Project 1.

Pepper grinder

Yves behar: Creating objects that tell stories

This little TED talk starts out with an interesting idea. The speaker, Behar, has a desire to design objects that tell stories. What does this mean? I don't think he gives us a clear definition -- he's another one of those arty fellas who think it's cool to be cryptic, maybe? He gives some examples of a carpet and piece of furniture which had characters in various poses of action such as a hunter lancing a wild animal. I can understand that these objects tell little stories with heroes and beasts, but they do it like a picture book, with pictures. What about cars, toothbrushes, fridges and milk cartons, how do they tell stories?

Well, watch the thing right through and you notice a definite motif that pops up throughout. He talks about how products can communicate certain values to the user. For example, Alot of the new designs these days are biodegradable, come in recycled materials, are coloured green, and are more efficient. These qualities represent environmental values, which the user will respond to, subconsciously or not, agreeably or confrontationaly, or something in between. That Jaw Bone thing he talks about, I think, has some functionality to quieten ambient noise whilst using it. This implicitly reaffirms society's value of communication where ever we are.

So back to this 'products tell stories' statement. I think all he means is that objects can convey and reaffirm values for the user. Is that telling stories? I wouldn't say so, but it's still a cool fact to know. This is yet another way that design influences people. I bet Norman would see this as mostly happening at the reflective level, but I'm sure it permeates all three. This is an empowering tool. Society's values are changing all the time. Being reaffirmed, challenged, skewed, rejected, throughout the media, politics, art, research, technology, education and so on. Admittedly product design is not the most communicative of mediums but I can see how it does have a role.

Apart from those ideas, his video was a little bit of a confusing ramble. Also, I'm not sure I understand the need to give every dev. world child his/her own laptop. Surely most of them could get most of the same benefits from sharing desktop computers? Maybe then the saved money could go towards treating malaria, cleaning water and the like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGn8F4j6pH8

VIDEO REFLECTION: DON NORMAN: EMOTIONAL DESIGN

The Kelley video told us to make human-centered design, now the Norman video tells us how to do that.

The model Norman gives us is not an attempt to illustrate how human cognition, feelings and decision-making actually work, so people wanting more of an understanding of the psychology behind product interaction would have to look elsewhere. But I think the model is very useful in giving a starting point for thinking about the psychological human factors of a given product's design.

The model can be used as a framework for thinking about all kinds of human reactions to products and objects in general. From the predominantly visceral attraction to order and unity, probably consistent throughout mankind, to the various cultural tastes, the reflective level, and all the highly subjective experiences such as nostalgia and the like.

By chance I actually bought Norman's book at the beginning of first semester when I needed something to help me get through long commutes. Although I can't remember that much It's pretty interesting here and there. The video distils it WAY down so it pales in comparison to the book.

Anyway I think the important thing to take from Norman, like in the 'human-centered design' video is that there are so many facets of the human condition (such as the breadth-first/ depth-first thinking) that designers can exploit and utilise in making products that sell. I can't remember for sure but I think there was an example in his book about a clothing store that used disorder (nonsensical section layout) and loud music to cause a slight level of anxiety in the customer. So when the shop assistant comes up and 'saves' them from the disorder the customer become submissive, in-dept and grateful to the shop assistant and thus more likely to buy clothes. Marketing companies know all these things and I think designers should too. It does sound kind of psychopathic, manipulative, and unethical, but hey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlQEoJaLQRA

The good design task.

Mine was the Peugeot 308 Touring. A weird looking car. It was hard trying to think of good things to say about it. It's more about function than form I think. But I like the sunroof feature.

What I learnt most with this task is how to use photoshop which I've only had for a few months. The assignment asked to 'discuss' the visual design, which from my essay writing days means put points for and against, but the assignment was called 'Good Design' and presumed successful employment of design elements so I wasn't sure if I was supposed to actually discuss it at all! So I just put in the 'good' designed aspects of the car. -- So yeah, reaffirmation that these arty classes are confusing.

Video Review: David Kelley: Human Centred Design.

David kelley, one of the founders of the IDEO design consultancy known for its innovative electronics, tells us that his business is moving towards a more human-centred design philosophy. What exactly he means by ‘human-centred’ is not made terribly clear in the video, but it’s not too hard to make an inference. By ‘human-centred design’ Kelley seems to mean making products that are not just functional and aesthetically pleasing, but that also exist as part of the higher levels of the human experience. In other words, designing products that don’t just fulfil a utilitarian and aesthetic need, but that engage users in the realm of emotions, culture, personality and the like.

Kelley admits that this is something that designers have been doing for a long time, and now his team is catching up. Some of the more notable of these design projects include the interactive wall at the London Science Museum which displays countless little thoughts and messages that anyone can upload and read, and the client data infrastructure at the Prada clothing store. The interactive wall, to my thinking, creates a public space where the given society’s current feelings and thoughts can be expressed with anonymity and without context; a mini zeitgeist observable in real-time. The designers mightn’t have intended it for such but I think an object like this would be a great sociology research tool.

The client data infrastructure tool at the Prada store also sounds awesome. People that live in smaller towns know the advantages that come with being friends with the staff at the places you shop at. However, in the big cities this is supposedly lacking. The Prada shop aims to alleviate some of this anonymity by keeping a record of the client’s shopping history. I imagine that this would allow for some semblance of a closer customer relationship. For example, staff might send out emails to shoppers when there is a sale on certain brands they know the shopper likes.

Some other designs shown in the video have a dubious, if any, relevancy to human-centred design, like the Spyfish, which I think Kelley just wanted to plug! It is just a remote-controlled diving video camera for underwater observation. On the website it says it goes for something like US$15,000. To me it seems to be just a really expensive toy that isn’t any more human-centred than most stuff.

Still the video puts out a good point. Sure, designers should be aware of the powers that we can have if we appeal to those higher levels of the human condition. Doing such will allow us to sell more products and appeal to bigger markets. But I think this is a bit of a no-brainer for most market-conscious designers. I guess, like Kelley says, IDEO is just starting to explore this. Regardless, it is something I am looking forward to understanding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXndL3TNCmo