Emotional Design...Round 2

“There are two kinds of product development: enhancement and innovation. Enhancement means to take some existing product or service and make it better. Innovation provides a completely new way of doing something, or a completely new thing to do, something that was not possible before.

Innovations are particularly difficult to assess. Before they were introduced, who would have though we needed typewriters, personal computers, copying machines, or cell phones? Answer: Nobody. Today it is hard to imagine life without these items, but before they existed almost no one but an inventor could imagine what purpose they would serve, and quite often the inventors were wrong. Thomas Edison thought that the phonograph would eliminate the need for letters written on paper: business people would dictate their thoughts through the recordings.” (page 71)

1) I found this passage from Norman’s book to be particularly interesting because it talks about innovation, the actual invention part of the design. Norman captures the complexity and difficulty of dreaming up, researching and creating a truly original product. People would have never considered that they could benefit from a personal computer. Prior invention of the personal computer, no one (excluding the inventors) could fathom the idea. It took the imagination and creativity of a few inventors to introduce this “life changing” product to the public.

2) The categories that Norman presents in this chapter are very useful. The categories hit all three levels of design, the subconscious level, the physical level and the external level. When a product is effective on all three of these levels, it is not only marketable and desired, but it also functional and useful, thus making it a good product. These categories could not have been issued better names. Visceral, by definition, means to deal with instinctive and elemental emotions. The category that retains this name describes designs that attract the eye and begs consumers to buy them on impulse. The category that includes the physical feel of design, and the way the product behaves is entitled behavior design. Finally, the category that reflects your image and status is called reflective design. The name of each level includes the features the level tries to cover.

3) A well-designed product includes all three levels of design mentioned in this chapter. However, for certain products, one of the levels must stand out more, or out weigh the others. For example, a car must use all three levels, but if the car fails the behavior level then it is useless. So behavioral design is most important to a car because even if the car is not flashy and does not catch your eye, it can still be operated and can still get from point A to point B. This being said, a car that is flashy and has good visceral and reflective design, is more likely to sell than a car that is worn down and rusted, which proves that all three levels of design should be focused on. Some products focus more specifically on one level of design. For instance within the category of clothes, dresses focus on the visceral and reflective designs more than they focus on the behavioral aspect, meaning they’re more for looks than for comfort. On the flip side, sweatpants are designed mainly for behavioral purposes, to keep you warm and comfortable as opposed to looking extravagant or high class.

Emotional Design

1) In this chapter, Norman again hits on many key points of design. The key points he discusses are the differences between visceral design, behavioral design and reflective design. Norman explains that visceral design is “what nature does.” He explains that the purpose of visceral design is to catch the eye of the consumer. Visceral design also includes the texture, shape and overall feel of the a product. Norman also discusses the concept of behavioral design. He explains that behavioral design is almost the opposite of visceral design in the sense that it is all about performance and not appearance. The final key concept that Norman hits on in this chapter is reflective design. Norman explains that reflective design “is all about message, about culture, and about the meaning of a product or its use. “ Reflective design is very complex and encompasses many things such as self-image and personal remembrances.

2) The two pieces of literature that we have read from Norman differ quite greatly. The first piece of work we read by Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, focused more on what aspects of design will make a product flourish. Emotional Design, the later piece of work we read by Norman focuses more on the reaction of the customer to the product. He discusses visceral design and reflective design, which deal more with the emotions of the consumer and how they feel about and react to the product.

3) a)An example of Visceral Design that I have come across in my life is sunglasses. When aviators first re-entered the scene a few years back, I decided that since they looked so cool, I should immediately go out and purchase a pair. I walked into the store, picked up the first pair of aviator sunglasses I found, decided that I liked them and purchased them. I did not know if this particular pair of sunglasses even screened my eyes from the sun, but they looked awesome so I purchased them. They actually turned out to work great, and I still own them today.

b) The example I used for my experience with visceral design also doubles as my example for my personal encounter with behavioral design. As I mentioned above, I purchased this certain pair of aviator style sunglasses solely because they looked cool. However, the reason I needed sunglasses in the first place was to shield my eyes from the sun. When I walked out of the store, I realized immediately that these were awesome sunglasses not only because they looked spectacular, but they also did a great job of shading my eyes from the sun. If these sunglasses did not do a good job protecting my eyes, I would hardly ever wear them, no matter how cool they looked. The sunglasses looked cool and worked great giving them high ranks in both visceral design and behavioral design.

c) An example of reflective design in my life is when I went furniture shopping with my aunt. I was younger and didn’t understand why, but she always looked for the most expensive, designer type furniture. I saw many similar models of furniture that were much cheaper and looked almost exactly the same. There were also models that were ten times as comfortable as the designer models she bought. This is an example of reflective design because she thought that the type of furniture you bought dictated what type of person you were, or how much wealth you had. I personally don’t agree with this because if the couch is not comfortable, why buy it?

