Interesting Design

So as part of my Halloween costume, I am using an old helmet I had from my days of aggressive skating and skateboarding. It reminded me of a discussion I had with my dad a couple years ago. The situation was this: I wanted to go on a bike ride, but I didn't want to wear a regular bike helmet since I thought they looked weird. So, my solution was to wear my aggressive skating helmet. It was what all the BMX and pro skating guys (the ones who actually wore helmets...) wore, wasn't it?
But no. My dad would have none of it. He wanted me to wear a real bike helmet, or not go at all. But why? If anything, wouldn't the skating helmet provide the best protection anyways? I mean, it is designed for high speed impact with really hard objects. Handrails, ledges, flat concrete, you name it. It has really thick padding, fits perfectly, and above all, looks really cool! Bike helmets, on the other hand, are light, cheap, sparsely padded, and ugly.
Eventually I won the argument anyways, I think my dad decided it just wasn't worth the trouble. But still... what aspect of the design of the bike helmet, if any, made my dad prefer it over the skating one? Could it be something else, like the history of the bike helmet, and stories of its successes? Who knows...

Oh, Snap!

What attracted me to the links:
Spencer’s blog- I was interested in learning what changes Dell is implementing to compete with, and learn from, Apple computers.

Robert’s blog- I think the subject of why some products fail in design is very interesting, and that was the first thing Robert mentioned. It also seemed from Roberts commentary that the authors took some of the concepts that Donald Norman talks about, but expanding on them so they are more modernized.

What I found interesting on the sites:
Spencer’s blog- I liked seeing some of the interesting design ideas Dell had for their computers, like an LCD screen on top of the tower.

Robert’s blog- It was cool to see that the article was in interview format, so you could see the complete answers of the designer and the engineer. I liked when they talked about improving upon old products to make a new, better one.

How the site relates to topics in class:
Spencer’s blog- This article talks about many of the same design concepts we covered, including feedback, as in the case of the LCD screen I mentioned earlier.

Robert’s blog- This article relates to class because the authors also have their own principles of design that are similar to Norman’s: Emotion, Aesthetics, Product Identity, Impact, Ergonomics, Core Technology, and Quality.

Spencer's

Robert's

Interesting Web Page

"The apex of usability, according to Schulze, would be that 'the same product would emerge from two agencies' given the same brief, whereas an indication of good design is that 'you can see something of the designer in the product'. "

WEBSITE HERE!!!

This article is about evaluating design, and briefly talks about the purpose of designers and engineers, and how some problems we see as design errors are actually caused by the engineering behind the product. Also, as in the quote above, the author makes a distinction between usability of a product, and the design of a product. Basically one of the main points is excusing designers from the errors in their products. Sneaky designers...

Tutorials n' stuff

"A lot of manuals skip [tutorials] in favor of giving abstract instructions for how to do something, but not all brains can learn that way. For many people, a step-by-step tutorial is the only thing that helps them "get it." So, even though some users will never need or read the tutorial sections, they can mean the difference between a new user who actually uses the product and one who never gets past opening the box."

Sierra, http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/09/how_to_get_user.html

I think this is relevant to design because it ties into the usability of the tutorial itself. Tutorials often are very confusing because of the limits of being printed on paper. I think that a really successful and cost-effective way to present a tutorial would be on a website online. There, the manufacturers, or whoever makes the manual, would post videos of sample users performing the actions described in the tutorial. That way, it would be more like a person showing you how to do it in real life, and therefore easier to learn. Also, the company could have cool visuals that wouldn't cost money in printing costs. Plus, the internet is fun!

Well designed product

I recently purchased a small, clip on table from the K bookstore. Yes, a clip on table. It is perfect for a dorm room setup, especially if you wear glasses like me, and need a place to put them when you go to sleep. The table uses adjustable, tightening grips to attach to my square bedpost, but it also comes with attachments so it works with round beds too. Although it is fairly small, the table has plenty of room for my glasses, alarm clock, and it even has a little indent to hold a drink, if I'm reading in bed or something. It was exceptionally easy to put together. I did not even need the instruction manual to attach it to the bed. All the parts are clear in their functions. All I had to do to get it on the bedpost was adjust the sliding grips to the correct fit, and tighten a small knob until it stayed. Pretty much the only mistake I could have made was to not tighten the grips enough, but I made sure they would stay before I put anything on them.
Overall, I am thoroughly satisfied with this product. It was decently cheap, and works perfectly as intended. It is reasonably aesthetically pleasing (it's all black), and the construction could hardly have been easier. Well designed is a perfect way to describe this product.

...sorry I couldn't find a picture of the product...

Design flaws

One product that I use regularly that I think has one major design flaw is the nalgene bottle. Sure, it is extremely durable, lightweight, and still holds a lot of water, but there is just one thing that bugs me all the time about it: it is impossible to drink while moving, without spilling whatever liquid is inside all over yourself. This is due to the large opening at the top. It is simply too big for any person's mouth. However when you are stationary, it is possible to carefully control the amount of water that flows from the container, but what if I am walking to class and get thirsty? I have to stop, which can lead to awkward social situations if I am with other people. Should they wait for me or go ahead?
Thankfully, there are multiple solutions to this problem. First, they now make nalgenes with smaller openings, perfect for drinking on the go. And second, there are small devices that plug roughly half of the opening, so as to limit the amount of liquid that gets through.

The nalgene with a parachute

So when Chris and I were brainstorming what materials to use for our egg's protective container, we ran through many different ideas. We thought of everything from cardboard boxes to hamster running balls and rubber bands. However, one constant was a parachute. We figured slowing down the entire contraption was key to its success. We eventually decided on a nalgene (they're "unbreakable" after all!) stuffed with paper towel to cushion the egg, and used coat hangers, cardboard, and a plastic bag for the parachute.
Once our creation was complete, we tested it by dropping it out of my room's window, down one story below. It didn't break upon landing, so we figured that it would work (hopefully) for the egg. How wrong we were...