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Chapter 7: Design in the World of Business

In chapter 7, Design of Everyday Things the author takes a step back and gives us an idea about the future and speaks of the constraints with the design process. It’s an obvious no-brainer that design is a competitive field. It normally takes more than just one great mind to make something spectacular and successful. The more we see others promoting new products the more designers want to compete and get their foot in the door with a similar or new and improved product.  

The author mentioned two major forms of product innovation relevant to design—incremental (less glamorous, but most common) and radical (most glamorous, but rarely successful).  We see this being done, but being the rookie designer that I am, I had no idea these two categories existed. This reminded me of Orbitz Soda. I was very young at the time, but I can remember my older brother drinking the lava lamp looking concoction. I guess he was one of the very few who didn’t mind the syrupy taste. Ultimately, this product failed due to its cough-medicine flavor. It was only within the year of debut that it was yanked from consumers shelves. The company must not have gotten the correct memo. Drinks are for refreshing flavor. No one really cares how it looks. Take water for example. It doesn’t even really look like anything! Although the drink had a funky fun, appearance, its purpose failed.

Norman continues with stating there are few basic ways by which a manufacturer can compete. Three of the most important being price, features, and quality. Another example that pops quickly into my head is anti-wrinkle skin creams. Out of the three, the greatest difference I can see is pricing. Take brands like L'Oreale and Lancome. Currently, on the market, there are these two brands promoting anti-aging skin care. L'Oreale’s product is sold for $10 in your local supermarket, promoted through TV commercials. Lancome anti-wrinkle product sold for $60 at Sephora promoted through Fashion magazines such as Vogue. The products itself is the same but its packaging and brand are different. Yet, more importantly, its pricing differs drastically.

It was just last week I was comparing two companies on their sales and shipping speed. I was buying a hair product that can very rarely be bought in stores, or at least in Morgantown. It was Amazon versus Jet. Amazon prime offered fast delivery and Jet offered a lower price. At the time, I was more concerned with speed and opted for Amazon. In industries that are particularly price competitive, speed can be the distinguishing advantage. Amazon has such a great edge on all of its competitors. People want quality stuff and they want it now.  This isn’t so much of a “Zeitgeist” example, yet you can see how speed plays a huge factor in the consumer industry.

On top of all of these previously discussed factors, many designers suffer from “featuritis.” I can definitely speak for myself when I say I single-handedly experienced this in the beginning of my group's product design process. We were trying to throw all of these cool nifty features in one leash. Little did we realize having all of these elements in one could really backfire. Just when we thought we reached its full potential we were really holding ourselves back. It’s the pressing feeling of not being good enough that first had us thinking like this. The more we added the more successful we thought it could be. Seems like a logical plan, but in our case, it was the exact opposite.

Despite having all these potential new features, it could’ve flopped anyways when in the market. Norman explains that “Technology changes rapidly, but people and culture change slowly. Change is, therefore, simultaneously rapid and slow.” This was a huge lightbulb in my head. I’ve realized there has been many now popular things that first surfaced years ago, but it wasn’t until after the author revealed humanities ways of using and buying did I really catch on.  Since my peers and I are novice product designers, I think we could afford to fail and fail miserably. Top companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, etc. could really hurt from such a major failure. So many people globally have put their trust in these brands and can't imagine anything but success from every design they make.

Amazon released Alexa in 2016 and at first, it was this awesome invention that everyone would have on their Christmas list. However, since then, I've heard a lot of disappointment about the self-talking product because of government reasons and information satisfaction.  Although many of Amazons buyers were not thrilled with this product, the company never once suffered. I think for a company it’s a lot about character and past success.

There are two major forms of product innovation: a natural, slow evolutionary process and radical new development.  Norman explains that In general, people tend to think of innovation as being radical, major changes, whereas the most common and powerful form of it is actually small and incremental.  To me, this is a lot like thinking out loud. Most of the time, you should probably take a quick second to think about how you want to answer a question or introduce yourself into a conversation. Think before you speak just like you should think and process before you design. Especially if there is a lot of money at stake. No matter which celebrities companies have promoting their product or how “new” and exciting something may be, it’s a climb.  Climbing is a process and if you strategically think it through, you will make it to your destination with very little issues

Design is only successful if the audience thinks it is.  For us designers, I think this is our largest obstacle within our career. We can spend many hours, days, weeks, and years thinking about design and which way will work best, just to get rejected within a couple of minutes. It’s a little bit of luck but a whole lot of practical thinking. If there's anything I’ve learned from the readings in this class, it is to start small and grow ideas. Never jump to conclusions and always thoroughly conduct some sort of process. That seems to be the only way to leave both you and your users happy and successful.

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Assignment 7: Build to Learn

Chapter 9 of The Art of Innovation began with a common thing everyone deals with quite frequently—barriers. As a designer, it should be common knowledge barriers will be a reoccurring factor in your process and work. It’s pretty much inevitable. However, I think when it comes to product design, these barriers begin to grow in size and quantity.  As humans, we are so quick to judge and nowadays it seems to only becoming worse. Everyone’s outlook or opinion is the “correct” one and I could see how product designers may face severe frustration because of this "I’m right your wrong mentality."