The design of Everyday Things part 2

1) “The human mind is exquisitely tailored to make sense of the world. Give it the slightest clue and off it goes, providing explanation, rationalization, understanding. Consider the objects-books, radios, kitchen appliances, office machines and light switches-that make up our everyday lives well-designed objects are easy to interpret and understand. They contain visible clues to their operation. Poorly designed objects can e difficult and frustrating to use. They provide no clues-or sometimes false clues. They trap the user and thwart the normal process of interpretation and understanding. Alas, poor design predominates. The result is a world filled with frustration, with objects that cannot be understood, with devices that lead to error. “

This passage is interesting to me because without the abilities of the mind mentioned above, intelligence in design would be meaningless. What would it matter if the designer took months to provide visible clues that persuaded the user to perform a certain act, if the brain could not recognize these clues? Without the brain’s ability to understand these clues, and the designer’s ability to use them properly, we would be stuck in a world unable to advance technologically.

2) This book can still be used today because the functions of the brain do not change over time. The function of sight and the ability to pick up on small clues included by the designer are still the same now as they were 20 years ago. People still need to be given a good visual and conceptual map of the object they are about to use, no matter how simple or complicated it may be, and while the objects may have been different 20 years ago, the principles are still applicable today.

3) The factors that should be included on a checklist for evaluating the design of a product are visibility, mapping and feedback. If the designer includes good visible clues about the product and how it should be used then the product will have a successful design. The only way a designer can include good visible clues is by having a good conceptual map. With a good conceptual map, the user can effectively put together the clues and perform the actions that are best fit for the product. Finally, the abovementioned criteria are useless if the user is not provided with quick, quality feedback. The user needs to know immediately how the action they are performing affects the product.

The Design of Everyday Things

1) Donald A. Norman hit on many key points throughout this chapter. One key point is the importance of visibility; the correct parts need to be visible. Norman gives the example of scissors, it’s easy to see that one would insert their fingers into the holes, and even if they do not insert the correct fingers, the scissors are still usable and efficient. Another key point is having a good conceptual model. Reverting back to the scissors example, they also have a good conceptual model. A conceptual model is the relationship between the operating controls and the function. It’s easy for anyone to understand that when you open your fingers the scissors will open and vice versa.

2) A product that I have had a history of not understanding and have had trouble using are copying machines. Some copy machines have touch screen interfaces and some have the standard button interfaces. The copy machine should be simple to use, you insert a piece of paper, press a button and it makes a copy. However the number of features far exceeds the number of buttons they have choose to include on the interface. Many of the buttons have multiple features assigned to them, such as the start button is also teamed up with the menu button. I find that my copies always come out incorrect and I waste resources such as ink, paper and not to mention my time because of it. The usability, actually the un-usability of copy machines definitely arises from the principles that Norman discussed in the chapter. The problem with the machine is that the buttons you need are not clearly visible. To go along with these issues, there is no correlation between the buttons you press and what the machine will do. This would be referred to as a poor conceptual model.

3) The designers of the iPod addressed the issues that Norman discussed in a couple of different ways. Norman discusses at great lengths that visibility of important buttons. When the iPod was first being designed, they were devoted to keeping it simple. Steve Jobs did not want to include even a power switch because he wanted the least amount of buttons possible, while still being usable. On the note of conceptual models, the original iPod used the thumb wheel. When you slid your thumb to the right you scrolled down through your songs, and when you slid your finger to the left you scrolled upwards. The movement of your thumb directly relates to the direction you scroll through the songs, which promotes a good conceptual model. The iPod design team also addressed the principle Norman’s discussed of constraint. Constraints provide a visual map that limit the way you can use a certain thing. So for the iPod’s thumb wheel, people would understand that it would be operated using only a single finger as opposed to a full hand or all the fingers. The designers have used the discussed psychological principles to cut down on the learning curve but to still maximize the amount of tasks you can perform.

