Week 12 - Origination

Class Format

Introduce class

Group Exercise

PART 1: Group Research

Using YouTube choose one video for EACH of the concepts below
Communication Methods
Emerging Technologies
Idea adaptation

PART 2: Group presentations

Each video must be prefaced by a verbal explanation of why the chosen clips demonstrate the research topics above

PART 3: Blog

Research

Video

Images

Insert images and comment

Reflection

Comment

Week 11 - Collaboration

Class Format

This week was essentially a review and a chance to check what needs to be done in the next couple of weeks. Next week this blog as with all of the blogs are are assessed.

Group Exercise

Detail

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

This is the updated plan of our groups requirements for the student exhibition.

This finished article being modelled by a friend. This is Cherill's design.

 

Reflection

'Pants' is a word I exclaim when under pressure or just plain old too drunk. I am guessing for myself that this is a reference to some form of finality. I am a somnambulist and often these exclamations correspond with their events (I walk and talk about my pants in my sleep). Of course I walk and talk about many other things, but for the most part I am generally angry and unlikable. I wish I was funny like Sleep Talking Man.

Week 11 - Origination

Class Format

Covered today was the the tenth law 'The One' from John Maeda's book 'The laws of Simplicity. Cherill, Katelyn and I also plan to begin work on the pin board of materials from our creative process which will accompany our work for the student exhibition.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words
10 mins: Cut & paste into your blog and start answers / 10 mins: Open discussion

1. What does Maeda call the 3 keys?
   - Away, Open & Power.
2. Describe how you have used these in your work towards student exhibition? Give at least one example of each key.
   - By moving away from each of my designs I have been able to view their effectiveness more accurately. Maintaining an open line of communication with my co-conspirators has benefited the project. Simplification and the ideal of using less have been a focus of our group throughout our design process.
3. Describe an incident in the production of the student exhibition where technology has been an enabler.... and another where it has been a disabler!
   - Most certainly the production of designs which adhere to a defined template is an example where the technology has been an enabler. Using the machines in this lab where they are running an earlier version of the Adobe programs compared to the other labs and my machine at home is an example of the technology becoming a disabler.
4. At this stage in the exhibition process you are all working on some element or process for the big event. List 3 things (in your current project) that you could take away to simplify and one thing you could add for meaning.
   - We could reduce the number of designs. I could not exhibit my 'steampunk monitor' to give a more cohesive feel to my body of work as a whole. I could relent from building my own portfolio site and use a Wordpress template. We are actually adding something for extra meaning being the pin board of our creative process.

 

Research

Video

The reading this mentioned open source software and APIs in reference to openness encouraging simplicity. This video is a great example of the use of open source software being Blender used in combination with crowd sourced funding. Found this via an RSS from Gadgetose.

 

Images

This is a bit for fun, work done by a recently graduated design student from the University of Cumbria, Gary Nicholson. This came in via RSS from My Modern Met.

 

Reflection

Some of the class today was spent discussing the layout of the exhibition space, we also went down to the space for a look. With the planning that our group had put in previously it was simply a matter of choosing the spot for us. Having this discussion gave the project and in fact the whole course a firmer sense of reality. All is looking good at the moment as we spiral into the final four weeks. Cherill and I have a clear understanding of what is required and how we are going to get there.

Week 10 - Collaboration

Class Format

This weeks class was concerned with reflecting and acknowledging failure within the design process. The Maeda reading also looked at finding a 'return on failure'.

 

Group Exercise

Discussion

Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration

1. What are the 3 best things about your efforts for this year’s exhibition?
   - My engagement, cooperation and articulation.
2. Did you manage time well?
   - Mostly
3. Did you manage materials well i.e. test prototypes?
   - Yes
4. Have you researched installation methods?
   - Yes
5. Have you made a shortlist of the essentials for the last WEEK?
   - Yes
6. Have you made a shortlist of the essentials for the last DAY?
   - Not yet, waiting for the contingencies to kick in.

 

Failure

In regard to creative collaboration & the exhibition discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples;

1. List and describe 2 areas of failure in your preparation for the exhibition
   - I have been a little unreliable in that I have missed a couple of arranged meetings with my conspirators. The computer in front of me failed in that it is a public computer with CS3 installed, when I had created my design in CS5. 
2. Describe how you could realistically improve on this next time you exhibit.
   - Better time management. The development of a timeline at an early stage would certainly assist with this. I have been getting more organised and this course has in some ways forced the issue.

 

Research

Video

It fairly straight forward what is going on with this video 'Famous Failures'. 

 

Images

Insert images and comment

Reflection

Failure should be allowed for in the design process, even embraced. The allowance of contingencies for time or to create alternatives would be the most obvious, this is effective time management of failure. The less obvious up side to failure is where the failure of a concept within a particular project does not mean it will fail in another project.

Week 10 - Origination

Class Format

Todays class was concerned with the ninth chapter 'Failure' from Maeda's 'The Laws of Simplicity'.

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words;

1. Using this years exhibition as an example, describe an aspect of your work or something you have worked on, where you have found a symbiotic relationship that is both complexity and simplicity.
   - I really see this type of relationship occurring throughout my creative process, but if I had to pick one aspect I would say the collaborative process has embodied this notion the most obviously.
2. Provide a conceptual example of a situation that has arisen during this project where you have had a return on failure?
   - A return on failure occured when the relatively simple first pattern design was simply not working. The alternative required the addition of pleats effectively making the design more complex.
3. Homework: Provide a short explanation and example of how FAILURE can be turned around using the law LEARN. Describe how this relates to the TIME law.
   - A failure always leads to an investigation of how it happened. This investigation invariably leads to an increase in knowledge, a key aspect of the law 'Learn'. This process has a knock on effect with the 'Time' law. A well planned creative process will include an allowance for contingencies. 

 

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

The final product of the helmet cover project.

 

Reflection

Failure is an opportunity to find a better way, which is my optimism talking. This is Maeda's mode of thought when he talks about finding a return on failure.

Week 09 - Collaboration

Class Format

Todays class looked at the advantages and disadvantages of making comparisons.

Group Exercise

Discussion - Reflection

Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration;

1. What is the difference between reflection and criticism?
   - Both enter into a discourse about the given topic. Reflection has positive connotations and I would say is more introspective. Criticism carries a negative implication and implies an external source.
2. Can you reflect while you are designing?
   - Yes and it is important to do so.
3. Do you set aside time for reflection?
   - Indirectly. When something is not feeling quite right.
4. Do you make notes on your reflections?
   - Absolutely.
5. When is the best time to reflect?
   - Throughout the design process.
6. Do you compare your work to work by your heroes?
   - Yes.
7. How do you benefit by comparison?
   - Definition leads to knowledge. Knowledge is power.
8. What can be a disadvantage of comparison?
   - Unreasonable or unbalanced comparisons could lead to false conclusions.

