Treasuring Time

I originally wanted to create a product that would help us to treasure our presnet time by reminding us of death and that we only had finite amount of time. This was too negative and would difficult to sell as a product. So I decided to focus on the treasuring the present time part, and also the finite time part, but instead of reminding the user of theit death it would remind them of now, and that they should be using their time mor constructively, whetehr that means doing something or maybe taking a break.

The product is a small object, that the user can carry around and play around with using their hands and their sense of touch. The object bears no religious significance, and so it can be used by anybody. It is similar to Komboloi, or worry beads, in that it allows the user to play around with something if they feel worried or nervous or even just bored. The object however is far more compact than Komboloi, and also more solid and can last longer. It is also more masculine, and is something that only the user should know about, as it sits in their pocket and the palm of their hand.

The product would be made of a solid and resistant material like bronze or aluminium. This allows it capture heat and also is quite pleasant to touch. The object does not need to look good, as I focussed on touch when designing it. The curves are specifically placed on alternate corners and edges, and a point on the remaining corners and edges. This made the object feel goodand also more enjoyable to fiddle around with. The sensation can cause the user to react in such a way that they could realise they need to be doing something at the time, or maybe they need to chill. It is a bit like having a little buddy with you, when you are in a situation where you have know one else, for example going up to do a presentation or doing an assignement or homework at home.

Designing Dream Machines

This video, 'Designing Dream Machines' shows us how designers really work and how they start with a brief and end up with the final product. The video is set at Seymour and Powell and British design partnership. One this about this group is that they try to design for the future, rather than design for now, which can be very tricky, as you must predict what is needed for the future, which can cause conflict between the designers and the clients.

The brainstorming phase of the briefs they were given was important in how it showed how open minded you had to be as well as how working in a group allowed more ideas to flow. Next they had to research extensively to get an idea how the product could improve on current products and also how current trends will evolve in the future to allow the product to be innovative and original by the time it is released.

After that the product can start to take shape and many concepts can be produced allowing the client to choose what product they want. This than leads to the prototype phase where the concept must evolve into a working product. They use many techniques, including some futuristic and soem that have been used since product design began. This then leads to the final presentation to the client which, and when the product ends up being rejected you feel for the designers as they have gone through so much to gain nothing in the end. Even the best companies can fail sometimes whic can be very disheartening, however when the designs work, the company will forever be remembered and all the work pays off. Its a tough industry but with pateince and hard work it can all pay off.

Please help!

This is Webster. He is a spider. Unfortunately due to a terrible accident Webster can no longer build webs. He now lives in a bathtub, too afraid to go outside in case a cat, or possum or bird will eat him like they ate his partner and kids. You can help Webby, by helping me. Just give me some good ideas for project 3 and I will eventually have enough time to send Webby to a psychologist to help him get his life back on track.

Bad design

This is the control panel of an airconditioner, with a certain button circled. This button switches modes on the air-conditioner, a fan mode, a heating mode, a cooling mode and a dry mode. This works like a thermostat and in conjunction with the temperature control.


This is a close up. As you can see there is a picture of an 'A' surrounded by two arrows circling around it, so this must be the fan mode. Then its the snow flake, this must be cooling, then a drop of water, so this must dry it, then a sun so that must mean it is heating mode.
Well obviously its not, but it is an error made many times by people in my family as well as friends who have tried to operate it. The pictures stand for what the weather is like, not what setting you want the mode in. So the snowflake is, its cold outside so this must heat the house. Likewise with the Sun, Ive never even bothered using the other settings.

In order to avoid confusion, on the screen it should just use words instead of pictures. This should be no problem since the rest of the controls are in English. Also ive seen it done on other models made by the same brand, and even my mum knows how to use the other models.

All it has is:

HEAT
DRY
COOL
FAN

Surely it would make more sense to put that on the current model I have if its made by the same company.

