Super Top Secret Ecological Design

(Discussion based off of the article The Secret to Turning Consumers Green by Stephanie Simon.)

Main Point. If you want to get people to do something or change a habit, tell them what other people are doing. It's reflective design. It works. If you deny that you are influenced by people, you are lying to yourself. Okay, well, the first 2 sentences are Ms. Simon's main points... the others are my opinions.

I think I'd be more likely to "go green" if I knew that other people were doing it routinely. There's a tactful way to peer pressure. It can't just be a big sign that says "EVERYONE'S DOING IT!" Mainly because that's the classic peer pressure line, but also because it doesn't mean anything to just say it like that- you gotta make the viewer feel it!!

For mother's day my mom told us she wanted us to buy "green" cleaning products and clean the house. It's a good feeling, buying green. I felt more excited and willing to clean. Of course, the idea was my younger sister's, but my mom thought it was cool. Apparently she's easy to please! Another story is that my dad gets really excited about buying green and he went out and bought all new light bulbs for the entire house. In addition, I avoid buying clothes made from dead animals because animals are bad for the environment when mass produced for human greed.

A prominent example of products that "go green" are household items, like cleaning products, and cars. Now many stores encourage people to reuse bags. Also it's becoming more common for packaging to be changed by manufacturers in order to be more environmentally conscious. My favorite product that changed to be greener? Winterfresh gum went from foil wrappers to paper ones.

So... I think we could "spiff up" our marketing strategy... How does dolling out $2 million dollars sound?

(Discussion based on article Specialty Clothing Retailers This Fall Want To Let Shoppers Know That They, Too, Are A Brand by Jennifer Steinhauer. First of all, Jen, your title is not concise- as a matter of fact, it's long at best!)

"Today brands are built emotionally,'' Ms. Lastrina said. ''You have to get a message across and show what the brand ideology means to her life."

and 

''The campaign depicts women wearing very uncomplicated looks -- a simple red suit, a white blouse or a heavy fisherman's sweater -- while going about daily tasks such as walking the children to school, preparing dinner or getting a parking ticket."

Okay. Clothing Advertising. Brand Identity. These two concepts seem a bit complex to really discuss here where no one can hear my copious "likes" trying to defend my ideas... but as she says people respond emotionally to advertising and therefore to brands. So what you want your brand to feel like, you need to portray. 
I find it completely appealing that a clothing ad would portray a women getting a parking ticket- it's such a cute idea! Nowadays the advertising industry has to use many different strategies to capture people. SALE SALE SALE is one way, but some specialty retailers can't always follow suit and slash every price by 50-75%. What this quote shows is how the specialty retailer is trying to portray the woman who wears their clothes; Multitasker, Cares about herself without all the fuss. That's what they want the brand to signify.

A clothing company that has an iconic ads, to me, is Marc Jacobs. There's the boy dressed in dresses and celebrities or models looking totally awkward. The colors are often a bit... off... but I notice it. That's what counts right? I mean young people from around 16-35 are bombarded with ads and the like as well as "conformity." Marc Jacobs is selling clothes and an opportunity to be unique, different- stand out.

 Sure brands have made me want or not want an item. Sometimes off-brands are actually seriously problematic. Take VibramFiveFinger shoes... off brands aren't made with the same technology and purpose- they just have recreated the image. I'm a big fan of looking at high-end fashion but buying lesser (or unknown) brands for a better price. No skin off my back to not have a label on me. And some celebrities make you want or not want a product. If Keira Knightly was the model for a perfume (she is...), I'd be more willing to smell it than if, I don't know, Beyonce was the model. Then there are scandals. Like the Tiger Woods one- Do I really think Nike supports cheating? NO. They can't help it if their model turns out to be a jerk. It's all risky business! Anyway...

When you wear an outfit you want to look confident in it so that you "wear the clothes," and the clothes aren't "wearing you."I think in certain cases people define clothes... but many times what you wear "says something" about you. (Ever referred to a person as "goth?" You looked at them and their clothes and decided that they were goth. Now you have all these wonderful connotations for that person and it was all based on what s/he was wearing!!)

Suburban Cookie Developments

(Discussion based of article Cookie Cutter Housing: Wrong Mix For Subdivisions by Rick Harrison.)


The author's main points were that "cookie cutter" homes don't please customers, they need t'go, and changing the system is much easier than everyone expects. He also through in, my favorite piece, that maybe designers should think about the customer, the people who are going to be living there, while "cooking up" a plan. It's essentially a user-based design prompt. Where's the American Spirit of innovation?


I certainly find them to be lackluster. They all look the same, they are confusing, and make everything so monotonous. There are innovative and creative architects out there! But nooo, we buy cheap homes made by the same people in some factory and act all boring and lame. Cool. I just feel this way because driving through them is so... almost creepy.... And definitely confusing- "What that the house? No, wait, was that it?" NO. 


In Chelsea we have two distinct subdivisions near the downtown area. I agree that with these two the Harrison's opinion that they are lackluster and need creative improvements is so true. They are minutely different from each other! One has beige and red brick, the other has white and red brick. So. Boring. And they're not even really doing that well to boot. I remember when they built both and wondering why? No one moves here!

1995-2015

(Discussion based on article Biggest Mistake in Web Design 1995-2015 by Vincent Flanders.)

(Look at this incredibly terrible website that he "recommends" viewing! It's super horrible! The most viscerally UNAPPEALING thing EVER.)

Flanders is all about user-friendly design. He stresses the point that a website is for VIEWERS not for the person who made it. Nearly every aspect of web design that he mentioned was to aid the person going to the site. Contrast, GIF fails, font size, "Mystery Meat" style navigation, etc. I thought it was pretty humorous the way he "responded" to hypothetical website owners who are trying to think that they're website is awesome:

"Before you start saying, 'My site also has Heroin Content so I don't have to worry about the design,' let me point out a small fact. Your site doesn't have Heroin Content. Digg.com has it, YouTube borrows a lot of it, and Google is another site that has Heroin Content."

Anyway, he also goes over Norman's design elements (Vis, Beh, and Ref). Behavioral is obvious- user-friendly design. The site has to work, be navigable, and have the ability to be viewed! Viscerally, websites have to be contrasty and, preferably, in pleasing, viewable colors. This can also encompass font size, which is critical if you, I don't know, want people to see your site. And he even goes over a bit of reflective design while talking about how, at times, reflective-important websites may be able to overrule some of his points. 

I was told before reading this article that it was crappy. I disagree. I understand that the page has missing links and videos, but I don't think that is necessarily the dude's fault. There are many reasons some things may be missing- one being the fact that certain website owners may get upset by being examples of crappy design... I think that this could bring his credibility down, but what he says has obvious value no matter who is saying it. I imagine most people know that these make for poorly designed website, but until they are listed together, a person may not be as aware. Basically what I mean is that, I imagine, no one was surprised by these website flaws he pointed out.

