Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Guts of Design...Visceral Qualities

1. Select a brief passage from Chapter Three of Emotional Design by Donald Norman and post it on your blog. Explain why you thought it was interesting.

"At the visceral level, physical features-look, feel, and sound-dominate. Thus, a master chef concentrates on presentation, arranging food artfully on the plate. Here good graphics, cleanliness, and beauty play a role. Make the car door feel firm and produce a pleasant chunking sound as it closes. Make the exhaust sound of the Harley Davidson motorcycle have a unique, powerful rumble. Make the body sleek, sexy, inviting, such as the classic 1961 Jaguar roadster of figure 3.2 Yes, we love sensuous curves, sleek surfaces, and solid, sturdy objects."

I particularly relate to the visceral appeal of "feel." I love my laptop because of how it feels: light yet dense, a generally smooth texture with wonderfully "tappy" keys. I am drawn to objects with that sort of visceral appeal, objects that feel "real" to me, products with substance.

2. Norman uses the terms Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, and Reflective Design. Do these categories seem useful to you? Would other names or phrases make the categories clearer?

These categories seem to aptly cover most of our emotional connections to products through their design. I had to read the text pretty carefully to really understand what he implied through "reflective design." I might label it "projective and reflective design" instead. Not only can such design reflect a lifestyle, it can project and create the image of a given lifestyle. This is particularly evident in the options available to consumers of modern fashion.

3. How could a designer decide if Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, or Reflective Design is more important for a particular product? Are some types of products more visceral, behavioral, or reflective?

The purpose of a product does indeed dictate to a designer which facet of emotional design they should focus on. Cars, for instance, depend immensely on visceral design to augment their appeal. Behavioral design concerns, things like fuel economy and other performance, are often secondary to the look and feel of a vehicle.
We talked about "pocket items" in one of our classes, and those certainly fall under the auspices of products that depend heavily on behavioral, or performance, design. Items we fit in our pockets, like wallets and cell phones, must meet a very specific profile of qualifications to be functional and thus desirable.
Articles of clothing succeed well as "reflective design" products. Clothing can meet its desired behavioral functions and still fill a reflective design niche.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Emotional Design

1. What do you feel were the author's key points in this chapter?

Norman's goal in this chapter was to describe three ways he sees design connecting to the human psyche. From this goal stem his key points: design reaches out to people with looks, feel, and performance. He has grouped these into three categories of design: visceral, behavioral, and reflective.

2. How does this chapter compare to the earlier writing (The Design of Everyday Things) by the same author?


This chapter is written in a very similar fashion as the last reading by the same author; he uses many examples to illustrate his points. This lends validity to all of his writing. Norman does, in fact, reference his earlier book
The Design of Everyday Things in this chapter.

3. Give examples, from your own experience, of 1) something that succeeds as Visceral Design, 2) something that succeeds as Behavioral Design, and 3) a Reflective Design success. What do you think makes each thing successful?

I think my cell phone has a good visceral design. It has a sleek, yet solid design. It has a sufficient heft to it that is somehow aesthetically pleasing.
I own a tower fan that exhibits good behavioral design. The fan has three speeds, a timer, and oscillates. The fan is perfect for keeping a small room cool, is not noisy even on the highest setting, and takes up very little floor space.
Some of the clothing I wear I choose for its reflective design, or for the image I want to convey. For example, I have "board shorts" that I wear in the summer to reflect a lakeside lifestyle. They are fitted and patterned in a very recognizable, unique way.


Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Conceptual Models

1. "...Clues to how things work come from their visible structure-in particular from affordances, contstraints, and mappings. Consider a pair of scissors: even if you have never seen or used them before, you can see that the number of possible actions is limited. The holes are clearly there to put something into, and the only logical things that will fit are fingers. The holes are affordances: they allow the fingers to be inserted. The sizes of the holes provide constraints to limit the possible fingers: the big hole suggests several fingers, the small hole only one. The mapping between holes and fingers-the set of possible operations-is suggested and constrained by the holes. Moreover, the operation is not sensitive to finger placement: if you use the wrong fingers, the scissors still work. You can figure the scissors out because their operating parts are visible and the implications clear. The conceptual model is made obvious, and there is effective use of affordances and constraints."
I found the idea of conceptual models quite fascinating. The author suggests that when a user uses a product, they must first design in their own head an idea of exactly how they will interact and how the product will respond to action. What is necessary to operate this product and what will it do? A conceptual model answers these questions. Conceptual models are very easy to construct (in our minds) for some products, and I believe that is an affordance in itself.
Norman goes on to describe products that do not afford conceptual models well, such as his refrigerator. Without clear physical mapping or affordances, products do not lend themselves to usability.