 

Task 2 - Moving On / Encouraging solutions

In regard to creative collaboration: discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples;

1. Are you brave enough to move on and adopt new and unexpected ideas?
   - Yes, the collaborative work completed as a part of this unit is a good example. When I began this course I, like most people, had preconceived ideas about the what I was going to create. The basics like a portfolio, website and a personal branding could be taken as a given. As for individual projects I approached the course with an open mind, but a cover for bicycle helmets? I really did not see that one coming.
2. Describe how you have encouraged others with a solution to their design problems
   - Here are some of my pearls of wisdom that I have shared with others over the course of the semester; 'What matters in the end, is that you are happy to put this design forward as your work',  'When I am designing something, I ask myself would I buy this, eat this, wear this, talk about this, etc.', 'Imagine yourself from the perspective of your target audience, sure a ten year old boy may be a little difficult, not to mention creepy, but...' and 'You are so doing it wrong'.

 

Research

Video

Found this while looking for something else and decided that I just needed to post it somewhere. Enjoy.

Images

Insert images and comment

Reflection

I think overall I am a good person to work with collaboratively, particularly in the discussion, reflection and criticism areas. I also have an ability to lighten the mood, which I think of as having the effect of greasing the wheel (although I am kind of mixing my metaphors here). I just know from my perspective that I feel more creatively engaged if I am enjoying the process.

Week 09 - Origination

Class Format

Todays lesson was about chapter 8 'Trust' of John Maeda's book 'The Laws of Simplicity'. Although it may seem like they do sometimes to our little squishy brains, computers do not 'guess' as he suggests, they simply 'do' based on a predetermined set of parameters.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words.

1. Provide an example of a situation where you have to have trust – in the same vein as the author in his swimming lesson example. What made you trust in this situation and how did you feel?
   - I learnt how to drive in 2011, previously I cycled everywhere. When I drive a car I feel that I am giving an amount of trust to the vehicle and further to the other motorists with which I share the road. A vehicle is a complicated mechanism and when I operate one I am trusting that it will perform as expected. Beyond knowing how to operate it, I have little knowledge of how a vehicle actually works.
2. Where in our exhibition do we need to instill trust? Give examples. How are we going to achieve this?
   - In an exhibition such as this we need to trust our peers as it is with them we are collaborating.
3. What strategies are used to instill trust? Examples? Where do we need to employ this in this year’s exhibition? How are we going to do this?
4. If you could “undo” any aspect of the preparation for the exhibition to-date, what would you “undo”? With this in mind, what would would you change now in your preparation strategy to overcome having to “undo” anything?
   - Wow, that is one convoluted question. Basically you are asking; how would I 'undo' a preparation decision and at the same time avoid changing this decision. There is also a typo in the question where the word 'would' is repeated.
5. Homework: How are you using the laws in relation to your contribution to the student exhibition? Provide a short explanation and example for each of the laws so far.
   - so we have this text about simplicity from which you have again extracted complicated questions. I can understand for the most part why you have done this as it is exemplified in Meada's fourth law 'Learn' (particularly the repeat aspect), but honestly this is getting tiresome. 'Reduce' - we have reduced the number of deigns that we are printing. 'Organise' - we have created a timeline. 'Time' - we have organised our time. 'Learn' - we have learnt stuff from our research. 'Differences' - we have researched different fabrics and printing techniques. 'Context' - we have shifted our focus to adult consumers. 'Emotion' - we have used emotive designs. 'Trust' - Cherill and I trust one another. 

 

Research

Video

I do not really have a tangible link between this video and this weeks topic. I am posting it because it is pretty and was created by a recently graduated design student, Kyle Mowat from Canada's Sheridan college. This came in via an RSS from The Fox is Black

Images

Insert images and comment

Reflection

I would never say that my computer 'guessed' anything. It would probably annoy me if started doing so and prompt me to investigate in order to put a stop to its presumptuousness (wow, that's a hell of a word). My computer does happily surprise me, but only when it performs a predetermined action that I had forgotten that I had told it to execute.

Week 08 - Collaboration

Class Format

Todays brief discussion dealt with the notion of moving on in regard to ideas. Blog entry looked for examples in our experience where an aspect of flexibility has been required of our ideation process.

 

Group Exercise

Discussion

Moving On. Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration;

1. Have you had to abandon any exhibition design concepts so far?
   - Yes
2. If so, was it hard?
   - Yes
3. Do you think it is easy to miss a better idea if it is not the first one?
   - Yes
4. Do you have any techniques for creating unpredictable ideas?
   - Yes
5. Is logic the best way to attack a design problem?
   - No
6. What other problem solving methods could work?
   - Randomisation, research
7. Do you ever doubt your design decisions?
   - Absolutely
8. Do you ever consciously put on “another hat” to get inspiration?
   - Yes
9. Describe somebody opposite to you in relation to their design approach?
   - Cherill
10. Could you imagine designing like them?
    - Yes

Encouraging Solutions

In regard to creative collaboration:

Discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples;

1. Describe how you have contributed to design solutions for other group members.
   - I have maintained an active contribution to our groups design solutions through communication.  Having an open dialogue has been vital to our groups progress with the project. 
2. Describe how you have challenged designs by other students in your group.
   - By opening a dialogue within the group about whats bugging me. I have also suggested alternatives to design proposals which have bugged me. That might make it in as one of the designs; helmet covers that look like big bugs, we could do a cute bug for the kids. I would prefer a life like cockroach however. But mostly, I just lead with making fun of their pets.
3. Are you flexible when others suggest design improvements / changes?
   - Certainly, well at least I try to be and it most definitely depends on you design team. Working as an Artist in Residence in a secondary school on a collaborative mural was a great test of my responsiveness to flexibility. Young adults are like gurgling fonts of ideation and for me knowing what to be flexible with as well as not became the most important distinction to make.
4. Choose a design that group input has changed radically. Post before & after images.
   - The template would be the element which has changed the most significantly for me. Initial design research indicated that an essentially round piece of fabric. Further practical template application suggested the same oval shape with two triangle pleats at the front and back.
5. Describe the process of shifting the design solution radically.
   - Practical template application suggested an oval shape with two triangle pleats at the front and back. We created from this a modified paper template and applied it to a piece of fabric. Tested and noted any further alterations on the template as these could be allowed for when cutting and stitching. This was perhaps not the most radical shift in the design solution.

 

Research

Video

This video shows the design process as an evolving thing, a notion to which I identify. I want to drink one those eucalyptus things right now!

 

Images

The original  iPhone patent application from 1985 from Design You Trust via Jay Mug. Imagine the heartache Apple's designers had letting go of this ideation gold. I particularly like the futuristic font used. 