The most important points were 1) make it make sense for the viewer, this includes purpose, navigation, and usability; and 2) make it viewable, for instance text=text, no useless GIFs, contrast, readable font shape/size/color, layout, or, again, navigation.

I pretty much agree with the man. I want the site to use contrast/color so I can see it and not strain my eyes. I don't want music or commercials or ads or animation to show up and not only annoy the crap outta me but slow the load process. Which is another thing to note, I know I don't always have high speed internet, but if a website is going to kill the bandwidth, they could at least give me the option of having an alternate site that doesn't include all their graphics and videos and whatnot. That also should be considered- the graphics and animation. I don't think people need to use the poor quality and overall lame looking graphics of the past! And animation, especially repetitive, can be distracting or plain useless. Not to mention unprofessional at best. I also strongly agree with Flanders about the navigation bar! I find it so annoying when they are weird looking and complicated and misleading. I also find a repetitive picture as a website background to be completely ugly and amateur. 

I want to note that I find the Hornet Hive, or was it the Portal, (see how confusing it is already?!) to be most confusing! It took me a lifetime to figure out anything on it. It wants to be well-organized and efficient, but it is certainly over-designed and confusing.

SciFi: Retailing of the Future!

(Discussion based off the article The Future of Retail by Nicholas Negroponte.)

The idea of the article was pretty obvious, but a direct thesis wasn't. The closest I could come up with from him was "very soon everybody will be digital." This could be expanded (therefore narrowing... it's an inversely proportional relationship, you know?) to say: "Very soon shopping will be digital."

Norman's all about user-focused design. Negroponte says "In the digital world, consumers hold almost all the power." There you go. Negroponte also notes that "consumers will inevitably provide the pressure for change." Now, if the seller/retailer wants to stay in business, he best be thinking of how to keep them customers off the interweb. In fact he figures that shopping will end up being based mostly off of the experience itself or reflective aspect associated with the store- or at least increasing its longevity through these characteristics. 

As for the author's theory on shopping... it's been over ten years and I don't know anyone who online grocery shops- yet. Yet some aspects remain true. A bookstore is a terrible place to find a book. Amazon.com is just easier and more convenient. People are rarely home to receive their packages. Many people fin that, say, clothes shopping is such a drag, they would rather just buy online. I have also noticed that many, especially car dealerships, offer the option of "shopping in your pajamas!" aka online shopping. And sometimes shops are gathering places, a place for young people to hang-out, whatever.

I don't generally like to make outward predictions, but... I would say that, yes, online shopping is likely to increase, but there are many reasons that it won't be the next big thing. I do agree with Negroponte that buying from peer-to-peer could become popular. There are many places, like craigslist, in which people sell new or used things to each other. Inexpensive. Effective. And, because of the increasing awareness of global warming and resources conservation, I think recycling and reusing products/goods will gain more momentum. I'm just waiting for the days when we are encouraged by the government to start our own home gardens!

The Streets

Downtown Kalamazoo is one of those "in-between" cities. In between being an unknown, small city and being a big, busy city. Burdick Street, apparently, gives a good look at the "heart" of the downtown area. We didn't venture too into the street, but I assume that, that was the street we walked down- don't get me wrong, a positive aspect of Kalamazoo is their detailed road/shopping signs in their "Mall District," I just get disoriented/lost easily. Anyway, we made our observations on a Friday in early afternoon; there weren't many people out and about, but some we saw. Not exactly what is desired in the "heart" of the district, but it was also cold. It was good to see that the gardener kept up the landscaping, which I should mention was very viscerally appealing. The trees were presented in a way that I think would please the city critics, Whyte and Gibbs. It was hard for me to decide what I thought was a generator... but the majority of the stores had large windows that kept a passerby looking (especially the walk-in shoe display!). In terms of safety, it seemed very safe there. When we evaluated the street and area around the Rave, it felt less safe. I imagine it was due to the lack of people/stores/trashcans/benches and the abundance of trash/bare walls. The upside to that section, and much of downtown, is the parking- there is lots of parking available. In downtown, the sidewalk are decently wide, I imagine pretty appropriate for the amount of people using it. Generally speaking, the farther from the Mall District and stores, the less safe it feels- it's safe for shoppers.

To improve the downtown I might reorganize the assortment and location of businesses. Why are all the banks in one spot? Is that really beneficial? And the Rave, I'd imagine, is a generator. Why are there no stores located by it at all? That would bring in business! People leave the theater all happy and just-watched-a-movie-y and then they stop in at a nearby store because going home seems so lame and I mean, we're already out and about...
As I mentioned earlier, I didn't do in depth  research on what stores existed, but I felt like some were missing. There didn't seem to be a variety of clothing shops and, in general, many of the shops didn't properly assert what they were selling in the first place. Plus, there wasn't much for a young person to be attracted to- I have only seen one yoga place, no "typical" clothing stores, no inexpensive stores... There are three nearby colleges and yet the Rave seemed to be the only thing likely to get used- and there's nothing nearby!
Lastly, I saw one cop car- and it was empty. I might imagine there being at least one actual cop to be seen. I also didn't see a pay-phone...Haven't seen one in a while though... Or a drinking fountain, but that's not really popular or sanitary anyway.


From the sixth chapter of William Whyte's book City:

"...but the sidewalk does work well... Cafes and delis have been putting out chairs and tables on the sidewalk..."

I know, I know, Mr. Gibbs. You hate tables and chairs and local teens and solicitors. Well... I think there is a place and time for a table and a few chairs. Think about the people who have to write something or need to set their stuff down or direct their children! I know that it was such a tough thing to do, write without something hard under it. We ended up using the cement wall for the plants as seating. I'm not suggesting that it be everywhere, but... at least by the cafes and delis... oh, wait... I didn't see any of those...

Comp/Cont

(Comparing last two posts.)

I don't think that Whyte and Gibbs are talking about the same location. Whyte clearly is focused on cities. Big cities. I felt that Gibbs was talking about small-medium cities. Cities that were once useful, but now need to add some pizazz to make them relevant. New York City doesn't really need to add pizazz to increase the amount of shoppers. Not significantly anyway. It still has abundant amounts of people. Naturally, there approaches are different. They have different agendas. Help increase patrons with organization and modernizing and then voice what works in a thriving, big city and what could have been thought of to increase function. (Gibbs and Whyte, respectively.) I believe that they are both convincing because I feel that they aren't talking about the same place. Gibbs convinces me because 1) we have the same opinion, and 2) he's thorough and explains his design suggestions well. Whyte convinces me because 1) I've never been to a big city like that so I haven't much personal knowledge to work with and 2) he gives many real-life examples of where his design suggestions actually are working out for people. They are both experienced, and reasonable, so I feel like I believe both. Based on writing style, I think due to the more down-to-earth and stream-of-conscious style that Whyte has, I would be more likely to believe his word. Gibbs could come off as a critic and a weirdo.

I'm attracted to a balanced number of people around. Not because of safety, I'm pretty indifferent about safety. I like style, as in what style a store is going for. On that note, I'm repelled by a city with a theme- especially if it's not at a site where the point is to have a theme. Greenfield Village. Good. Random town that is trying to look like the "olden days." Bad. Very bad. I like cities to be less uniform. (By the way, I love Greenfield Village.) I'm attracted to brick and stone. I'm visually attracted to dirty, rundown cities. I do not, though, want to shop there. I just want to look at it. I'm attracted to professionalism. Mom and Pop stores freak me out... they just seem so sketchy. I'm attracted to bright, yet soft lighting. Not harsh and makes me look totally yellow and gross and washed out, but also not dark and creepy. Generally, I care less about cleanliness in the street than in an actual store. It's hard to really say what is attractive and repelling when I have to try and remember what being in a city is like...

"NEW YORK CITY!"

(Post based on chapter 6 from the book City by William Whyte. Post title is a quote from Eric, the school cafeteria manager guy...)

Luckily, Mr. Whyte summed up his key points at the end: A good street has "buildings flush to the sidewalk," doors and windows on the street, second-story activity, appropriately sized sidewalk, trees, simple amenities (with multiple purposes). I also want to add to his list "flair." I mean, I believe his key points were actually one, people are "attracted" to the presence of other people out and about; two, grabbing the costumer's attention takes creativity and is not as simple as designers think; and three, when things, like trash cans, take on multiple purposes, they are more effective.

Norman and Whyte certainly agree on one thing: Reflective design is boss. It makes or breaks the whole operation. Who cares is the product sucks? You look cool. Who cares if the streets a mess? Everyone is there. They also touched on the importance of behavioral design. In fact, Whyte had a Norman-style behavioral design rant about doors! They both feel that things should be tested or have trial runs before becoming official. Where Norman and Whyte differ is visceral. I almost feel like they were on opposite sides. Then again, Norman likes to be a bit vague and open-ended in order to apply to various designs, whereas Whyte was simply referring to city streets.

I want to note that I think that this is not the same as the last article we read about "Main Street." The streets of New York are not "Main Streets." So the same criteria for the last time don't apply. My checklist for an "urban" area would be: ample space to move while still keeping pedestrians close to stores, effective window and sign usage, ordinary objects designed for multiple unrelated purposes, strategically placed seating and trees, and modern uniqueness for added intrigue.

Main Street = Blah

(Post based on What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall by Steven Lagerfeld. It can be found here.)

The criteria Gibbs uses range from bench placement to window displays to street layouts to evaluate "Main Street." He believes that there should promptly be a "generator" store; a store that generates both customers and business, i.e. a gym. Then there are "rules" as to which side of the street different store types should be located on, think leaving home stores on right and coming home from work stores on left (so pretty much you never have to turn left while driving to the respective place). In addition to store location, street layout can make a world of difference. In a mall the idea is that the customer always has his eyes on merchandise. Main Street could be designed in a way to makes a driver unable to not see a storefront. On that note, bench and tree location is another aspect of the criteria. Public seating can look "sketchy" and bring about unappealing loiterers. Dirty sidewalks are a no-no. Displaying brand names sold in the store are a yes. Another yes is using the window display appropriately. Smaller = pricey, larger display = inexpensive.

I do think that "Main Street" should move towards mall-material. Main Street is straight up lame. They think they're being all "cozy" and "historical" and "inviting." They're not. They look old, worn-out, and undoubtedly failing- a.k.a. overly expensive. I don't think that MS should nix the kitschy feel, but "small town charm" is dead. MS doesn't need to industrialize to much, but take hints from what works. I'm from a small town that tries to pull the whole "small town charm" thing. It's not fooling anyone. Generally small towns give off a sense of being poor, being dirty, and being boring. Malls? Rich, germy, and exciting.

This is me judging "Main Street": Is it clean? Does the store accurately display the products and reflective design? Can you park nearby? Is there a variety of store options? Is there a variety of food options? Where are the police? Banks? Map? 

I think it's important that things look friendly, clean, modern, and special.

Stacey Mathia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacey_mathia

Stacey Mathia (born February 11, 1973) is an American-born, aspiring politician who ran for the position of Michigan’s Governor in 2010. She was formally nominated for Governor of Michigan by the convention of the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan (USTPM). She is also associated with The Tea Party, a movement towards far right politics and coined after the taxation upset known as The Boston Tea Party in 1773 ^[1] . The Tea Party affiliate is running with USTPM nominee Chris Levels for Lieutenant.

Biography

Mathia was born in Bay City, Michigan ^[2]. She graduated from Bay City Central High School. Although she didn’t graduate from college, she taught herself, through reading, about various topics. She also learned sign language.^[3] She worked for five years as the sales manager at American, retail chain Younkers. She also worked at her local library, Fife Lake Public Library, where she was the president of library board. In addition, her other leadership experiences include being Trustee on the Village Council (Fife Lake), President of Planning Commission, and recording secretary of the Fife Lake Sewer Board. She was inspired to run for the political position after she became angered by the “arrogance of [the] elected officials.”^[4] She notes that they “have given us a state that is failing all of us.”^[5] Before her decision to run, Mathia was a stay-at-home mother. She has four children whom she has homeschooled for 13 years.^[6] She tells WOOD-TV 8 that she will support homeschooling as a means of “effective cost savings to restore the highest quality education possible.”^[7] She notes that staying home and working with her kids has taught her valuable skills like how to be a “nurse, chef, teacher, and Judge.”^[8] Likewise, she says she “knows how to run a household”^[9] and “the importance of individual responsibility, of sacrifice when necessary.”^[10] It’s these notions, she feels, the elected officials nowadays have neglected and treated as “an unintelligible foreign language.”^[11]

Campaign

Her campaign is managed by [Robert Eichmann] who helped New Jersey’s 2010 Governor Chris Christie get elected.^[12] Running as her Lieutenant is Chris Levels. He is a radio talk show host in Flint, Michigan. Before Levels was nominated and came aboard, Thomas Matos was her previous running partner. He said that he dropped out of the election due to financial difficulties. Picking up African-American Levels benefitted Mathia’s campaign by helping to disprove allegations that because her affiliate, The Tea Party, was being accused of racism^[13], she might also be racist.

Platform and Positions

Mathia plans to institute “’Law-Abiding Constitutional Government and State Sovereignty' in order to free the 'People of Michigan' from the political oppression of big government operating outside of its authority.” On her list of 58 items, numbered from one to sixty, expressing where she stands, number one on her list states that “I believe the only legitimate responsibility of government is to protect the person, property, and freedom of its citizens.”^[14] Her most important views are centered on the economic state of Michigan, education, and individual rights. In addition to these topics, Stacey Mathia has strong religious views that directly correlate with her opinions on government action and inaction.

