Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Quarter Review

1) After a quarter of Design Intelligence, I would have to say my favorite assignment was the Wikipedia paper. Not only did we get to research anything we wanted and apply what we had learned to it, but we got to publish it on the internet for everyone to see. I felt that the paper was a good example of how to write objectively, clearly, and concisely. It is nice to know that my paper didn’t just get a grade and then go straight to the recycling bin, but instead it is on the internet for people to see and hopefully help some people out.

2) I think the most important thing I learned wasn’t any specific design concept, but rather to be more conscious of my surrounding and to understand how my decisions affect others. In this class it was pretty clear that everything a designer does affects people in different ways, both good and bad. Design doesn’t just pertain to buildings and products, but to things like presentations and discussion as well. It is important to design your presentations and discussions with the purpose of extending your knowledge to others in the most effective way.

3) I will use this learning every day, but even more so when I start my career. I plan on going into business, but with any career design, presentation, and discussion are critical parts of being successful. Whether it’s presenting a new product, designing a building, or promoting any kind of business, design can make or break the deal. Being aware of the little things and how people perceive and act upon them is crucial in paving the way to success. If one can use design properly, it is that much easier to gain interest and sell products/services and to gain a respectable reputation.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Architectural Design

1) When I think of epic architectural flaw, I think of my dorm room. Living in a corner room in Harmon couldn’t be much better. My roommate and I have two rooms to ourselves and our own bathroom, but there’s one little thing that brings it all down- our windows. Providing a great cross wind during the hot days, our three windows let a lot more in than just air. For some reason the designer of the windows thought it would be a good idea to put the blinds inside the windows. This might not seem like a big deal, but when it’s hot and you’re looking to take a nap, it’s either no light or cool air, not both. Because the blinds are in the windows, if the window is open the blinds can’t be shut. So, despite our bountiful in-room options, a cool, daytime nap is not one of them.
2) Harmon Hall- Harmon Hall displays some of the best and worst aspects of architecture. Let’s starts with the good. The visceral design of Harmon is one of its top attributes. As with all the buildings on K’s campus, the building is very eye-catching with its outer walls made completely of brick and laid out in the early 1800’s style that is synonymous with Kalamazoo College. Surrounded by green grass and flower beds, one is sure to notice Harmon located front and center on Academy Street. Turning to the bad, we’ll take a look at the interior of Harmon. Mostly, the visceral design of Harmon’s interior is acceptable, but it’s the behavioral design where it fails. A couple things immediately come to mind: the exit doors and the laundry room. For some reason, someone decided that walking out a door was just too easy of a process and needed to be more difficult to challenge the studious minds of those who exit. Instead of just pushing the door to open it, one must first press a button to exit, just a fun little challenge right? With the laundry room, it’s a case of escaping a maze. Throughout Harmon there are many staircases, but only one, secluded stairwell leads to the laundry room. Hidden in the far back corner of Harmon and leading to the few rooms in the basement, this stairwell is not an easy find. Both of these failures clearly break the rules of behavioral design. Could someone come to Harmon for the first time and walk right out the door or straight to the laundry room? The answer is, “no.” This lack of simplicity and difficult to understand design can make for a great amount of confusion and frustration for a first time visitor to Harmon.
3) The problem with the current architectural design process starts at the beginning and finishes at the end. The idea behind programming is difficult to understand. It doesn’t seem to make much sense that the architect is not at the forefront of developing the requirements for the project. As much as that doesn’t make sense, it makes even less sense that architects are seemingly clueless to the results of their creations. These problems seem to be very basic, thus their solutions do too. It makes sense that the owner chooses how his building looks, but it would make sense that the architect is at his side throughout the process, critiquing the owner’s ideas and giving her own suggestions. Though this may be an expensive process, one would have to think that it would be worth the sacrifice. Turning to the feedback process, one wouldn’t expect the architect to do too much research on his final design, but someone should. A job like this would be perfect for a social scientist. A study of how and why people use a building the way they do would not only be an interesting study but beneficial to architects and buildings users across the globe.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Hinckley Yachts on Wikipedia

Here is the link for the newly created Wikipedia article on the Hinckley Yacht Company:

