tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32934106409443315692024-03-05T18:03:32.012-08:00Design InvestigationsA blog about design, design research, and traversing the world with eyes open.Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-1292289463097608972010-11-21T14:19:00.000-08:002010-11-21T14:22:05.544-08:00Web Site [semi]-LaunchI will be posting from now on on my new web site, <a href="http://www.designinvestigations.com/">DesignInvestigations.com</a>. Please go there to stay in touch with my and my students' activities, thanks!Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-69201285738557322692010-03-06T12:55:00.001-08:002010-03-06T13:05:45.629-08:00Engines of Innovation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aO2ZoUphO6o2anPVPKA3Qqf_hgPAM5-3xmMPMEjPHDTcHobrtqPUp1RpFMxQcJ5lcfbJHygARemb70gTnV3bOpv-gjQYSW5c_bDYMdFux7-3ceObsWgrY2VVrN8MoygUuWY25zcZ_L1q/s1600-h/45rpm=iPhone.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aO2ZoUphO6o2anPVPKA3Qqf_hgPAM5-3xmMPMEjPHDTcHobrtqPUp1RpFMxQcJ5lcfbJHygARemb70gTnV3bOpv-gjQYSW5c_bDYMdFux7-3ceObsWgrY2VVrN8MoygUuWY25zcZ_L1q/s400/45rpm=iPhone.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445627499172911042" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: medium; ">Just listened to <a href="http://www.ica.org.uk/Brian%20Eno%20&%20Steven%20Johnson+22805.twl">this Podcast</a> of a conversation between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Eno">Brian Eno</a> and <a href="http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/">Steven Johnson</a>, roughly organized around Johnson's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invention-Air-Steven-Johnson/dp/1594488525"><i>The Invention of Air</i></a>, but talking about environments that support innovation, how ideas can be made, and what conditions are in place when this happens. Very interesting. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eno and Johnson talk about how Londoners went from drinking wine and beer all day to drinking coffee and tea in the 1760s, and the explosion of coffee houses that provided gathering places for intellectual discussion. They pose the question of whether this fueled the innovations of the Enlightenment - hubs where different disciplines connect combined with an atmosphere of amateurism being characteristic of environments that foster innovation. Johnson compares this open sharing of ideas and cross-disciplinary exploration to the atmosphere in the Silicon Valley. Eno talks about the period in the 60s in England when art schools were where the interesting music was being made - the idea of crossing disciplinary boundaries being essential for creativity - comparing that to the early days of Silicon Valley, when folks coming from a wide variety of disciplines had a hand in creating the personal computer. The idea of randomness being important to innovation, and that when you have experts from only one field involved, that essential randomness is eliminated.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He also discusses platforms that inspire creativity, comparing the 45 rpm record to iPhone apps. Rock music being very easy to play, combined with the 45 rpm record being easy to record and distribute, plus a thirsty dissemination medium, radio, always looking for something new to play. Johnson and Eno compare this to the current open platform web environment, and especially the iPhone app platform.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well worth a listen.</span></div></div></span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-79909484566156135532010-01-14T09:05:00.000-08:002010-01-14T09:23:22.439-08:00Art Center Futures<div class="pencast"><a href="http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/MLSOverviewPage?sid=pqpXdWgp6DFQ" target="_blank">Art Center College of Design Visioneering Panel</a></div><div class="pencast"><small>brought to you by <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/" target="_blank">Livescribe</a></small><br /><object width="228" height="316"><param name="movie" value="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A8011500003A9AA0620000012602552F461B3F6F1E&embedversion=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf?path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A8011500003A9AA0620000012602552F461B3F6F1E&embedversion=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="228" height="316"></embed></object></div><br />Last night <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/">Art Center College of Design</a>'s new president, <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/07/art-center-college-of-design-names-lorne-buchman-as-president.html">Lorne Buchman</a>, started a conversation within our community about future directions with a few guests from outside the college. This is a Livescribe recording of the panel discussion, delivered to a packed house of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Panelists were <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Katherine_Hayles">Katherine Hayles</a>, <a href="http://www.obd.org/">David Rice</a>, <a href="http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag02/oct02/oliver/oliver.shtml">Stephen Oliver</a>, and <a href="http://designmuseum.org/design/andrew-blauvelt">Andrew Blauvelt</a>. <div><br /></div><div>The discussion was webcast, but I'm not sure they saved it in a form that is still accessible, so I'm posting the session here for those who are interested. For those of you unfamiliar with <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/">Livescribe recordings</a>, the audio is linked to the written notes, and you can click anywhere on the notes to hear what was being said at that time. It's a useful way to record a session as long as this one, because you can skip around.