Kelley discusses the cultural resistance to a new product or technology as well as ingrained rituals. He mentioned how his brother, David, faced a large obstacle where people won’t take the time to re-learn how they use a computer nor would anyone want to learn how to re-write. This reminded me a lot of my mom re-learning a new way to teach math to her first graders. My mom grew up in the 1960’s so she definitely likes to do things “the old-fashioned way.” So as she had to go to meetings to learn this new approach to elementary math, she struggled and honestly saw it as a waste of time. Even when she tried showing me the “new” way to add and subtract, I lost interest within the first 30 seconds.

Time is a precious thing and people can be so lazy. When designers push a new way of thinking they’re stepping into sticky territory. Looking globally at an approach to product is an awesome way to keep the ball rolling and stop while ahead. For example, places such as Europe and Japan, have outlawed Hydroquinone which is found in facial skin care products that brightens the complexion. This is because it is cytotoxic, meaning it has the ability to kill cells and chromosomes if overused, which can lead to some cancers. However here in America, we could care less so while these facial products boost their revenue in the States, they would ultimately bankrupt in other locations geographically.

Another great example of this is the food industry—America versus the world.  In a lot of other countries, food coloring is completely unheard of. Therefore any innovators promoting the coloring of food ingredients would be better off staying in the USA. This goes for the Hershey's Company as well. There’s simply not a market for “fake” tasting Chocolate over in Switzerland or Italy. To add to this narrow-mindedness people have, Kelley explained the holdover effect. I once heard a story about exposing an infant to the color white and making a variation of loud noises that would frighten the baby. It was an experiment for learned behavior. Just like the holdover effect, in reality, something may not be what it seems, but it’s a personal perception that alters the way things are bought, used and popularized.

Products that are judged due to pre-mature ideas may be for multiple different reasons, however, if you’re riding the S-curve you must be doing something right, or at least sometimes. I’m glad Kelley mentioned this because this is exactly what my research project, the Airbnb Company, went through until just recently. Toys R Us has also been experiencing this curve for years now. Becoming a duo with Babies R Us saved them years back when they first began a decline in sales. It was just a month ago the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy but has come back again within the past two weeks with a new plan to incorporate virtual reality for children while shopping. Since, of course, our actual reality is now kids having a technological interest instead of playing with plastic, shiny Batmans or animatronic pet friends.

The FUD Factor is something I think all of my examples thus far have suffered from. There’s always that fear, uncertainty, and doubt racing through the people's minds. To this day, I experience this with any Apple update. I can remember when one of Apple's biggest updates surfaced and it involved a completely new interface. I was hesitant and remember updating my phone months if not a year after the new design was released. The thing that ultimately won me over were these cute little feelings called Emojis. Much like banking apps too, I think audiences are wary of exposing their financial information to an unfamiliar database.  

FUD can also be because of an already well-established competitor. I myself at first experienced uncertainty and doubt when I began sketching for my group's dog leash design. I kept going back to the retractable leash and building off of that idea. Obviously, I was going in circles. I’m glad we had a second go at creating ideas and starting from scratch. I think it was more than necessary to cleanse our minds of what already is and seek out what could be. Like Kelley says, we all can use a little help now and then no matter your skillset.

I truly think in order to overcome any barriers, FUD, and brain blocks one must get out and interact with the people. hands down this is my favorite part about product design. I need that human interaction from time to time. I would hate to think my whole career would be perfecting things behind a computer screen until “beautiful” is achieved. I need to know what good affordances are and I need to know what my audience needs. Product Design is not a one-man show.  This is why even the most distasteful products are booming because their founders recognize the importance of their users. Or more importantly, the desirable celebrities who will promote the product line presence in which in return gives the company a huge fan base almost instantly.

Despite the face of a company or a hundred person team, companies are still against the speed of time as mentioned in Chapter 11. For this, my mind immediately went to movie release dates. Imagine the team behind the Home Alone movies. Not only did they have to create the movie, perfect the scenes, and market the heck out of it, but they also had to do it all in time for the holiday season for an impactful release date and sales. They had no choice but to stay on schedule.

Not only do companies have to abide by time and dates, but also may have to reinvent the wheel or at least half of it. Once again, I’m going to use Apple as an example.  Each year the company releases a new phone model yet never is it identical to its previous sibling. If this were the case, the company would’ve seen drastic sale decline and could very well be on their way out. It’s dangerous to get in habit of something as an innovator. It ultimately defeats the purpose. You wouldn’t really be innovating.

In all, I think this weeks chapter hit on really great topics that I could foresee being overlooked in the product design process by new designers like myself. It was very helpful to identify these pressure points that could drastically alter a product success rate before really reaching the market.

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Assignment 6: Coloring Outside the Lines (Part 2)

I was already familiar with the concepts this week's readings discussed. Yet I think there were some really good terms and hypothetical associations both Kelley and Norman hit on to further explain these ideas.

To begin, chapter 6 & 14 of The Art of Innovation focused in on prototyping the heck out of every design while also watching out for the things to come even after this step. The term “prototyping” has been engraved in my brain ever since I began my journey as a design student. Even as a novice taking pre-requisite art classes, professors were having us prototype for the final end results of our projects.

