Garr Reynolds Reading

The author's three most important points stressed the content, structure, and preparation aspects of the presentation. The article indicated that if a presentation does not have strong content, it cannot succeed, regardless of other elements of the presentation. That being said, a great deal of emphasis was placed on not bombarding the audience with excessive information and data. Presenters must be careful not to create a "data dump," in which the audience is overloaded and cannot appreciate the true meaning of the presentation. Thus, there is a very fine line between presenting content in a logical manner, and overwhelming and boring the audience. Structure was another very important point in this article. Structure is attained by first mapping out the structure, so that the presenters know exactly what points they want to make and how to present them. One suggestion that the author made was to use analog tools, such as legal pads and whiteboards, to plan out the structure of a presentation before even opening powerpoint or any other electronic presenting means. You cannot simply create a well structured presentation by typing slides one by one in power point. In addition, the author warned that table of contents slides in power point presentations can sometimes be deceptive, because they mislead the audience into thinking that the presentation is well organized. When the audience realizes that the only organized part of the presentation was the first slide, they can become frustrated and impatient. One final point that was given a great deal of importance was preparation. The presenters need to know their material inside and out, so that they are prepared for any situations which might occur during the presentation. The point was made that we are afraid of the unknown; thus, if we know our material and are prepared, we will not be nervous, but if we lack confidence in our knowledge of the subject material, we will be much more nervous while presenting. The author suggested practicing going through the presentation several times, and to be ready for the unexpected, such as a last minute shortening of the presentation.

This article will help me with my presentation in the way that I approach the organization and preparation. Certain aspects of presentations, such as the aesthetic details, come naturally to me, but I sometimes struggle presenting my ideas in a logical way. I definitely think I will try to map out ideas on a  whiteboard or notebook, so that I do not just simply put my ideas into powerpoint as I think of things to say. In addition, I sometimes get very nervous while formally presenting something to a group, so I will definitely take advantage of the preparation advice as I get ready for the presentation. I will make sure to go through the presentation with my partner as if we were delivering it in class, and be confident in the ideas I am trying to share.

I think presentation preparation has so much in common with product design because like design, it involves visceral, behavioral, and reflective aspects. Presentations need (or at least, it greatly helps) to be very aesthetically appealing and inviting. It helps to have something pleasant to look at. Presentations also have behavioral aspects because they need to be useful and informative. The reflective nature comes into play because presenters must relate to people on a cultural and emotional level in order to truly be effective.

I would be most interested in exploring how culture plays a role in design. We all come from different backgrounds and have different cultural roots, so I would really be interested in seeing how design differs in different parts of the world. How do things such as advertising and product design change as we travel the globe? Are there certain qualities or principles that vary from country to country. I would also be interested in exploring what causes these differences to occur. While the differences would be very interesting to compare, it would also be interesting to examine similarities in design across the world. What design principles are universal, and what makes design relatable to people thousands of miles apart?

Emotional Design Chapter 3 Follow-up

For me, the most interesting part of this chapter from "Emotional Design" was the section entitled "The Devious Side of Design." There were many intriguing examples from this section that made me really think about my personal shopping experiences, and showed me that we all are constantly being manipulated by the stores that we frequent. For example, I found the supermarket example to be the most interesting part of the chapter. "To disconcert shoppers as a selling tool is hardly news. Supermarkets long ago learned to put the most frequently desired items at the rear of the store, forcing buyers to pass by isles of tempting impulse purchases. Moreover, related items can be placed nearby. Do people rush to the store to buy milk? Put the milk at the rear of the store, and put cookies nearby."As I was reading this passage, I realized that this was both very accurate and very frustrating. Every grocery store I have ever been in, the milk and dairy products are located in refrigerators at the back of the store, while the produce and meat are also located far away from the checkout counters. Many stores are also laid out in such a way that when one is proceeding to the checkout line, it is necessary to walk down another isle. While I had never noticed it before, this is a definite attempt by the store management to manipulate shoppers into buying more products that they don't really need. The more I think about it, shopping in grocery stores is really a pain, especially if you don't shop there on a regular basis. Finding the products that you need involves walking in front of numerous isles, looking up at hanging signs to point you in the right direction. Also, have you ever been in a supermarket and gotten separated from another person you were with. It can feel like you are stuck in a maze, which is probably another design trick to get people to buy more products. It would make so much more design sense to lay out the stores in a much simpler manner. For example, all products that do not require temperature control could be arranged in alphabetical order, so that "cereal" was located next to "dog food." This design might require some adjustments, but concepts like this would simplify the grocery shopping process.