2. Norman's book spans time by describing design issues that are themselves timeless. The resolution of these issues is just as applicable to products today as they were in 1988. The human race has not, in fact, become more skilled at using difficult products. New merchandise still needs to be carefully mapped and conceptualized before a user can utilize it. Designers' ability to create usable products depends on their skill at implementing affordances and constraints.

3. My checklist would include a few basic ideas: the product must be obviously functional (easily conceptualized), must be as simple as can be reasonably expected, and must perform to the user's satisfaction. The last factor mentioned, "satisfaction," relates most to comfort and style; or, the product should be convenient and reasonably fashionable.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Design - And Flaws - of Everyday Things

1. What do you feel were the author's key points in this chapter?

The author attempted to describe several key considerations of the design process, such as visibility, affordances, and mapping, and to explain common issues that arise when they are ignored.

2. Think of a specific object you have had difficulty using. How did design contribute to making it difficult to use? Does the usability problem arise from one of the principles that Norman addresses in this chapter?
Whenever I stay in a hotel room, I am often frustrated by the cipher-like design of the unassuming clock radios. Although I consider myself rather talented at utilizing technology, it takes me quite some time to decipher and set the functions of a hotel's clock radio. The clock radio is equipped with a few simply-labeled buttons and knobs. Unfortunately, many of the functions desired are not represented on the labels, and some are in fact spread across several buttons with no clear mapping. The designs are clever and "simple," but without a manual present (or even with it in some cases), a given user cannot utilize the clock radios. Such design is aggravating. When an alarm raucously awakes in the early morning a hotel patron with no clear conception of how to change the incorrect time or alarm, many guests choose to simply unplug the device.

3. How did the designers of the iPod address the principles that Norman discusses here?

The iPod at first glance would seem to be an example of poor visibility and mapping. With only five real buttons - besides the scroll wheel - it would seem impossible to negotiate the hundreds or thousands of functions and options available. However, the iPod is simplified because users can clearly see on the screen the response of the device to every action taken. While it is necessary to move through four or five levels, or menus, to select media on the iPod, a user need only select with the scroll wheel each consecutive menu, itself clearly labeled, and move to it with the center button.
The iPod system is not completely intuitive, but the learning curve is slight. Having mastered only four functions - up, down, select, and back - you can find and use any media on your iPod.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Perfect Thing

1. What elements of the design process does this article illustrate?

Steven Levy's article gives insight to many ideas used commonly in the design process, such as ease of use, durability, and aesthetics. The article also illustrates how the iPod project needed to focus on specific facets of the design process, like comfort and mobility, to create a satisfying final product.

2. What factors would you use to evaluate a "perfect thing?"

If I am to evaluate a "perfect thing," the first question I will ask is: does this product do what it is intended to do? If it does, does it do it well? Is it easy and comfortable to use? Will it last, or, is it reliable? These factors, functionality, ease of use and comfort, and durability, are most important to me when considering a product.

3. Whether you own an iPod or not, you probably have some opinions of this product. What do you feel are its strengths and weaknesses?

I do own an 80 gigabyte, video-capable iPod. I love the general design of the device and enjoy using it. I feel that the user interface is extremely well-done, particularly with the new search feature included on newer models.
All of the iPod's hardware is brilliant: the compact hard drive, crisp video resolution, and scroll wheel are triumphs of innovation and design. I am extremely satisfied with the technical aspects of the iPod.
I do have a few complaints from a consumer's standpoint. Apple has restricted their product very well; it is very hard to get around the roadblocks they have zealously erected on the iPod. Possessing a device that Steven Levy describes as a "small computer" and being unable to utilize it to its full potential can be frustrating. Were the iPod to be unshackled, it would revolutionize how we see external hard drives. Can you imagine using your iPod - and an externally-linked, roll-up keyboard - to type and save documents?
Potential is what characterizes the iPod, much of it unfortunately wasted. I would love to see Apple's iPod interface adapted to accommodate other programs, including free-ware. Although each new iteration of the device includes new and interesting features, it is not enough.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Opening Post

I am Caleb Cordes, and this is a brief introduction to myself.
I spent my high school career as a home schooled student from Three Rivers, MI, but also attended two community colleges and several course co-op's. I have enjoyed growing up on Fishers Lake with my family and pets (currently Bear, a golden retriever).
I have a long-developed love for reading and writing. Right now I am reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Over the course of this quarter, I hope to improve my writing and cognitive skills, and to become a better critical thinker. I am looking forward to the class!