I couldn’t agree more with Kelly when he emphasizes the importance of prototyping before really investing a lot of time in an idea. Dedicating a whole chapter to this one topic should show anyone the significance of this part of the process. For me, my major breakthrough experience with prototyping was in Kofi’s Visual Communications class where we were assigned an installation project. My main issue was to highlight the paper waste epidemic growing around the world but I wanted to portray this in a witty-friendly way. It involved paper waste facts being printed on toilet paper while the dispensers in the public stall bathrooms would have a “wooden skin” decal covering the whole contraption. Instead of seeing the toilet paper through the translucent dispenser box, the two rounded silhouettes of the paper rolls were instead depicted as the top of two tree stumps with many rings.

To prototype this whole idea I needed to know measurements, materials, and public availability. It took many tries to get the correct adhesive to work as well perfectly shaping the design on one of those obnoxious dispenser rolls. This is where I truly began to understand the importance of prototyping. Little did I know every object I use daily was once a prototype.  

Kelley mentions a few prototype stories concerning products such as the ice cream factory and apple items but my mind was in a much different place. Television shows, one of the worlds largest industries and profits have a little prototype mechanism they like to call the pilot. For example, the 1990’s show Full House had a major breakthrough simply by prototyping. In the Pilot for this show, actor John Posey portrayed the “dad figure” also known as Danny Tanner. It was after the pilot’s reviews and low ratings when Posey was dismissed and Bob Saget was signed on for his empathetic ways and dad like demeanor. This was a major benefit for the cast and show. Ratings skyrocketed and the tv show is still very loved and cherished 30 years later today. Without the pilot, this family comedy could have had a completely different destiny.

Another connection I had with the reading is when Kelly mentions the story of Amazon and founder Bezos. It is now no wonder to me that Amazon is booming with business due to its creator’s practice of confidence and work ethic. I can just look at Amazons’ home page a feel confident that I’ll be able to find the product I’m looking for. And the best part? It’ll be at my doorstep within the 48 hours after purchase. It baffles me how the company literally mirrors its founder. Bezos knew what the people wanted and needed. Despite all the risks he took, he knew his creativity and more importantly his audience. But what really saved him was the future.

Bezos was in touch with the future by knowing the pattern and probabilities in the field of economics and sales. Just like any major fashion mogul, they’re likely to attend every fashion week around the world to keep up with competitors and the trends that are evolving. However, fashion is a bit foggy when it comes to describing the industry as being “futuristic”because fashion style tends to repeats itself.

As a designer I could see where focusing on the now isn’t applicable for any type of product. Apple is definitely a company who gets this. I almost feel so defeated buying the newest iPhone when I know that in 12 months a new one will come along and this years product will seem to have aged by 5 years instantly. Their brand is all about the future and I can see that’s why they are so successful. Practically the whole world is their audience and all 8 billion of us seem to have a hard time living in the “now” when it comes to technology. This is a company I think a lot of other’s can learn from, not to mention it seems the author uses them as an example in almost every lesson.  

In Chapter 6 of The Design for Everyday Things, I liked how Norman discussed different career backgrounds forming one cohesive team. It seems like all of my family and friends are engineers and I’m the only designer amongst the bunch. Even comparing my assignments to theirs, I can see a huge difference where they have one answer to a project and I could have thousands of answers. It can be frustrating but I think having designer’s engineer’s marketers and all of the above working together can create something ever so powerful.

Human Centered Design was also another term familiar to me. In fact, I wish they offered this as an alternative field at WVU. I think this discipline is so crucial because anything we do no matter our job, it is for the people. Looking at the HCD process, I have to say that my favorite part would be step 1: observation. This is where you really get to know users and other types of behaviors rather than the ones you already perceive. It’s where psychology and design get to tango.

Marketers should spend a day in designer’s shoes just to get a sense of this humanism that goes into selling products. I intern for the WVU athletic marketing department and sometimes things can get frustrating. As a designer, I can see what will make people interested but many of my colleagues are only concerned with ticket sales rather than the aesthetic of my graphics. Designers care whereas marketing is in it for the big bucks. They don’t really have a connection with their crowd, nor do they prototype.

Norman discusses  “The Wizard of Oz method” in which I absolutely adored and not just because that’s one of my favorite movies. The term put things in better perspective and I couldn’t help but laugh because it seems this movie itself was one big prototype considering all the things that went wrong on and after set.

Other points made like complexity and standardization were ideas I had not specifically thought of but it makes more sense now why one should consider these things. For example, Sam Farber’s arthritic kitchen utensils not only helped his wife but basically changed the way we invent kitchen tools. Just like the Aleve bottle cap. Even me, a young individual who has zero signs of arthritis enjoys opening and closing the cap because it feels smooth and effortless in my fingers.

These are only a few of the steps that make design so rewarding in the end. The opportunity to develop things that assist and enrich the lives of people cannot be found in any other field of work. As Joe Galbreath would say, high risk comes high reward.

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Assignment 5: Coloring Outside the Lines

Chapter 12 & 13 of The Art of Innovation talks a lot about improvement and failures. Both have two very different meanings but essentially come together to balance their concepts out. This reading had my mind going in many different places thinking of several examples and personal associations that Kelley’s teachings projected.

