Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Design Intelligence Last Questions

1. I see design contributing to my life a whole lot. I will now look at products a whole different way. I will be able to tell why a certain product is designed a certain way or at least have some idea why it was designed that way. I feel that I might not fall into some of those design traps that are used today because I have a good idea what some of them are. I will analyze products and their design more instead of just looking at the product.

2. Advice would be to go out there and have fun. Don't always worry about class, there has to be that free time you have for yourself and others. I would also advise people to not procrastinate because it can really hurt later on when you are doing a big paper or just studying for a test. Be open to discussions and try and state your opinion as much as you can.

3. For students enrolled in this seminar I would just tell them to be very open in discussions and even if you are shy just try and put yourself out there. Everybody has good ideas you just have to be able to express them to everybody. Read the material even though it may be long it is very interesting stuff and will help you in the long run.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Brief Wadsworth Handbook Questions

1. Improvement for Angell Field is very important for Kalamazoo College and the impression it leaves on opposing teams and fans.


2. The constraints I plan on addressing in my analysis are the cost and different ways to maybe pay for the changes needed to the field. The size constraint is also another constraint I plan on addressing in my analysis. The trigger points that are most important are the field, and the stands.

3. The five of our class readings that i could apply to my topic have to do with the latest readings we have done in the past month. The Principles of Marketing, The Experience Architect, The Third Place, The Design of Everyday Things and City. These all have some things that I could apply to my topic.
The Principles of Marketing: Talking about the brand of Kalamazoo College and how the football field should be a part of this special brand.
The Experience Architect: When opposing teams and their fans come to games at Angell Field they should be able to remember Kalamazoo College for having a nice looking field and nice facilities. It should be a great day for those people.
The Third Place: I feel if the football field was in better shape it could become a third place for students on game day.
City: This reading talked a lot about seating and one of my key points is improving the seating at the football field.

4. "If you set out to make everything better about your product or service, you may end up with a gold-plated offering that few customers can afford, or with unfocused features few will fully appreciate. So start by asking what's truly important to your customer. The answer may be something small, irrational, elusive, and completely surprising. But finding that answer is often crucial to your success. It's often just one or two essential elements. We call them trigger points."
This is from "The Experience Architect." This can help support my thesis because I will need to talk about the trigger points that will needed to be improved. The trigger points will be very important throughout the entire paper.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Campus Analysis

1. I observed the first floor of Kalamazoo College’s Library. The purpose of the library is help students to get away from all the noise and have some place to study. The other purpose is for students to have books and other sources to find information regarding something. I observed on Sunday night around 9:30.

2. a.) The appearance of the first floor is very big and inviting. The front doors are glass and very tall and nice looking. The tables and computers looked very well spaced out. The staircase was also something that pops out at you when you see it. It seems that a lot of things that you need are on the first floor.
b.) There are plenty of seats around. There are numerous tables that can sit at least four people and maybe even more if you wanted. All computers have a seat assigned to them. Also on the first floor there are couches next to Bigby’s coffee. Right in the middle are little comfy seats. There are all different kinds of chairs that include wooden chairs, computer chairs that can be different, and couches all around on the first floor.
c.) At this time I noticed that there were a lot of people. I think that the reason why there were a lot of people because it was on a Sunday night and most people are trying to finish up their homework and just get away from noise. It is very relaxing to go into a place where there is hardly any noise so you can get your work done.
d.) The floor is mostly carpet while some parts are tiled squares. The carpet is multicolored squares all around. The tile is blue with some burgundy colors mixed in all the way through. The tiles are all different kinds of shapes.
e.) Overall it was very quiet. There was some people talking, but they were respectful of the fact that it was a library and kept it to a whisper. I also heard the typing of many computers.
f.) The materials used to construct this place include wood, stone, tile, glass and carpet.

3. The image that this area projects is an inviting place to get away from noise and a place to concentrate. Tables are spaced out from each other in a pretty good distance. There is no clutter at all and you feel very comfortable sitting at one of the tables. The computers are also separated so you have your own space. This just shows how the library wants you to have your own comfortable space to study. The entrance itself is glass doors that are very tall and see through so you can see what you are walking into. I think that this is the image that the school wants to project. Kalamazoo College is known for academics and I believe that they want the library to be a vital part of a student’s learning experience.