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we will have a day-long brainstorm on a number of topics: students & student life (life?! what life!! you mean there's life outside of Art Center??!! ;-)), curriculum & pedagogy, outside partnerships, governance & community (promises to be a hot topic, given the excitement of the past couple of years), and future trends & global context. If I have time (we start the term next Monday) I'll report on that as well.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-52530741063739713782009-11-17T06:41:00.000-08:002009-11-17T07:49:39.455-08:00Design Thinking<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGt9GcC" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="296" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dev Patnaik's recent post at Fast Company.com about reinventing the MBA caught my eye this morning. In an interview of Roger Martin, of the Rotman School of Management, they discuss the idea of bringing Design Thinking into the mix of what a business degree should include. The discussion is an excellent one, and if you don't have the time to listen to it in the video, at least read </span><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dev-patnaik/innovation/reinventing-mba"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dev's summary</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> at the Fast Company site.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>This idea, Design Thinking (which I define as the sort of creative problem solving / lateral thinking / & so forth taught in many—but most definitely not all— design schools), looks like the new darling of the business press, and I welcome that. The more we can integrate this sort of thinking into all of our problem-solving processes, the better off we will be. But when I reflect on what's missing in today's business management, I see another, perhaps more important omission. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think we're long overdue for a renaissance of the ideas of Peter Drucker. On my drive home yesterday I caught the public radio program, Marketplace, and heard <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/16/pm-drucker-q/">Kai Ryssdal's interview of Harvard Business School's Rosabeth Moss Kanter</a>, who has written <a href="http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/11/what-would-peter-say/ar/1">an article</a> about the continuing relevance of Drucker's ideas in this month's Harvard Business Review.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week we are celebrating (along with the 103rd birthday of <a href="http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Glass%20Bell%20Ornaments_10451_10001_61499_-1_11543_11546_null_shop_">Eva Zeisel</a>, of course) the 100th anniversary of Drucker's birth. Most will know about Drucker, who was considered the father of business management. I found this short interview an excellent review of Drucker's ideas, some of which we are in sore need of today:</div><div><br /></div><div><script type="text/javascript" src="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/js/swfobject.js"></script><div id="marketplace_pm_2009_11_16_marketplace_cast1_20091116_64s_player"></div><script type="text/javascript">/*<![CDATA[*/var so = new SWFObject("http://marketplace.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/s_player.swf", "marketplace_pm_2009_11_16_marketplace_cast1_20091116_64s_player", "319", "83", "8", "#ffffff");so.addParam("quality", "high");so.addParam("menu", "false");so.addParam("wmode", "transparent");so.addVariable("name", "marketplace/pm/2009/11/16/marketplace_cast1_20091116_64");so.addVariable("starttime", "00:09:58.0");so.addVariable("endtime", "00:14:13.500");so.write("marketplace_pm_2009_11_16_marketplace_cast1_20091116_64s_player");/*]]>*/</script><br /></div><div>As Kanter says, "First was the importance of a company having a sense of mission or a purpose, and that's not identical with its strategy, it's not identical with its business model, it's <b>why it exists and what social good or greater good that it's serving</b>." Most important, he did not hold that management should concern itself solely with serving shareholder needs: " He talked about all the responsibilities of management, so shareholders were certainly one for businesses but also employees, customers, suppliers, and society in general.