To start, he mentions Silicon Graphics and their expansion into exploring the colorful side of things. I can remember as a ten-year-old child being astounded by the translucent cool blue iMac my best friend had. This new piece of technology was my total definition of the “future” and I so badly wanted to be a part of it. I would assume this is very much like everyone else’s thoughts and the main reason for its success.  These companies were literally coloring outside the lines. They failed to improve and I can tell you my ten-year-old friends and I were more than pleased with these failures.

I can coincide with Kelley’s notion of fail for greatness. This year as well as last year I have been a part of a huge client project for Tucker County. It was our job to create a brand identity for the county that hits on the cultural aspects. We tried many things and created various mock-ups to show our clients at the first meeting. After that meeting, we failed hard. Our clients were not looking for the catchy slogans we made nor were they trying to pinpoint specific icons for certain hobbies like we thought. It was their criticism that set us on the right path for Tucker's current logo, which seems very well liked by most of the residents in that area.

These noble failures we had with Tucker kept our gears grinding as we discovered more possibilities we could make with this branding symbol. The more mistakes we found and the negative feedback received, the better the design became. With more innovations came even more ideas.  One thing kept leading to another. Kelley’s mentioning of the juggling example again reminded me of this project. We had thought of many ways we could use the brand on apparel and products, yet had zero time or money to sink into this part of the idea.

At the Tucker County Leaf Peepers Festival this past weekend, the four of us running the logo booth wore T-shirts with the identity we created along with a few extra shirts for display. We were asked many times for purchasing them but had not intended to sell them quite yet. It was a test. We juggled with possibilities and ended up learning how beneficial it could be to actually pursue the consumer goods side of our identity. T-shirt ideas led to even more ideas and potential profit for other businesses within Tucker. Very similar to the bicycle components Kelley explained. The more twisting and pulling of an idea, the more ideas, and success it truly can have. No to mention¬, the more money earned.

So why did we sink time into more goods the brand could be a part of and risk failure? The county could easily have rejected the whole branding idea and not blink twice about it. This concept reminds me a lot of Apple’s iPhone. Possibly one of the greatest inventions of all time, the prominent company seems to always be changing and evolving new ideas. One of their newer versions of the iPhone allowed for a different headphone jack than the previous models. It was a huge risk the company took, however, seems to be working fine for most people. This is because they’re a reputable brand and have earned people’s trust. Whether or not this was breaking the rules or just taking a huge risk, the outcome was rewarding. You can fail many times at something but you could never truly be “wrong.”

I think the hard part actually comes later. As Kelley states, there’s no finish line. This couldn’t be truer. Design is a lot like being human in the sense that you can always improve on something. Again, Apple is a company who sees this concept and becomes more and more proactive about it. There are many devices competing with Apple products who are learning and adjusting from this mega brand to potentially outsmart it.

I think a lot of the time when we start to design, we think we need many ideas and it needs to do many things for us. Yet sometimes, simple works just as well if not better¬–for example, airport signage. If this was more complicated than a large Helvetica word plastered on a big blue sign 50 feet wide, I think we all would be in huge trouble. Just like the Frisbee example Kelley mentioned, it’s been around for years and its concept and functionality is just as popular today. In fact, I think Frisbee is one of WVU’s most popular rec classes. Simplicity at its finest.

Hands-on and letting go concepts are definitely two ideas I never truly thought about until now. There are several items of mine that I carry around daily just because I like the way they feel and act. Much like the Oral-B toothbrush, I have an old, tall coffee cup that has a nice satisfying grip. Nowadays, a lot of the cups are made with stainless steel appliances and a skin that protects your hand from the blazing glass. It’s a give and take strategy.

Kelley’s 10 Objectives were very helpful when I began to apply these to my own project innovation. Number 3, identifying the common love for a product and number 10, creating small features or as I like to call them “Easter eggs” are the two main objectives I have strived for since picking my innovation topic. I think both chapter 12 and 13 got me thinking more about how I can improve my own ideas and start thinking about different outlets from even the smallest changes on a concept.

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Assignment 4: Time in the Jungle

Chapter 8 & 10 of The Art of Innovation were very insightful and had me thinking more of how to really dive into my research. Kelley begins by talking about the “unexpected” in which I think is extremely important not only for product design but also daily life. When I first entered the design program, I can remember Eve continuously preaching about the importance of letting mistakes happen. “Happy accidents” are what my peers and I tend to call them.  Wrong turns can lead to the right path, which is something very special to the design field. It can be flexible and breathable without having to run a tight ship every day at the office.

Kelley’s “cross-pollination” reminded me a lot of myself when packing for trips. Assuming things can happen and may occur is probably my biggest pitfall during my travel experience.  I tend to think of hundreds of different scenarios in which I’ll need hundreds of different outfits. I’m always assuming things way out in left field. However, I liked the need for this to be part of the product process. The more imaginative with how products will be used and encountered, the higher your chances are of creating a five-star product and a reputable name for yourself.  

Some of the examples of product accidents were quite eye-opening. One of my favorite brands, Proctor & Gamble even makes mistakes. I especially thought the velcro innovation was neat. Who would’ve thought that the burs my dogs run out of the woods with are the very reason for my mom’s first graders light up shoes? Even the cold cream invention excited me because of my daily use of it and the Kleenex. To think many of the products around me are “happy accidents” brings a whole new perspective to my process thinking.  