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

Advertising Design

1) “This approach, which often is quite sophisticated in terms of research design, frequently indicated that advertising has little or no effect on respondents. Or, to be more precise, none that can be detected or measured.” P. 13 This is an interesting passage because it shows how advertising is a very subconscious process. Knowing this, it is that much more important to have a well designed ad. More times than not, people are going to ignore an ad and not think twice about it, but it can still affect them. A well designed ad will stick in the back of consumers’ heads until there comes a time when they have to make a purchase. At this time, whether they know it or not, that well designed ad will encourage them to purchase the product advertised rather than another option.
2) Key Point: A) Keys to advertising- Berger talks about how the process works and what an ad agency’s thought process is when designing an ad. B) Psychological aspects- here Berger talks about the psychological process of advertising and how it is often an unconscious one. C) Commercials as “art”- To me, this was the most interesting part of the chapter. Berger breaks down different elements of commercials and how they can seem like more than just an advertisement. Strategies using heroes, sex, and humor are effective ways to catch someone’s attention.
3) Understanding viewers’ thoughts and inner processes is crucial to the advertising industry. People are well aware that an ad is only there to get them to buy a product and it’s the agencies job to make them forget. Whether through a subconscious process or by using humor or sexuality, there must be a defining element to an ad that doesn’t feel like an ad. The ad must play with the viewers’ brain in a way that makes them enjoy the ad and “forget” that it’s really just a commercial. Based on Freud’s explanation of the human psyche, an ad must focus on the viewers’ id or internal drives. The viewers cannot have a chance to contemplate their decisions, the ad has to immediately strike their id and leave no room for second guessing.

Fashion Design

1. Fashion has no choice but to be reflective. After all, when you meet people for the first time the very first thing you see is their clothes. Clothing choice is the driving force behind how you want to be perceived. Often, there isn’t enough time to meet everyone at a party, so you have to choose a select few people to interact with. Without knowing anything about anyone, there are very few deciding factors, clothing is one of them. Of course, you can look at body image, hair, or jewelry, but clothing really is the most prominently displayed social indicator. Looking around the room, you can almost tell exactly what kind of person everyone is just based on their clothes. From there you can narrow down the list of potential acquaintances that you feel best fit into your social life.
2. Fashion, much like technology is always changing. People are always looking to make improvements to their clothing and there’s always someone willing to make that happen. It’s a long process of fulfilling needs and wants that create new needs and wants that keep the fashion world turning. For example when people didn’t have coats they wanted something to keep them warm and someone created a blanket. Then, a new want was created, a blanket that you can move around in, thus a jacket was made. Now, we all know the technology that goes into making coats as thin, warm, and functional as possible, but none of that would happen if people didn’t care to expand on their solutions to other’s needs and wants.
3. A) Material- does it work best for the expected uses? B) Fit- is it the right length, width, stretch, etc. for expected use? C) Cost- is the price within the intended demographic’s range? D) Style- is it culturally acceptable? E) Aesthetics- is it pleasing to look at? Is the design well organized?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

"Simplicity is Overrated" Thesis Statement Analysis

1) Thesis Statement: “Features win over simplicity, even when people realize that it is accompanied by more complexity.”

2) a) “If a company spent more money to design and build an appliance that worked so well, so automatically, that all it needed was an on-off switch, people would reject it. “This simple looking thing costs more?” They would complain. “What is that company thinking of? I’ll buy the cheaper one with all those extra features – after all, it’s better, right? And I save money.””

b) “Marketing rules – as it should, for a company that ignores marketing is a company soon out of business. Marketing experts know that purchase decisions are influenced by feature lists, even if the buyers realize they will probably never use most of the features.”

c) “The answer is the latter: people are not willing to pay for a system that looks simpler because it looks less capable. Hence the fully automatic system that still contains lots of buttons and knobs.”

