Design Confusion Poster

Peer Comments

http://thesolidstate.blogspot.com/2011/10/up-cycling-unwanted-materials-lamp.html?showComment=1319016322586#c7174991070555167977

http://dougcusack-ides1031.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post.html?showComment=1319016551958#c8871129929214295475

http://robertvlahovic.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post.html?showComment=1319016647380#c8957839289289543776

http://patrickdunnindustrialdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/blog-post.html?showComment=1319016871821#c2217296907940569150

http://kosukedesign2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-2-upcycled-utility.html?showComment=1319017050988#c3000425423074727873

Upcycled Utility - Rationale

The overall design of my light went through many different stages within the design process. It saw the alteration and experimentation with different techniques, shapes, patterns, sizes etc but from the beginning, I knew that no matter what I changed, I wanted it to be based around the concept of using a singular uncut piece of material. I wanted to keep it simple, clean and elegant. Eventually I decided to use an origami-style folding pleat pattern that evokes powerful shadows when it is lit up (as my experimentation showed).

My final shape came simply from the natural form and result of the material being manipulated in the way that it was. It was all about 'evoking the essence of the material' and for me, that came through in a few different aspects. First of all was the fact that only one side of the material has printing on it, meaning that if the white side is used for the outer surface, it becomes a beautiful feature piece when not lit up, but as soon as the light is switched on, the colourful pattern on the other side shines through and brings what was previously lifeless, to life.

Secondly, the fact that this material has paper-esque properties, I used a folding technique that is familiarly associated with paper. The result of this is a very crisp and interesting pattern that seems to be aggressive (with all the V shaped ridges) but overall is very smooth and elegant. The bustier-like shape is the result of the pleats being tighter towards the middle part of the shade and the outer edges being much looser. I also feel that this shape focuses the attention directly to the light source, which is located in the narrowest part of the light. To compliment all of these features, this particular folding technique allows the entire shade to compressed to a 4cm thick strip which helped me greatly during the flat-pack process.

The assembly of the light is extremely quick and easy. It is an 8 step process that can be completed and working within 5 minutes. The globe is also very easy to replace, simply by reaching underneath the shade. The dimensions of the shade are quite awkward in relation to the sheet of material we were given so the wastage is about 20%, nevertheless it could always be resized to have 0% wastage.

This light is aimed towards a sophisticated market that would search for a minimalistic product that still manages grab the attention of viewers and attract them. Its ability to be flat packed and made from a small and diverse amount of components means that it is open for many alterations and improvements. If it were to be mass produced, the folded pleat pattern could be vacuum formed, rather than hand folded, in which case making mass manufacture an option that is definitely possible.

Bill Moggridge - What is Design?

The mail concept of Bill Moggridge's presentation is that he believes "everything is designed".When he talks about 'everything' he literally means everything. Many people commonly just associate 'design' with fashion, products, art and architecture but these people do not realise that literally everything, in all industries, in all areas, is designed. It is usually the items that we take for granted, or use a very simple interface, that we forget are actually designed. Everything that is designed is created in such a way that increases the natural relationship with humans hence making it more comfortable and intuitive to use. 

Moggridge explains that in order to recognise what good design is, we first recognise bad design. He emphasises that we do not always pick up a well designed object and compliment its features, but if we were to pick up a poorly designed product, we will notice its flaws much quicker. For example the Japanese 'iMode' system had a good concept, but the fact that it took 30 minutes to actually complete the process made it into a terrible design. 

Especially in such areas that involve complex technology or extensive digital systems, it is the job of designers to make the interaction between humans and this technology as simple and natural as possible. It is the good designs that do this successfully and the ones that don't tend to be ridiculed and made redundant.

Moggridge then continues on to discuss the design process. He has identified two components within this process, one being 'sophisticated prototyping' and the other being 'understanding people'. He describes his prototyping process in three phases: inspire, evolve and validate. He describes prototyping as anything from a sketch to a model, physical or software-based. Personally, I think these three phases are a very suitable way of describing the prototyping process.

He then goes on to describe the design process which is divided into ten different stages: Constraints, synthesis, framing, ideation, envisioning, uncertainty, selection, vizualisation, prototypes and evaluation. I feel that this is a comprehensive description of the design process as it acknowledges that there are many stages in the design process.

I can definitely say with confidence that Moggridge makes some extremely well planned out points. The way he has divide the prototyping and design processes up into several comprehensive categories is a technique that I find very useful when considering the processes. I feel that in order to categorise different elements of these processes, it is necessary to divide them up into different levels and stages. by doing this, the design and prototyping processes have an element of organisation and structure.

Upcycled Utility - Assembly Instructions

Upcycled Utility - Cutting Diagram

Upcycled Utility - Poster

Product Sketching

PEER COMMENTS (TAKE 2)

http://romanradoczy.blogspot.com/2011/09/final-final.html?showComment=1317286674927#c1827233233657546661

http://fooides.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html?showComment=1317286790052#c1833460944702563237

http://jacquelinebui3377777.blogspot.com/2011/09/hero-shot.html?showComment=1317286840706#c4409129894597799388

http://maxglanvillez3333044.blogspot.com/2011/09/product-usage.html?showComment=1317286865908#c3985736524545237338

http://sunprit.blogspot.com/2011/09/e-xperience-e-nrichment-rationale-i.html?showComment=1317286903713#c2761629449861584989

Peer Comments

http://romanradoczy.blogspot.com/2011/09/final-final.html?showComment=1315907098884#c4795839094590062531

http://fooides.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html?showComment=1315907124246#c1884330832766312881

http://jacquelinebui3377777.blogspot.com/2011/09/hero-shot.html?showComment=1315907262858#c5972876352756654877

http://maxglanvillez3333044.blogspot.com/2011/09/product-usage.html?showComment=1315907395775#c5571605034865748053

http://sunprit.blogspot.com/2011/09/e-xperience-e-nrichment-rationale-i.html?showComment=1315907530109#c6242166169103373558

Experience Enrichment - Rationale

The paint scraper has always been a fairly primitive and uncomfortable tool to use. There have been several different revisions of this product, yet the general shape and concept have continued to be the same: a rectangular blade area connected to an uncomfortable handle that requires a large amount of force from the wrist and thumb. In recent years, there have been new designs that incorporate a larger handle and less blade area (proving more comfortable and ergonomic) but even then, the way the product is used is still uncomfortable to use for longer periods and do not enrich the experience of the user at all.

My concept eliminates all of these negative features and replaces them with a product that is not only extremely comfortable to use and work with in any environment, but it is also extremely aesthetically pleasing, as a result of using simple organic shape that is uninterrupted throughout. I believe that through the combination of perfect ergonomics and an aesthetically pleasing shape, the human experience with product can be highly enriched.

The main problem with current variations of the paint scraper is that it requires a very large amount of force from the wrist and the thumb as they provide the most strength when scraping paint from the surface (as shown in Fig 1). Another problem that results from this is the blade bending a lot of slippery surfaces and not gripping the paint at all, hence eliminating all functionality aspects and making all applied forces powerless (also shown in Fig 1).

My design concept is completely different to anything like the traditional paint scraper and even looks completely different. Despite its innovative design, the way it is to be used is heavily implied within the design through the use of organic lines and the overall layout of the product. It is constructed from a single block of cast aluminium with a polished natural finish. Being constructed from such a material means that it will be light, comfortable, durable and highly aesthetic.  I believe that by having a large accessible handle at one end implies that the user should proceed to hold the product at this area and that having a wide blade area at the other end provides a sense
of strength and power simply by looking at it.