 

Reflection

I've stated elsewhere on this blog that I try not to be precious with my ideas. The topic this week is pertinent to that notion inviting elaboration. Working collaboratively especially I think it is important not to take yourself too seriously. Being open with your ideas is the first step and enabling the change of your own is the second. Do not be afraid of the collaborative process - it will help you.

Week 08 - Origination

Class Format

Todays class was concerned with Chapter 6, 'Emotion'. The class then shared prototypes of the various projects we have been working collaboratively.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words
10 mins: Cut & paste into your blog and start answers / 10 mins: Open discussion

1. When Maeda uses the “Feel, and feel for” principle, he is drawing on peoples connection to a very personal experience: feelings. List 3 ways that would make use of this principle to visitors of your exhibition.
   - Design objects or images which illicit an emotional response.
   - Juxtapose the positioning of objects or images to illicit an emotional response.
   - Create an environment (lighting, sound, smell) to illicit an emotional response
2. What is animism? Why do you think the “Tamagocchi” craze of the ‘90s became such a craze? How can you apply this to your exhibition?
   - '...the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls.' (reference). Meada extends this to all objects. The electronic devices gave people an emotional response or emotional investment. 
3. Name 2 products that you have purchased that gave you that feeling of “Aichaku”. What feelings did those products evoke? Was it the feeling that sold the product to you?
   - My computer gave me a feeling of achievement and possibility. Hope sold it.
   - My wedding rings affirmed my love for my wife. Love sold them.
4. How do the references to emotion relate to the simplicity/complexity relationship discussed in Law 5 - Differences?
   - Emotion increases complexity while tempering the perceived coldness of simplicity.

 

Research

Video

I will be using this research space to give you bits of the interview I recently had with Nick Bland, local Author Illustrator. Beginning with a brief career biography. Nick has 14 books published through Scholastic Australia. He has had four of his titles interpreted as interactive ebooks for mobile platforms via Wheelbarrow, of which he is a co-founder. He has won several awards, the most notable and recent being the Children's Book Council of Australia - Early Childhood Book of the Year 2012 (link). He is also just a good bloke.

This is a very brief excerpt from our conversation. I recorded almost 40 minutes of audio and I have used about 39 seconds here. The program used here is iPhoto, a program that I begrudgingly find myself returning to occasionally. Loading a theme and photos, editing them and exporting it all in twenty minutes is just too tempting. The audio was treated separately with rudimentary trimming in Quicktime player.
Also on the technical side uploading to blogger directly always results in a tiny chunk of video, as it seems to automatically down sample it and it looks rubbish. To get it to play here at the correct size, the simplest solution I found was to upload the video to Youtube and insert the iframe for that in the code here. There may be a solution in the blogger dashboard well buried.

 

Images

To the right is a detail of one of the images from the video (click to enlarge). It is a preliminary sketch of a character for the book he is currently working. From here separate sketches move into photoshop where correct scale is determined and colours are initially mapped. I could really identify with Nick's creative process, especially the outdoor office. Which is where he was working when I dropped in...

Yet another appearance of the insidious Myatt Media logo, it is still in its under coat stage here.
Finally to the left an image of Nick found here. Overall Nick and I had had a great chat, probably made easier because we are both Wagait Beach locals. A quick final note about the video above in that it will remain here for about the next six weeks. After showing it to an interested party it was decided ...

 

Reflection

Creating an emotional response in the viewer is an important consideration for a designer. I would say that it is unavoidable and that the conscious consideration of emotion is simply intelligent design (that was an unfortunate turn of phrase, although perhaps designers do have god like qualities at times!). 

Week 07 - Collaboration

Class Format

Todays class was essentially a large discussion. In particular about how we link our own sense of worth with that of our ideas.

 

Group Exercise

Vanity & Ego

Discuss these questions in relation to a group creating a design in collaboration

1. Are you capable of being vain about your art & design?
   - Yes
2. Do you have a healthy ego?
   - Yes
3. What defines an unhealthy ego?
   - An ego where pride has given way to vanity.
4. When others want to change your ideas, do you get offended?
   - No, within reason.
5. When you are asked for opinions on other’s work, do you compare it to your own?
   - Yes
6. When you are asked for opinions on your work, do you compare it to others?
   - Yes
7. If somebody plagiarised your work, would you be proud?
   - Yes, kind of.
8. What is the difference between pride in your work, and vanity about your work?
   - Pride can be encouraging, while vanity is self inflating ("or being a tosser" - Mark).
9. Do you expect others to listen when you speak?
   - Sometimes. I'm pleasantly surprised when it happens.
10. When somebody else speaks are you thinking about what you are going to say next?
    - No, I'm listening
11. Do you form opinions about others quickly?
    - I am reserved with my judgement.
12. What percentage of your judgements about others talents are right?
    - 55%

 

Idea Evolution

In regard to creative collaboration:

Discuss these questions - write a paragraph on each and use examples.

1. Do you have a strong belief in your personal ideas?
   - When I am passionate about what I doing. I have an analytical approach to my ideas so when I am conceiving them I have confidence that I can back them up with data.
2. How do you evaluate your personal ideas over a period of time?
   - Considering the sum of the whole and analysing whether it is a fair representation of myself. Do all of these ideas together convey a sense of my identity. I consider this as a kind of creative truth.
3. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of your ideas?
   - If a particular thread of thought is not performing as I wish, I usually already have a back up in mind. An idea is not a solid tangible thing and it should be treated as such - it is a changeable evolving notion.
4. How flexible are you in changing your mind about the value of others’ ideas?
   - Again, I am not precious about ideas. Especially the ideas of others. I also believe that being overly precious with your ideas can stagnating effect.
5. Does hanging on to your old ideas block new ones?
   - No, my short attention span wouldn't allow it.
6. Are you slow or fast in moving on when an idea has burnt out?
   - I would say that I am fairly fast, but I do tend to push an idea to the very end before I give up on it. I have been witness to others who will not give up on a dead idea and it is disconcerting.

 

Research

Video

Eckhart at first made me laugh, then got a bit dull, then got me interested again until he began amusing himself and started a bit of creepy intellectual giggling. It totally creeps me out that intellectual giggling.

 

Images

This is more or less on topic, it is an iPhone application which can put a dollar value on your design ideas. It has been specifically built by and for designers from a variety of disciplines. The developers splash screen is here and the app. is available form the iTunes store for FREE here (where I took a screen shot for the image above). While this screenshot shows the hourly rate in USD, the application is not restricted to the American continent. During setup the questions it asks about your location, education, experience and expenses are thorough and comprehensive. You can also specify the details of a particular job and it will calculate a price based current market value in combination with your profile information. It is also cloud based and as such your information and project history is available across multiple platforms. I can see this type of application as being especially useful for new designers

 

Reflection

For the most part I would say that I rely on an instinctive reaction to the development of ideas, whether they be my own or those of others. There is always this innate sense that this is working or that it is not. I do, however as I have stated, have a predominately analytical approach to the creative process. This may seem conflicting, but I feel it is the interplay between these states which moves my creative process forward and sure - they do argue often. Sometimes the numbers add up but it just does not 'feel' right. At others the numbers seem broken while the idea feels solid.
I am certain that all creatives consider the underlying structure of their process in a unique way, if in fact they even attempt to define it. I actually find it quite fascinating and a dynamic, evolving source of enquiry.

