campus derive: ub secrets

If you’re reading this (which is unlikely since I’m pretty sure almost no one does!) please go take a look at our derive project, UB Secrets!

utopian product design proposal

Utopian Product Design

1. merge leisure and labor
2. provide nutrition
3. provide safety/risk prevention
4. offer streaming information

Description: The ComPanIon is a cooking device that brings a playful element to the often tedious task of cooking dinner. The nonstick surface of the ComPanIon is specially coated with a carcinogen-free temperature sensitive coating which shifts colors to show where the hottest parts of the pan are. In addition, the ComPanIon comes in several variations – each pan has a different pattern etched into this coating to create a “game board” surface, encouraging you to move your food around the pan while you cook so that it is thoroughly heated. While cooking, the ComPanIon plays music to help you know how much time has passed and ensure that your food does not burn. The ComPanIon also includes a USB interface to sync with your PC and upload additional music content. (Cable not included; additional fee for music downloads.)

1. Innovation: The ComPanIon is unlike other products available because it provides an interactive element which helps inexperienced cooks properly cook food, and more experienced cooks an entertaining cooking experience. It is necessary because sometimes it’s difficult to judge if the pan you’re cooking in is at the correct temperature, or if you’ve cooked food long enough, meat especially, which can be hazardous. It helps fulfill the work task of cooking a meal while providing a more “fun” experience of watching color-changing patterns and moving food around to change the pattern while you cook.

2. Usability: The ComPanIon works essentially like a normal pan – it’s made of metal, you put it on a burner, put food in it, and follow your recipe. The method changes slightly in that the cooking surface changes color, which helps draw attention to the cooking process. There is also a USB interface built into the handle, which allows the user to put music files into the pan to help them time their cooking. There is a small speaker embedded in the handle, as well a battery compartment/power control unit which allows the user to enable the music feature. The color-changing element does not require battery power.

3. Audience: The ComPanIon is designed for people of age to be cooking with a hot pan or surface, who may or may not have an understanding of the cooking process, working in a home kitchen. Ideally, designed for both genders, people of most any occupation, education, or geographic region, as all people have a need to cook meals. Minimal education is required for the cooking component, but some computer knowledge is necessary for the music component. Little previous knowledge is required prior to use since part of the product’s purpose is to teach about cooking.

4. Distribution: The ComPanIon will be sold in home stores (Linens & Things, similar) and cooking specialty stores.

reading response 5

1. Choose a new technology supplanting an old one within the category of devices/appliances. First, define each of the terms below. Next, use the new technology you selected to provide an example for your definition. Please don’t use examples from the reading!

For my example, I am using flash media replacing other removable media such as CD-R.

3 types of Conceptual Models-
The three types of conceptual models are:
1. Design Model- This is the conceptualization the designer has in mind.
The intent of the flash drive is to store data in a portable, easy to use form.
2. User’s Model- What the user develops to explain the operation of the system.
The user uses the flash drive as a portable device for storing and moving data in an easy     way.
Ideally, the Design Model and the User’s Model are equivalent to one another.
3. System Image- The complete “package” of the product. All related perspectives and     imagery. This must be consistent with the Design Model and User’s Model.
A flash drive is a small device easy carried and used for the purpose of storing data.. It is     multiplatform and universal. It is easy to understand.

Affordances- The perceived and actual properties of an object. They determine what an object can be used for. A flash drive obviously has a plug end that goes in a USB port. There are no other apparent uses for the device.

Constraints- Limits that are in place to enforce a specific type of use for an object. They also help to make the use of an object apparent by drawing a line for what it obviously can and cannot do. The USB plug end of the device can only be properly inserted one way into the USB port. There aren’t any other ways to plug it in, and no other obvious constraints in place.

Mappings- The relationship between controls, their movements, and the resulting action in the world. Controls should be natural to use and provide immediate feedback. The user should be able to intuitively understand the function of the control as well as its outcome. When you pull the cap off a flash drive, the plug end is exposed. As there aren’t any other aspects to the device besides the case (usually plain, solidly colored, sometimes with an LED indicator to show when it is in use) one can assume that it must be plugged in to be used. The device is easily plugged into the port and removed.

Feedback- Information returned to the user which lets them know the results of a particular action. Flash drive models with LEDS can indicate to the user that the device is plugged in, powered, and/or in use. Other models give less feedback. The device appearing in the list of available disks on the computer is another form of feedback showing that it has been properly plugged in.