3) In a world that has become engulfed in the expansion of technology many consumers are on the hunt for the simple, easy to use engineering of yesteryear.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Burdick Street

1) Overall I feel that downtown Kalamazoo is a great shopping design. Other than a few flaws (probably due to the rebuilding process) downtown is an ideal shopping area. Burdick Street provides a great shopping atmosphere. The street is located in the heart of downtown and designed to be an extremely inviting environment. Littered with benches and chairs, compromised of neatly and uniquely designed buildings, and a safe, low-traffic street, Burdick Street is an ideal shopping area. The surroundings also provide a great shopping atmosphere. With hotels, parking structures, and busy college areas, Burdick Street’s location is ideal for attracting customers. One of the only down sides is the slight lack of development due to the redesigning process. There are a scattered, empty buildings that slightly take away from the inviting feeling, but those negative emotions are kept to a minimum.
2) a) better lighting in deep-set stores- some store fronts are set further back into the building and are well lit inside, but are difficult to see into from the street. b) fill empty spaces- some empty buildings detract from the overall feeling of the area. c) more hotels- different kinds of hotels would attract more travelers, thus attracting more businesses. The Radisson is a very nice hotel, but is not an option for many people.
3) “Gibbs is impressed that most of the trash cans and newspaper vending machines have been painted the same dark green, a fashionable hue now used in many malls. Even a pair of two-by-fours supporting a tree have been painted. "A little detail you would expect in mall management," Gibbs says approvingly.” One of the first things I noticed about downtown Kalamazoo was the unattractive color used for the tables and garbage cans. All throughout Burdick street there were tables, chairs, benches, and light posts all painted a slightly different, equally as ugly dark green. It seems as if the designers were trying for that classy look to go along with the bricks, but failed by using too light of a green color. A classy green that coincides with the bricks needs to be a very dark, almost black-green color. The color used in downtown Kalamazoo makes for too much contrast and draws too much attention to the furniture rather than the stores.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Whtye v. Norman

1) From the installments by Gibbs and Whyte, I feel there is one distinct difference between the two- organization. It is Whyte’s thinking that a street should slow down its pedestrians and allow more time for them to browse their surroundings. On the other hand, Gibbs would see this strategy as being overly manipulative. These thoughts cultivate many different ideas towards the design of the city street. In my opinion I think it really comes down to how you organize the clutter. In Gibbs’ writing he thought of clutter as tables and chairs placed inefficiently down the street, but Whyte based his opinions on things like book kiosks and other smaller venders. So it all comes down to what objects will be slowing the customers down. Of course tables and chairs will in fact detract from pedestrians traffic, thus decreasing sales. On the other hand, when people are forced to maneuver through venders’ stands to get down the street they are less likely to feel manipulated. They can casually stroll down the street while browsing stands and noticing shops without their attention being captured by any useless objects such as benches and tables.
2) To me, I think I can really relate to the ideas behind a nice design but not an overly attractive design. Thinking back to experiences with different shopping streets, I was able to remember specific places where I either felt comfortable, uncomfortable, distracted, not distracted, or a combination of two. Two examples are downtown Traverse City and downtown Holland. First of all, downtown Holland is a much newer with a very attractive design while Traverse City relies on simple, historic designs. But what seems like positives can turn to negatives very fast. Recalling my experience in Holland, I remember spending my time admiring the beauty of my surroundings and enjoying my time just walking around and appreciating the architecture. Not even once did I step foot inside a store. Downtown Holland is just such a beautiful design that its architecture takes the pedestrians’ attention from the stores. Downtown Traverse City on the other hand is a place that I frequently visit, but I still find myself going into stores and making purchases every time I’m there. What’s the difference? Traverse City has a beautiful downtown and is a great place to be, but when you’re on foot your attention is more often than not drawn to the stores. Window designs are equally or more attractive than the surrounding landscape and it can be as enjoyable to look at the stores as it is to take in the natural and architectural beauty of the city.
Egg Drop- Dave and I came into the designing process having some basic ideas. First we thought we would attempt to devise some sort of suspension system but seemed to be too complicated. As we brainstormed ideas I mentioned that I had read somewhere an idea about using the cardboard center from toilet paper. I brought a roll of paper towels with me and we decided to use that. We thought of different ways to put the egg in the roll and ended up cutting a small slit at one end to fit the egg in. Our next dilemma was with the cardboard part of the roll hitting the ground too hard and breaking the egg. To solve this we decided to cut the bottom half of the cardboard out of the roll to soften the impact. We then worked the paper towel a bit to further pad the fall. Dave then suggested weighting the bottom of the roll with the duct tape in order to make the roll fall straight with the egg at the top. Lastly we attached a parachute to further soften the impact with the ground.
Dave's Blog- http://davemenoian.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