Week 07 - Origination

Class Format

The class today was concerned with chapter 6 'Context' of 'The laws of simplicity'. We also talked about Edward de Bono's 'Six Thinking Hats'.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

1. What does the word ENTROPY mean and why is this relevant?
   - deterioration, degeneration, crumbling, decline, degradation, decomposition, breaking down, collapse; disorder, chaos. For Maeda entropy represents the spaces between something. Nothing is the counter balance of something and humans have an innate urge to make something out of nothing.
2. If you are attuned to everything around you, does it help you deal with what is in front of you and why or why not ?
   - This depends on the ambience of the given everything. A space be conducive or not to forming focus. Following Maeda's logic an open simple space invites the urge to fill it and importantly he also says "Being attuned to what surrounds us in the ambient environment can sometimes help us manage what’s immediately in front of us" (from The Laws of Simplicity).
3. How is this different from FOCUS ?
   - Focus tunes out the surrounding environment.
4. Being “comfortably lost” is a balance between what 2 feelings?
   - For Maeda lost equals complexity (bad) and found equals simplicity (good).
5. Describe a recent scenario when you found yourself to be “comfortably lost”. Did you enjoy the sensation?
   - Recently playing with Blender I found myself comfortably lost in tutorials. A knew what I wanted to achieve and that it was possible. While at the same time as feeling daunted by the complexity of the program in front of me, I felt reassured by a clear path to my goal.
6. If you couldn’t hold back the urge to write on the “don’t write on this page” page – what would you write?
   - I would white out the sentence "don't write on this page".

 

Thinking Game – Lateral Thinking

Edward de Bono’s “6 Thinking Hats”. In your blog write 6 labelled paragraphs on your group’s progress to date, using each of the 6 hats as a perspective.
"The White Hat calls for information known or needed. The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. The Black Hat is judgment -- the devil's advocate or why something may not work. The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism. The Green Hat focuses on creativity: the possibilities, alternatives and new ideas. The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process." (paraphrased from this site).

• Which HAT best represents your group?
  - I would say that we all use a variety of hats.
• Why?
  - Because we are intelligently engaged with the project.
• Describe an Exhibition Group meeting where you may adopt the BLACK hat.
  - A recent sms interaction with my colleagues saw me adopt a black hat where I felt that a particular idea proposed did not sufficiently fulfil its requirements.

 

Research

Video

I was surprised when I saw what Edward looked like, I honestly thought he was a completely different guy. I had him confused with Alain de Bottom, must be the French 'de' prefix.

 

Images

Found this image here.

 

Reflection

The ability to approach a problem from multiple directions is an essential characteristic for a designer. This week again demonstrated ways in which to consciously force this process to occur. A bit of thinking game trickery can shift the context entirely.

Week 06 - Collaboration

Class Format

Todays class covered our legal and ethical obligations in relation to a career in design. The rules are fairly simple; copy what you can, pay for what you can't.

 

Group Exercise

DISCUSSION - Relinquishing Ownership

1. Do you usually think your ideas are the best?
   - A little humility goes a long way, a definite no.
2. Are you shy in presenting ideas?
   - No, ideas are transformative notions. Exchanging them will evolve them. Not being fearful of this process liberates the mind from unrealistic presumptions of ownership.
3. Do you hold back your best ideas?
   - Why would I do that? Holding back prevents communication.
4. Are you happy when others want to change your ideas?
   - Ideas are by nature are transformative. I generally invite other perspectives.
5. Are you totally truthful when you are asked for opinions on other’s work?
   - Context ?
   - Short answer, no.
6. Would you ever present somebody else’s idea as your own?
   - No.
7. Would you borrow just a little bit?
   - Yes / Contact / Enquire / Link & Credit.
8. How would you feel if somebody borrowed just a little bit of your idea?
   - That's cool man, could you 'Contact / Enquire / Link & Credit'?
9. Do you think you have any ideas that are totally original?
   - No, it requires genius or an idiot to have that feeling.
10. Would you feel the same way about that original idea in 30 years?
    - Yes & No. I need to be 30 years in the future to properly answer this question.
11. Does a knowledge of design history help or hinder your idea originality?
    It most certainly helps. 'You Are What You Eat', is a popular idiom which I think of in psychological terms as, 'You Are What You Think'. Anything which enters your mind becomes a part of your mind, this is in fact the process which creates 'memory' (although we still do not know scientifically how exactly this process works).
12. Would you be prepared to sell an idea?
    - How many do you want to buy?

 

Blog Exercise – The Legal Framework / Creative Content

PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE LAW

Research and blog on the following:

1. The Berne Convention
2. IP (Intellectual Property) legislation in Australia 
3. Australian Copyright Law
4. Creative Commons
5. P2P networks and software licences

The work of designers is protected in Australia by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). It is also protected internationally by various agreements between individual countries, such as the 'Berne Convention
 for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works'. Created in 1886, the Berne Convention is administered by what in 1970 became known as WIPO “The World Intellectual Property Organisation is the United Nations agency dedicated to the use of (patents, copyright, trademarks, designs, etc.) as a means of stimulating innovation and creativity.” (reference http://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/). Today WIPO has 185 member states and manages 24 treaties. Australia has signed 16 of these treaties with the most notable of which being the Berne Convention in 1928, the WIPO Convention in 1972 and the WIPO Copyright Treaty in 2007 (interestingly, when we signed has little to do with when the treaties were created and in some instances decades elapsed between the two events). Domestically Australia inherited the bulk of its copyright law from Britain and our courts relied on the British Act of 1911 until our own was enacted in 1968. Generally copyright law in Australia has had a varied and complex history.

Essentially copyright protection today under Australian law is free, automatic and leaves the burden of proof of ownership with the artist. Should the ownership of copyright fall into dispute it becomes the responsibility of the civil court to discern property right.

Ethically designers are first obliged to follow a code of conduct dictated by the law of the land in which they live. In Australia this obligation is first directed by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). While fairly comprehensive, there are ambiguous areas which require a tighter form of personal moral conduct. The specifics of these areas are multiple and varied in form making them impractical to detail in this text. My personal general stance is to strictly avoid using anything in my design work which is not exclusively mine and if I do to ask for permission first or at least reference the original author. For me this is common sense and courtesy.