Postal Presents

The postal presents project was a difficult project, in that we had to create something that met a long list of criteria, but it had to be good. I went through many idea over the past few weeks, including a ball, and boxes which could hang from the wall, to finally settling down with my final design, a pencil box shaped like a jet fighter.
I used a lot of polypropylene in the assignment as I thought it was an excellent material to use for such an assignment. I experimented with different folds and different ways of locking in pieces of polypropylene. I also researched a lot of products to find out they do it, and also on websites and blogs, as well as other students.
The final product first started out as sketches and paper mock ups. Eventually I moved onto the polypropylene to see how the material would react to the different ways of making the product. I had to get every detail as correct as it possibly could be. I cut out and sketched many different styles of wings and tails for the plane to give the right look. I eventually for a futuristic look and made it from black and clear gray pp, which gave it a shiny metallic look as well as a stealth look.
The product is targeted at young kids, usually pre-teen (under12), who would find machines like fighter jets fascinating, but also love the fact that you could make it from a few flat pieces of pp, and use at as a box.
The design I feel could have been better. There were parts in the actual making of the product that I feel could have enhanced the product and made it even easier to assemble and use. Overall I was satisfied with the final outcome.

Annie Leonard: The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard pretty much sums what is wrong with the western world, and what is now creeping into most other cultures in the world. This concept of consumerism, and the vicious cycle of creating the products and what not, to fuel the economy and in the process destroy the poor and the environment.

Leonard talks about how products are designed to be discarded rather than kept, and how it was all started after WWII to get the economy up and running. She goes on to say how much we consume (and how much waste we produce in the process) compared from the 50's to now. I was amazed when she said that Industrial designer's were designing for consumerism rather than for need, and how they would design for the object to not last long so a new product could be manufactured and sold sooner rather than later.

Ive been fascinated with waste for a while and remember seeing a program that talks about creating products, not that can be recycled, but rather can break down quickly and be returned to the earth so new products can be made from them. An old example of this system is the Australian Aborigines who would only take natural things from the earth to survive, wood, leather and stones, which could then be returned back to the earth and the cycle could continue with no damage done.

Its not just the government and large corporations that are to blame, Its us consumers as well, for if we didn't buy crap, they couldn't sell us crap. Also we've become too lazy to fix our damaged goods. If a computer stops working we chuck it all out, If our car stops working, we buy another one, If our phone is outdated we a get a new one.

I hope that we are starting to see a change to this culture, the USA is so screwed economically, maybe the rest of the world will stop creating products just for the US market, and start thinking what the whole world needs, not wants.

Experience enrichment

I have decided to focus my efforts on redesigning a basic and common kitchen tool, the peeler, in particular the Australian peeler. The normal peeler is cheap, boring, and uncomfortable to use. My Carrot peeler tries to fix this by making the product more enjoyable to use and make the owner feel proud of owning one. The rounded shape came naturally with the shape of the carrot, and this made it much more comfortable for people to use around the kitchen.
With more people staying at home to cook food, this seemed like a product that these people would enjoy having around. The carrot design was inspired by vegetables that you peel, like carrots or potatoes, and also seeing an orange peeler, the idea just popped into my head.
The peeler would use stainless steel for the blade which is durable and resistant to corrosion. The handle would be made from plastic.

Product Sketching

Paul Bennett: Design is in the details

Paul Bennett's main message can be summed up in that final quote, "pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win". Bennett shows that designers dont have to do grand and groundbreaking designs to be successful at being a designer, you just need to design something well.

His view that we should look at things from the way that people will interact with the product, instead of what the client wants is a strong take home message. The Hospital was a good example of that, where he showed his clients a video of what it is like for a patient to lie in bed.

Also not designing things to look good, but to do their job in the most efficient matter according the situation is another thing I firmly believe in, and Bennett shows that is something that can sometimes go missing in the design industry. The water pump showed us how a good design does not have to be flashy, and can have a massive impact on the world around us. This seems to be something that I have taken out of all the videos I have seen, and its very inspirational stuff.

Yves Behar: Creating objects that tell stories

Yves Behar clearly has a passion for design, and his message that designers can change the world, is one that I believe, and is one reflected by other designers as shown in the other videos we watched over the past few weeks. the XO laptop is one good example of that.

Also the way he designs a product to have more than just one function, the water bottle, for instance and the folding stool and table. Also the way designers design more than just the outside of the product, but rather "design from the inside-out".

Ross Lovegrove: Organic Design

What Ross Lovegrove pretty much says, is that form is important, and that just by looking at nature you can find the perfect designs. He is pretty much saying we are doing natures work in a much smaller time frame.

He argues that design should be functional and the product should be designed to the bare minimum so that there is more efficiency. I agree with all this, I think its great to have a product that is extremely functional and efficient. Lovegrove is also a great fan of organic material and also new materials which still haven't been used widely, for example magnesium and bio polymers. These ideas are great, and some people would argue that he is ahead of his time, however a lot of people would also say his head is in the clouds, like when he was rejected by the people at Sony, when he said how they could surpass Apple.

Lovegrove shows that designers can lead the way in the technological and materials science parts of the world, and not just specialists in those fields. He finds practical ways to use new and better materials, but also shows how designers can be inspired by nature as well.

David Kelley: human centred design

If ever you start to feel like design is not for you, watch this video. After watching it it reminded me why I wanted to design. The futuristic products, the way we can enhance life, and do it stylishly.

The Prada store was a fantastic way of how shops could be like in the future. The innovation of the scanners which allow you to see how a product looks on the cat walk for instance, really allows humans to interact and develop some connection with the product they are purchasing. Also the very cool change rooms, and the way that clothes taken inside are recorded to help reduce theft (although it wasn't mentioned, you would think that was one of the main reasons for doing it), and for helping you decide what was right. The LCD screens which act like the primitive curtains or doors we have now, and of course the delayed mirror which allows you to look at your back is genius.

Another inspirational thin was the designer in Kenya. How one man, and a designer at that could have such a massive impact, but also provide such an improvement to society as well, not by just increasing their bank balances, but by increasing their quality of living, allowing them to grow crops all year round.

David also talks positively about how designers are being taken far more seriously in the business world, showing that design really is an exciting and important field to enter.

Task 2: Good design

NYC Condom Dispenser

Designer: Fuseproject

Finalist in Reasearch category, IDEA 2008






The New York City condom dispenser is exactly that, a condom dispenser found around New York City. There was an alarming rate of unprotected unwanted pregnancies and HIV infections in the city, so the NYC department of health and mental hygiene set out a way to combat this. Having these dispensers provide free NYC condoms to anybody, yes they are free. Designed by Fuseproject, the dispenser is supposed to be approachable and friendly, and was described as:

"Reminiscent of a condom shape warped into the surface of one's leather wallet, the NYC Condom Dispenser's approachable shape and friendly brand helps create an air of openness and acceptance, thus removing the stigma of the condom as something to be ashamed off."

While dispensing condom's for free is by no means a new thing in NYC, the way that they have been dispensed will hopefully change with this new and improved dispenser. Previously you either had to go to a clinic to get the condoms of a fellow person, which could be embarrassing for some, and old dispensers are very uninviting.

Design:

Line: Smooth flowing lines, creating a feeling of warmth and a friendly feeling
Form: Bulbous, round with a dimple in the middle. This makes it look cute, and therefore harmless and friendly.
Form: The logo in the centre is fun and bold. The colours of the words 'condom' highlight the effect.
Contrast: The fun bold logo, compared to the friendly and warm shape of the dispenser.
Contrast: The bright, bold and fun colours of the logo, compared to the very neutral colours of the dispenser.
Contrast: The neutral boring colours, compared to the actual function of the dispenser.
Texture: The dispenser looks very shiny and smooth, it could be either metallic or plastic, yet it manages to still keep that warm feeling, not found in those materials.
Colour: The colour of the actual dispenser is very neutral, either a glossy black or a shiny silver. Both are not really colours but shades, and you would think it would not go well with the function of the dispenser. Warm, fun or bold colours would probably seem more effective, however I believe that if they had used such colours, it may have brought more attention to the dispenser, as someone uses it. This all of a sudden creates a feeling the user is being watched and would feel uncomfortable, regardless of the situation. I believe the netral colours to blend in with the background was genius.



References:
http://www.idsa.org/IDEA Awards/gallery/2008/award details.asp?ID=35918331
http://gizmodo.com/356700/new-nyc-condom-dispensers-are-flying-pucks-of-prophylactics
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/pr2007/pr008-07.shtml

Task 1: Shape of a scent