Economics

For Mathia ridding the government of unnecessary spending and many taxes is essential. One of her first priorities would be eliminating the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) which has been seen as an impediment of small business owners’ success and economic growth.^[15] In addition to removing the MBT, she also believes in abolishing the Drivers Responsibility Fee, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth (DELEG) in order to save the taxpayers’ money. Along with the MBT, eliminating property and income taxes saves the people of Michigan money while also restoring power back to them. Additional revenue would not be sought after in this administration.^[16] Within the government itself, because the administration is not seeking additional revenue, a staff downsize would be implemented. With fewer government employees, taxpayers would not have to give additional money.^[17] She finds that many of the current government jobs are often “wasteful, unconstitutional, and oppressive,” not to mention dysfunctional and unable to distribute the wealth and benefits of taxes fairly. In her platform^[18], there is a reminder that Governor Jennifer Granholm had trucked in aggregate and asphalt for road repair from places that are outside of Michigan. Mathia believes that Michigan “has everything she needs to supply her infrastructure.”^[19] As an additional infrastructural aid, Mathia wishes to increase the manufacture of arms and ammunition. These items would not be taxed. Her official website declares that “it is her vision to follow the lead of Montana, Wyoming and other States by not requiring serial numbers on these arms. Montana has jobs and the people have liberty. People move to Montana to find freedom from the federal government’s oppression. It’s time for Michigan to spread her wings into other business besides the auto industry which is nearly dead here.”^[20] It is important that the taxpayers “have a government that buys from them.”

Individual Rights and Education

With Michigan manufacturing its own arms and ammunition, a law enforcement reform would be Mathia’s next step. A “Peace Officer’s” job is not to serve and protect. No law implies that police officers are to protect the people. They are meant to protect the Constitution. Although referred to as peace officers, bearing arms is recommended and retired officers would be allowed to keep their firearms after service.^[21] Her administration is famous for supporting and protecting the original intent of the Founders to keep and bear arms.^[22] Besides a strong advocacy for the individual right to bear arms, Stacey Mathia also supports the idea that the government is not responsible for any individual’s education.^[23] It is the responsibility of a child’s parents to educate or find privatized education. Because of this principle, she supports giving state public education funds to private and home schools as well, regardless of income level or local school’s performance. As Mathia is a strong supporter of parental responsibility of a child, her candidacy is supported by A Child’s Rights organization.^{[24] [25]}

Religious Connection

Mathia is a devout Christian^[26] and admits that she has “personally accepted Jesus Christ as her savior.^[27]” She was a church Youth Group Leader. In her list of where she stands on a range of issues, number three shows the link between church and state before Separation of Church and State was significant. “I believe that the primary source for the principles and ideals instilled in our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and original code of laws was the Bible.”^[28] This doesn’t mean she suggests combining of the two, but she believes that the church is where “state” got its inspiration. To add to her ideas on education she proposes that all schools present both the Theory of Evolution as well as the Theory of Intelligent Design. Public schools should also be allowed to pray at any school-sponsored events, like games or graduations. Her religion directly influences her opinions on green energy and finding ways to be ecologically much beneficial and less harmful. She doesn’t support any government commands for using green or alternative energy sources, nor energy efficiency mandates such as “cap and trade,” carbon taxes, or automotive fuel economy standards (CAFE). For Mathia, greenhouse gases cannot be regulated or controlled in a substantial way by humans, it is that “God can and does control the world’s climate;^[29]” thus, she would eliminate all state efforts in these matters.^[30]

Views on Popular Controversies

Abortion: She supports a complete and total ban on so-called partial-birth abortions as well as a ban on all abortions, except in cases where the life of the mother is in danger.^[31] Gay Marriage: She supports the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and believes that marriage should be exclusively between one man and one woman. She does not support the institution of civil unions for same-sex couples.^[32] Immigration: She supports the deportation of persons who are illegally present in the U.S., denial of welfare benefits, Medicaid, etc. for illegal immigrants, and the construction of a fence or other barrier along the southern U.S. border.^[33]

References

http://www.staceymathia2010.com/

1. ^ Lieb, David A.. "Tea party leaders anxious about extremists - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36555655/ns/politics-more_politics/>.
2. ^ "Stacey Mathia | Michigan | onPolitix." Home | Michigan | onPolitix. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://michigan.onpolitix.com/bio/853/stacey-mathia>.
3. ^ Lieb, David A.. "Tea party leaders anxious about extremists - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36555655/ns/politics-more_politics/>.
4. ^ "About Stacey | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/about>.
5. ^ "About Stacey | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/about>.
6. ^ Lieb, David A.. "Tea party leaders anxious about extremists - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36555655/ns/politics-more_politics/>.
7. ^ Lieb, David A.. "Tea party leaders anxious about extremists - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36555655/ns/politics-more_politics/>.
8. ^ "Stacey Mathia | Michigan | onPolitix." Home | Michigan | onPolitix. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://michigan.onpolitix.com/bio/853/stacey-mathia>.
9. ^ "About Stacey | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/about>.
10. ^ "About Stacey | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/about>.
11. ^ "About Stacey | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/about>.
12. ^ Calabrese, Dan. "Stacey Mathia: Long-shot Michigan gubernatorial candidate has lots of ideas, and ‘a big mouth’." The North Star National. N.p., 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <www.northstarnational.com/2010/02/16/stacey-mathia-long-shot-michigan-gubernatorial-candidate-lots-idea-a-big-mouth/>.
13. ^ Lieb, David A.. "Tea party leaders anxious about extremists - Politics - More politics - msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather, Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology, Local, US & World News- msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36555655/ns/politics-more_politics/>.
14. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
15. ^ Calabrese, Dan. "Stacey Mathia: Long-shot Michigan gubernatorial candidate has lots of ideas, and ‘a big mouth’." The North Star National. N.p., 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <www.northstarnational.com/2010/02/16/stacey-mathia-long-shot-michigan-gubernatorial-candidate-lots-idea-a-big-mouth/>.
16. ^ "Stacey Mathia | Michigan | onPolitix." Home | Michigan | onPolitix. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://michigan.onpolitix.com/bio/853/stacey-mathia>.
17. ^ "Stacey Mathia | Michigan | onPolitix." Home | Michigan | onPolitix. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://michigan.onpolitix.com/bio/853/stacey-mathia>.
18. ^ "Platform | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/44-2>.
19. ^ "Platform | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/44-2>.
20. ^ "Platform | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/44-2>.
21. ^ "Platform | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/44-2>.
22. ^ "Stacey Mathia For Governor Brochure." Stacey Mathia For Governor. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <www.staceymathia2010.com/StaceyMathiaForGovernorBrochure.pdf>.
23. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
24. ^ http://parentalrightsequality.blogspot.com/2010/09/acr-endorses-stacey-mathia-for-michigan.html, Darrick. "Equal Parental Rights: ACR Endorses Stacey Mathia for Michigan Governor." Equal Parental Rights. N.p., 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://parentalrightsequality.blogspot.com/2010/09/acr-endorses-stacey-mathia-for-michigan.html>.
25. ^ http://www.achildsright.net/
26. ^ "Stacey Mathia | Michigan | onPolitix." Home | Michigan | onPolitix. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://michigan.onpolitix.com/bio/853/stacey-mathia>.
27. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
28. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
29. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
30. ^ , Dan. "Stacey Mathia: Long-shot Michigan gubernatorial candidate has lots of ideas, and ‘a big mouth’." The North Star National. N.p., 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <www.northstarnational.com/2010/02/16/stacey-mathia-long-shot-michigan-gubernatorial-candidate-lots-idea-a-big-mouth/>.
31. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
32. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.
33. ^ Mathia, Stacey. "Where I Stand | Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan." Stacey Mathia for Governor of Michigan | Michigan needs strong leadership. Stacey has that leadership.. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. <http://www.staceymathia2010.com/where-i-stand>.