"Attractive things work better than ugly ones: beautifully designed products make people feel good, makes work worth doing and life worth living." - Dr Donald Norman

Personally, I think that if a product looks comfortable and attractive, chances are that it will be better to use and far more functional. With this statement in mind, I have attempted to incorporate as little complexity as possible into the design while using organic lines that imply the function of the product so there is no explanation required for operation. Realistically, the paint scraper is a very aggressive tool that is usually used in a matter that is messy and rough but through the use of smooth curves and organic lines this factor of violence is eliminated and implies to users that this product is easy to use and is functionally flawless. I believe this approach to design provides users with a sense of power and security before they even use the product at all.

Complementary to this sense of security within design, I have integrated a knuckle guard below this handle. This feature ensures that users do not hurt their knuckles through rubbing or scraping injuries and also means that there is less chance of the product falling out of their hands if it is being used in high or hard to reach areas. This handle also helps maintain the organic shape of the scraper.

Experience Enrichment - Product Storyboard

Experience Enrichment - Hero Shot

Annie Leonard - The Story of Electronics

The focus of this video is designing for the dump. The main issue within the electronics industry is that companies and designers are creating products that have extremely short lifecycles and will always go to waste quickly so that you are encouraged to buy new products. Like most things, electronics always start out in mines as raw material. They are then sent all around the world in order to create parts and components. All throughout these stages, the levels of pollution are extremely high and there is an immense amount of waste produced that just goes to landfill. For example, when IBM corporation workers, making computer chips and components, were tested for health and well-being and results showed that all of these workers were about 40% more unhealthy than the average person.

The idea of toxins in and toxins out is an extremely large focus of this video. The issue is that all of these large electronics manufacturers are using very harsh and harmful chemicals and materials in their products, and instead of spending the extra money to create cleaner & healthier working environments or develop methods of creating components without using these harmful chemicals and materials, the companies are simply using the health of the workers and the general public. This is clearly a very unethical practice but because the companies have so much power and essentially make all the rules. 

When old products are disposed of, if they are not turned into landfill locally, they are being shipped overseas where the valuable materials are extracted and then the rest is just burned off (destroying the environment in that country). There are 25 million tons of e-waste each year which gets dumped, burned or recycled (not green recycling). The idea that Annie Leonard is pressing upon these companies is that the laws/rules should be changed so that the companies who create the mess should be responsible for cleaning it up. This seems like a very fair idea, but realistically it will take a very large force to convince these corporations.

Annie Leonard - The Story of Bottled Water

The main argument of this video is bottled water versus tap water: why is it that we buy bottled water when we can tap water for free? The reason why people buy bottled water, and more importantly why the bottled water industry even exists at all, is because companies have created what is known as ‘manufactured demand’. This is the concept the companies have essentially created this artificial demand within the minds of consumers, forcing them to believe that bottled water is far better than regular tap water and is a necessity. After some testing was done, results show that with a blind taste test, the tap water actually tastes better than the bottled water and is more pure. An interesting fact is that some bottled water companies just used filtered tap water anyway so it is almost no different to what comes out of a tap. 

Bottled water costs 2000 times more than tap water but it is still sold more than a quarter billion times each week in the US alone. This manufactured demand was originally created using scare tactics telling the community that tap water was unsafe and that bottled water was necessary. The end result is one of the most environmentally damaging products in the entire world. At every stage during the product lifestyle, it is harmful to the environment. During production, it is damaging the environment through the use of chemicals and oils in producing the bottles, and once the bottles are used, they 80% are turned to local landfill  in most ways it is less regulated and even though it is 2000x the cost, it is still sold a quarter billion a week in the US. Manufacture demand - make people buy things they do not need at all. They used to scare people into being WITHOUT the bottled water. Bottled water is one of the most environmentally damaging products in the world. All throughout the production process, it is damaging the environment. 

Another method of disposal is sending shiploads of used bottles to India where they are being downcycled. In the end, they all end up being thrown out regardless. A billion people don’t even have access to water yet the companies are spending millions to try and take away our right to clean, free water and create a manufactured demand that realistically, nobody wants or needs.

