Final Application

Gumbo

Gumbo is a mobile application that finds recipes for on the go people. Type in what ingredients you want and those you don't, hit search, and Gumbo returns a recipe tailored to your liking. There is also a quick search page that returns random recipes based on the type of meal you would like (ie. breakfast, dessert etc.)


Some wireframe sketches of my application

Final Iteration photos

John Maeda- The Laws of Simplicity

relate-translate-surprise

I think John Maeda touches on a very basic rule here. This inspires me to design simpler. After all what are the greatest designs out there, if not simple?


The IPOD is simple with only "two" physical buttons everyone knows how to use it (even my mom ;-D).

Point and shoot camera allowed everyone to become a photographer.

and had to add in OXO good grips because of its social consciousness...and who could forget great design!

Hertzian Tales

My favorite part of this reading was chapter 3 Para-functionality: The Aesthetics of Use. Dunne suggests para-functionality is "a form of design where function is used to encourage reflection on how electronic products condition our behavior." For his investigations he experiments with "in-human" factors the awaken taboo emotions. Therefore the electronic objects don't have to function as we expect them to; providing new experiences.

I find that in todays world with many gadgets and gizmos, the designer often doesn't realize how the user might engage with the object. I think Dunne's approach to design is eye opening in that a designer must always expect the unexpected. It forces me to think about the functionality of a design to create a rich and user friendly concept.

Design for the Real World

Papanek's belief that designers should understand the social responsibility in the work they do is relevant across all spectrums. I think these myths are not just a designers problem but a worldly issue that everyone should focus on. I think the myth of peoples wants does lead to greater importance when designing products. These myths definitely hold relevance.

Design towards the six directions are undoubtly increasing as the world accepts its responsibilites. I think with design as with most things consumerism usually outweighs other needs, but by mentioning the troubles at least the world can be held accountable and excuses won't hold.

Helvetica

The history of graphic design is explained vividly in this documentary about the typeface. With little knowledge about typeface aside from the common essay format Times New Roman and a few others, I was excited to see how type gets made and the many different mediums in which type is displayed. The ubiquity of the type face throughout our environment marks it as probably the "chair" of the typeface world.

After viewing the movie, I couldn't stop staring at all the type around me, comparing all I saw to the knowledge I had just learned. I thought it was interesting how Helvetica was created as a neutral font developed on the meanderings of the postwar era and rise in democracy. I never thought of typography having that much power in our everyday thoughts, but it makes sense as most things are designed based on some sort of social, cultural, political responsibility.

Earrings

Here are some production images for my earrings. The issue now is the 120 degree angle that the alligator clip bends toward. I want the flower to stand in a certain direction which is always an issue with degradable materials. I'm thinking of other ways I can accomplish this task such as an ear wrap earring or a cuff type. we'll see wish me luck

Showermatic

Showermatic

photographic research

Here are some pictures of my shower as to do research for the best product placement





i found this interesting old thermostat the other day and had to photograph it

Never take a cold shower again! (unless you want to)

I decided to create a solution for the shower problem discussed below.
Is there a way for the water in your shower to come out hot/warm or at least take 15-20 seconds to warm up at the most? My design is the concept of an alarm type of system that you can set the time and the temperature to have hot water immediately in the shower.

My idea is to conserve water and reduce wait time...so in doing a little bit of research I have to find out what heats water and how it works. A hot water heater obviously heats the water. How it works:

The thermostat controls the temperature of the water inside the tank. Normally you can set the temperature between 120 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit (49 to 82 degrees Celsius). It is generally recommended that you keep the temperature between 120 to 140 degrees F (49 to 60 C) -- especially if there are children living in the house -- to prevent scalding. It also saves energy.

Normally, the thermostat is underneath a cover plate and it has a knob or a screw that you can use to set the temperature.
A water heater uses nothing more than the "heat rises" principle to separate hot water from cold water in the tank.

As cold water comes in, it remains at the bottom of the tank because it is denser than hot water. If you use the hot water faster than the heating elements can heat the incoming cold water, and if you consume all of the hot water that the tank holds, you run out of hot water in the middle of your shower. If this seems to happen too often, it could mean that the bottom heating element in an electric water heater has burned out or that your water heater is too small for your house. Or it could mean that you are taking really, really long showers. (http://home.howstuffworks.com/water-heater2.htm)

So then why isn't the water hot to start with in the shower when there is already hot water in the hot water heater? Reason being is because the distance from the hot water heater to the shower is a ways away and the water standing in the pipes before the hot water gets pumped to the shower head is cooled from sitting after previous use.