"Creative Commons is an international nonprofit that offers free flexible copyright management tools for creative work." (Reference http://creativecommons.org.au/about/cc). It is a more flexible approach to copyright management than traditional copyright law. It is also an international movement.

Peer to peer networks share data between like minded individuals. In relation to software licences it is usually considered an infringement of that licence to share your software over such a network. Both the act of sharing and obtaining software via these networks deprives the software developer of profit.

 

PART 2: DEFINING YOUR OWN ETHICAL APPROACH

Answer these questions:

1. Is it illegal to copy a design?
   - Picasso, 'Good artists copy, great artists steal'. To copy a design in general is not illegal although there ethical implications. To exactly copy especially specific elements could most certainly result in a copyright infringement case.
2. Is it ethical to sell a non-original design as your own?
   - No.
3. What is the difference between ethics and law?
   - Ethics are your personal moral code. The law is a code of conduct dictated by the state.
4. Do you value others intellectual property the same as your own?
   - Yes.

 

PART 3: APPLYING YOUR CODE

Make a list of 5 behaviour principles you consider essential for each of these:

1. At CDU in the MacLabs.
   - Courtesy, respect, punctuality, politeness and good personal hygiene.
2. Outside class in a social setting.
   - Courtesy, respect, punctuality, politeness and good personal hygiene.
3. In a professional workplace in which you may be employed after studies.
   - Courtesy, respect, punctuality, politeness and good personal hygiene.

 

Research

Video

Here is a video about personal hygiene in the office (source). I found this amusing, I hope you do too and it is also relating to all of the environments mentioned in part 3 above.

 

Images

A pretty picture of the WIPO building found here.

 

Reflection

This class was a fairly dry affair, although essential to have an understanding of. This was also some common ground for me as the topics covered were a repetition of those covered in Semester 1 through the unit 'Industry Knowledge'. For the reason for this I will quote a recent email I received from Mark Hilton, "As assessors we are required to observe you doing Assessment Tasks or gather evidence that you have done these tasks: in a variety of ways, on a number of occasions".

Week 06 - Origination

Class Format

Todays class covered chapter five, 'Differences' from Maeda's book 'The Laws of Simplicity'. The general topic for this week was concerned with balance, a notion/ideal/sense that I have always had an affinity with (for the astrologists reading this, I was born on the 23rd of October). I will speak more about this in Reflection.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

1. Describe the relationship between complexity and simplicity.
   - They need each other, "Without the counterpoint of complexity, we could not recognize simplicity when we see it"(from the text).
2. What analogy does Maeda use to demonstrate this relationship?
   - The rhythm of sound
3. In what context does Maeda discuss rhythm / beat in relation to the fifth law. Contextualise this relationship and discuss how this can be used in relation to the Student Exhibition - giving specific examples.
   - Siting simplicity and complexity as respectively silence and sound. The two are mutually dependant, but can at times out weigh the other. The Student Exhibition will ideally carry a balanced rhythm, in that 
4. HOMEWORK: Find visual examples - pieces of design & multimedia work that demonstrate the relationship between simplicity and complexity – post the results on your blog, with contextual analysis and reflection.

 

Research Blog Task

• Research Edward de Bono’s “6 Thinking Hats”.
• In your blog write a short description of each of the 6 hats.
• Contextualize each description to your specific exhibition group task.
• Prepare for discussion of this topic in next week’s class.

 

Research

Video

This just had to show up somewhere here. An animation of the design company logo concept I have been playing with recently. Imported into Photoshop as a series of 242 PNG files, a little editing and add the text, then 'Save For Web & Devices' as a GIF. The version here also had a background added as blogger does not seem to like transparent backgrounds as evidenced here. The final version will be transparent and the rotation will be limited to a quarter turn on a mouse over event.

 

Images

This is an image of my outside workspace where I have been sewing the bicycle helmet cover. You can also see here sections of the Myatt Media logo being constructed. I would like to mention a little more about where I live and how I work at this point. Firstly, my wife and I own a small property in Wagait Beach - just outside of Darwin. While our actual dwelling is quite small, we have a very large back deck with a four metre high ceiling. It is in this space that all of our socialising and some of our work (as you can see from this picture) occurs. Occasionally the laptop comes out here to serve as a makeshift office...

That is our dog Asahi (CLAW!) in the background staring down a kangaroo that has come into our yard to have a drink from the water bowl up the back. Whenever possible this is my preferred space to work in. During the wet the heat or sideways rain occasionally dictates that I retire indoors for air conditioning and cover.

 

Reflection

The balance of simplicity and complexity is not only an important relationship to consider as it relates to design, it is a vital consideration for life in general. I grew up in the suburbs and subsequently spent my entire early adult life in the suburbs. I could not imagine living anywhere else as it was all I knew and I was happy for the most part, but something was always 'not quite right'. In retrospect it has become obvious that suburbia is just that few degrees closer to completely unnatural to make it feel eschew or out of kilter for me. Like an itch which would require more effort to scratch than tolerate, the only environment I had known was mildly irritating me and it always had been.
When my wife and I had the chance to enter the property market it was a purchase of opportunity and convenience. Lifestyle was not a consideration when we bought the property in Wagait Beach so actually living in a semi-rural environment was an unknown factor for the both of us (perhaps more so for my wife who is an extremely social creature). Three years later and we both simply love it, we even recently had a conversation about our satisfaction with the lifestyle balance we have living here. Personally my attempt to pinpoint the balance tipping point between living in suburbia and here was simple and surprising as it was sound, when I have always considered myself more a visual person. The absence of the sounds that I had learned to ignore was made all the more apparent when we housesat for a friend who lived in our former stomping ground some time after moving out here. While this is an over simplification of my transition to our new lifestyle, it is representative. The removal of the subtle din had simplified my living environment and returned a qualitative improvement (as opposed to quantitative). Here I am relating to Meada's first and second laws of simplicity, 'Reduce' and 'Organise'. Thinking in terms of only the physical environment; aural, visual and tactile sensations were removed. These were in turn replaced with other sensations, with which it was possible to organise my environment by squinting. For example it is easier to blur birds chirping into background noise than it is the sound of traffic.
Our life here has a balance here not previously seen, although there are distractions. As an illustration, it has been called to my attention by Asahi that there was a peacock roosting in a tree in our backyard as shown by the following photograph (which in all honesty, I have been angling toward having a reason to post throughout my entry in this section)...

Week 05 - Collaboration

Class Format

This half of the class was dominated by the group exercise. In my research I have followed the branding thread.

