stressed / Excited / Overwhelmed / Adventurous
- 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?
- What do you like about flying? Tell me about the last flight you enjoyed.
- What do you dislike about flying? Tell me about the last flight you couldn’t wait to get off of.
- How do you feel when you’re in the air on a plane?
- How does traveling, in general, make you feel?
- What’s your favorite trip that you’ve been on?
- How do you prepare to fly? What are is your pre-travel routines?
- In what ways is driving better than flying?
- In what ways is flying better than driving?
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.
“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.
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.
Questions: Thoughts On Interaction Design (Chapters 1-2)
- 1) What makes up interaction design and what are some of the industry’s challenges?
Interaction design is made up of various parts. Not only does it involve the designer, but it also involves the consumer as well. Interaction designers work to build relationships between products, services, people, and systems by encouraging dialogue through the use of functions, technology, and other forms as they develop over time. The act of interaction design includes studying the consumer in order to better understand and change the way that they think, do, and view things. Interaction designers may work under the practice of visual interface design, information architecture, or even usability engineering. The purpose of interaction design is to help change the way people view and use design. In order to accomplish this, the designers must be able to understand how people relate to the world, each other, and also the changes that are happening in technology and businesses.
There are many challenges when it comes to interaction design. One of the biggest challenges is uncovering the wants and needs of the consumer. Since every person is different, it’s hard for designers to know exactly what their consumers might want at any given moment. In order to accomplish this task, the designer must be able to pinpoint the needs and wants of their consumer. This includes doing research, among other things, in order to figure out what these needs and wants are. The designer must also must be able to carry out the task of refining their designs in order to meet the demands of the consumer. Another issue, which designers may face, is in the area of navigation and usability. Since digital interfaces are often very complex, a lot of people have a hard time understanding how they work and where to go when using them. That being said, interaction designers must meet the challenge of making these interfaces easier to understand and work with. This involves taking what’s not physical, or the digital interface, and designing it in such a way as to make it attainable for the common man, without it actually being a physical product.
2) What is interaction design, how its evolving. What fields does it draw knowledge from?
According to the book, “Thoughts on Interaction Design”, interaction design can be defined as “the creation of a dialogue between a person and a product, system, or service.” It involves changing the behavior of others and redefining the way that they view things. That being said, interaction design is always changing and evolving over time. As the wants, needs, and desires of the consumers change, the evolution of interaction design begins to blossom as well. With technology and social media on the rise, it makes sense that the growth of interaction design would continue along with it. Although the interaction design industry has its own separate field, it encompasses various ideas which it has gained from other fields of study. For example, interaction designers have gained a lot of their knowledge about memory, perception, and cognition from the field of cognitive psychology. They also rely heavily on the field of art as a way to learn how to capture the emotions and visual appeal of their consumers.