A device already designed works in this way:
You start it and not have to worry about coming back to the shower in time to shut it off. This prevents any additional waste of warm water that comes out. Thus it seems there will be more warm water available for taking a shower with.

But it still wastes water!

After conducting said research, I propose a thermostat system that will warm the cool water standing in your pipes at a time you set prior to showering, so when the hot water from the heater actually reaches the shower you will already have completed the first few minutes of your shower. Thus this will save water and I assume will utilize the same amount of energy (if the pipe heating system can connect to the same hot water heater heating components).

Observations

Shower:
1. You have to wait for the water to get warm especially when the pipes are cold in the winter months.
2. The problem to be solved is to have a way to preheat or already have the water warm before you get in the shower without having to wait.

My roommates always leave the water running 10-15min prior to gettting in the shower which i'm sure wastes a ton of water aiding global warming.

ten things that bug me:
-wasting water
-hearing my roommates open and close the door
-leaving the light on as a result of leaving the water on to get warm
-hearing the water run unnessarily for 10-15 extra minutes
-having to wait for the water to get warm
-jumping in when you think its hot but its still cold
-having the water get too hot
-the bathroom being extra steamy and sweaty before gettin in the shower
-the need to have to get up 10-15 min early to prep for a shower
-just having to take a cold shower sometimes cuz you don't want to wait

-audience is everyone
-the audience is vast
-my observations are based on personal experience and user observations.
-sometimes I will brush my teeth while the water is warming up which is an effective use of time, but still wastes water.

Laptop Keyboard:
1.carpal tunal
2. the monotonous work of always being in front of a computer develops hand problems...and with a laptop you're always on the go sometimes unable to bring your hand cushion or forgetting it. built in cushion...or different keyboard layout.

Subway seating:
1.back problems, sliding around, not abundant
2. the subway seating is always a problem. I find when I sit down it doesn't promote good posture and my lower back always hurts when sitting down causing me to want to stand up.

Sure the plastic is good for cleaning...but little kids slide around and hit you...when the bench is empty you slide around etc etc.

There are never enough seats to go around

Real virtual identity=real life:: fake virtual identity=virtual identity

I imagine a new search for someones virtual identity to search all social networking sites and cross reference each one, completing a full circle analysis to their actual identity. It would also search for personal web pages. This would be a search engine dedicated solely to people search. Bosses would be able to use this for future employees prior to conducting interviews. You can use this for long lost loves, or high school classmates. There would be some sort of filtering system to only gather information you would need/want. For example a high school friend doesn't necessarily want to know the persons demographics because they already know these details; they might search by these but they don't need to take up unnecessary bandwidth in the returned results.

There can also be a filter between someone's real identity vs. fake. Many people create fake identities to avoid giving out personal information. This allows people to keep their real life and virtual life separate.

Software that do similar searches that already exist include: Spock, wink, and pipl just to name a few. There's also this site Fake Name Generator
where people can go to create fake identities/personas for personal use or user case study analysis etc.

Ultimately the next design icon will be the virtual identity whether real or fake. Because whether we like it or not our online identity intertwines with our personal life.

IDENTITY: next design icon

After reading the article Chairs Sitting Pretty, I came upon a serious thought analysis of what the next design icon would consist of. I thought about items that we use everyday and racked my brain as I eliminated item after item. I eventually settled on three different icons to narrow down my search.

1. Glasses: I think it is the obvious next choice in design as they come in a variety of materials, finishes, shades, colors. Everyone wears them whether for vision correction or style or both! I soon came to the conclusion that glasses are already a design icon in and off itself so I needed a new challenge for the 21st century.

2. Next Identity: I thought in terms of the future web 2.0 identity in terms of a digital standpoint as people are beginning to personalize and customize web sites blogs video pics...everything is now user generated. people create fake identities. Things are dynamic from widgets to items created in AJAX; privacy, virtual vs. physical, mirror vanity, user personas etc. the new design icon might be for site designers to allow people to construct their identity differently. How far will professional designers let web 2.0 users alter their sites?

3. Tool for designing the next icon: Laser Cutter: I think if everyone had a laser cutter in their home most items will be designed differently. Items that are the same can then become personalized. Users would be able to rapidly prototype their thoughts. Again this is the common man becoming the designer.

I choose number 2 to work on for the simple fact that we are in the digital age. I will create a new scenario on how I see someones virtual identity...


Lastly from the class discussion the feces as fuel movie I spoke of is from Korea called Aachi & Ssipak
here is the trailer on youtube: