[IxD Studio] The Water Project

The last project in IxD studio was to envision the future of water and to share that vision.

My group (Shaili Das, Ramune Rastonis, and Vida Riahi) decided to look at the future of the oceans. We wanted to create a space that would cause people to consider the way their choices impact the environment, without being judgmental or preachy.

'Oceans' is a pretty vast subject; given the scope of the project, we needed to keep a narrow our focus and create something simple. We wanted to create a sensory space where people could take a minute to sit, contemplate, relax, escape, and be mesmerized. Our inspirations were, not surprisingly, mostly aquariums.

[IxD Theory] Reflections

Reflect on how this course has affected your perspective as a designer. What has changed? What has stayed the same? In what ways are you more confident and what gaps do you still feel you have?

Hi Arna,

Thank you. Interaction theory has been one of my favorite courses this first year in the grad design program at CCA; it has been instrumental in helping me define where I want to go and why I came back to school in the first place.

[IxD Theory] Frontiers

What is the next frontier for connectivity? What will make it stick?

For many of us in developed nations, technology constantly demands our attention. It's hard to imagine being much more connected that we already are, but increased connectivity seems unavoidable. Since our dependence and desire for connected devices will only increase, maybe the answer is to change the manner in which we connect. I hope that the next frontier for connectivity will be ubiquitous computing. One definition of ubiquitous computing that resonates with me is "machines that fit the human environment instead of forcing humans to enter theirs."

[Business of Design] Reflections and wrap-up

If you were teaching this course next year, what one thing would you add and what one thing would you subtract? Please explain why you would do these things.

I would take away the Indigogo campaign. It is great to know how to manage a fundraising campaign like this, but I'm not convinced that the experience was as beneficial enough to make it worth the time spent on it. The fundraising campaign doesn't take cultural differences into account (Indiegogo had trouble with international credit cards, for one) and it's not clear to me why all of our fundraising went to Architecture for Humanity. It may be a great organization, but it would be nice if we had some say in what we were raising money for rather than being told top-down who we were raising money for.

[business of design] Company Culture

Blog on what your ideal company culture would be like by describing what an average day on the job would for like you. What would it look like, feel like, be like?

I start off my day by entering the bright and well lit office. Two of my favorite things about this office are the open spaces and the huge windows which allow natural light to flood in. I share my brightly painted and decorated office with two other team members. Throughout the morning we work separately on our projects but are always available to discuss ideas and provide feedback. For lunch, I head over to the on-site cafe for the soup de jour and a grilled cheese. After lunch are project meetings, check-ins, and my bi-annual performance review. During my review I have the opportunity to discuss my goals within the company and my progress towards those goals. My supervisor and I also review my project specific struggles and success, leadership, and areas to improve.

I have been super efficient today, and there were no client emergencies, so I am headed home at 6.00 pm. I leave the office and walk to catch the commuter train; I'm feeling confident, valued, and proud of the work I do.

[business of design]

What would do if you were an employee of Goldman Sachs who didn’t have the option of quitting - what would you say to your clients, friends and family who read Greg Smith’s letter?

This weeks business of design class is about leadership; I think one of the key traits of being a leader is taking responsibility for mistakes and knowing when you need to make changes and pivot your approach.

So, I don't know how the situation above would actually play out, but from my own relatively naive perspective, I think I would start off by acknowledging mistakes. I would discuss openly and honestly where the company went wrong, but I would also talk about the company's strengths. I would try to focus on how to get things back to a healthy place

[IxD Theory] Easy Peasy

Why does everyone think they can do interaction design? Do other design disciplines face this challenge?

I don't have direct experience with everyone thinking they can do interaction design, but assuming that is the case, I will speculate on the reasons why.

1. Interaction is a buzz word. I think because interaction design is such a new field and it's, uh...for lack of better phrase, so hot right now, there are a lot of people out there who want an interaction designer and a lot of people who don't really know what it is, but who want to get the job. 
2. Interaction designers make it look easy. A well designed object or system is universally easy to use, which can lead to the assumption that designing the interaction is simple. I think a lot of the principles of interaction design are actually common sense (keep it simple, recognition over recall, help and documentation, give people an undo), but to really design a system which meets a user's need becomes incredibly complicated. An interaction designer has to use methodology and go through deliberate processes, which not everyone can do.

[Business of Design] Social Networks

Blog on which social network you currently find most engaging and why

Yelp, hands down.

I use Facebook, sure, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it. Most times I log into Facebook it's because someone has tagged me in a photo, or because I'm procrastinating on homework. I get sucked in and an hour later, when I log off, I feel guilty for spending that hour reading my Facebook feed when I should have been reading my homework.

[IxD Theory] Cognition

Discuss a product via the lens of human cognition. How do we process the product? Consider perception, attention, memory, learning, etc. What did the designers do to help simplify the cognitive processes required to use the product? What’s the mental model and how rigorously is it preserved?

I'm going to look at iTunes because it is a product we process through multiple kinds of cognition -- learning, listening, attention, and memory.

The function which lets you sort by album cover is great because it takes advantage of our ability to quickly scan images. I have over 1000 albums in my library, and while I often cannot remember the name of the album, I can often picture the album cover in my head. Scanning through the music by cover view helps me to find the correct album much faster than reading through the list, and trying to remember what I'm looking for.

[business of design] Brands

Blog on a brand you admire (not just the product or service). Explain what elements of the brand “speak” to you and what they say. 

I am loyal to two brands, Levi's and Patagonia. I am loyal to Levi's because I hate shopping for jeans and Levi's sizing is consistent so I never have to try them on. My loyalty stems out of convenience, but I don't know much about their history or their motivations as a company. Patagonia, on the other hand, has my loyalty because of how and why their company exists; their mission statement is to mission statement is to "build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis."

[business of design] Midpoint

Blog on what you think your midpoint grade should be in this class. Be specific about what you’ve done or not done to earn that grade.

A difficult task for this week's business of design blog. Regardless of my midpoint grade, I know I would want to have me on my team!

My teamwork: I played a significant role in our start-up, Matchbox, earning the most funding on Pitch Day (woo hoo!). Our team is lucky in that we have team members with complementary skills and we all work well together. As project manager I have been responsible for keeping our team organized, motivated, and focused during our meetings; our level of preparation played a major role in our success on Pitch Day. I also believe I have been a solid resource for other teams. I have spent time listening to pitches, offering feedback, and talking through potential problem areas.

[business of design] Amanda Palmer: The Art of Asking

Don't make people pay for music, let them. In her TED talk, Amanda Palmer from the Dresden Dolls focuses on using the internet to have a direct connection with her fans, both monetarily and socially. Her message of don't be afraid to ask for what you need resonates with me. In her talk she mentions that artists and musicians particularly have a difficult time asking for help, but I think it goes far beyond artists and musicians.