The terms "visceral design," "behavioral design," and "reflective design" were not too hard for me to understand. However, I think that the categories would have been more useful if they were named according to the user's reaction. For example, instead of "visceral design," which requires the understanding of a relatively uncommon vocabulary word, a more simple name might be "wow design." The author said that visceral design is all about the "wow factor," so this new name might give a general audience a more clear picture of the concept. In addition, "behavioral design" could be renamed "use design." The author came right out and said that behavioral design is all about use: function, understandability, usability, and physical feel. "Use" might be a good word to replace "behavioral" because it pin points exactly what this type of design is all about. I do not think I would change the name of "reflective design" because this is such a broad category that means something different for everyone. In order to understand reflective design, one must truly "reflect" upon his or her self image, cultural influences, values, and beliefs. As we saw in class today, reflective design was a topic of extensive discussion, and I think the vague name suits the broad category.

Deciding whether visceral, behavioral, or reflective design is important for a particular product is very difficult, and I think the best solution is to find ways to incorporate all three into products whenever possible. Many products need the "wow factor" of visceral design to draw consumers in, but the behavioral and reflective aspects are also very important to determining whether or not the consumer will buy and use the product. I think that many external products that are displayed to the general public require strong visceral design. For example, clothing, sunglasses, and cars, which are all ways that we are seen in public, should have visceral characteristics. Behavioral design is especially important for things that we don't necessarily show off to the rest of the world, but that we use and rely upon on a regular basis. For instance, computers, phones, and suitcases require strong behavioral design to be successful. Reflective design is much more difficult, but I believe that sports products and equipment should play to this type of design, especially in marketing. Put Roger Federer in a commercial for Nike tennis apparel, and people will buy that brand of clothing. Reflective design must appeal to people's greatest passions, including athletic or career aspirations, cultural or family identity, and religious beliefs.

Emotional Design: Chapter 3

The author's primary focus in this chapter was to distinguish between visceral, behavioral, and reflective design. Visceral design involves "the wow factor." It is the kind of design that intends to make objects look aesthetically pleasing. Visceral design can be viewed as shallow and superficial, because the only thing that really matters is how the product looks and the initial reaction of users or consumers. Some visceral principles include bright, highly saturated primary colors, and prominent physical features such as look, feel, and sound. The author also discussed behavioral design, which revolves around use. With behavioral design, qualities such as appearance and rationale are unimportant, whereas function, understandability, usability, and physical feel are key. Norman mentioned how recent developments in computers and software have detracted from behavioral design, because these new innovations take control away from the user and put it in the hands of a machine. Norman also discussed how activities such as cooking play into this behavioral aspect of design. Cooking involves physical feelings such as chopping, slicing, and grating, and many sounds like sizzling and crunching. A third key point of the chapter was reflective design, which pertains to message, culture, and the meaning of a product or its use. This helps establish one's self image and the way that a person sees himself or herself. With strong reflective design, a person wants to buy a product because it has prestige, perceived rarity, or exclusiveness. In addition to these three different kinds of design, the chapter discussed two types of product development: enhancement and innovation. Enhancement involves taking an existing product and making it better, while innovation involves finding a new way of doing something. Enhancements are easier to come up with than innovations, and require watching how people use what exists today, discovering difficulties, and overcoming them. A quote from the chapter that I found especially pertinent to this chapter and the class overall was "Everyday things have to be used by a wide variety of people: short and tall, athletic and not, who speak and read different languages, who may be deaf or blind, or lack physical mobility or agility - or even hands." This explains both the necessity and challenge of efficient design.

This chapter from "Emotional Design" is similar to the selected reading from "The Design of Everyday Things," and draws from many of the same concepts and ideas. Both chapters stressed the importance of "natural design." This is a common sense way of designing objects in a way that is clear to consumers and users and makes them feel like they know how to use the product before they even take it out of the packaging. Another similarity between the two chapters was that both included numerous examples that pertained to each of the author's key points. In this chapter from "Emotional Design," Norman explained several situations and examples relating to visceral, behavioral, and reflective design. This style of writing made the chapter much easier both to read and to understand. If the chapter was just 30 pages of notes about design, it would be very difficult to absorb any of the author's messages.

From personal experience, something that succeeds as visceral design was the restaurant I ate dinner at last night, Zazio's in the Radisson hotel in downtown Kalamazoo. The author's example of the restaurant in downtown Chicago reminded me of my own personal example. The restaurant's sign had an inviting layout of brightly colored, interestingly shaped letters. The inside of the restaurant was beautifully designed, with many of the walls shaped in long curves instead of straight lines. Where the walls met the ceiling, neon lighting illuminated the walls in bright orange and blue colors. The kitchen, which was visible from the dining area, had an extremely bright and bold backsplash of orange tiles. Finally, the bar was backed with a huge piece of fogged glass, with many illuminated bottles on the shelves. The design made me feel like I had enjoyed a great meal before I even started eating. Something that succeeds as behavioral design is my tennis racquet. I bought the racquet primarily because after trying out several different models, I found that this one has the best feel and the most control. In other words, this racquet allows me to play tennis at my highest possible level. Aspects such as appearance and color were not important factors when choosing the racquet. Rather, I focused on the performance of the object. Finally, something that succeeds as reflective design is my Oakley sunglasses. I could buy a pair of sunglasses from a drug store for one twentieth of the price I paid for the Oakley's, but something about the brand and the company's reputation makes me want the higher quality, more exclusive glasses. I always feel stupid when I tell people I like their sunglasses and they tell me they bought them from Rite-Aid for eight dollars, but when I picture myself in the summer, I can't see myself without a pair of Oakley's.

Design of Everyday Things Follow-up

In my opinion, the most interesting section of the first chapter of reading was the passage "the same technology that simplifies life by providing more functions in each device also complicates life by making the device harder to learn, harder to use. This is the paradox of technology." I found this passage to be very interesting because it presents an interesting idea that is very pertinent to our current, fast-paced world. As consumers, we demand the fastest, most advanced technology possible. Keaton addressed this in class on Wednesday, when he commented on his frustrations when he uses the internet and it is not functioning at top speed. Many of us feel the same way: we expect the best in every product that we own and use. As a result of our demands, developers strive to make products that include more and more advanced features. However, because of this pressure, devices become increasingly complicated and more difficult to learn how to use. In turn, this makes the consumer very angry, and puts pressure back on the producer. In a way, it can be viewed as a circle that is very difficult to escape. As a result of our demands for technology, technology becomes more complicated. As a result of complicated technology, the consumer becomes angry, and puts pressure back on the producer again. As the author puts it, this is the paradox of design. A paradox is a situation that exhibits an apparently contradictory nature. Because increases in technology result in confusion and frustration from the consumer, the term "paradox" is a perfect fit.

This book continues to be influential so long after it was published because while the world has changed greatly over the last 20 years, the way the human brain thinks has not. We are still looking for simplicity and understanding in the most complex circumstances. Although we now have phones and computers that can look up any piece of information imaginable at the click of a few buttons, the way we process the information has not changed. We want things to be presented to us in a logical manner. This chapter stressed the importance of natural design as the best and most efficient way to design products. This common sense approach cannot be outdated.