4. I think that people interacted with each other and their surroundings very well. When people were sitting next to each other and talking they were very courteous of others and kept the talking to a whisper. There was no yelling or loud talking even with a group of people showing respect to everyone around them.

5. I found the front entrance very interesting about this place. I just thought that the entrance was like no other entrance I had ever seen. It just seemed very inviting with the glass doors. You could see what you were about to walk into which was a very nice looking library. I also that the fact that the the floor was separated with carpet and tile. The staircase that you see leading up to the upper floors is also a very original design. I had not seen many staircases like it. It gave off a very beautiful look and actually wanted you to take the stairs feeling.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Principles of Marketing Questions

1. Design affects marketing in a very big way. The design of products has a big influence on how companies market that same product. Packaging, labeling, and brands are some of the way design affects marketing. The packaging involves designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. Packaging traditionally was just used to store and protect the product but now the design of the package is used as a marketing tool. Companies are trying to find the best ways to package products to attract the customer, to describe the product and to make the sale. Labeling identifies the product or brand. It may also include different sort of things describing the product. It is also a way to promote the product, like having a creative label or a label that sticks out that might attract more customers to buy that product. Brands affect marketing because the more popular a brand is the more customers are willing to buy that product. The design of the brand and how they design products is used in marketing all the time. I think that those 3 I described are the most important elements.

2. Branding and marketing are the same with the design of experience by them both wanting the best for the customer and wanting the customer to have a good time doing it. The difference is the time span. Branding and marketing is short lived. When promoting an experience you want that experience to last a lifetime and not be forgotten right away. Experiences are meant to last a lifetime not just for a second.

3. The important elements of K's brand position is that it is a very prestigious liberal arts school and it has different designs to show that brand. There are products that display the full words Kalamazoo College in all sorts of colors, products with a big black and orange K on it and many other ways of displaying Kalamazoo College.When most people around here see these designs they think about how Kalamazoo college is a prestigious liberal arts school. Those different brands are located all throughout the campus. The clothing and other products can be a way of getting the Kalamazoo brand out there.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

"The Experience Architect" Questions

1. I think that there are many points in this reading. One important point talks about how you should start by taking little steps. By changing something so little like, taking out a step that would normally hassle a customer, the customer will reward you by buying your product more just because of giving them a better experience. Trigger points is another important point in this article. You need to ask what is truly important to your customer, these can be small, something you knew or something you had no idea. They are often only one or two essential points and they are called trigger points. With these trigger points you try to make them the best you can and better then competition and you will gain a customers trust and they will go with that product more often. Authenticity is another important point. People like "real" experiences rather than fake ones that you may not experience every time. Real has a genuine appeal to everyone. Another important point is to not be ordinary and try to come up with ways to be extraordinary. You need to create remarkable experiences for everyone in order to be extraordinary and successful.
2. The design of experiences is something that you want the customer to remember for the rest of their life. You try to get that customer to trust and be committed to your service. The design of consumer products is just a physical product being purchased. It isn't something that will stick with you and be engraved in your mind. They are similar by both being made for what the customer wants and what the customer needs.
3. I would have a movie night outside in the quad. It would obviously have to be a great night when it is warm. People could bring blankets, chairs, and anything else they wanted to bring. Concessions would be very cheap. Admission would be free so that would bring out a lot of people. I think that many people would meet others and have a good time just relaxing watching a movie in the quad on a gorgeous night.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

"The Third Place" Questions

1. Ray Oldenburg means that a "Third Place" is somewhere that people can gather and just have great conversation. According to him conversation is the main activity taking place. The Third Place is somewhere you can feel comfortable with whatever you say and leave all personal problems at the door. Examples today of a "Third Place" are pubs, computer cafes, coffeehouses, libraries and health spas. These places are much different from what they used to be, like barbershops, candy stores, bait shops, gun shops and soda fountains. It is somewhere people can just relax and forget about everything.

2. A design elements that contributes to a successful Third Place includes being plain. The place does not have to be so extravagant with colors and things all over the walls. By being plain it gives the place a very comfortable feeling. The size is also important. It should not be really big where you feel that everything is out of scale. I think that the place should be kind of small making people be close to each other and force them to talk so it isn't so uncomfortable. There should be places for seating that also makes it more comfortable.