Sleeping Tiger

Retail Analysis: Sleeping Tiger

I observed the store Sleeping Tiger, located in the Crossroads Mall. I'm not entirely sure who they market to. When I heard about the store, I imagined it was generally for anyone. After staying there for a bit, it seemed to target age ranges from about 12-28. It's very "spiritual" and I'm guessing trying to relate to the modern "hippy/drug-user" crowd.
Walking by, it's hard to see what store it is only because it's at a weird angle in the mall. At the door a display of tie-dye and jeweled bags, that appeared handmade, I imagine were meant to entice. (They just weren't really my style, I guess...!) As you enter, the strong, earthy scent of incense is almost overwhelming. You don't actually see the copious amount of sticks because you're naturally drawn to the right side of a store. The right side is a variety of different Buddha statues and whimsically shaped mirrors and wind-chimes. Throughout the store, all of their spiritual statues and sculptures are displayed on many shelves and tables, which allow customers to feel the various textures and materials. And many textures and materials there were. There was glass, plastic (rarely), wood carving, stone, wax, and other assorted materials. On the ceiling there were alcohol affiliated signs, wind-chimes, dragon and flower figures also hanging from the ceiling. The lights were very dim and went well with the general autumn color scheme. The music was generally popular alternative rock music, played very quietly. The floor was crushed stone and speckled rock tiles, in a creamy tan. The tiles near the cashier's pentagon were smaller. The cash register was on top of a display case of knives that matched the sword display behind the cashier.
The whole place had an air of casualness and; which could either come across as sloppy and unprofessional, or anti-corporate and low-key. A customer mentioned that she thought it was supposed to be the "happy hippy store," but in fact it was the "scary, witchcraft store." I think the store was trying to portray an earthy, spiritual, modern-Rastafarian appeal. The earthy quality comes from the essential oils and incense, as well as the handmade knickknacks. It's spiritual in the sense that it contains a lot of mythical and religious figurines. They have faeries and Chinese symbols reflecting Happiness, Peace, Prosperity, and Love. The modern-Rastafarian element is portrayed through the range of marijuana paraphernalia and Jamaican flags (not that this actually represents true Rastafarianism...). The cashier was wearing sweat pants and a button-up shirt, which went along with the feel of the store. No fuss. His conversation with a customer about how he is trying to avoid hanging out with underage girls at parties wasn't all that surprising if the aspect of professionalism is considered.
The customers were varied in age and style. There was a preteen girl looking at the butterflies mirrors and pseudo-hipster teens loving the randomness and later a middle aged father walking around with his 5-year-old daughter... One thing was certain: everything had to be touched. Like I mentioned before, there were so many textures. Also a massive selection of incense- ten for $1- and everyone had to stop and smell. I guess I never made it to the back of the store, but there wasn't that much stuff there anyway. Lastly, the cashier and one sales associate never asked the customers anything nor offered assistance.
I found the overall "chillness" of the store interesting. It really felt like it didn't belong in a big mall like that. The lack of professionalism kind of made the small store seem sketchy and there weren't really that many customers the whole time I observed. Everything was pretty overpriced and I find it interesting that it is still in business.

Eggs.

Okay, so, Claire and I googled ways to design the best container for an egg to rest in while being dropped out the window all the while not breaking. I read something about a Pringles can, but we didn't have one of those. Then, while doing our research for the library thingy, Mike tells Christina and me that he plans on using balloons. My roommate has balloons. Basically, Claire and I thought that that was a sweet/cute idea. And, in much honesty, ours was pretty much adorable. We found the box in the recycling and the tape was Claire's. Long story short, whether or not positioning is to blame, the egg broke first try. NBD.
Mostly we tried to use air as our buffer. Air in the balloons and air in the bubble wrap. In that respect, we used very few materials and our container (it's named The Funk) was relatively small. I thought it was pretty funny that the three boys froze their egg! And Christina and Olivia's parachute worked out way better than most home-made parachutes.
In all fairness, we could've improved our design. The landing was a bit off. We wanted to weight the bottom in order to make sure if fell appropriately. Another part I questioned was the bubble wrap. i thought that maybe it was a bit firm. We wrapped the egg very tightly in the container and that could have been a lot of pressure.

The Science of Shopping

(...Based on the scarily interesting, yet terrifyingly LONG article "The Science of Shopping" by Malcolm Gladwell.)

The important points of this article are varied. I think one point was that, as much as we'd like it not to be true, we, as shoppers, are very much predictable. That being true, with research, stores have the ability to transform these habits and preferences into layouts and designs that try to make more profit. Another point was that stores nowadays go to raise the amount of product sold per person, rather than focusing on trying to create more shoppers in general. Lastly, I think a subtle point was just a look at how much retailers try and try and try to capture the desire of the buyer. They put a lot of effort into the look and feel of their store. I'm not sure what is to be said about this though.

I guess I haven't noticed certain types of store's layouts. I notice grocery store layouts because I've read about them in past years. I just realized, after reading this, that I had made an observation earlier this summer that is relevant even though it was completely random at the time... I had noticed that sale/clearance items, in clothing store particularly, are usually all the way in the back of the store. I remember in this article that the farther into the shop a customer goes, the more likely s/he will buy something(s). I think that because I typically don't notice stores' layouts, I'm probably influenced by them. Thinking back, I noticed that I do usually turn right in a store and if I have to ask for assistance I probably won't buy anything (or bother asking for the assistance in the first place!) I can't say whether or not my butt being more/less likely to be touched has been a major influence... All of this said, I can't really tell you which layout I like or respond best to. I just don't know. I just like buying things.

