To be honest, I'm quite surprised that David Kelley haven't talked much on the importance human centred design and why the future of design will depend on us, humans. Yes, I have watched all of the videos that he has shown and I can see that some of the products shown are made to satisfy humans, but I'm just surprised that he lets the audiences to watch all the videos throughout the talk and he just introduced some of the products and their features. Is that all? Don't get me wrong, I like his way of conveying the message so maybe it's just another way to make people to understand the future of human centred design. Before watching this video, I thought he would be like Don Norman trying to explain to us from the start to finish what is design is all about, definition wise, the importance of it, how is it possible to achieve such design, what kind of future will we get, etc.
Putting that aside, the videos are definitely interesting and an eye opener to me. From the videos that he has shown to us, I do understand now why design is always about the user experience and it's vital to deliver a memorable and good learning experience to the users. The Prada store in New York is a good example. The staff device is particularly useful for both staff and customers to know more about the clothes/products offered in the store. Through the device, we would know how the clothes would appear on a person, price, history of purchases, colour and size availability, etc. Also, with this device, the communication between a staff and a customer will be much easier, effective and smooth flowing, the staff people will be much more organized, etc. The changing room, however, is a very cool design and high tech but I don't think it's necessary and might be too costly. I really like the staff device but not so much on the changing room and magic mirror.
The interactive wall in a museum in London is built to let the visitors of the museum know the feedback by the people who have been to the museum. The visitors would know what other people are thinking about or causes that people are fighting for. It must be one of the highlights of the museum.
The cubicle room is also another creative idea and it would definitely be useful for office workers to cheer them up to work more efficiently and happily. The features on the wall would add more 'life' in the room so it would be a great motivation to give that extra energy or perhaps creativity to the working adults. In particular, the living flower feature is created so that when a person leaves the room, the flower will wilt and if the person enters the room, the flower will be alive again! I think this feature would encourage the person to come back to the office room again to do more work. It's a physiological feature I would say. However, there's a high possibility that people could get too distracted by the features on the wall.
The Greenwich Watercycle pavilion is one of those ways that could help to educate people about the importance of reusing and recycling water. I like the fact that once people enter the pavilion it would turn out to be a quite environment which brings a sort of interest for the people to take some time to appreciate the research that has been done by scientist to recycle water and to admire the interior design of the pavilion as well.
I thought the Spyfish would be helpful to boost up the tourism sector and will be a very good learning experience for those people who wanted to experience life in underwater.
Lastly, what Dr. Martin Fisher has done has been magnificent because he has helped the Kenyan people to get more job opportunities by helping them to design low cost pumps to get the chance to grow crops everyday, including off seasons.
Overall, product design have the ability to satisfy humans in two different ways. Example, this person wants to have this product because he or she wants it for self satisfaction but that person wants to have that product instead because he or she needs it as a necessity. In my opinion, I would categorize the Approtec's products as a necessity whereas other products are just for self satisfaction. I think the watercycle pavilion would be 50% self satisfaction and 50% necessity for the people.
So the main question is, it is our job as industrial designers to design products that the people needs them or wants them? Is this what human centred design is all about to create products to please them, satisfy their needs, make them happy, to educate them, etc.? I think it depends on what kind of sector we're working on and what type of industrial designer we want to become.
Thursday 28 July 2011
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Don Norman: Emotional Design
13 minutes has just gone so quickly and I wished I could listen to him more about his views on design. I find him very engaging and it's such a pleasure to listen to his talk. His video is about what beauty of a particular design is all about and how it is connected to everyone's emotions.
Logically, a product with a beautiful appearance would definitely attract people to admire it's beauty. But what makes the product beautiful which will make us happy? It is because of it's interesting shape, vibrant colours, nice and smooth texture, clean surface and etc? All those features that are mentioned above have one thing in common, that is visceral. We can determine the product's physical characteristics very easily just by observing it for a few seconds. But if it is not by quick observation, maybe we should stare at the product and analyze it carefully. Is the product beautiful because it has affected our own emotions and personality?
Here comes the other two emotions, which are behaviour and reflective. Other than the functionality of a product, some people might buy this particular product because of it's playfulness and it suits their personality. Some people might buy that particular product because it reminded them of something important which would give them a lasting memory that they would love to cherish. Some people would buy this product instead because it is eco-friendly because they want to have a sustainable environment and keep it clean and green.
Therefore, there are a lot of reasons why products are made for a reason and why a certain group of people would like the product. A product that is made beautifully with good design and function has a reason to be beautiful and makes someone satisfied but that product is not everyone's cup of tea. Yes, that product is pretty to look at and functional for some people but it is also useless for other group of people. Is it because the product is not the type they are looking for, didn't really understand the reason of existence of the product, will they use the product again and etc? These are some of the thoughts that I've gone through after watching the video. The more I think about it, the more I understand how product design can actually make people happy or frown.