3. A place that has potential to be a successful Third Place is the basement room in Hoben. It has potential because it fits many of the criteria explained by Oldenburg. It is pretty small tho. I think that would make people have more conversation and talk more to their fellow classmates. I often walk by and see that there are only a couple or no students at all in there just relaxing watching TV. I think that if there were more things promoting going down there to watch a specific show or just doing something down there, it would be a successful Third Place. It could be a place where everyone lets classwork go and just relax and talk and watch TV.

Wikipedia Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Intercollegiate_Athletic_Association

Thursday, November 6, 2008

City Questions

1. Whyte's key points in this chapter were that supply creates demand. A good new space builds its constituency and it gets people into new habits like eating outdoors; induces them to use new paths. He also gives many statistics about people in some of the plazas of New York. About when activity takes place what kind of people are there and a lot of other interesting stuff. The most obvious but overlooked factor in developing a good plaza are the people. You need to draw them in and to do that location is a very important factor in drawing them in. Where people sit and what they sit on also seemed to be a key point in this chapter. During the chapter it talked about the different kinds of seating and what features they all should have. The height of the seating was also a key point. Another key point was how much seating a particular place should actually have. This is very important to think about.

2. The design of urban spaces and the design of consumer products are similar in the fact that the design should be geared to the people that the designers are trying to attract. They both have to sell their product or space by catching a person's attention in a very short time. They are different because products are something the consumer will be able to use and urban spaces are somewhere the person can relax or get things done. Urban spaces can be used for social things like meeting new people while products are usually just for one single person.

3. A checklist used to analyze a public space would be....
  • Location, Location, Location. It has to be in a great location.
  • The amount of seating around.
  • The types of seating ( benches, ledges, chairs, steps)
  • The relationship to the street.
  • Is the place clean and inviting to others.
  • Are people comfortable to be there?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Downtown Kalamazoo

1. I thought that Downtown Kalamazoo had a very nice feel and look to it. I thought that there was a variety of stores that would seem appealing to most. To me I thought that some of the stores that were next together didn't really mix together very well. All of the stores had big glass display windows which is a good thing in my opinion. You could see in almost every store and know what the store sold. I also liked the brick sidewalks that gave off a downtown feeling and look. The sidewalks were also very wide making it very pedestrian friendly. There were a lot of tables, benches, trees, and flowers which would be looked down upon according to Paco but I actually liked all of them around.

2. One recommendation would be to promote downtown more and get more people down there to shop. They could do this by having more billboards promoting it around the city. Another way to bring in more shoppers is possibly bringing in a big store that everyone knows. Another recommendation would be to keep the sidewalks a little cleaner, I noticed that the sidewalks had a lot of pieces of gum on the ground. One last recommendation would be to just bring in some different kinds of stores to appeal to more people.

3. The shade trees and planter boxes? Lovely, he says, but they block shoppers' view of shop windows and signs. Those handsome groupings of benches and tables? They seem inviting until Gibbs points out that they often attract teenagers and other loiterers, who scare off shoppers. The elegant Victorian streetlamps, the expensive trash cans, and the distinctive granite paving stones--"so beautiful that people will stare at them as they walk by the storefronts," Gibbs says--are little more than money down the drain. Their costs must be amortized over many years, but long before they have been paid off (and before the town can afford to replace them) they will be old-fashioned, marking the entire street as out of date and out of step.
Standing outside the gym at the corner of Clematis and Dixie Highway, he discourses at length on an untidy collection of benches, tables, and chairs outside a cafe across the highway. This is civic space only in theory. In fact it poses a threat to civic existence. "Those benches make it look like this is a very difficult place to walk," he says, putting himself in the shoes of the average (that is, female) shopper. "You've got to squeeze between those benches. And if a teenager or some street person happens to be there, you would have to touch them, because you're so close together. That is like a sign saying DON'T ENTER."

I picked these passages because they all have to deal with the benches and trees. Downtown has a lot of benches, tables, and trees. I have to disagree with Gibbs because I think that it is a good thing to have a lot of benches and trees if they are placed right. I think that the trees give off a good look. The benches and tables make it easier for people that just want to take a break from walking around or just eat their lunch.