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ryssdal: what Drucker would say about "the context that a lot of businesses find themselves in today of really having to cut their costs and get their share price up, maximize their profitability?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Kanter: "Peter was a very big believer in management by objectives. ...you know what your goals are and then you organize to get those goals met, which means to that you do have operate efficiently. But <b>it also means that you don't sacrifice the long term for the short term</b>. So ever since he started writing about high CEO compensation in the 1980s, he said that companies were often not fair. They often did have resources, but they were concentrated at the top. And that letting the shareholders, but also executives, walk away with the lion's share of the profits rather than reinvesting them, that would not create a productive future for business."</div><div><br /></div><div>So my question is, who is enacting Drucker's ideas today?</div><div><br /><br /></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-38364088622486034672009-09-28T08:19:00.000-07:002009-09-28T09:14:47.158-07:00Project Infusion, Miami<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY919xr_zoJUHA-5G0UW_aUt4LUfOQUrpk9qPMXImVK1ZOoWJL9KadqDEnDaiDT75UV3dk-ss5hd5QJ5nDiQdI_eshJPMyCw6lUozpG_oCcANyAmp8z_4vAZaonx9f197faIIZd4LwAhB/s1600-h/Swine_Flu.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY919xr_zoJUHA-5G0UW_aUt4LUfOQUrpk9qPMXImVK1ZOoWJL9KadqDEnDaiDT75UV3dk-ss5hd5QJ5nDiQdI_eshJPMyCw6lUozpG_oCcANyAmp8z_4vAZaonx9f197faIIZd4LwAhB/s400/Swine_Flu.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386538759111969106" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'm back from the IDSA National Conference, Project Infusion, in Miami, and will post my impressions of some of the more interesting sessions in the next few days. Until then, we'll make do with some of the extracurricular events at the conference: Damien Vizcarra, Kevin Young, and Jung Tak of <a href="http://www.dcontinuum.com/content/index.php">Continuum</a> with their </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">double</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">-winning entry in the IBM Ultimate Derby, "Swine Flu." The design won </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">both</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the race in their category </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the People's Favorite award. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Money added to the car's piggy bank increased the weight and so made the car go faster. I and a number of others packed our change into it until it was full. The designers are multiplying the amount collected by ten and will donate $ 1000 to design education. Nice going, guys!</div><div><br /></div><div>Below, <a href="http://www.designandemotion.org/society/conference/interview_lorraine_justice.html">Lorraine Justice</a>, Head of the Design School at Hong Kong Polytechnic, in a round of PowerPoint Karaoke, in which she presents slides she has never seen before. This was a diversion cooked up by <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tamara-christensen/6/990/7a6">Tamara Christensen</a> of Arizona State, and was great fun between sessions.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY919xr_zoJUHA-5G0UW_aUt4LUfOQUrpk9qPMXImVK1ZOoWJL9KadqDEnDaiDT75UV3dk-ss5hd5QJ5nDiQdI_eshJPMyCw6lUozpG_oCcANyAmp8z_4vAZaonx9f197faIIZd4LwAhB/s1600-h/Swine_Flu.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpY4sU-hzTqls9GBTvbGKkxf246Q36bM3HGuI9RFd1kgP70EkO-x0Jcy60jnqbm8uK15vc7gNygN44WckTMdxjNjEO_Lo0eop1_Y1CzpDYH6k1oo4_6aRu2f91VsfBFZtJrDYHCujFqeX/s1600-h/Lorraine_Ppt_Karaoke.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpY4sU-hzTqls9GBTvbGKkxf246Q36bM3HGuI9RFd1kgP70EkO-x0Jcy60jnqbm8uK15vc7gNygN44WckTMdxjNjEO_Lo0eop1_Y1CzpDYH6k1oo4_6aRu2f91VsfBFZtJrDYHCujFqeX/s400/Lorraine_Ppt_Karaoke.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386538685363371394" /></a><br /></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-78172988028421870732009-09-14T11:28:00.001-07:002009-09-14T11:42:10.140-07:00F L Wright's Meyer May House Anniversary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKFIBwqPqklFYyCSQrWfwYYFNMzQBMtkV5CssZJYOwDE2aktYv6bnzOQI5xDGXsjqINlibuQL4mYL_qtHwr1s32INW_m7FDe5YK6g7VKA56i9MQklUlkSHEB6OoDtCY7yHuMGC5of2QzQ/s1600-h/meyermayhouse1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKFIBwqPqklFYyCSQrWfwYYFNMzQBMtkV5CssZJYOwDE2aktYv6bnzOQI5xDGXsjqINlibuQL4mYL_qtHwr1s32INW_m7FDe5YK6g7VKA56i9MQklUlkSHEB6OoDtCY7yHuMGC5of2QzQ/s400/meyermayhouse1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381392260546219202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS22vW3QESki78T_9RajxuN_1EY91Ws-_Rr6iPnQH5X5ipOfkJIUQzr6KCXz3-4P8ioREGI7AFzd9Xhe5GCDojczd7VVUHi-1zhyGwj1uts0APl_yBR81OJk_UD8-W2p9m5x1NvvlKuxU/s1600-h/meyermayhouse5.