Based on this chapter, the most important thing I would think about when evaluating the design of a product is "would an everyday person using the product understand how to use it without reading the instruction manual before every use?" Of course, some products, such as cars, include complex but necessary controls that the driver must acquaint himself with before operating the car. A car requires more than just a button for go and a button for stop. However, the controls of a car must be logical, so that it is obvious where the controls for different parts of the car, such as the breaks, the air conditioning, and the headlights, are located. Another important thing I would think about is "does the product provide adequate feedback to let the user know that he has accomplished his desired task?" It is so frustrating when I try to print a word document and press print ten times because the printer does not respond to the control. Then, several minutes later, I have ten copies of the same document waiting for me in the printer tray. People rely on products to help them do important jobs and tasks. It is essential that consumers have confidence in products and know that the necessary actions are being completed. When evaluating the design of a product, I would also be very careful to distinguish between design and artwork. As discussed in class, art is a great thing, and it ties in with design in many ways. However, these two areas of thought are different in many important ways. Design requires practicality, and adherence to certain standards. Design must be understood by a general audience of very diverse people. Art is intended to be unconventional, and express creative though in a way that no one else has ever thought of. Art does not need to be comprehended by everyone in the audience. Rather, some of the greatest art in the world has great meaning to the artist but is confusing to most people. While there is still plenty of room for originality in design, designers need to be careful not to drift too far over into the category of art. Thus, when evaluating a product, I would make sure that the product is practical and understandable, not just aesthetically pleasing.

The Design of Everyday Things: Chapter 1

I believe that the author intended to emphasize the importance and definition of efficient design in modern day products. The author utilized a combination of personal examples and elaboration on the principles of design to differentiate efficient and poor design. One of the principles of design that I found to be extremely important was visibility; this principle states that correct parts must be visible and must convey the correct message. I think visibility is very relevant in the design of modern products because of the increase in technological capability. Designers must combine many different controls into products, while presenting them in a way that is logical and not overwhelming. The problem we face today is that many new products have so many features that we do not know how to take advantage of because we do not understand the relationships between the controls and the results we seek to accomplish. Another important principle that was introduced in the chapter was the necessity of feedback. Feedback from a product assures the user that the result they are aiming for is accomplished. The author compared poor feedback to drawing a picture with a pencil that leaves no marks: it makes it difficult for the user to see where he is going and what he is trying to do. One final point that the author highlighted was the paradox of design. This concept states that while technology provides us with increased functions to simplify our lives, it also adds complexity to life by making it more difficult to use the product. I found this concept very interesting as it is one of the reasons that our seminar class is very pertinent to the real world. As a society, we must learn how to utilize natural design to make products easier to use and understand.

One specific product I have had great difficulty using is my TI-84 graphing calculator. In my opinion, the biggest problem with the design of this product is that it has an excess of visibility. The calculator has 50 buttons, most of which have a first, second, and alpha function. There are so many keys on the calculator, and there is a great deal of very small lettering squeezed onto the display. This makes the calculator very intimidating, and also makes it very difficult to find the buttons that are needed to perform a specific operation. When using the calculator, I usually feel like a second-grader trying to type on a keyboard, using one finger, and completing about ten words per minute. While the calculator has an incredible variety of abilities, I found that I only needed a very limited number of them in my calculus class last year, and because of the excess of visibility, I had a hard time performing these operations.

The designers of the iPod addressed the principles that Norman discusses by appealing to natural design. In other words, the iPod simply is very logical and easy to use. There are very few buttons on the control panel, making choices very simple and obvious. Once the iPod is turned on, it is very easy to navigate the device's menu to find music, videos, pictures, or whatever else is stored in its memory. Thus, the designers strived to maintain visibility in the iPod. Mapping is another quality that points to the success of the design of the iPod. There is a very natural relationship between the actions the user must perform and the results to be accomplished. To move down through a list, one moves around the wheel in a clockwise direction, while to scroll up through a list, one moves in a counterclockwise direction. There are very evident forward and backward buttons which are naturally understandable to users. Overall, the iPod was designed with the user in mind at all times.