The seven tips Kelley discusses were all very helpful when applied to my research and product understanding. The one tip I couldn’t exactly wrap my mind around was #2 “Play Director.” However, I thought the best tip out of the list was definitely changing perspectives. Putting myself into others shoes opens up new possibilities and insights on how to make a product more versatile and sustainable.

The reading really started to get interesting when Kelley discusses the importance of creating experiences. I feel as if nowadays this is the most important tactic for marketing. Even before Kelley mentioned Disney, I already had the brand in mind. Their absolute whole gimmick is about the experience. Considering the billion dollar net worth it’s created, I’d say it works pretty well. This brings me to my own experience this summer at Disney. Of course, the whole week was a grand experience but what really stood out was the newest feature to animal Kingdom–Avatar Flight of Passage.

This ride is incredible with all of its 3-D technology and simulator factors. However, that’s only HALF of the experience. The designers were eager to create an immediate experience once park goers entered the line. And good thing they did because the line wait is a good 3 hours. Since the actual ride is inside a massive tree-like structure, the line winds up through this structure, inviting visitors to gaze at the impeccable details of Pandora’s nature and technology. I would suggest this ride to anyone who is really in for a great experience.

Another experience I thought of us when Kelley explained The Pike Place Fish Market strategy. Connecting people to their experiences isn’t always easy. Yet the fact that this market let customers buy their favored fish is very noteworthy. This is sort of like Hibachi restaurants to me. Letting customers watch their preferred food being made in front of them connects them to not only their appetite but also to the whole experience of dinner table strangers, chefs, culture and so on.

To end, I think mentioning the littlest things go a long way is very prominent when working with design. It’s much like a compliment or favor. Even the kindest acts can truly transform a person’s day. If a word or small action can change a mindset, imagine the possibilities a product can for millions of people at once.

Research Topic:

Product that helps carry food/water/objects while walking dog

Short Research Summary

Stakeholders:

Dog owners Consumer’s Dogs/furry friends Dog sitters Neighbors (who would not like a mess in their yard)

Stakeholders Needs:

To carry things Be comfortable (them & the dog) Effortless experience Reassurance of success with things being carried

Environmental effect:

Cleaner areas (no feces)

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Assignment 3: Beginning with an eye

Chapter 5 of The Design for Everyday Things kept me very interested with the examples Norman uses and many of them I could also relate to.  When he discusses the bridge collapsing scenario, I couldn’t help but disagree with both the engineers and Norman’s thoughts. When I’m driving on a bridge, I inevitably think about the possibilities of it falling and 99% of the time I think both the liability falls on the designer and infrastructure. Blaming one or the other just doesn’t seem sensible to me.  

Testing is also a tricky task just like putting the blame on someone or something. Unlike a testing room or session, the circumstances can be much different for the actual user. This reminds me of testing something like an iPad. In a testing environment, testers are comfortable and calmly tapping their screens, however in some cases, like me, people in the real world are out using their iPads or any devices standing in a noisy airport, reading the local news or looking at flight schedules. The two just don’t compare.

I find it funny that Norman mentions the designer is quick to blame the user. I feel like in general these days; everyone assumes it’s the other person’s fault. The blame game is simpler to do rather than having people know your guilty mistakes. Like the Carnival Cruise line, the company blamed their employees for the constant power outages on the voyages rather than the mechanics of the boat. Anyone with these irresponsible blaming qualities should not be a designer.

Another life threatening example like the boat that was both interesting and scary was Norman’s F-22 fighter aircraft failure. This probably is most people’s worst nightmare. When the engineering is dependent for many lives, the chances seem even greater for the truth to be masked.

The chapter also discusses multiple factors for error. Another example popped in my mind but it is much more positive than a crashing plane or standstill boat. Imagine a person baking. If the user accidentally sets the oven timer for too long and the oven bakes too fast, (a lot like mine) there was more than one error and the fault lands on both the user and the device. This I can definitely see happening with very many products in the world, and to me seems almost unavoidable.  Which brings me to Norman’s discussion of the 5 “why’s.”  I’m not so sure I agree with this technique. This process seems annoying and also inconsistent. Why is "5" the golden number? I believe if this were the case, you’d think they could figure the answer out to every problem!

When slips were introduced it really put things in a better perspective and I thought back to my baking scenario. A memory slip such as forgetting to melt the butter is much different than an action such as setting the timer too long. All 3 bases could also be experienced while baking. The user's actions may interfere with his or her own knowledge, memory, and rules, which I thought this was an interesting way to divide the “why” Norman discusses.  

Again, another relatable thing is memory lapse slipping and I definitely related to most of the author’s example. Especially putting your car in gear without disengaging the parking brake. So how should we designers design successfully? With Norman’s advice list, I have one more tip to add—research. Even after the failure of the product, designers should research why, how and what other product’s experience these failures. What are the options? This is an important factor to put forth with advice.

Much like the “Swiss Cheese Model” even without using any products my life feels like one big wheel of holes. When you factor in products that could potentially have even more holes, disaster is bound to happen at some point. No one is perfect, especially as a designer. There’s always room for improvement and there’s always someone who thinks they can design it better than you.

Chapter 5 & 7 of the Art of Innovation discusses a lot about the importance of team building and rapid prototyping.  I agree with IDEO in the fact that they focused a lot of their attention on grouping into affective teams and gathering to common meeting places. Kelley discussed hot grouping tips and the one I couldn’t agree more with is “make sure the team has the right mix of individual personalities.” I’ve always thought the more diverse a person or group is, the more powerful they can be. This is so true for design. So many ideas and backgrounds can truly collaborate to make something so great that will relate to many different users.

With that being said, many different backgrounds’ can bring many different techniques for prototyping. I have learned this is a HUGE part of design and is an essential step, especially for product making. It was just two weeks ago Eve had us rapid prototype a faith wheel that would be displayed at a community event in Morgantown. We were in a time crunch so the term “rapid” was in full effect. This was a lot like Tuesday night's class where common interests/bugs were found and we were rapidly spewing out our ideas. Learning, collaborating and understanding seem to be common motifs within the design process and within this field that I continue to value as my education continues. I can only hope my own prototyping and collaboration successfully grow in a more effective way.  

Research Category: Pet’s (primarily dog’s)

Dog Issues (Some can be applied to other animals)

1.    Dog hair everywhere 2.    Dog gets tangled in its leash 3.    Dog jumps a lot 4.    Dog crate is a pain to fold up 5.    Want to carry food/water on walk 6.    Dog doesn’t like getting a bath/tries to run away while being bathed 7.    Dog got sprayed by a skunk 8.    Dog can’t walk on stairs 9.    Dog is afraid of walking on smooth surfaces (like tile) 10.    Outside dog attacks small animals (moles, groundhogs, cats) 11.    Dog is an excessive licker 12.    When on walks, dog likes to drag you instead of walk at a decent pace 13.    Dog practically inhales food 14.    Dog begging at dinner table 15.    Wet dog smell/dog smell in general 16.    Dog pee staining hardwood floors due to acidity 17.    Dog’s not taking medicine/pills 18.    Dog always wanting attention/belly scratched 19.    Cleaning out dogs ears/mouth/teeth 20.    Dog matted fur 21.    Barking 22.    Dog not sitting still in the car/not comfortable 23.    Dog anxiety 24.    Dog’s getting in/out of cars 25.    Dog’s water bowl not staying cold 26.    Dog’s being lazy 27.    Dog’s wasting food 28.    Dog’s bad joints/bones 29.    Licking themselves in wrong places/hotspots 30.    Conformably washing dogs 31.    Annoying dog squeakers/toys 32.    Dogs scratching/chewing furniture

Cat Issues 1.    Cat tree takes up too much room 2.    Cat claws (can't declaw all for protective reasons)

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Assignment 2: Bug List

Chapter 3 of The Design for Everyday Things talks a lot about “knowing” and user knowledge. There were several points of this chapter that I felt truly coincided with my life. When the author suggests the four reasons of “knowledge of the world” I thought number 3 in particular currently plays a huge part in my life. He discusses instructions assume that things must be done in a specific order or the end result will not be achieved. However, these constraints do not exist, and a person who does things differently can still achieve success. When I am in Kofi’s web class, I notice that I tend to create a working code in a much different way than he does. It’s normally what makes more sense in my mind rather than doing it identical to Kofi’s, yet we still receive the desired result. Much like anything else with design, rules can be broken or manipulated to achieve the proper outcomes that in a sense, makes design a very lucrative and flexible field.

Norman briefly mentions that illiterate people are able to get by in the world and do so in ways that conceal their inabilities from others. This made me think a lot about my first time in New Orleans and its’ traffic patterns. In parts of the city, cars are to stop in the middle of the intersection, which also happens to be in the pathways of the streetcars. Like most people, if you see a train approaching, or in this case a streetcar, you would think to high-tail it off the tracks as soon as possible. Not in New Orleans. You are to pull into the intersection even if there is a streetcar 20 feet away. We didn’t realize the car stops for the cars until we saw other drivers casually driving and stopping in its pathway. It was a learned behavior that stuck to us within a minute by watching the local’s drive and the loud honking of the annoyed locals who knew the rules.

The knowledge “of” and knowledge “how” was interesting to think about, which led me to think about the knowledge “who” and why it wasn’t a distinct type of knowledge. For example, the children I babysit may know the name Aristotle, but I know good and well they have no clue that he actually was and what he achieved.

I would say I am pretty familiar with the field “of” rather than “how.” Norman's example of an expert tennis player not recognizing exactly how he moves his body when serving, and cannot describe it accurately to the student–it just "feels right." This made me think of the countless times I tried to get my peers to teach me how to “roll my r’s.” They’d say put your tongue to the roof of your mouth until it feels right!” Well, how am I supposed to know if it’s right if I cannot perform the sound? I have yet learned how to do this, but I am sure not everyone places their tongue in the exact spot to get the results. Precision is definitely not required.

When precision is required, I think most about printing processes or driving a car in the designated lane. With printing, precision is important depending on time, company, and expenses. Printing is very easy to mess up which can lead to many more issues down the line. Driving is the same way, but more immediate. Imagine driving in the middle of the interstate rather than right or left. The driver must choose one lane or else he may be paying a pretty penny for a new car part or traffic ticket. Constraints simplify memory reminded me much of the way I learned difficult information in elementary school. Using tunes and rhythms I could recite the 50 states in order as a six-year-old, in which I think is pretty impressive.  In hindsight, I was constrained to exemplify my memory.