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguS22vW3QESki78T_9RajxuN_1EY91Ws-_Rr6iPnQH5X5ipOfkJIUQzr6KCXz3-4P8ioREGI7AFzd9Xhe5GCDojczd7VVUHi-1zhyGwj1uts0APl_yBR81OJk_UD8-W2p9m5x1NvvlKuxU/s400/meyermayhouse5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381392175454666130" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">September 10th was the 100th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright's Meyer May House, built for retail magnate Meyer May in 1909 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is perhaps the most meticulously-preserved example of Wright's work, renovated by <a href="http://steelcase.com/na/">Steelcase</a> in 1987. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As I get ready to take another group of students through the history of industrial design, it's a joy to find Steelcase's detailed site about this house. I especially like the <a href="http://meyermayhouse.steelcase.com/house">video</a> on the house and the process of restoring it, as well as the section that illuminates <a href="http://meyermayhouse.steelcase.com/principles">Wright's design principles</a>. Any student of ID or architectural history will be rewarded for spending some time here.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-72890909717887765242009-09-12T12:27:00.000-07:002009-09-14T11:40:23.222-07:00Analytical Toolsets<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj424oXyAi7i4yoi4W81vr0WlDgN2mg-5mgBKgJSRuHyXZ_qHTXo7KMrgjk9vIdZhBE1oY4MzJpT3ULk88-9y72hSgxfFWqU4BAfqR00bAXl0uPi12JE1dKdqawfqlqsUY91VBnzFN4BqbY/s1600-h/Payne_Palette.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj424oXyAi7i4yoi4W81vr0WlDgN2mg-5mgBKgJSRuHyXZ_qHTXo7KMrgjk9vIdZhBE1oY4MzJpT3ULk88-9y72hSgxfFWqU4BAfqR00bAXl0uPi12JE1dKdqawfqlqsUY91VBnzFN4BqbY/s400/Payne_Palette.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380665791038201554" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here is the set of tools for analysis of research data that </span><a href="http://www.momentnyc.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">John Payne</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> presented at </span><a href="http://www.epic2009.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">EPIC 2009</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. He ran a workshop in which we discussed and refined this process. I was especially interested, as I had come to the same conclusion as John—that there are few who have assembled an organized and comprehensive way to analyze research results. I had begun to assemble a kit of tools of my own:</span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj424oXyAi7i4yoi4W81vr0WlDgN2mg-5mgBKgJSRuHyXZ_qHTXo7KMrgjk9vIdZhBE1oY4MzJpT3ULk88-9y72hSgxfFWqU4BAfqR00bAXl0uPi12JE1dKdqawfqlqsUY91VBnzFN4BqbY/s1600-h/Payne_Palette.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbYeGg6mApz2lQEfQA3litTdTW7NPwno6Qw4ApanZ5c_JzfgYD6wxUxYo2ukd93IO_k9HBDk2OOKs9A2Qhp0_Fk7CYerYzynyTiyjpmM3avqEjBkBIXV8GHy9BI22SpCMBCENIZn674IC/s1600-h/Analysis-Synthesis.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbYeGg6mApz2lQEfQA3litTdTW7NPwno6Qw4ApanZ5c_JzfgYD6wxUxYo2ukd93IO_k9HBDk2OOKs9A2Qhp0_Fk7CYerYzynyTiyjpmM3avqEjBkBIXV8GHy9BI22SpCMBCENIZn674IC/s400/Analysis-Synthesis.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380665639476979730" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In my previous post I showed the "Tool Picker" for helping design students decide which research methods to use. The right-hand edge of that diagram containing the list of methods is shown, above. The question: after you use the proscribed set of methods in the field, how do you make sense of what you've found? </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have been putting together a set of tools gathered from my own experience and the experience of others (such as the good folks at the </span><a href="http://www.id.iit.edu/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Institute of Design at IIT</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><a href="http://dori3.typepad.com/my_weblog/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dori Tunstall</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><a href="http://www.mobilityvip.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lloyd Walker</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, Andy Ogden, among others). This is the "Insights : Opportunities" deck we've been using in my Design Investigations course. The intent is that, with the use of a variety of "lenses" through which to look at the data, the conclusions will be more robust. I've been very pleased with the results. Where before, students finished their research presentations with a single slide containing three or four bullet-point conclusions, they are now concluding with ten or twelve slides, each pointing out a viable design opportunity that derives from an insight from the research.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When I saw John's Analysis / Synthesis Palette at EPIC, I was fascinated. He is coming at the same problem from a completely different direction. I am using the metaphor of a group of individuals looking at the research data, each with a different point of view. John is looking at the process itself, and creating, in a wonderfully methodical way, different ways to arrange, sift, compile, deconstruct, and recombine the data, winding up with prescribed directions.