The Perfect Thing

1) This article illustrated many different parts of the design process. First and foremost it started with an idea, a simple idea to make a “home digital entertainment device with a hard drive-based jukebox to store thousands of songs.” The man who dreamed up this idea, Anthony Fadell, had bounced around companies who argued over the first stages of this handheld jukebox, but finally he was recruited by Jon Rubenstein to present his product in front of Apple. After he signed a contract with apple, Fadell started the very first stages of design. He took his ideas, which were in his head and on paper at this point, and made a rough design of the product by cutting out pieces of foam-boards and gluing them together, not unlike the activity we did in class on Friday. Then, as the expiration date of his contract loomed, Fadell and the rest of his team presented their conclusions to the Apple board of executives. The team had a clever idea to present two “less desirable” versions of the product, before unveiling their polished model. The idea worked magnificently and Steve Jobs, an Apple executive, along with the rest of the board, loved the idea. However, some of the executives offered ideas such as the infamous thumb wheel that the team asked Fadell to include in the device. The team then named the device the iPod, and by team, I mean Steve Jobs. By the end of the initial advertisement they had customers almost salivating over the realize of the iPod. When in the marketing stage, Apple started building the prototype of this device, perfected the thumb wheel, and spent a few agonizing weeks deciding how to configure the menu for best consumer efficiency and ease. They also performed durability tests on the device and the hard drive in the iPod, since one of the biggest marketing techniques was the ability to pocket the device at any moment. The team actually dropped specially designed devices off of a roof to evaluate how much abuse they could handle.

2) There are many factors that can be used to describe the “perfect thing.” The perfect thing is comprised by affordability, durability, efficiency and overall appearance. The iPod has been so successful because it meets all of the aforementioned criteria. For such advanced technology, the iPod is extremely affordable; the leading competitive device was nearly $2500. The iPod is a very durable device, Apple went to extreme measures to not only test the resiliency, but to also improve it. I can’t even begin to explain what I have put my iPod through and it works perfectly. The iPod is one of the most efficient handheld jukeboxes as well, I have owned many different kinds and using buttons to scroll through songs is extremely time consuming and frustrating. The thumb wheel is a brilliant idea that really sets the iPod apart from its competitors. If the consumer cares about none of the previously mentioned characteristics then they may be apt to buy the iPod purely for its sleek and attractive design. There are other devices that look good, but the iPod blows them out of the proverbial water. Design satisfaction is so important that Apple offers a variety of shapes, sizes and colors for the iPod. An example is the iPod shuffle, consumers can tuck the device away from the rest of the world, including themselves and have the iPod play random songs that they previously selected. Another design is the iPod touch for the more tech savvy customers who want to have more capabilities at the touch of their finger. As if that were not enough, Apple has partnered with other companies to design cases and outerwear for all iPods.

3) The iPod is arguably the most known of all handheld jukeboxes. It has its strengths but it also has its weaknesses. One of the iPod’s biggest strengths is its name alone. The iPod is so well known, that people refer to other non-iPod mp3 players as iPods. This reminds me of people referring to tissue paper as Kleenex. I have heard many people call a piece of tissue paper a Kleenex. Not all tissue paper is made by Kleenex, which is just a common misconception. Similarly, bandages are often referred to as Band-Aids. Concurrent with Kleenex, Band-Aid is just another popular brand name. Some more strengths about the iPod are that it is aesthetically pleasing and has amazing capabilities such as wi-fi, games, maps, weather, and even a personal planner. Unfortunately, the iPod suffers from certain weaknesses such as the price. The iPod is affordable, however there are other devices that are less expensive which provide some of the same main features, such as playing music or games. Customers who realize that they can buy an “off-brand” mp3 player usually end up equally satisfied with their purchase. Also, the iPod has so many functions that it cannot sustain battery life for extended periods of time like other handheld jukeboxes. The iPod’s weaknesses, albeit existent, do not detract many customers or decrease consumer satisfaction.

2)

Opening Post

Well for starters, my name is Dave Menoian. I'm a recent graduate of Walled Lake Western High School in Walled Lake, Michigan. I'm really looking forward to this seminar, it looks and seems to be the most interesting of all seminars so far. I hope we can cover a wide range of topics with things like the dynamics of design behind all the useful gadgets of the 21st century along with classic things such as homes and televisions. The class has seemed really cool, even in the limited amount of actual class time we have had so far.

Dave