Another interesting part of the memory theme Norman discussed was short-term memory and the falsely seven slots. I had never heard of this set number, however, I did realize it normally isn’t beyond a seventh number that will be remembered if I’m dialing a number. I also often use my phone as my back up memory. If it weren’t for that slick screen in my pocket, I wouldn’t remember any events, due dates and would basically never wake up.

Chapter 4 continues to hit on “the know” and performance.  Norman discusses the four types of constraints and I find it interesting that semantic constraints are listed as a constraint rather than a signifier. The three basic methods for constraining user behavior which is interlock, lock in and lock interested me. I honestly never thought about user behavior. I thought either they get it or they don’t and occasionally design plays a roll.

Conventions and affordances were also mentioned. Every day, people are learning to use affordances. For example, a parrot may see their master dance or move and somehow the bird manages to move in a similar motion by simply watching. So not only are conventions important to humans, but also animals.

My favorite example of this week’s reading was the 1985 design of the intelligent elevator.  This by far, in my opinion, is the worst invention made in more recent times. I have been to countless hotels in larger cities in that the elevator performs depending on the user's floor only. I can remember very recently trying to re-figure out this mechanism that continues to haunt me when I visit a new city. That city again was New Orleans.

When Norman discusses using sound as signifiers, I couldn’t help but think of putting my foot to the pedal while in park and expecting to move. That horrid sound my Volkswagen makes frightens me every time, however, I appreciate the reassurance it gives me and focuses my attention on careful driving.

Chapter 3 of the Art of Innovation discusses brainstorming, a common daily procedure I have. As designers, we are constantly brain storming and fishing for new ideas.  I enjoyed reading Kelley’s 7 secrets and 6 killers of brainstorming.  I found it intriguing that Kelley swears by numbering your ideas. I almost never do this because instead of it motivating me, it gives me more anxiety. This is also much like writing down silly ideas to create a great one. When it comes to brainstorming, I tend to be more realistic about things rather than imaginative.  However, I’ve noticed as I continue with my career in design, I’m becoming more open to thinking of the impossible. Nonetheless, good strategy seems to be to learn from your brainstorming sessions and constantly review and revise the process.

Bug List:

Phone time Internet searching Making coffee Ride bike Feed your dog Order food Shower Laptop Toothpaste Putting on deodorant Showering Shaving Mopping Open refrigerator Write with pens, pencils, highlighters Use notebooks Drive car Lounge on couches Hang with friends Read Walk the dog- a leash food dispenser A leash less leash (like an electric fence) Walk to class Cooking Exercise Put on shoes Lighting candles Emptying trash Brush hair Put jewelry on Put makeup on Wash my hands Floss Charge laptop Sit at a desk Grade papers

Shoe: Layer at bottom you could take off if you accidentally stepped in something Inside of shoe deodorizes that sprays into your shoe every 30 minutes Turn shoe into cleat. Cleats can pop on and off

Hygiene: Everlasting deodorant Showing the degrees in the shower

Food: Keurig filter

Activity: Endless weed eater trim string

Pets: A leash food dispenser A leash-less leash (like an electric fence/buzzer for walking beside you)

Domestic Cleans the trash can as you pull out the trash bag

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Assignment 1: Innovative Product

Chapter 1 of The Design for Everyday Things begins by discussing the “Norman Door” which was a term I had never been introduced to before. The scenario that was provided hit very close to home, however, as Norman discussed the incapability of a young man's effort to control a door. There have been instances where I, myself approach a doorway that has a handle rather than a push bar and I’ve wondered which way it would open. Often there are times where I am eagerly pushing a door inward when really it is supposed to open outward and I am left looking like a complete fool. I thought this was a great example to introduce the reading since I immediately reconciled with the direction the author was headed.

Discoverability and understanding are known as the two main components of good design, in which I agree with. I believe that when a user discovers the possibilities of how to use something and also understands the benefits of that product, great design has been created. It’s much like the “light-bulb” turning on: discovery, thought, comprehension.  

Norman discusses how users are not interested in thinking while using a product, rather than do and let it be done quickly. I think most could agree that the faster the better. Mindlessly doing or using things is much better than putting in the extra effort. This concept reminds me a lot of Ikea because their whole identity is “simplistic furniture” where a little assembly is needed.

The four types of design mentioned: Industrial, Experience, Interaction, and Human centered design was not new fields to me, yet I did enjoy learning the in’s and outs of each. Occasionally, I like to search for jobs and read their partnering qualifications. I’ve noticed on many applications in the past couple of years “Human Centered Design” is the undergrad major requirement.  Since WVU doesn’t offer that course work, I looked more into it and the existing schools that do provide that major. I would assume a lot of psychology, as well as design principles,  would be implemented into HCD and truly think more colleges should offer that area. I see it as a very important part of designing for the general public and although a lot of design classes explore those components, HCD classes would be more beneficial.