Annie Leonard - The Story of Cosmetics

Annie Leonard focuses predominately on the concept of “toxics in, toxics out”. Theres no doubt that when you use anything toxic in a product (in the cosmetics industry at least), it will stay there throughout the process and afterwards. It is also a main focus that there is not anything being done to stop this heavy reliance on toxic chemicals and materials. In the cosmetics industry, a very large problem is that only 20% of the chemicals used are inspected for safety but despite this, we still use products that contain these harmful chemicals each and every day without thinking about it at all. inspected 20% of the chemicals for safety, yet we still use them everyday without considering it at all. Despite the large amount of choices of different products, we are not actually given the choice of a safer option (and yes, all the organic options tend to be full of chemicals anyway) In the end, it comes down to the opinions and rules of the companies and governments. As consumers and members of society, all we have the power to do is help convince the companies and governments to change the regulations regarding the use of harmful chemicals within cosmetic products. Although there are regulations regarding the disposal of waste materials and things of that nature, there have not yet been any laws that actually   prevent the use of these harmful materials. In fact, since 1938, only 8 of over 12,000 ingredients that go into cosmetics have been banned. 

Another large loop-hole within the system is that the cosmetic industry makes its own regulations and rules. With this, it means that they are the ones who regulate them and therefore do not even have to follow the laws they make. This means that even when these large companies say that they are coming up with new, environmentally healthy products that do not contain chemical agents, they are still doing it and sometimes do not even have to change anything at all. Many European governments and companies have started making products that legitimately do not use harmful chemicals and it this is the first step to getting rid of these chemicals all together.

My Design Career

So why do I want to be a designer? To put it simply, I want to be an architect, I'm just using industrial design to get me there. So far within my time in the industrial design course, I have not really been tempted to change my mind and stick with IDES but that's not really a bad thing at all. The way I see it now, I will be approaching architecture with an element of product/industrial design. I think one of the aspects that will be most different to architecture is the fact that industrial design focuses on the way users interact with products and the way the products make people feel. I personally think that I will be able to take this element of human focus and twist it with my architectural studies to create concepts that are both architecturally sound but introduce a higher level of human interaction and interest. I would like to create environments that encapsulate people and make them feel safe, comfortable and appreciative of the quality and thought that goes into developing the environment. I believe that it's the little things that make the biggest difference in the end and I have come to notice that industrial design seems to take this idea into great detail and consider it to be extremely important in order to create successful products. I also feel that sometimes these small details go unnoticed and that users need to realise how much thought an work goes into a design.

I have chosen a career in design (as a broad topic) because I love the concept of expressing yourself through products or buildings, using line, colour shape, texture and all that other wonderful stuff as a means of expression is an idea that I want to keep close to me. I don't really see myself enjoying anything else (in terms of work) as much as designing. I always look at current designs and see problems, or simply see the way the designer has approached the situation and think "why can't someone change this?" or "it would be pretty cool if.." and I think that design will be the best way to put my mark on the scene as such. If I were an architect, I would most likely see current designs and the way architects are using materials and technology and then try and take my own crack at using these materials and technologies to create designs that nobody has ever seen before and that grab interest immediately.

I see myself as becoming a very minimalist designer. I have an obsession with cleanliness and I love it when designers are able to create powerful effects by using very simple lines and shapes. I hope I can successfully get into an architecture career so I can express myself and hopefully change the world of design. But then again, isn't that what every designer wants to do?

Design Excellence Project - Reflections (Final)

David Kelly on TED: Human-Centered Design

Human-centered design is becoming an extremely important element in the creation and development of modern products. In theory, it makes the most sense to design products that suit and fit the user best and make their experience with the product more enjoyable and more interesting, and that's what human-centered design is based on.

After David Kellyn reviews a few of their current projects, he goes on to present a few short video's as a visual basis for explaining the concept of human-centered design. He says that this concept is based on involving behaviours and personalities into the products, an idea that has been adopted by almost every company in every industry. Human-centered design is more obvious in some industries than others, but when you break down any product to it's basic elements, an element of human-centered design can be found.