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I will be looking over my notes for some time, to decide how I will change what I'm doing based on his approach. </span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-45277624800280698312009-09-05T14:40:00.001-07:002009-09-05T15:37:45.553-07:00The Insight : Opportunity Deck<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD26X3PnigzF8IY-MOIDha-z6elA5mtk7Cpv43eAbsIZPDP6kTXbtsSkhgI5rFMhpSlT9naCbgHF0rAZOnIRvOOd5Qj4o61_iUS399BGKcLf9llly8BphY9RUt52bxu0u6E0BmOwRyMnSa/s1600-h/AnalysisDeck_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD26X3PnigzF8IY-MOIDha-z6elA5mtk7Cpv43eAbsIZPDP6kTXbtsSkhgI5rFMhpSlT9naCbgHF0rAZOnIRvOOd5Qj4o61_iUS399BGKcLf9llly8BphY9RUt52bxu0u6E0BmOwRyMnSa/s400/AnalysisDeck_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378101732470292322" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Research is worthless unless it fuels the design process. Once the fieldwork is done, we need additional tools to help us make sense of what we've got. I have been using a variant of the KJ Method (developed by Jiro Kawakita in the 60s, similar to Affinity Diagrams) for years in my course, but recently I've begun to beef up the process by which we analyze what results. I've begun to assemble a deck of analytical aids to help guide students' thinking into areas they might not automatically consider. I've found many methods in use for fieldwork and am developing an aid to reduce the complexity of navigating that decision (discussed in the previous post), but to date I haven't found many aids for making sense of the the analysis process.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In practice, designers always work in a multidisciplinary team and research findings are interpreted by a number of different specialists: designers, human factors engineers, anthropologists—the list varies according to the needs of the project. In student work and also in small design firms, those multiple viewpoints may not exist. The deck consists of lists of questions that we can "ask" the data—questions that an anthropologist might ask, or a cognitive scientist, or an engineer, or a management consultant.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD26X3PnigzF8IY-MOIDha-z6elA5mtk7Cpv43eAbsIZPDP6kTXbtsSkhgI5rFMhpSlT9naCbgHF0rAZOnIRvOOd5Qj4o61_iUS399BGKcLf9llly8BphY9RUt52bxu0u6E0BmOwRyMnSa/s1600-h/AnalysisDeck_sm.jpg"></a><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD26X3PnigzF8IY-MOIDha-z6elA5mtk7Cpv43eAbsIZPDP6kTXbtsSkhgI5rFMhpSlT9naCbgHF0rAZOnIRvOOd5Qj4o61_iUS399BGKcLf9llly8BphY9RUt52bxu0u6E0BmOwRyMnSa/s1600-h/AnalysisDeck_sm.jpg"></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGC5T-15DXr0CfMOxyAtrtfOQH1jrSY9rapvZ0Cbqg2ZKfZa-wXi7K45SE81SSiKcRhiKHuqUEgrF42sVGaWSuqr-cNlr-jSsBtrDInD3yMQ3mjzhGZ8AQgofgRkgXMkyejA7tP_OxB5be/s400/AnalysisDeckUse_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378101831008422050" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Students stand in front of the wall of data and work their way through the deck, each card acting as a lens through which they view the data. The deck is in two parts: an insight deck and an opportunity deck. The first part helps reveal important insights that might fuel design opportunities. We work slowly and methodically through the deck, making an effort to find—even force—connections between the questions and the data.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-pnLnh0sBhJSR2NU7sKWGjTrtNfFysHYV4EXj_6JpOAUSq9x7y965vLZ2_3wx8szfMUtX7mCHOqEfVzqecSys6lZV777KeiIr_NB8eGpQCDKd96NWqxn2htgupi8JaT55xPg9HKX1z1a/s400/DeckCharts.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378110630025209602" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The insights are listed, mapped, or arranged in diagrams, as needed. The second deck is used to create and validate the design opportunities represented by each insight. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This process takes two or three weeks, at least. At the end, we link the insights to opportunities for design intervention, seeking quantity, quality, depth, and range: products, experiences, and business models from near term to blue sky, mild to wild. Our aim is to present our clients with a robust set of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">insight : opportunity pairs</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, hooking each opportunity to the insight that inspired it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This is a work in process. Last week at <a href="http://www.epic2009.com/">EPIC2009</a> I took part in an amazing workshop with John Payne from </span><a href="http://www.momentnyc.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">MomentDesign</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, who showed us an analysis framework he's been developing, and based on that excellent session (which I hope to cover in an upcoming post) I know I will be developing this further.