Group Exercise

Acknowledging Differences – CROSSING THE LINE

This task was designed to develop an awareness of diversity. To demonstrate this we all lined up in front of a line. Mark then read out descriptions and when we heard something that we felt applied to us we were instructed to cross the room. The descriptions ranged from physical descriptions, religious views, cultural background, well a whole bunch of stuff really. Then Katelyn made Mark answer the questions, which was awkward in the context of the exercise. By seeing on a small scale (our class has eight people) differences between individuals within a group we were given an understanding of the differences which exist between people in the wider community. This lead into the following exercise which deals with the differences and similarities between discretion and Judgement.

Professional Discretion & Judgement

Professional discretion and judgement may relate to:

• Assessing when to keep quiet.
  - Being quiet when someone is addressing the group (any class in this course).
• Being aware of and responding to different personality types.
  - This has primarily affected the way in which I communicate with people. Working in sales I met a bunch of different personality types and was required to judge this quite quickly.
• Knowing when it is appropriate or inappropriate to share information.
  - Don't talk about what an awesome weekend you had on Tuesday after not showing up on Monday.
• Knowing with whom information should be shared.
  - Understand the hierarchy of the organisation you are a part of.
• Knowing when to leave the room.
  - A private conversation (about performance management for example) which does not concern you.
• Remaining calm in the face of unreasonable anger.
  - When I worked in customer service this was particularly important. Reciprocating anger can only escalate the situation, if at least one party remains calm the possibility of this occurring is greatly diminished.

1. Add 2 items to the list above.
2. Give a REAL example from your own experience to illustrate all 6 points.
3. What is the difference between “discretion” and “judgement” in your own words?
   - A judgement for an individual is usually a decision based on personal moral values, while discretion is the same with an added layer of respect for the personal moral values of the others an individual might be in communication, proximity or duty of care. 
4. Why do you use these two things in a professional setting?(explain by using examples)
   - To avoid awkward silences or embarrassing smirks. Telling an inappropriate joke can work for both of these; an error in personal judgement could lead to the telling of such a joke and reflect poorly on your values, while told with discretion could give you that edgy, joker about the office reputation you always wanted.

 

Research

Video

Who doesn't know the brand Sesame Street? The sentiment of this song was seared into my formative childhood brain. I now have trouble playing well with others.

 

Images

More on the topic of branding, received via yet another RRS feed from Design You Trust about the designer David Bier? The link rabbit hole had a couple of dead ends and the remainder led professional profiles and the finally led me to this branding company website/blog? Which I thought was strange at first, but after some reading found some useful articles on the topic of branding (be sure to tune in next week). While being a little crass in delivery it does carry some sound advice.

 

Reflection

This unit of the course is concerned with developing a basic understanding of general social psychology. This is important for a designer for a whole a whole bunch of reasons. Broadly I would say that it is important because there is a sociopsychological consideration with anybody we may work with, for or to. That's everybody.

Week 05 - Origination

Class Format

Following the usual format todays class began with a review and quiz about the reading for this week. Chapter four from John Maeda's 'The Laws of Simplicity' actually got me a little bit excited when he mentioned the work of Mike Nourse where he used samples from GWB, which I elaborate on in my video entry below. After this the groups within the class presented their collaborative projects.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words.

1. Describe the relationship between teaching and learning according to Maeda?
   - 'The single most helpful thing for my teaching was to experience the other side of learning.' Meada considers the processes occurring between teaching and learning as organic and constantly evolving. He also positions learning occurring more effectively where the student has a passion for the subject.
2. Describe the importance of the use of metaphors in learning, why would you use 
them, how, give an example?
   - Metaphors create similarities through comparison. Alike things are simpler and easier to learn. Maeda's relates this to the visual representation of a trash can in the desktop environment. Hit the ground running. Easy as pie.
3. BRAIN - what does the acronym stand for – why is it important?
   - Basics are the beginning. Repeat yourself often. Avoid creating desperation. Inspire with examples. Never forget to repeat yourself. It is important to Meada because it represents the fundamentals of both his teaching and learning philosophy. Hearing, seeing, doing.
4. Describe a situation where you have been required to teach someone a skill.
   - Teaching drawing at the University of Tasmania during my post graduate degree.
5. How could you apply the BRAIN principle to it?
   - There was certainly a beginning with the basics, repetition and the use of examples. I can't really whether or not I avoided desperation.

Exhibition Presentation

Today Cherill, Katelyn and I presented our design concept for the bicycle helmet cover. I think it went very well as we are a little ahead of schedule. We spoke about the research we have done in relation to exploring, challenging and refining the design. This included describing the interviews we have had with specific experts in related fields such as a cyclist, seamstress, printers and fabric suppliers. We touched promotion of the product via a website which we had begun a mock up for and the shooting of a video for a viral marketing campaign. Over all our presentation was well received.

 

Research

Video

Above is a version of Ministry's 'Rio Grande Blood' which like Mike Nourse uses a lot of GWB samples. This is a fan produced video remix (as there does not seem to be an official video clip for this song) and while it may appear long in the timer, it fades to black at 4:30 until 7:10. Obviously amateur it is still quite clever and worth a watch. The sentiment of the song reflects that of Mike Nourse's video, which Meada references to illustrate his point about repetition. About the music itself, I have been listening to Ministry since the release 'Jesus Built My Hotrod', the track shown here is from their latter years where they seemed to slip into some sort of dub coma. While I appreciate you may (depending on your own audio sensibilities) find this track a little difficult to hear, I do urge you to hang in there until at least the 2 minute mark. Thank you Mr Maeda for giving me this excuse to make a tenuous link between yourself and Ministry.

 

Images

I thought my photograph from this post would make a good helmet cover. Having only the slim link of both being light paintings I was reminded of this image when I received an RSS from My Modern Met about the work of Darius Twin.

 

Reflection

The Maeda reading for this week was concerned with the concept of Learn as relates. You can probably appreciate that I fun linking his illustration of two elements from his acronym to a song by Ministry. So that I learn it here it is again, 'Basics are the beginning. Repeat yourself often. Avoid creating desperation. Inspire with examples. Never forget to repeat yourself.' (from the 'The Laws of Simplicty', chapter 4). Learn stuff and it gets simpler and easier to use.

Week 04 - Collaboration

Class Format

This element of the class began with an introduction to the unit it concerns, BSBCRT402A: Collaborate in a creative process. "This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to collaborate in a creative process." (from the unit information). It shares time with and is closely related to the Origination unit which has a foundation in developing and conducting a critical discourse (for which it is handy to collaborate with others).

 

Group Exercise

Ethical Behaviour

Ethical behaviour in collaboration may relate to:

• Acknowledging discomfort or anger.
• Being prepared to fully participate.
• Communicating in an open way.
• Honesty.
• Honouring commitments.
• Sensitivity to social, cultural, personal situations and dynamics.
• Showing respect.
• Understanding of the consequences of actions.