How I Would Want To Analyze A Retail Store/Things I Would Consider:

• The location. It's mentioned that being near banks has a negative effect, etc.
• The color scheme/palate. If you're a rebellious store, look rebellious. I think the colors and decor of a store should reflect the reflective nature of the clothes being sold. If you're a store owner and you want your store to appear homey and cozy, you have to mimic this with interior design.
• How the items are sectioned off. He said that you have a better chance of get a buyer in a ration that is proportional to how far into the store they venture. Put the beloved sale/clearance items in the back- the shopper unconsciously searches and scans over all the other stuff on his/her way to the back. 
• Have sales people available. DO NOT have them attack you every five seconds since the moment you enter the store. No matter who asks, "Can I help you find anything?" or whatever variation of this question... it's generally going to be replied to with something along the lines of "Nope. Just browsing." I'm always JUST BROWSING. Rarely will I ask. And when I do ask, it's after I've tried it on my own. I understand that the store wants to show that they have staff that is friendly, but... I don't want to be stalked.
• I think that the amount of shoppers shopping is also important. I don't want TONS of people in the store while I am. When this happens, I feel like I'm being judged a lot. Also, sharing a rack of clothes with one (or more) people is just plain annoying. I'm pretty thorough in my rack searching. There will be much physical force used. If someone is trying to share this with me, I just want to leave and find another rack... or make them leave... On the flip side, if there is no one at all in the store except me and the staff... I start to wonder why... and then I feel like I'm being too loud or that the staff is watching me intently. Sometimes, they get too into trying to help me and then I'm like "GO AWAY!"

Isn't It Iconic... don'cha think....

(This post is based off the article Isn't It Iconic by Stacey King Gordon and The Power of The Box from The Cool Hunter)

Packaging is extremely important in the marketing of a product. Stacey King Gorden wrote about a few brands whose packaging made them a huge success (Coke, Heinz, etc.). Although a consumer may not even realize, the packaging is the immediate attention-grabber for a product. A product that influenced my purchase solely based on packaging appearance is 5 gum. I love the black box. I love the shiny wrappers- especially the black ones. They just look rebellious and sleek. My family always buys 5 gum- even though it's not even my favorite. In the hair products aisle at the store, I can't help but notice the Got2B and BedHead brands because there products are so bright and look cool. (Then I remember that I don't need to spike or gel my hair...) Many times alcohol bottles are in special shapes and designs to attract the customer's eye. Many times I've noticed that soap is more appealing in bright colors and they catch your attention when they have a cool bottle. On the opposite side, Jiffy mix boxes are so plain and old-fashioned looking, but not in a good way. I know that they are less expensive... but they look too boring. (I went to school in Chelsea where the Jiffy factory is located.)

They mentioned in the Iconic article about how Cambell's has an iconic package. I think Garnier Fructis has iconic packaging because all of their products are lime green! The McDonald's "M" is very iconic as is their fry boxes and mascot, Ronald McDonald. When you see the M or a red box of fries, you think McDonald's. I played this game on the internet (Sporcle) in which you were given only one letter from a store or restaurant's name and you were to guess which store/restaurant it was. This is based solely on their brand's packaging. I recognized Best Buy's name and Taco Bell's just by seeing one letter.

The best example of usability issues in packaging is the Heinz ketchup bottle. It's famous for being the most annoying glass bottle to try and get ketchup out of! The glass bottle has to be turned over and hit many times before a too-big glob of ketchup falls out. The usability was terrible- but it left the product as an icon. On that note, the usability of a products packaging has to work and the more frustrating it is, the less likely it will be that that customer is going to come back. For instance, how absolutely terrible is it to get pretty much any cheap electronic device out of the welded-shut plastic packaging? Ridiculously hard. Packaging that takes forever doesn't build suspense.... it's turns-off customers.

Know It All

(Post based off the article written by Stacy Schiff for The New Yorker, found here!)


The author's main point, I believe, we're how wikipedia was created (and the history of encyclopedias in general), why it's important to the world (the world because it's available in over 200 languages), and how Wikipedia works (she went on... and on... about admins and the editing process).

If credible writing means that you got information from good and reliable sources, then wikipedia, techinically, would be considered not exactly credible writing. But the article by Schiff had a lot of supporting detail, that, as far as I know, would be reliable. In the passage: 
Is Wikipedia accurate? Last year, Nature published a survey comparing forty-two entries on scientific topics on Wikipedia with their counterparts in Encyclopædia Britannica. According to the survey, Wikipedia had four errors for every three of Britannica’s, a result that, oddly, was hailed as a triumph for the upstart. Such exercises in nitpicking are relatively meaningless, as no reference work is infallible. Britannica issued a public statement refuting the survey’s findings, and took out a half-page advertisement in the Times, which said, in part, “Britannica has never claimed to be error-free. We have a reputation not for unattainable perfection but for strong scholarship, sound judgment, and disciplined editorial review.” Later, Jorge Cauz, Britannica’s president, told me in an e-mail that if Wikipedia continued without some kind of editorial oversight it would “decline into a hulking mediocre mass of uneven, unreliable, and, many times, unreadable articles.” Wales has said that he would consider Britannica a competitor, “except that I think they will be crushed out of existence within five years.”
This passage shows supporting details, like the survey, which showed the error comparison between Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia. Then, she showed how EBrit handled this. As well as, a supporting quote from the Brits. She also included the detail of how Wales handled it.

The design comparison between Wikipedia and EBritannica is obvious- one is a website and the other is a book. The EBrit is clearly a reflective item; the books sit on the shelf and look all smart and nice. Wikipedia is just a website. Not really meant to be seen, but to be used. Wikipedia has an amazing behavioral advantage. There's not a lot of searching and flipping- you just look up exactly what you want to know and (more than likely) it's there. Not to mention, the site has an immense amount of articles, and if I remember correctly, more than EBrit. The editing process for the two are different as well. Wikipedia allows nearly anyone and everyone to add or delete information on a topic. There are many, many people that contribute to Wikipedia. Now, EBrit also has many people researching and writing, but, I think it's fair to say, Wikipedia allows a more "variable" writer/editor. Of course, Wikipedia is edited and monitored, but it does allow more "BS" than EBrit. And important feature to note is the price. Wikipedia is free! EBrit is outrageously expensive. Not to mention rather wasteful (paper-wise). When something is more expensive many people think that it is better or have less errors, but that isn't exactly so. In all fairness, the modern person would probably be more drawn to the free, seemingly limitless, and overall simple Wikipedia than a stuffy ol' book.

Organization and Prep Tips

(Based off of the tips from Garr Reynolds found here.)

I think Reynolds's key points were Audience Expectations and Attention, Keep It Concise, and Know What You're Saying and Own It. He mentions the audience a lot. A presentation shouldn't be presented in a unorganized and cryptic manner. They won't understand, they'll get irritated, then your presentation is, at best, useless. I liked that he mentioned that a good way to keep the audience's attention while keeping the presentation understandable was by including stories, especially personal ones.