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be presenting this work at the <a href="http://www.idsa.org/ProjectInfusion/index.html">IDSA National Conference in Miam</a>i in a few weeks. If any of you are attending, I'd love to have the opportunity to show you more and get your feedback. See you there!</div></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-32429346893392944902009-09-04T10:05:00.001-07:002009-09-04T10:41:09.314-07:00Designing Design Research<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RVLZiAmVQVJH7f2SlzMrS4PQqpg2DoMgDGeYHzFyriE943i_IUckYB7-aDaY-oYQVlNKNZjJft17EzbeEnvLYfbyFST2LX5hTijJCjbxrHDvg-g3-VA3toU2QQCMoG2RbdUC8Sxpnq6Q/s1600-h/Decision_Tree_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 327px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0RVLZiAmVQVJH7f2SlzMrS4PQqpg2DoMgDGeYHzFyriE943i_IUckYB7-aDaY-oYQVlNKNZjJft17EzbeEnvLYfbyFST2LX5hTijJCjbxrHDvg-g3-VA3toU2QQCMoG2RbdUC8Sxpnq6Q/s400/Decision_Tree_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377662178411329954" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">By way of an explanation for why I haven't posted lately, this last term was consumed by two projects: finishing the plan for what I've come to call the "tool picker" (above) to help designers new to qualitative research expand their palette of methods, plus a set of analytical tools to use on the research data. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This, on top of a term of research for a multi-term project for the American Red Cross, kept me busier than a dot painter in a paisley tie factory. I'll post more on all of this in the upcoming weeks.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The so-called "tool picker," above, is an attempt to help designers explore beyond a set research methodology. As currently taught (and sometimes practiced), design research is often treated as a constant set of tools and, as a result, students tend to think that it's a standard process. The field of design research has evolved into a complex landscape of approaches, however, and good design practice stays abreast of these developments.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In order to help my students break out of a narrow approach and yet negotiate the complexity of the myriad methods in practice today, I am attempting to acquaint them with a comprehensive and yet manageable set of methods. Also, I need to equip them with an understanding of why, and in which situations, a particular approach would be effective.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Currently, the research approach is chosen by those with expertise. There is a "guru" who brings years of experience to bear on the decision. Is there a way to enable beginners to more quickly gain the experience necessary to know which approach might be best for a given problem?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I distilled the complex set of approaches in use today into a set of eighteen (you see them down the right-hand side of the diagram, above). I will be creating a decision-making tool to guide the students through the decision process by asking a series of questions about what type of knowledge they seek for a given topic.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Starting at the left-hand side with a careful choice of topic, students are asked to generate a research objective statement. We discuss issues of ethics, scope, appropriateness, and so forth, and gain explicit knowledge of the researcher's bias.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moving on to the decision process (while at the same time generating specifications of which sorts of participants will be recruited and engaging in the recruitment process), students begin to consider the type of knowledge they seek. We consider three general areas of knowledge about the user: what they do, what they feel, and who they are. Moving right-ward through the diagram, you can see how we move into finer levels of discrimination, arriving at a recommended set of methods.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a first rough design for the tool. When I first completed this version, I was disheartened at first by seeing that, if one worked backwards through the chart one could see that a skilled researcher could use any of the tools to uncover any of the types of knowledge desired. But I reminded myself that this is a decision tree that helps beginners and widens their view beyond a limited single-thread process. The tool is designed to lead them to the most appropriate choice, by no means the only choice possible. Once they've used the tool for a few projects, they will begin to gain knowledge of the wider set of approaches and begin to see how the different methods work in different cases. Once they begin to see that the tools actually can be tailored to many purposes, they are right where I want them: imbued with a robust working knowledge of the multivariate research process.