The chapter also discusses the fundamentals of principle interactions that are things such as affordances, signifiers, mapping, and feedback. Affordances are a bit tricky I think. Like Norman mentions, these affordances is determined by the qualities of the object and the abilities of the individual who uses it and that obviously vary from each user. Therefore, if the affordance is different between two different people, the signifier may be as well. Feedback was another principle that I deeply understood because I am one of those people who need constant reassurance I am correctly doing a task. A great example of this is the crosswalk indicator, in which I can relate to. I’m not a huge fan of walking a cross a busy street as it is, so when I don’t get any feedback whether I hit the pedestrian button hard enough, I fall into panic mode. Thankfully, WVU has a very stern, male voice saying “WAIT!” in which helps me dissipate my uneasy feelings.

In Chapter 2, Norman first opens about an elderly woman having a troublesome time with an average drawer. I couldn’t help but think of my mother during this anecdote. My mom is the culprit for someone who blames themselves rather than the object that in return gives them issues. For example, she is a sixty-year-old first-grade teacher who now has to teach young kids using many different programs and technologies. She didn’t grow up nor learn how to educate children with these types of products so she often finds herself asking my brothers and me for tech help. It was just a month ago I had to write down the directions to “copy and paste” something in Microsoft Word. My mom is a very bright, intelligent lady, but sometimes the devices she uses do not fit her understandings, which I can see where design is to blame for that. She experiences the “learned helplessness” that Norman talks about, where she calls herself “dumb” or incapable of doing a simple task like copy and pasting.

This brings me to discuss the elements for design advice mentioned. Blaming the user when he/she cannot use your design and when people encounter difficulty, consider how the design can be adapted to be more usable are my favorite tips. Designers are very bright and intuitive people, yet I think sometimes ego gets in the way. I know I myself will blame my own viewers if I ask them their opinion on my work and they simply don’t get it. It’s natural to feel frustrated, but it needs to be recognized that not everyone is identical when it comes to understanding design choices.

In all, it is vital to remember that the job of the designer is not to make the device into an object of awe and mystery, but to make it useful with minimal effort by the users, such as they are.

Chapter 1 of The Art of Innovation the author Tom Kelley, expresses the importance of innovation and growth for companies or really any business in general if they are eager to continue to keep up with competitors and the ever-changing world. Kelley mentions 4 mechanics that comprise with this practice: capacity, speed, expertise, and innovation.

As I went on to read about the brothers compelling story of IDEO, I thought it was really neat how different workers backgrounds formed to constantly keep creating successful projects with IDEO. I think that’s really cool that despite different upbringings, very different people can work together to make something great. In which I totally anticipate seeing very soon after I graduate in December.  

The IDEO method mention I can recall learning from Kofi last year. It wasn’t until now that I realized not only was there a company behind this model but also a recognized ABC Nightline special. When I get the chance, I plan to watch that episode.

Kelley expresses how important it is to promote and use creativity. I loved this. I believe everyone has a little bit of creativity, so why not embrace that and better the world with the hidden ideas among the ordinary people who do not design for a living.

Chapter 2 was very short, yet was inspiring and great insight on the journey of experimentation and everlasting growth within a career, business or project. When companies like Apple become involved with your business, you know you’ve done something right!

Lastly, Chapter 3 discusses the IDEO approach to investigating how clients and products might interact in real settings by observing and user testing. I honestly would love to go out every day and sort of “people watch” to create a better design. My favorite part of this whole reading was when Kelley explains, “Today the best companies recognize the value of talking and listening to kids.” I couldn’t agree more with this, for I often am around kids and although their thoughts can be wild, they will not hold back on their thoughts and opinions. Not to mention, their imagination is far more vast than general, matured adult.

Assignment 1: Find an Innovative Product

Product: Weed eater

Issue: String trimmer for head of the tool

Synopsis:

There needs to be a string trimmer that you don't need to constantly have to put the string in the head of the trimmer. You just buy a cartridge of 250 feet of string, snap it onto a compartment on the shaft and you can trim weeds all year long without having to take off the head, cut 8 feet of string, manually wrap it on the head, push the spring loaded head back together and reattach to the trimmer.

Imagine being out in a field and you run out of string. You have to stop what you are doing and go back to where you have string and pliers to cut with. You then take it apart, do what the video shows, which can take 10 minutes and then go back to the field. If you had a continuous feed cartridge on the shaft, no need to do any of this.

Process:

I first began by thinking of the common, everyday items I use and how they could be improved, or at least make my life easier. I started by making a list of possibilities:

I then began to research which most of my possibilities in my notes had already been invented or were just simply impossible. I already figured some were out of the question like Willy Wonka's “everlasting gum flavor” but I thought it would help my creativity/brainstorming.

I then thought about the types of places and things I have been or have in my life. My first go-to is my family farm in WV (which is not my home but rather an asset my family owns and visits occasionally). My father visits there weekly and I figured he might have an idea of a farming product or tool that could use a little TLC.

That’s where he mentioned the need for an almost everlasting weed eating string compartment. I knew what he was talking about at first, but I had honestly only used a weed eater to help him out a couple of times so I figured this invention already existed.

I conducted web research of this and it turns out there isn’t a single idea of an everlasting string trimmer for a weed eater.  

For anyone who is big into weed eating or does it often, knows that the hassle of using up 10 feet of trimmer string within an hour then having to re-install more is quite frustrating, especially on hot days miles away in an open field. Although I have never used a weed eater long enough to have to get string, I can imagine how inconvenient the task must be every 60 minutes.