Add 2 items to the list above - then SORT the 10 items into 2 groups (give at least one example for each group).
To the above list I would add 'A Preparedness to Share' (both your knowledge in the development of an idea and the credit for what you create) & 'Have Humility and Good Humour' (failure to do this risks infracting upon one of the other points).

1. Essential
   - All of the items in the list fall into this category except one. An example for 'Communicating in an open way' is to remain conscious of the listening process when communicating. If you are not actively listening as you talk, you are just telling someone something.
2. Secondary
   - Honesty. For example honesty may be a secondary concern when showing respect or several others in the essential catagory.

Trust & Creative Partnerships

PART 1: Who’s Got a Dollar?

1. Would you volunteer your money - that is, take risk?
2. How did you feel?
3. Did you feel a little sheepish?
4. What about when the ante was upped to ten dollars?
5. Twenty?
6. Did you think the volunteers were foolish?

PART 2: Eye Contact
PART 3: Eye Contact with Touch
PART 4: Proximity – comfortable / closer / further

 

Research

Video

Insert video and comment

Images

Further research on the topic brands, this info-graphic came to me via Design You Trust. This breaks down the most powerful brands on the web as a colour palette. So if you want to be a big player on the inter webs you need to be using some of these colours, ok?

 

Reflection

The exercises in this unit are designed to develop an understanding of the psychology behind the collaborative process. This has begun with basic interactive exercises, which I suspect will take on a more design specific perspective as the semester progresses. This is an important aspect of the course as the act of collaboration is a vital component of the work of a designer. 

Week 04 - Origination

Class Format

Class began with a review and quiz based on Maeda's third chapter 'Time'. This was followed by group discussion and activities centred around defining notions of brand. Unfortunately I was not present for this and so will be filling out this entry with my personal exploration on the topic.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Answer the following questions as succinctly as possible in your own words

1. What is the major benefit of saving time?
   - You can do more.
2. How do designers integrate time into their products?
   - The main examples given were the were the iPod shuffle which removed the time it takes to chose and the progress bar on a computer which shows the passing of time.
3. Explain the relationship between making waiting shorter with making waiting more tolerable?
   - Both have the same effect on the person waiting, a more tolerable wait feels shorter.
4. How can you use your timeline to increase your own efficiency as a designer?
   - A timeline improves productivity.
5. Briefly outline an event or activity in which you are adept at time saving?
   - This blog is a good example (apart from this week). By copy/pasting these questions and answering them here as they come up in class I save myself time later.
6. What part of your design/multimedia process do you need to improve at, in terms of saving time?
   - Hang on, I'll come back to this question. Procrastination.

Thinking Game – Analysing Patterns / Branding

Developing creative thinking techniques.

How many of these brands can you name? - I got seventeen.

 

Research

Video

The Invisible Bicycle Helmet | Fredrik Gertten from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo. I think the the designers here had a similar motivation to our own in that bicycle are for the most part ugly. Their solution for wearing an equally ugly collar is of course not the direction we went, we just decided to put a cover on it. I must say that their research was excellent. Having 10 million dollars to implement their design must have been handy.

Images

This came to me via an RSS feed from 9to5mac. An interesting article, at least what there was of it. This was essentially an excerpt from the original Wall Street Journal article where the link rabbit hole leading to the original was a little too treacherous even me, may have something to do with not being a subscriber. The most telling quote from the article for me was “The value of brand is both art and science.” I always get dubious when an accountant says that something they do is both an art and a science, just makes me think whatever number they are talking about was made up. I did dig a little in search of an ulterior motive, but apart from Interbrand being owned by Omnicom who also owns a bunch of big ass advertising agencies in the U.S... I have to stop myself here, before I follow a very dull train of thought. It was uncanny timing that this article come out of the feeds this week.
Edit : Found the original Wall Street Journal article. While not much longer than the excerpt which came to me it did emphasise the the fact that it is not what a brand is worth, more who you ask what it is worth.

 

Reflection

Brand identity is not a simple thing. It covers all aspects of how a brand appears to the public, both the positive and the negative. In the long term the owners of a brand use various people to manage the image of their brand and designers are just one of those people. Designers are however very important when establishing or forming a brand identity. It is standard marketing practice to spend some time and money on how a product will look before it is put to market.
Time I think was an important topic for Maeda to cover. It is a complicated at best topic for those working in a creative field. It was really tempting to slip in a cliché here, but instead here is a list of pretty much all of them. In this chapter I particularly appreciated Maeda's description of quantitative verses qualitative time. Waiting a short time for example can feel the same as a more enjoyable wait for a longer period.

Week 03 - Origination

Class Format

Beginning again with a review of last week and a reading quiz based on chapter 2 of 'The Laws of Simplicity'. We then moved through a thinking game and further collaborative work on last weeks group exercise of idea generation for the exhibition at the end of the year.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

• What does the acronym SLIP mean according to Maeda?
  - It is an organisational process.
• Define each character of the acronym, S L I P in one sentence
  - Sort individual elements into groups, Label these groups, Integrate the relative characteristics of the groups and Prioritise the importance of each group.
• What does Maeda say is only a pinkie away?
  - The tab key.
• Why is this important to us as designers?
  - To create tabular data sets which make them easier to quickly comprehend.
• What are the principles of gestalt psychological theory?
  - To make identifications based on similarities or groupings.
• Where might one find the aesthetics of blur?
  - 'The aesthetics of blur are common in the history of art...' Maeda uses a broad brush here although he does also give an industrial design example with the controls evolution of the iPod.
• Why is blur important in interactive design?
  - By blurring the distinction between similar sets of information understanding is aided by simplification through collation.
• Why do good designers squint when they look at something?
  - To gain an overall perspective.

 

Thinking Game – Perspectives

In the below exercise adopt 4 different perspectives and describe 4 different interpretations of each of the following non-verbal communications. Write the results directly into your blog.

1. A person nods his/her head up and down
   - An affirmation, an admission, a concession and an agreement.
2. A person’s lower lip trembles slightly
   - Disappointment, shock, sarcasm and remorse.
3. A person smiles slightly
   - Agreement, amusement, sarcasm, time to get sexy.
4. A person yawns
   - Boredom, fatigue, reciprocal and sarcasm.
5. A person shrugs his/her shoulders
   - Confusion, misapprehension, defensiveness and disinterest.
6. A person inhales quickly
   - Anger, disbelief, shock and panic.

The purpose of this exercise was to gain an understanding of how differing perspectives can affect our design choices. Differing economic, cultural, social, political, etcetera circumstances render possible perspectives infinite. The designer is then tasked with defining the perspective from which to create before beginning to do so. This is important as it simplifies the given task by providing perspectival parameters.