Of course our presentations, hopefully, won't be 30+ minutes long, but we can still use these tips. We need to plan and organize what our point is. We need to make sure it's interesting and engaging enough so that our point doesn't fall upon sleeping ears. Not to mention, the tip about not information overloading is key. Many times people just talk and talk and have this big, long paragraph as a presentation- both very bad!

Just like designing a product, the a presentation has a task that it is supposed to be doing- like conveying a message or persuading an audience. They needs to do their tasks. Also, there are presentation that can fall into the design categories; visceral, behavioral, and reflective. They don't exactly work in the same way but they can still fall into those categories. Take behavioral. A behaviorally designed product has a purpose and does it, no frills. A person could have a presentation that is meant to inform people of a product and it can go the no frills, info-style presentation path. Of course, neither are expected to truly hold on their own without the help of a little visceral and reflective designing. There is always a balance. (That's like the #1 saying at this school!)

___________________________________________________________________________

I understand that nearing the end of this quarter we will only have time for three design topics to be discussed, but I don't exactly understand what it means by "design topic." Which "area of design?" I don't know. What are the "areas of design?" I think having a list would help me pick three out. Like, I would be interested in knowing how they test designs? Is that an "area of design?" Sorry. I know this isn't helpful.

Emo Pt. II

(Based on the same chapter from the last post.)

"Once a customer has learned the shop or shelf layout, it is time to redo it, goes this marketing philosophy. Otherwise,, a shopper wanting a can of soup will simply go directly to the soup and not notice any of the other enticing items. Rearranging the store forces the shopper to explore previously unvisited aisles. Similarly, rearranging how the soups are stored prevents the shopper from buying the same type of soup each time without ever trying any other variety. So shelves get rearranged, and related items are put nearby. Stores get restructured, and the most popular items are placed at the farthest ends of the store, with impulse items where they are most visible. There is a perverse set of usability principles at play here: make it difficult to buy the most desired items, and extremely easy for the impulse items."
I found this to be an enlightening passage as well as interesting. This is something I never knew. I mean, I thought that certain items were in the back, but as someone who doesn't eat dairy... I guess I never cared how far away the milk was. I did know that fruit is often put in the entryway to entice customers. I just find this passage so fascinating because it's such a creepy science. We're like lab rats and fall for the tricks!

Since Norman uses the three design types (Visceral, behavioral,and reflective) I find that these work well for each. Not because I had ever heard of the word visceral before, but now that I've learned these three by these names, it is hard to try to rename them. I would think that visceral could stand to have its name changed to something more obviously referring to visual appearances. I think behavioral could be more like functionality. I think reflective is such a "deep" topic, it would be tough to name it with a word that would correctly sum it up.

I think that every item that is to be designed should have an element of each of the three designs. I think that reflective design is going to be part of everything designed. Visceral makes me think of more simple products that can be more about looking cool than having a high performance. And behavioral is so important for all designs in the sense that a product should do its job and do it well. I don't think that there is a way to really determine which is more important for any given product. I think the simpler the design, the more visceral is can be; the more complex the design/functions, the more behavioral the design should be. I already mentioned that reflective kind of seeps into every aspect of design anyway.

Emo Design

(Entry based of the reading of chapter three from Donald Norman's Emotional Design.)

There were so many points made in this chapter concerning each type of emotional design; Visceral, Behavioral, and Reflective designs. I really think that the main points were just the explanations of each design. Visceral design is based pretty much on just the physical appearance of a product, i.e. fancy shaped water bottles. It also includes other senses like the feel or sound, most of which are based on first impressions. It's basically things you see and go "pretty" to. Behavioral design is the design style that Norman talked a lot about in his other works that were discussed in the last couple posts. It is not the appearance, it's the use and performance. Function, understandability, and usability describe the elements involved in behavioral designing. A good BD performs the function it is supposed to do- and does it well. His example of bad behavioral design is regular cylindrical batteries. Many times it's hard to figure out which way they go- he notes that the fact that they all go different ways is just a bad design. He states that a good behavioral design satisfies "the needs of the people who actually use the product." Lastly is Reflective design. This is centered on the message is conveys and "the meaning of a product or its use." He notes about reflective design that sometimes the reflective value of an item will mean more to the user than the actual ease of use, or behavioral aspect of the design. He says it is about prestige, rarity, and exclusiveness.

A noticeable thing that was different about this chapter than the previous chapters was that, on page 97, he admits that he appears to be contradicting himself while he was talking about how creative designs can be more popular than good behavioral designs. He goes on to say that he usually talks about behavioral designs and how human-centered, tested-and-true designing works best. Then he notes that this isn't exactly the best approach for visceral or reflective designing. This chapter was also organized differently. It was topically, yet seemed a bit more chaotic. Sometimes I thought his transitions were a bit rough. I think it makes sense that it would be like this, though, because he was covering a bit more broad topics than before.

I think that books are often deigned viscerally. The phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" may exist, but many people can't help thinking that "ooh, this book looks cool." In addition, every time I see a potted bamboo plant, I'm immediately drawn to it. Especially the curly stalked shoots. They don't serve any purpose in my room, yet I thought they were important enough to bring to my dorm. Calculators I have found are good behavioral designed items. When I first got my new calculator, I refused to use it because it was way more complex than my other one. (I went from a TI-83 to a TI-89 Titanium Edition.) When I finally forced myself to start using it (the features were so much more useful for calculus that I had to at least try it out!), I found out that it was much better in many ways. It wasn't about how cool I look with it (albeit I'm sure I look totally rad) or that it was such a beautifully crafted item (even though it is!!). Its functions are so useful that I have to love it. Finding a good reflective design is a bit tougher for me. The meaning is still a bit allusive. I think the iPod is a good example of an item that, no matter how good or bad the functions, owning one is almost the "it" thing to do. Just like many fashion designers. Sometimes people see a Marc Jacobs runway show, or even the RTW lines, and think that it's a mess. What is this designer doing? People spend the money to buy labels. It's not necessarily that the clothes are made better, the meaning makes it worth it to the customer. I also believe that magazines are part visceral, part behavioral, and part reflective. They reflectively use celebrities on the cover and tout designer labels. Behaviorally they aren't really hard to read, not to mention a table of contents is a behaviorally designed element. And viscerally they use bright colors and attractive models (for the most part) to win over your senses.

The Design of Everyday Things

(Entry based on the same first chapter from the same book as my last entry...)

Here is a brief passage I found interesting: Designing well is not easy. The manufacturer wants something that can be produced economically. The store wants something that will be attractive to is customers. The purchaser has several demands. In the store, the purchaser focuses on price and appearance, and perhaps on prestige value. At home, the same person will pay more attention to the functionality and usability. The repair service cares about maintainability: how easy is the device to take apart, diagnose, and service? The needs of those concerned are different and often conflict. Nonetheless, the designer may be able to satisfy everyone.
I thought this was an interesting passage because he mentions all these needs that I never really thought about before. I mean, a consumer (purchaser) completely changes his needs once he buys the item. This makes me think about my subconscious inner-monologue (...sometimes dialogue...) I didn't realize that I thought that much about all these things. In the post about the "perfect thing," I found it difficult to figure out what I look for. In this passage, Norman pretty much sums up the general thoughts of a consumer. Along the same lines, I knew that being a designer wasn't an easy task, but this really showed that the designer is being pulled in all directions to make an amazing product. The pressure is definitely on.