Friday, October 31, 2008

"What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall" Questions

1. Gibbs uses a lot of criteria to evaluate a Main Street. Some criteria include how clean an area is. People will be turned off to a place that is dirty or doesn't look nice. Another thing is how safe a place may be. There should be a visible police present around, removing benches that may interest loiters, keeping the sidewalks clean and having very good lighting to make the customers safe. The location of stores is another thing that Gibbs evaluates. He says to never have a clothing store near a restaurant or never on the north side of a street. Restaurants can prosper on side streets and less- desirable locations and they should never be located on the western side. He also believes in the no left turn rule. People do not want to stop for a second to turn across traffic when they are on their way home so they will ignore the store. Also stores must have a very good display to try and catch a drivers attention. They have a second to get the driver interested. A lot of the criteria that he evaluates is the same that would be evaluated for a mall.

2. I do not think that "Main Street" should be a mall. Although it has a lot of features of a mall it still has that certain randomness that it needs to not be a mall. It also attracts more people because the not many people like to shop in the malls any more. It gives people a different kind of place to shop in rather then inside in a mall that can be frustrating to people.

3. I think that location is very important. Making the people feel safe by having a police presence noticeable. Keeping the location clean and simple to attract more people. Location of the stores would be very important. Having the no left turn policy in affect. Just trying to make it a friendly atmosphere and making it better than a mall because people are getting sick of them.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Retail Analysis

1. The store I observed was Victoria's Secret in Jackson, MI. They market teenage girls up to middle-aged women.

2. a.)The appearance of the store entrance from the outside is at the top are big and pink letters that say "Victoria's Secret". There are golden arches for the entrance surrounded by glass windows on both sides. Two manikins are on display wearing the latest bra and underwear. There are also signs all on the windows.
b.) Inside the store, a soft pop type of music. It was an upbeat type trying to make the customer feel happy to be in the store. The volume is not that loud either making it easier to look around.
c.) The merchandise are laid out on tables and other types are hung up on the sides of the store near the walls. The products are all separated and put together with the same type of products. There was really no set way how the store was separated. One product would be in one part of the store and it could also be in a different part.
d.) The floors are carpeted. Of course the color is pink. This carpet gives off a certain girly look being soft and pink.
e.) There are many signs displayed throughout the entire store. Many signs on the tables and on the walls labeling sales. Other signs may indicate the price of a certain item. The signs are all so big and two-sided making it very easy to read from either direction. The font is a very readable but girly type of font.
f.) The cashier area is in the back of the store. Many different types of lipsticks, lotions, or eye shadow are near the area. The items are small and cheaper to try and get the customer to buy one more item before checking out. These products are intentionally put there.

3. The image this business tries to project is a sexy, and classy look. The pictures of models all around the store are of beautiful women in only their bras and underwear. Some of these models have glasses on to try and show a more classy look. The products them self give off a sexy and classy look by the type of material they are made up of. There are also colorful products.

4. I noticed that a majority of the customers were women. They would pick up different kinds of underwear that were on display and pick them up and put them down and just go through the entire table doing the same thing. With the products hanging up some customers would pull a certain product out look at it put it back and then just shuffle through the rest of the clothes looking for the right one. Another thing I noticed is that women would hold a product up to their body and look at one of the many mirrors around the store and see how a product looked.

5. One thing that I found interesting is how the store was separated in three parts with each part being a different type of wallpaper. One part was pink polka-dots all on the walls, then another part was pink stripes all on the wall, and then near the back in the third part were pink hearts all around. I also thought that the amount of mirrors was very interesting. There were many mirrors around the store. Another thing was near the back where the cashier was were a lot of clearance sale items. This makes the customer go through the whole store to get to the cheaper products.

P.S. I went into the store with my girlfriend and she kind of helped me describe some of the features in the store.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

"The Science of Shopping" Questions

1. I think that one of the main points in this article is that customers are continually doing things when they go to stores without realizing it and that retail stores should do something because of it. Stores need to make their stores and products noticeable to customers because the average customer likes to be in and out of stores and they like to buy the product and get out. There are many design tactics in a store to get a customer to go throughout the entire store trying to get them to buy things that they didn't come in for. People are becoming aware of these tactics and avoiding them making it harder to sell products for the store.