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-50499202217805250432009-05-24T12:42:00.000-07:002009-05-24T13:07:10.822-07:00Crossing the Chasm<param name="movie" value="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80116000009C6C5000000011977FE32EB174C4D4A&embedversion=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf?path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80116000009C6C5000000011977FE32EB174C4D4A&embedversion=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="228" height="316"></embed><div class="pencast"><a href="http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/MLSOverviewPage?sid=b0nknLdjnr1l" target="_blank">Demo lecture</a><br /><small>brought to you by <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/" target="_blank">Livescribe</a></small><br /><br /></div><div class="pencast">Here's another "pen cast" from a user of the <a href="http://bennettation.blogspot.com/2009/05/serious-happiness-serious-toy.html">Pulse Smartpen</a>, a 7.5-minute lecturette on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Moore">Geoffrey Moore's</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Geoffrey-Moore/dp/0060517123/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243194752&sr=8-1"> book</a> about technology adoption and marketing. For those unfamiliar with the innovator—early adopter—early majority—late majority—laggard bell curve of how new technology gets adopted by markets, this is a useful overview. You might also be interested to read about Everett Rogers' technology adopter categories (described in his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations">Diffusion of Innovation theory)</a> on which it's based.</div><div class="pencast"><br /></div><div class="pencast">It's also a good little demo of how the pen can be used to illustrate a point. If you click on the link to the lecture on the Livescribe site, you'll see that a community of users are sharing their notes—from the sublime to the ridiculous. For those working in study groups and teams, this seems to be an interesting way to share notes with people who missed a class or a meeting.</div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-71234755894439831562009-05-10T10:54:00.000-07:002009-05-10T12:23:47.802-07:00A Peek Behind the Curtain<a href="http://studio.angoulvant.net/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcBUkinOGhnrXmz9VixfVpiIr3YPXab9wTIPYCWuIJSBhA9FGaP5CnTOxPlKo4kv1gSV3HH_bCyRYO_3sqyWcUkObV2g0b1ZoyXBLYstURIKfZ_K8B0MI9p_mjZ3-WxA0F656-dFzV-tqN/s400/design_process_2-week14-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334255907473913346" /></a><br /><a href="http://studio.angoulvant.net/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw24EUeemV6vJyxIS2Lhyphenhyphenxl2WO8FqxCt1iIUyX2fY81qetKIRT3V5quxf9f9gv8HMqoetUS2qQa5lvmPeie9QwJX5VYRxHUDRgahp_sgNmRIPJM1U0F4WSlQv4rqxfFOu8mQKZN5vby_lN/s400/design_process_2-week7-04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334255819283617826" /></a><br /><a href="http://studio.angoulvant.net/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKQCudQWkyCho7a_Ylnh0hKk6_Xmpe7ldgmFDSEH-QiHpoHjqYgTtZBvCfnBZ5UyrVHCWEhQc8mK6RcAOcx6Rgk_DSfdG_H-5Pnby49C0Y5z8xvpDjaC5ryTi30trqPOG3YjIS_fW8Hi7/s400/design_process_2-week7-01.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334255634150183666" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>I've struggled for years to accurately convey the complex picture of industrial design at <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/">Art Center</a>—the reality behind the hype. We are sometimes viewed as shallow stylists, mostly because what people see of our work are slick photos of final models. Rarely do people get to see the process that we employ, and the thinking behind it. This isn't limited to us, by the way—if you examine what gets published about industrial design, you'll see an endless parade of glamour shots of the latest shiny thing, and the criteria used for the curation of this work seem to revolve around the hot image it will create in a magazine. This shallow picture isn't helped by the fact that we at Art Center are often running at such a pace that we—students <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">or</span> faculty—rarely get out to share with others what we're up to.</div><div><br /></div><div>Industrial designers complain that people misunderstand what we do. Part of the blame lies with us. We struggle to appear in publications that limit the view of our work to the single glam shot. If we're not careful, we might wind up like those architects who seem to design a building to create a photo op for the cover of Architectural Record—not to provide an optimal experience for the people who will inhabit the space.</div><div><br /></div><div>For years I've admired the way that IDEO crafts their own story. Through artful self-publication as well as controlled use of traditional publishing outlets, they have created the image that we have of them. They are not known for any particular design; they are known for their <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">innovation</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">process, </span>as they should be.