Kelly explains that his design team has (and continues) to use the more traditional design communication methods such as 3D models and renderings, but he explains that by creating actual working examples within their own environments (using videos and visualisations) the product gains its own personality and sense of place.

The redesigned Prada store that Kelly and his team were part of refurbishing, uses combinations of both new and old technologies. The thing that makes it special though, is the way the technology is implemented (such as the 'magic mirror' that is just a video camera connected to an LCD screen). It is a very simple idea but it is extremely practical and successful simply because it incorporates human-centered design.

The video short involving designing 'Dilbert's Cubicle' is a very good example of how human-centered design can also be incorporated into environments. They attempt to make the most comfortable and interesting work cubicle that they can by adding elements of immersion and personalisation.

The Spyfish, Kelly's most recent creation, is a small submarine device equipped with cameras that allows the user to remotely control the device upto 500ft underwater. It is connected to a large display with super-imposed graphics that immerse the user in the surroundings of the ocean. He says it is like scuba diving while you're still on the boat. By attracting the human desire to explore and still be in a state of comfort, this product has essentially created a new enviroment within itself. It is a very strong example of how new technologies can be manipulated around the concept of human-centered design and it is something that I find extremely interesting.

From watching this video, I am able to take back a new element of design. Although designers pretty much always try and base their products around the users, the concept of human-centered design is essentially a new definition of design and has really set the standard of what designers aim to do. If I am able to integrate this element into my own designs, I am sure they will be successful within their environments

Design Excellence Project - Reflections

My poster for the "Design Excellence" project, based on the Intelligy Energy Management System. After creating this poster, I can definitely say that this is a very clever product. Not only does it perform a new and helpful function (that is both economically and environmentally friendly) but it does it in a way that makes user interaction interesting, simple and natural. It has very sleek and minimalistic looks using basic colours and materials but the final result is very aesthetically pleasing and attractive within any environment. From this product, I have witnessed that if the perfect balance between form and function can be found, the results can be extremely successful

Don Norman: Emotional Design

Don Norman opens his lecture by explaining that usefulness and ugliness do not always have to go hand in hand in design and leads onto open onto his main topic; the relation between emotion and design. Norman is open in saying that he does not always buy products because of their function, but rather their aesthetics and the emotions that the product drew from him.

Don Norman tells the story of his journey through studying human emotional response and how he has shifted from being a designer who was reputable for his 'ugly' but extremely functional and useful work, to focusing almost all his energy on the beauty of design and the way people react to it. He believes that design should be all about fun and making the experience of the user more pleasurable, also believing that from his past knowledge, "pleasant things work much better".

Norman breaks down this theory of emotional response to design into three layers. The first layer is all about the mental processing of events. Within this level, he explains that anxiousness and fear come a strong level of focus (otherwise referred to as depth-first processing). Although, when you are happy you become more relaxed leaving yourself open to interruption. I can honestly say that I agree completely with this fact as I have unconsciously become largely focused during times of stress and anxiousness. I feel that as a designer, it is important to find a good balance between these two features during the design process so that all possibilities are explored without wasting time and effort.

The second level , the visceral level, is also a subconscious level of processing but it is the driver towards our desire for particular aesthetic features such as bright colors. I feel that this sort of information is extremely helpful and important for all designers in any industry because creating a subconscious attraction to a particular object is deeply powerful and is very hard to interrupt. These attractions do not always have to be a means of obtaining a sale, they can also be very helpful to display important information or to provide warning (eg. bright red stop signs). I personally feel that these subconscious attractions are the fundamental features of a successful design whether it be a particular shape, material or color.

The final level of this theory is the reflective level. As Norman puts it, it's the "super-ego" level where we look back on things that we have bought and make decisions and opinions from there. If designers can target this level and ensure that reflections of their product are only positive, they can ensure that their product will have a long and well recognised life. I heavily agree that I need to consider these three levels of emotional response within whatever designing I do to ensure that I create a successful product that tells an important  and valuable story.