2. After reading this article I feel that I often do the things that Paco said without even realizing it. I like the stores that are very easy to look around and are separated making it easier to find clothes. I like when the store is designed for men's items to be on the right side and the women's on the left. The colors and lighting of a store also influence whether I go in or not. I like stores with a lot of lighting and colors that are very nice to look at. I do not like going into stores that are dark because it is hard to see the clothes and it kind of gives off a nasty mood.

3. A check list would include How the store is separated. Whether it is easy or not to find products and you don't have to search all over for them. The lighting has to be very good so the customer can actually see what they are looking at. The colors of the store should give off a nice, uplifting mood and not so much a bad or nasty one. Put attractive things on display to try and get the customer to buy it.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

"Isn't it Iconic?" Questions

1. Packaging is important in marketing a product because the company is trying to have their product stand out from the rest. A customer may be looking at a product that is made by two different companies and they could be the exact same thing but the customer may buy a certain product just because of the packaging. Packaging is one of the main ways companies pull customers in. Most customers will look at the product and if it has nice visceral designing the customer will more likely choose the more attractive one. An example of how a package has influenced my decision to buy something are certain special edition DVDs. There is always a basic package for the DVD that is less expensive but then there are the special editions that have a very cool package and design that makes you want to spend the extra money just because of the case.

2. A product that has iconic packaging is Budweiser beer. Everyone can tell a Budweiser beer from any other kind of beer. It has had the same design look for many years and it has just the basic colors of red and white like a lot of iconic packaging. Other products that try to be iconic include all types of Cologne and perfume. It seems like almost all Cologne and perfume bottles are trying to make their product more attractive by making very cool bottles.

3. An issue that could occur is having difficulty with the plastic packaging. It is sometimes hard to remove the plastic. An example would have to be with DVD and CD plastic that covers it may take some time to remove. Another issue could be the amount that is in the product. A certain packaging look may seem like there is more of a product when there actually is not as much as you would think. Looks can sometimes be deceiving when you evaluate the product and its look.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

"Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015" Questions

1. This reading relates to the concept of user-focused design that we have discussed in class because a lot of this is dealing with things involving the user of the website. It is all about the user of the website and what they do or what they need to do with the website. The reading talks about how the creator of the website should only care about the user and nothing else. The user does not care about the creator, they only care about doing what they need to do with the website. This is also one of the more important points of design with products. Customers do not care about the designers or how it is designed they only care about the product and if it will do what they want it to. The designer must make something that the customer wants and will be able to use easily.

2. I feel that one of the most important points was the first one about nobody caring about you or the web site. I think that this is very important because it is very true. Nobody really cares about who designed what, all they care about is if that website is helpful to them and has what they need. Another important point is the navigational failure point. If a website is hard to navigate around most people will leave the site to try and find a different one. It is also a plus when the navigational features are easy to locate because everyone likes easy to use websites. I think one of the most important points has to deal with the lack of the heroin content. A successful site is one that keeps on having you come back for more. I personally go to many sites like that and they are almost always updated and addicting to go back to each day.

3. It should be very user friendly and easy to use. It should be appealing at first glance and state what the website is all about. The navigation should be easy to use and easy to follow. The website should be very addictive and get users to keep coming back for more. Finally, the website should be helpful to everyone that visits and every user should get what they wanted out of going to the website.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

"Know it All" Questions

1. I think that one of the main points in this article is the comparing of Wikipedia to Britannica's Encyclopedia. Another point of this article is to show the strengths and the weaknesses that Wikipedia have. I also think that another point would have to be about how many people go to Wikipedia and actually rely on it. Also that people like the fact that Wikipedia has information on a lot more subjects then regular encyclopedias.