 

Research

Video

John Maeda about his transition from making tofu to design on youtube. He pretty much gives a synopsis of his entire career. Inflection at the end of sentences bugs me. I am not sure where I read this, but in psychological terms it is generally considered as a sign of insincerity or insecurity. I just had another look at the video and it is not exactly that he inflects his sentences, more his general vocal pitch which bugs me. This is of course an extremely critical view, he perhaps would not bug me so much if I were in a different mood. I did like his his view on his first computing experience as it was similar to my own, although this was with a commodore 64.

 

Images

Mock up images for last weeks group exercise where we came up with fabric covers for bicycle helmets. My image sources can be found here and here. It of course turns out that this not a new idea, there are various helmet covers available primarily designed it seems to shield the weather. Our groups intention is to develop this further with unique designs like the brain and circuitry to the top and left.

Reflection

The class today demonstrated how how perspectival differences can effect design choices. This is an an important consideration for two reasons. The first being to consider from where we are designing and the second being to consider to whom we are designing. Basically, think about what you are creating in terms of its origin and its destination.
The Meada reading was concerned with with the principle of time as it relates to achieving simplicity. To illustrate his points he returned to the acronym he coined in the first law of reduce. Shrink, hide or embody time. As always it was a comfortable read with easily digestible opinions.

Week 02 - Origination

Class Format

The class this week began with a review of week one. The emphasise being to ensure homework (this blog) is getting done and that the required reading had been purchased. This consisted of an open discussion and a brief quiz on the introduction and first chapter of 'The Laws of Simplicity'. This was followed by a group exercise and a presentation about the IDEO 'Deep Dive' project.

 

Group Exercise

Reading Quiz

Question time: answer the following questions as succinctly as possible.

• What does the acronym SHE mean according to the book?
  - Shrink, Hide and Embody.
• In your words define ‘humanist technologist’
  - I believe Maeda's use of this term refers to a balance between a humanist and technologist approaches. I found a paraphrased quote which shows this. I shall follow this thread a bit further .
• How can you apply the notion of reduce to your own design process? (give a specific example)
  - Recently while contemplating the layout of my online portfolio I decided to reduce the on screen elements by making the navigation bar my header (similar to the Apple landing screen). This effectively deletes the header from the layout.
• From what you have read in Chapter 1, explain the relationship between complexity and simplicity (give 3 specific examples from the book OR your own experiences)
  - In the introduction Maeda spoke briefly about this in relation integrated circuitry, which as I mentioned in my previous post, I felt required further elucidation and am expecting later in the book. Specifically in chapter he is speaking about 
• REFLECT on, and update your answers in your blog, outside of class
  - Further to the question about 'humanist technologist' I found this article and this which may be the original source of the paraphrased quote. So it seems that Maeda is more about a 'less-tech' approach as opposed to a 'high-tech' or 'low-tech'. This is something in between which is closely related to his laws of simplicity. 'Less-tech' is however more flexible, it can mean the removal of extraneous technology to the given task, while it can also refer to technology which is not visible until required for a given task.

Thinking Game

Dividing into pairs we were tasked with communicating a simple process non-verbally. My partner was Keiran, my process was 'Go to the Toilet' and his was 'Build a House'. It was an interesting exercise.

Presentation

• What type of organisation is IDEO?
  - It is a design organisation focused on the process of ideation. It has a multi disciplinary and holistic approach which enables it to approach the design of anything from objects to systems.
• What are the different processes they employ in design research?
  - Collaboration, consultation, problem solving through spontaneous group discussion, prototyping and voting. 
• How did they define the range and scope of the problem?
  - Research of statistical data. For example; injury and theft rates.
• How could you apply their methodology to developing a concept for your exhibition piece?
  - I believe we did a bit of that today while looking for exhibition ideas. In particular, problem solving through spontaneous group discussion.
• Pick a class member from the other discipline and develop a test concept for presentation at 11:30am today.
  - With Cherill and Katelyn our presentation was primarily concerned with the idea for a cover for bicycle helmets. The cover was our solution to the problem of ugly and impersonal helmets. This cover would be made from a stretchable fabric, be removable and have appealing designs printed on them. This was primarily what we presented to class, the process by which we got to this imaginary product was a little more complicated. After initially presenting individual ideas to each other, Peter suggested that we either combine the divergent ideas or find a new problem. We opted for the later and settled on the problem above. The problem itself was found by first compiling a list of personal bug-bums. Each item on the list was then evaluated in terms of possible solutions and further the solutions were categorised in terms of viability. Research was continual throughout this process consisting solely of web searchs. Eventually the most attractive problem/solution presented itself in what for the most part seemed a fluid and speedy process. We also continued discussion and research after the class which I will detail in Reflection below.

 

Research

Video

David Kelly, a founding member of IDEO speaking at TED. Talking initially about 'Creative Confidence' and how it can be quickly eroded by by negative commentary. He then references Albert Bandura's treatment of phobias, 'Guided Mastery' and how it has an infectious positive effect upon general anxiety. This leads to the measurement of 'Self Efficacy' and how it is generally related to maintaining levels of general confidence. Concluding with a link, evidenced by his own experience in the design field, between confidence and creativity. I agree with this assertion and at ten minutes this was a well presented talk.


Something for fun - I like a bit of clever graffiti found on Enpundit.

Images

Found this on Colin Harman's website. He also had some interesting thoughts on collaboration, "All too often collaboration is limited to working together to produce something, when really it’s an opportunity create through learning from one another." (ref. Harman's website) - I thought this was a very positive way of looking at things.

 

Reflection

First up the reading for this week was the second chapter of 'The Laws of Simplicity'. Maeda positions 'Organisation' as the second law of simplicity. Essentially many anythings seem simpler when grouped. To break down the process of organisation he gave us another acronym, the 'Slip'. Sort, Label, Integrate and Prioritise. He also spoke about the importance of tables in regard to the display of data, I likened this to use of layout options in design - a well organised layout makes the information contained more comprehensible as related data is gathered together. I consider these to be contextual and visual methods of organisation. The psychological mode of organisation is then explained through the theory of 'Gestalt Psychology'. The principle of which is that the mind looks for the complete image of anything through a complex relationship between what it knows and what it sees. Maeda considers this as a blurring of difference which simplifies the complex and is a part of the human condition as it attempts to understand what it sees. "Squint to Open Your Eyes"(ref. 'The Laws of Simplicity'). It is about here where my views on simplification and by extension identification diverge as I detailed in this post. I liken the Gestalt approach to an analogous mode of identification, this is like this. What is missing for me in Maeda's position is binary perspective, this is not this. It is through a complex interaction between these two modes of thought that an identification or simplification is made by the human mind. In design terms it is equally important to create difference as it is to link the alike, especially when you are squinting.

In relation to the group exercise where we pitched our bicycle helmet cover to the class. Further research and discussion centred on possible markets, possible designs and the viability of production.