City

1) Whyte’s primary focus in this chapter is on the design qualities of the street. When discussing the street, Whyte talks about the importance of simplicity and understandability. His ideal design is one with few distractions that gets the passerby to focus on exactly what the designer wants them to and to navigate from store to store without any other distractions. In Whyte’s opinion it is also key for the street to depict a sense of socialization and enjoyment.
2) Much like Norman, Whyte focuses on the simplicity of design. He wants people to act naturally and not have to think about what they’re doing. Following Norman’s ideas of mapping, Whyte states that it should be clear to people what exactly they’re supposed to be doing; whether it be pushing or pulling, sitting or standing, entering or exiting, the street design must encourage specific actions. It is also vital that the street have few affordances. If the setting provides too many affordances other than commerce it can be detrimental to business.
3) When developing a checklist it is important to find a balance between making people comfortable and encouraging them to make purchases. Key points to consider include: aesthetics- it is important for the street to be clean and inviting, but at the same time not too beautiful as too much beauty distracts the potential customer; organized clutter- if clutter can be organized properly the sidewalk slows people down and draws their attention towards their surroundings rather than straight ahead; displays- vital for many different reasons, some attract customers because of low prices while others attract customers who are unconcerned with price; mood- all of these aspects tie into the mood of the design, the customer must be encouraged to shop through exciting and interesting design, but at the same time they must also enjoy the social experience of being on a crowded (not-too-crowded kind of crowded) street.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Main Street

1) Gibb’s Criteria to evaluate Main Street: A) small details- Gibbs first notices neatly painted trash cans and vending machines. These small details provide a sense of comfort to the consumer; B) generators- stores that encourage other businesses to move into the area. These stores set a trend and attract a certain demographic whom other stores could benefit from; C) incubators- local stores that create a sense of home and attract local business; D) be aware of stereotypical success- many things that look nice can detract from a store’s ability to sell products. Things can look so nice that people spend more time looking at them than at the stores. Architects often create designs that satisfy people’s senses. Gibbs argues that the design must make people feel comfortable but should not steal their attention from stores; E) Clear, open walkways- people don’t want to maneuver around objects, this also takes their attention from stores or keeps them away from that area; F) create a sense of safety- people must feel safe (i.e. police stations, people in uniform, cameras, etc.); G) no straight walkways- customers should always be looking at merchandise. A straight walkway means that they are looking at nothing; H) create a confident image- window displays should be quaint and definitive, creating a sense of class. Windows should have signs displaying brand names, giving the consumer confidence in the store; I) street must have a purpose- a street must have a purpose to direct traffics through it. By connecting two points of interest a street will be used by more people; J) size- the street must have enough space to encourage stores and the resulting shoppers. If a street is too small without many shops it will not be worth visiting.
2) Should Main Street be a mall? In a way it already is. Once a driver gets off the highway, they encounter store after store accompanied by numerous restaurants. Not only are there many mall-like establishment, but the area meets many of Gibb’s standards. Main Street is, as its name suggests, a main street. The majority of traffic coming into and out of Kalamazoo is routed down Main Street. When thinking about the street, I can’t recall any great architectural design, but at the same time I can’t think of any design flaws. Going along with that observation, Main Street is not designed to have attractive architecture, but rather unnoticed architecture. With police constantly patrolling the street, it seems ridiculous to feel at all unsafe. For the most part, signs are neatly displayed along the road and on top of buildings. This makes it easy to locate a single store from several blocks away. Main Street is home to many generators and incubators as well. This creates a sense a trendy-ness along with some local flavor. As for size, Main Street has plenty of that, covered by stores for mile after mile from 131 to K College.
Now that I realize I wasn’t supposed to write about the literal Main Street I am a little embarrassed. But I think I showed that I understand Gibb’s points and have applied them to an actual street.
3) Dane’s 5 most important evaluations: A) busy- must attract traffic and pedestrians. B) neat- people must feel comfortable and not feel invaded. C) simple- too much can distract a customer’s attention, but it should still look nice and organized. D) visibility- stores must be seen by everyone, thus straight streets are not a good idea. E) generators- stores must be in place to attract a certain crowd and to encourage other, smeller businesses to enter the area.