2. Wikipedia may be the world’s most ambitious vanity press. There are two hundred thousand registered users on the English-language site, of whom about thirty-three hundred—fewer than two per cent—are responsible for seventy per cent of the work. The site allows you to compare contributors by the number of edits they have made, by the number of articles that have been judged by community vote to be outstanding (these “featured” articles often appear on the site’s home page), and by hourly activity, in graph form. A seventeen-year-old P. G. Wodehouse fan who specializes in British peerages leads the featured-article pack, with fifty-eight entries. A twenty-four-year-old University of Toronto graduate is the site’s premier contributor. Since composing his first piece, on the Panama Canal, in 2001, he has written or edited more than seventy-two thousand articles. “Wikipediholism” and “editcountitis” are well defined on the site; both link to an article on obsessive-compulsive disorder. (There is a Britannica entry for O.C.D., but no version of it has included Felix Unger’s name in the third sentence, a comprehensive survey of “OCD in literature and film,” or a list of celebrity O.C.D. sufferers, which unites, surely for the first time in history, Florence Nightingale with Joey Ramone.)

I think that this passage is effective because it gives out specific numbers and facts. It shows what kind of people are contributing to Wikipedia and how much they are contributing to the site. This passage is also showing the growing popularity of the site and how people are getting obsessed or addicted to contributing.

3. Wikipedia's design is a very simple and appealing to most people. Searching for something is quite easy. All you have to do is type the thing you are searching for and something will show up. I also like Wikipedia's contents box, it is very visible and can help when you want to look up something specific on a certain subject without looking throughout the entire article. Britannica's design is also very appealing to the eye. It is not as plain as Wikipedia by having a little color in the background. There are ads at the top of the page which may be unappealing to few people. The contents section is not that big and you can not see all of the contents at once like in Wikipedia. Also, with Britannica when you search different items come up that could be related to that subject which can be helpful at times. I think that Wikipedia is going for the simple, easy to use site while Britannica is going for the slightly more complex and more reliable look.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Simplicity/Complexity

1. Simplicity and complexity clearly contributes to Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective design is some way. I feel that both simplicity and complexity are evident in both visceral and reflective but I think that more times complexity is used. There are some visceral and reflective design that could be fairly simple and they can help someone express themselves. For the most part tho Complexity is more popular. People are looking for things that are flashy and can express themselves more. I think that with behavioral design simplicity should be a bigger part of that design, but I feel that complexity now is used more often. I feel that people think that complexity is better with products just because it can do more functions, but I think that things would be a lot easier if simplicity was used more often. I think that it all depends on the product and what people think is best when it comes to simplicity and complexity.

2. Sometimes complex things can be more more desirable. One thing that comes to my mind is my friend's microwave. It is a really cool microwave that can do all of these different options. It has a toaster on it plus all of these really fancy buttons. The first time I tried to use the machine I could not even get it started. Once i figured it out i learned how to use the basic toaster and the microwave features but not much else. I still would like to get that microwave but not anytime soon.

When I bought my first cell phone as a freshman in high school I picked out a phone because the complexity of it made it more desirable. The screen of the phone could turn 180 degrees which, it turned out, served no real purpose; however, when I was in the store looking at phones it looked the coolest.

I picked these two passages by Andy and Kenny because they both had to deal with complexity. They both had desired something because of the complexity of the product and thought that the looks were very cool. With Andy's post he talks about it being complex and how he could not even get the thing started the first time, but he learned the basic features and nothing else. I think that many people do this now a days, instead of learning how to do everything a product does they just learn the basics meaning that simplicity would have been a better choice. With Kenny's post he talks about his cell phone that looked cool and the phone did something that had no real purpose. This is also being done more often with purchases of products. People often buy stuff just for looks or something cool that it can do instead of other important features. I think that complexity is not always the best thing, but it seems like everything is becoming more complex in today's society.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Simplicity Is Highly Overrated Questions

1. Something that I did buy where complexity was more desirable was actually very recent. I bought an HP All-in-One printer. I bought this printer because it had different functions a regular printer could not do. Now I still don't know how to do all those other functions but I still like that I have the opportunity to do those functions if I ever needed to. I could have easily bought a simple printer that only printed paper for a lot less, but of course I wanted the more expensive printer just because it cost more and had more functions.

2. I think that complexity is justified when the product does many functions that are needed and can be figured out with a little help. I think that there are a lot of products out there that may look very complex and could be complex when it is your first time working with the product, but I think that if you actually read directions or call for help the product becomes better in the long run. I think that simplicity is most important when someone just wants a product for one certain function and does not care about any other functions it does. I think that a good example of that is with tools. Not a lot of tools are used for more then one or two functions.