For example, the ping pong table with the fish and ripple features are creative and some people might like it because it is fun and enjoyable to play. However, some people might not like it because the images of the ripple and fish could be a distraction or annoying and it is not a type of a ping pong table that professional ping pong players would want to use to train their skills. On the other hand, I find that the knife which was made in Japan is very interesting. It has the beauty. It's sharp, the design is good and functional. It's a complete package. I think this a sort of an item that everyone would love to use for cooking.
From the video, Don Norman has reminded me that if we are happy, have a calm and carefree mind with a bit of stress or anxiety which is important to give you the excitement to have that extra focus, motivation and energy to do something, everything will go smoothly. There is one time my mom and a master sifu from a Chinese temple (where I would visit every Chinese New Year) told me that whatever job or work that we have received, it is important to accept it happily and do things in moderation. So by having a 'balanced' way of thinking to handle things is important because if we are too relaxed and happy, things might not go well and we will never get it done correctly. But if we are too anxious, too scared to fail and too worried, then this not a positive mindset that we should set for ourselves before working on something. So, well said by Don Norman.
Also, I find that the idea of the teapot is very clever and the designer of the teapot is very thoughtful. I like the fact that if the teapot stands upright, it means that the pot needs to be refilled and when the tea is ready to consume, the teapot is tilted so that the teabag will not be completely submerged in the water. It's a smart way to show the teapot's emotions and how it behaves. It's a very good product. I think this teapot has the power to make people to react in three different emotions in a good way, viscerally, behaviourally and reflectively. The teapot looks simple and nice, functional and if I own this teapot, I will definitely use it again. I could instantly feel my love or attachment towards this teapot, even though I do not own this teapot. I feel very impressed, satisfied and happy. i would love to use it again because it feels comfortable and I feel I am in full control to use this product effectively without any stress and trouble. Is this what we call good design?
Logically, a product with a beautiful appearance would definitely attract people to admire it's beauty. But what makes the product beautiful which will make us happy? It is because of it's interesting shape, vibrant colours, nice and smooth texture, clean surface and etc? All those features that are mentioned above have one thing in common, that is visceral. We can determine the product's physical characteristics very easily just by observing it for a few seconds. But if it is not by quick observation, maybe we should stare at the product and analyze it carefully. Is the product beautiful because it has affected our own emotions and personality?
Here comes the other two emotions, which are behaviour and reflective. Other than the functionality of a product, some people might buy this particular product because of it's playfulness and it suits their personality. Some people might buy that particular product because it reminded them of something important which would give them a lasting memory that they would love to cherish. Some people would buy this product instead because it is eco-friendly because they want to have a sustainable environment and keep it clean and green.
Therefore, there are a lot of reasons why products are made for a reason and why a certain group of people would like the product. A product that is made beautifully with good design and function has a reason to be beautiful and makes someone satisfied but that product is not everyone's cup of tea. Yes, that product is pretty to look at and functional for some people but it is also useless for other group of people. Is it because the product is not the type they are looking for, didn't really understand the reason of existence of the product, will they use the product again and etc? These are some of the thoughts that I've gone through after watching the video. The more I think about it, the more I understand how product design can actually make people happy or frown.
For example, the ping pong table with the fish and ripple features are creative and some people might like it because it is fun and enjoyable to play. However, some people might not like it because the images of the ripple and fish could be a distraction or annoying and it is not a type of a ping pong table that professional ping pong players would want to use to train their skills. On the other hand, I find that the knife which was made in Japan is very interesting. It has the beauty. It's sharp, the design is good and functional. It's a complete package. I think this a sort of an item that everyone would love to use for cooking.
From the video, Don Norman has reminded me that if we are happy, have a calm and carefree mind with a bit of stress or anxiety which is important to give you the excitement to have that extra focus, motivation and energy to do something, everything will go smoothly. There is one time my mom and a master sifu from a Chinese temple (where I would visit every Chinese New Year) told me that whatever job or work that we have received, it is important to accept it happily and do things in moderation. So by having a 'balanced' way of thinking to handle things is important because if we are too relaxed and happy, things might not go well and we will never get it done correctly. But if we are too anxious, too scared to fail and too worried, then this not a positive mindset that we should set for ourselves before working on something. So, well said by Don Norman.
Also, I find that the idea of the teapot is very clever and the designer of the teapot is very thoughtful. I like the fact that if the teapot stands upright, it means that the pot needs to be refilled and when the tea is ready to consume, the teapot is tilted so that the teabag will not be completely submerged in the water. It's a smart way to show the teapot's emotions and how it behaves. It's a very good product. I think this teapot has the power to make people to react in three different emotions in a good way, viscerally, behaviourally and reflectively. The teapot looks simple and nice, functional and if I own this teapot, I will definitely use it again. I could instantly feel my love or attachment towards this teapot, even though I do not own this teapot. I feel very impressed, satisfied and happy. i would love to use it again because it feels comfortable and I feel I am in full control to use this product effectively without any stress and trouble. Is this what we call good design?
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