I think this book, even though first published in the 80's, still influences designers today because Norman speaks the truth. The purchaser hasn't really changed. We generally way the same thing, time and time again. The problem is that, even with this book, bad designs still exist and conquer. Just from reading the first chapter, it's apparent that this book has a unique perspective on designing and the uses of design. Designers should read this book. It's good to understand how people react and act towards design.

Because of this chapter, I would say that my checklist for design evaluation would be:

• Is the operation system visible?
• Are buttons clearly labeled? If not, should they be?
• Does each button/part have it's own operation? If not, do the multiple operations make sense?
• Is it unnecessarily complex? Or over-simplified?
• Could the use be learned within two uses?
• Does it contain false clues?
• Is there proper feedback?
• Does it need instruction? If so, are they clearly stated/pictured.
• Is there definite natural mapping?

The Psychopathology of Everyday Things

(Based on Chapter One from Donald A. Norman's The Design of Everyday Things.)

The first chapter of this book was undoubtedly relate-able and (surprisingly) interesting, in the sense that it was a new perceptive on everyday things. Norman's key points were that everyday we use a plethora of common items, some well crafted and easy to use and understand (good design) and some complicated, hard to understand, or just plain crappy (bad design). He brings up the point: "Why do we put up with the frustrations of everyday objects?" Also mentioning that if we either don't send negative feedback or use it even though it sucks, they designer and co. will never really know how it is really perceived. He also emphasizes that visible clues that are easy to interpret (or perhaps, with limited interpreting needed) make a well-designed object.

I am a chronic door-opening failure. I push when I'm supposed to pull and pull when I should push... and bathroom stalls? A nightmare! Why would they open up INTO the stall? (Apparently so that I have minimal room to navigate out of the bathroom.) On the same note, a couple days ago, my roommate and I spent nearly 5 minutes trying to figure out where the off switch was on a TV. That shouldn't be difficult at all! I know that there are many times a day that I can't figure out how something works or can't seem to work something that appears to be so simple. I mean, why are re-lacing shoes so hard? The design of these things are certainly factors to why they are so difficult to use or work. When a door has a long horizontal bar across the entire width, how am I supposed to know to push on the left side, or the right side? Hiding the buttons on a TV... subliminal message or design flaw? Norman refers to visibility a lot and I have to agree. Simply cutting the door's horizontal bar a few inches and relocating the TV's buttons to the side would have saved me time- and a bit of mild embarrassment. I mean a little home-based testing and trial wouldn't hurt anyone right?

Personal testing is one of the things Apple did with the iPod to help with the trial and error of new designs. They also did a kind of group critique, throwing out possible complaints they imagine users would have. This helps a lot with figuring out just how well the conceptual model is going to be for the customer. And like I said before, as a person who has never had an iPod, I find them to be really easy to use. (Even if it did take a bit of trying to get Mr. Jobs to agree with certain elements.)

I like what Norman said on page 29: "Designing is not easy... The needs of those concerned are different and often conflict. Nonetheless, the designer may be able to satisfy everyone."

The Perfect Thing

(Discussion based off of this article by Steven Levy from Wired. We're dealing with the creation and behind-the-scenes of the iPod.)

 Essentially design all starts with an idea. "An MP3 music player that would woek with Apple's existing iTunes application and would not suck. Something with a nice visual interface that runs the database program that stores digital song files, then perferms the high-speed mathematical processes that make those fuiles into the same Jimi Hendrix and Yo-Yo-Ma tunes that you'd hear on a CD player." Then it all begins. In this case, the super top secret fun iPod needed a design team. If you're notable in the design techinology world, you could be contacted. Especially if you're Anthony Fadell. Steve Jobs gave his newest design engineer a task (see quote above)- and a deadline in which this design should be completed. There were so many requirements set up right away for him to consider; cost, size, weight, current market, etc. Mr. Fadell had a lot of research and collaborating to do. After a while he started creating models of what he wanted the device to look like. Before things were really put into further development, the models and prototypes had to be present the the Executives. If they all fail... I imiagine it's back to the drawing board... or you're replaced... Luckily, Fadell and Co. produced a design that impressed Mr. Jobs. "The project was a go." Pretty much now it was time to get people officially working on the software, interfaces, industrial design, and various other tasks. Then, the critical analysis happens. The devices she be questioned, poked, and prodded- and, in doing so, made better. Physical prototypes and examples are made and named. Physical damage tests and home testing ensue. Once the product is satisfactory, it's time to proceed to the business and selling department.
Bottom Line: "Development [is] a multi-track process."

Mr. Levy titled his article "The Perfect Thing," likely alluding to the iPod as such. Of course, for me, defining a "perfect thing" or just a "thing" in general is a bit vague, making it difficult to determine what factors I would use to evaluate this P.T. I suppose I would need to know the job that the thing is supposed to do. Does it accomplish it or it it a near-attempt? If it's supposed to be pocket-sized, it should, in fact, be pocket-sized! Generally a few factors I use in evaluating stuff is appearance, connotation, dependability, and popularity.


I don't consider the iPod to be "The Perfect Thing." I think that two strengths it has are its popularity and usefulness. "Cool people" have it and then everyone wants one- MP3 player are often wrongly referred to as iPods because of the immense popularity. I will give it the fact that it is downright useful. We've progressively made music devices and this one takes the cake. More songs, less space. Brilliant. Of course that is true for  MP3 players in general. I don't own an iPod, but I have used one and have found it to be pretty easy to use, and the scroll-y thingy is ridiculously practical. On the flip side, I don't like iTunes. And pretty much don't like the privacy and copyright securities. Of course it was made to be against those things... doesn't mean I have to like it. I also tend to avoid Apple devices due to my father's disdain for them. I consider the fact that it is not $20 or less to be a weakness (or maybe my cheapness is a weakness...). I have known many iPods to break and I'm not about to thrown down hard-earned (or birthday earned) cash  when I could just get a cheaper one that lets me override security/copyrights.
I'm pretty satisfied with my Creative brand Zen MP3 Player.

For Friday September 17

Preface: It is a common theory that vegans are psychic. I am currently unable to confirm nor deny this allegation. (Yes, I know you didn't think that was a common theory...) It is, though, a theory...

I'm Shelbi Bolter. I'm from Gregory, MI. I'm a Pisces. If I could tell my local grocery store(s) to sell one flavor of soy ice cream, I'd suggest red bean.