Standardizing- Creating a universal truth that is consistent among all similarly functioning products. All flash drives are primarily the same and work in the same way. Although there are variations in size, style, etc., they all serve essentially the same purpose and work in the same way. They are all relatively the same in appearance and have the same obvious affordances.

2. Why would a designer intentionally design something poorly?

A designer could intentionally design something poorly to prove a point about design or the use of the product they are designing. I believe “poor design” is relative to the end user, so while something might seem terrible to one person it might be fine for another, an example being operating systems. Command-line operating systems are typically considered difficult to impossible to use for most average computer users, but more technically advanced users do not have problems with the lack of graphics in the interface, so the design is not necessarily poor or intentionally poorly designed, it is a matter of end user preference.

3. Describe a paradox of technology

A paradox of technology is the shift from a complex product to a simple product back to a complex product with the addition of new technology. An example of this could be the television. Initially, televisions were more complex in the way they functioned. Because they required tubes to operate, they sometimes needed adjustment or repair that couldn’t always be done by the user at home. Later on, televisions became simpler with a change in technology. They had fewer controls and were fairly intuitive right out of the box. Now, we are experiencing a shift in complexity once again with plasma and LCD TV sets, which function in essentially the same way (for the user) but seem to cause a lot of confusion to many people interested in purchasing them because they do not understand how the new features work or what the purpose of these features is.

second life + paralysis

I found this article about researchers using Second Life in combination with equipment that lets paralyzed people control a character and move around in the SL world.  (click for article)

It’s an interesting application of the platform, I’d be interested to see where they go with this.

Reading Response 4

1. Who are the Situationists?
The Situationists were a group of people interested in the politics of the situation. They created different situations and experiences which were meant to comment on society.

2. What does Debord mean when he says “One measures the distances that actually separate two regions of a city, distances that may have little relation with the physical distance between them.”
Debord is referring to the massive variety of people, things, ideas, or places that may exist in a city. The “regions” he speaks of can represent equally as many things: groups of people, differing ideologies, ethnic backgrounds, religious associations, or other divisions that exist in society. The life of a company CEO is vastly different from that of the homeless guy that lives in the alley next to his company’s building. Their proximity might be close, but their existences are very different. The beliefs of people of two different political parties are just as different. People exist in many different ways, although the space of the city brings them physically close to one another. Therefore, the “distances” he describes in his statement are not of physical space, but rather of variation in ideas.

3. What is the underlying purpose of the American settlement and playground movement?
The underlying purpose of the American settlement and playground movement is to create an environment which promotes the mental, social, and physical health of a child. It is meant to equalize people of different classes and backgrounds through play and physical recreation.

4. What is their argument towards the need for play?
Their argument towards the need for play is that play creates better character. Having structured play creates citizens that are responsible, loyal, good leaders, and better parents. They felt that play improved society overall by improving the children who would someday inherit it.

5. What is the difference between “play spirit” and “low” forms of recreation?
“Play spirit” is play which leads to spontanaeity, joy, and exuberance. It is the intrinsic, positive essence of play. “Low” forms of recreation are commercialized, with “movie theaters and dance halls” used as examples. The difference between them is the level of interaction involved and the way in which a positive, pleasant internal feeling is produced. Recreational activities like movies are a sort of “one-way” experience; you are given an experience and told how to feel about it. While it might be pleasurable, the pleasure is built into the experience and designed for a specific purpose. Other forms of recreation, like playing games, are more interactive and more representative of the “play spirit” because positive feelings are achieved through personal accomplishment.

6. How has the social function of playgrounds changed today?
The social function of playgrounds has changed in that playgrounds are becoming something different. There are differing opinions about what a playground should be, and the safety of the equipment on it, which some say leads to less imaginative play. A movement to change playgrounds into “playscapes” which are less structured, is currently becoming more popular. As a result, children are encouraged to make their own games and forms of play rather than being told how to play. Parents and other individuals are invited into the space, where previously they were placed on the sidelines. The environment is changing, which is changing the way the space is used and who is using it.

7. Suggest an idea for a UB campus derive that would interrupt or intervene in the daily routine of campus life.
I almost think we should take our derive somewhere outside of North Campus. Maybe we should all jump on a bus to South and do something there. It seems like the point of a derive is to experience something out of the ordinary, and we are all probably very familiar with North, moreso than South. Or maybe to Ellicott, I don’t really know.

second life widgets

Here are a couple of useful Dashboard Widgets if you’re a Mac User: 

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/games/secondlifestatus.html 

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/games/secondlifemapwidget.html