Design Intelligence: The Perfect Thing

"The Perfect Thing" illustrates many interesting elements of the design process. One of these elements that was introduced was the motivation of developing a new, more efficient product design. In the case of the iPod, developers were trying to improve upon older products of the same category. Before the iPod was invented, similar products were uncomfortably bulky, had inconveniently small memory capacity, had poor battery life, and had inefficient designs. Developers at Apple were motivated to develop a product that improved upon the weaknesses of products created by other companies before the iPod. Another element of the design process that this article illustrated was the extensive teamwork that goes in to creating an efficient product. In coming up with the concept of the iPod, there were many people who gave input and recommendations to creating the best product possible. For example, Jobs was initially convinced that only three buttons were necessary on the original iPod: forward, back, and pause. However, the rest of his team talked him into including a fourth "menu" button on the wheel of the iPod. In addition, the third page of the article explains how one person was in charge of the workings of the device, another was in charge of software, a third was in charge of the industrial design, while a fourth was in charge of overseeing the project. Several outside companies were also contracted for specific tasks. Thus, the iPod was by no means a one-man project.

When evaluating the "perfect product," I would follow the same steps I use when I go shopping for clothes. If I walk into a store to buy a shirt, the first thing that must happen is that the product must draw my attention. This could be by being very good looking, or by having an interesting and unique design element that distinguishes it from the rest. The next thing I look at is the price. If I believe the product is too expensive, I will not consider buying it. Obviously, price changes depending on the product in question, so I usually compare the price of the product to that of other similar items. If the look of the product and its price suit me, I consider practicality. What material is it made from? Will I get a significant amount of use out of the product? Will it be difficult or impractical to clean? How will it hold up over time? While all of these questions apply specifically to clothing, they also apply to any product I am evaluating or considering buying. It is important to note that when shopping for clothes, I usually do not have an instant need for the product I am buying. When searching for a less common item like an iPod or computer, I usually do have some sort of need for the product. Therefore, another important element to consider when evaluating the perfect thing is "how badly do I need this product?"

I believe the iPod is an extremely strong product, and I am very glad that I own one. The strongest element of the iPod in my opinion is that it is extremely practical and easy to use. After going through the simple process of putting music on the iPod, thousands of songs can be played with the press of a button. In addition, the iPod is an extremely aesthetically appealing product. It looks like a new aged device that everyone living in our times should have. Another strength of the iPod is that its design continually improves over time. The current model of the iPod has many new capabilities and benefits that the original iPod lacked. IPods now have internet access, many applications that can be downloaded, a smaller size, and a more sleek design. On the negative side, I find that my iPod's battery life decreases after each charge, so that after a year or two, it needs to be charged on an almost daily basis. Another negative that I just discovered is that it is very difficult to transfer music from one computer to another, due to the company's efforts to prevent the stealing of music. This was particularly inconvenient when I wanted to transfer my iTunes library onto my laptop before leaving for K.

K Design Intelligence Introduction

Hello, my name is liketheband and I am writing this blog as my first college assignment, even though at the moment it feels more like Summer camp than school. We have an entire quarter to discuss design intelligence, so I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself. I live in Southeast Michigan, and I am the second person from my family to come to K, as I am following in the footsteps of my older brother. I am an extremely competitive person, and the only sport that suits my personality is tennis. I have been playing the sport since I was seven, and began competing in tournaments at the age of eleven. Challenge is something I never shy away from, and I always set my sights high. Whether I get there or not, I love working hard and trying to be the best I can be. My experiences on the tennis court have truly shaped me into the person that I am today. I have failed many times over the years, and with no teammates to share the burden of losses, I have learned to accept responsibility for my actions and motivate myself to work harder and be better. Meanwhile, I have also enjoyed many triumphs on the court, and the thrill of winning has taught me that hard work pays off and that nothing comes free. Maybe because tennis is such a brutally individual sport, I have also learned to appreciate the value and necessity of team work. There are many things in this world that cannot be accomplished by a single person, and the result of a group of people coming together to work toward a common goal can be truly inspiring. This lesson was ultimately enforced when my high school tennis team won the state championship during my senior season. With my greatest achievement in the sport resulting from a team effort, I learned that faith, trust, and commitment are essential elements to success.

While this may seem like an analysis of the competitive nature of tennis as opposed to an introduction of myself, these values explain my core beliefs, and introduce me like no other words can.

I look forward to bringing my unique perspective to this class, college, and community.

liketheband