3. The poster in my room of "Fight Club" is an example of Visceral Design because when I saw the poster at the poster sale it caught my eye and I had a predetermined mindset that the movie "Fight Club" was cool. Visceral Design is significant because from the very first time we see a product, we have an almost predetermined opinion of it.

I thought this post by Kenny was interesting because I had talked about movie posters when I talked about Visceral Design. This was also a different way visceral design was used with movie posters because in my post I had said that the posters made an impact on whether you go out and buy the movie or see the movie, but with this it was opposite. Kenny had seen the movie first and because of that he decided to buy the poster. I also agree that we almost always have a predetermined opinion of it.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Emotional Design Part Two

1. "Whether we wish to admit it or not, all of us worry about the image we present to others--or, for that matter, about the self-image that we present to ourselves. Do you sometimes avoid a purchase "because it wouldn't be right" or buy something in order to support a cause you prefer? These are reflective decisions. In fact, even people who claim a complete lack of interest in how they are perceived--dressing in whatever is easiest or most comfortable, refraining from purchasing new items until the ones they are using completely stop working--make statements about themselves and the things they care about. These are all properties of reflective processing."

I thought this was interesting because this statement is very true and many people do say that they don't care how they present themselves to others but that is completely false in my opinion. I think that the majority of purchases today are all for a way to present ourselves to others in a positive way. Many people buy certain clothes to gain attention and get recognition as being in style and they try to act better then others because of what they where. People try to make there self-image look better then it really is most of the time. I think designers take this statement and put it into use all of the time and they are successful by making things people want to wear or want to use to make that person feel good about themselves.



2. I do think these categories are useful to me. I never realized that design could be separated into three different categories. I now think about all three when I evaluate products. I think that other phrases could make the categories clearer to people that might see the words for the first time. I think that Visceral Design could be changed to Impression Design. Behavioral Design could be changed to Function Design. Reflective Design could be changed to Self-Appearance Design.

3. A designer could decide which type of design is best by listening to the demands of the public and try to reach out to consumers by a certain way. They would have to evaluate their product and try their best to reach out and get customers to buy their product. I think that there are a lot of products that are more one type of design then the others. An example could be clothes. Clothes are more visceral and reflective then behavioral. With clothes designers are trying to make something that is flashy, colorful and something that is a good way to help someone improve their self-image. A majority of products now a days are based on appearance. Things that used to be based on behavioral design are now even being combined with visceral design. Microwaves, toasters, and other household appliances are being more visceral design and are being designed for appearance. They used to be designed with behavioral design and the function was most important.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Emotional Design Questions

1. I feel that the author's key points in this chapter were the three levels of design which include visceral, behavioral, and reflective design. Visceral design is more nature based. Physical features such as look, feel, and sound are mostly dominant in the visceral design. It is our initial reaction to products. Behavioral design more about what the product does and how well it does it, appearance does not matter. Reflective design is about a lot of things that include the message, culture, and the meaning of a product or its use. All people are guilty of worrying about our image and how we present ourselves to others. Another key point in this chapter was the talk about how designers rarely watch their customers use their products. Designers test their products with people in their company and not everyday people, so the company keeps adding features because their people can use the product and know what is going on but every day people might not know what is going on.

2. This chapter is pretty similar to the earlier writing. Norman points out many of the same things that he did in the previous writing. This just shows that some of Normans ideas are still being used today. One major difference is in this chapter Norman seems to talk more about the feelings that a buyer may feel towards products.

3. Something that succeeds as Visceral Design are movie posters, DVD covers that promote movies. A movie poster or a DVD cover could look very flashy and catch your sight that you actually might consider going to that movie or buying that DVD even though the movie might be bad. I think these are successful because they are eye catching and make you want to go out and get that DVD or see that movie just because of the look. A product that succeeds as behavioral design is my iPod. It is a basic white video iPod and i bought it for storing and playing music. I did not buy it because of how flashy it looked or anything because it is white and plain. It is successful because the iPod does what you want it to do and it doesn't have to look flashy when doing it. A reflective design success is clothing that is named brand. This is an example because everybody sees the symbol and I know I feel good where named brand clothing. It gives a sense of being able to wear expensive clothing making you feel more confident in what you do. Named brand clothing is successful because people often make a big deal about what kind of clothes you wear and it makes the person more confident when they wear those clothes.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The Design of Everyday Things Part 2

1. "Designing well is not easy. The manufacturer wants something that can be produced economically. The store wants something that will be attractive to its customers. The purchaser has several demands. In the store, the purchaser focuses on price and appearance and perhaps on prestige value."
I found this passage very interesting because I never did realize the kind of pressure and restrictions a designer of products had. The designer must satisfy everyone in order to design a good product. That can be very hard to do with all the restrictions that designer has. Those include a budget that might not be that big, and with that budget they must make something attractive to the store and then the purchaser must like the appearance and the price of that product so there is a lot of pressure on the designer. A designer has a very tough job and must satisfy everyone which can be very difficult and I now realize that after reading this passage.

2. I think that this book continues to be influential 20 years later because technology has advanced so much and the world now has many different products. With these products people are still getting confused by the design and usability of the products. The advances of technology are just making things more difficult and we still continue to have the same problems that occurred in past years with technological advances. The design of products today are getting more complicated and nothing is being done about it just like the past.

3. The factors that I would have on a checklist for evaluating the design of a product would include the simplicity of the product, the durability, the visibility of the product by labeling features, and give opportunity for feedback. I would include the simplicity of the product because I would want everyone to be able to use my product with out having much confusion. If everyone can use my product I will be able to make a profit. The durability of a product is very important because no body likes a product that breaks easily. The visibility of a product is important because people need to see what they are doing so if they have labels for each button they will understand the product better and be able to use it best. In my mind feedback is a extremely important because with feedback you will be able to improve your product to fit the needs of the purchasers and that can only make your product better.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Design of Everyday Things Questions

1. I feel that the author's key points in this chapter were that even the simplest products now a days are getting to hard to work and understand. Products are now trying to do more stuff making the product complicated to many people. Norman also made a key point about feedback and how that is not being used as much today as it used to making the companies think they are making products fine and they keep on advancing with that product.

2. A specific object that I have had difficulty using was a new DVD/VCR recorder that my mom had gotten as a Christmas gift. The design contributed to the difficulty because there were two sets of the same buttons on each side and at first it was difficult to tell which set of buttons worked with which function. The usability arose because some things were just not that visible and some buttons had different functions for them.

3. The designers of the iPod did a very good job at addressing the principles that Norman discussed. The iPod is a very simple product to use. All the buttons are pretty easy to read and use. The scroll wheel also makes it easy to scroll through songs and options if you are in the menu part. The iPod is a product that can be used by most people.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

"The Perfect Thing" Questions

1. The elements of the design process that the article illustrates are all of them. In the article it talks about the many trials that the company did in order to make the iPod the best it could be. From those trials was the evaluation part and the company would evaluate what they had to do to make the iPod better. The article also talks about the selection element at one point when Fadell shows three different models and Jobs then picks the third proposal instead of the first two.

2. I would use many factors to evaluate a "perfect thing." Some may include the durability, the size and style, the features of the product, and the price of the product. The durability would be important because people would not buy something that is not durable. The size and style would have to be something that catches the buyer's interest and is what most people want and like. Features of the product are very important because most people want something that can do multiple things instead of just one thing. The price would have to be something affordable for everybody so a lot of people buy it instead of just having the wealthy only affording it.

3. I own an iPod and I love it. I think that the iPod has many strengths and very few weaknesses. Some strengths that it has are the many features that can be done by certain types of iPods. There is an iPod for any type of person, whether you have 20,000 songs or just 1,000 songs there is an iPod that is right for you. The scroll is also a strength because you can search through thousands of songs and not have to go through each song. Some weaknesses include not having a power button, almost every product today has some sort of power button but the iPod does not and that sometimes can be bad. Another weakness sometimes is the battery life.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Introduction

My name is Evan. I live in Jackson, Michigan where I attended Lumen Christi High School. I played football, and basketball while attending there. I was also a member of NHS. I am looking forward to the class and learning more about design and hope that it will be a good time.