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's a designer to do who doesn't have the firepower of a major office as backup? Check out the blog of industrial design student <a href="http://studio.angoulvant.net/">Stéphane Angoulvant</a>. In January 09, at the beginning of his second term (or the second half of his freshman year), he decided to start a record of his work at Art Center, project by project, course by course. </div><div><br /></div><div>We get to look over his shoulder as he tackles each assignment, understanding not only the process he uses to solve the problem but also the rationale for the assignment in the first place, how it fits into the stream of coursework that makes up the curriculum. He does this without undue self-aggrandizement but with quiet confidence and clear-eyed excitement. As he says in his kickoff post, "Just want to keep it simple here and post what I can from my ongoing design projects." Following his posts I see the world that we have created for our students from the student's-eye view, and at the same time get to revisit the fun of my own experience learning the design process so long ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following a notice on <a href="http://www.coroflot.com/creativeseeds/2009/01/design_students_take_note_step.asp">Coroflot</a> earlier this year, the blog has acquired an <a href="http://boards.core77.com/viewtopic.php?t=17570">enthusiastic following</a> of fellow students and admirers. By the time Stéphane reaches his 8th term, he will have already created that new requirement for career success—a solid web presence.</div><div><br /></div><div>I find this profound in so many ways—seeing the world of the Other from their point of view (which is what my research methodology is all about), seeing the organic start of a designer building what will eventually become his career and his reputation, and perhaps most interesting, seeing how young designers gather together in communities of shared interest. <a href="http://www.idsa.org/">IDSA</a>, and all who purport to be gathering places for designers, take special note of this last one.</div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-52816831148924621752009-05-06T12:28:00.000-07:002009-05-06T14:46:23.419-07:00Serious Happiness, Serious Toy<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/33077568@N00/1455170696/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgHRLdUAzUb9_C8-qAJg44ONX-I30qV7Yn6HVet_5vPMIcPEGxs6ZgRzz3uNjAYCq2WpirG8YW3EF_J8mpP12bHG634pXryKF98liRC8dxQvV0RFSuQP59X-2gMoepf3m7YxQhsdzjeSu/s400/Swinging.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332799420201742994" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Last January I attended a <a href="http://www.cgu.edu/pages/5808.asp">conference</a> on Positive Psychology at Claremont Graduate University that confirms my belief that the best conferences to attend are ones outside your field. I had heard that one of my heroes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi">Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi</a>, would be speaking (the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Optimal-Experience-P-S/dp/0061339202/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241644385&sr=1-1">"Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience"</a> and one of the authors of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Experience-Sampling-Method-Measuring-Everyday/dp/1412949238/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241644446&sr=1-19">"Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life"</a>, which reveals him to be one of the granddaddies of what we call beeper studies), and I wanted to hear him. He was scheduled for the end of the day-long seminar, and I toyed with the idea of coming late just to hear him. I am so glad that I didn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>The entire conference was a revelation. The field of Positive Psychology is a young one but they are getting busy with the act of measuring happiness, developing a Manual of the Sanities (the opposite of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders">DSM</a>, or the "manual of the insanities," as they call it), and otherwise treating dysfunction, whether individual or organizational, by focusing on what one is doing right, rather than what one is doing wrong. Being firmly rooted in academia (and most likely attacked from all sides by traditional—i.e. dysfunction-focused—psychologists), they are building an impressive body of work that proves that thesis. You can find video of the entire conference on their <a href="http://www.cgu.edu/pages/5808.asp">web site,</a> plus a good overview of the field in <a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1606395,00.html">this Time Magazine article</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I took the opportunity to try out my new <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/smartpen/index.html">Pulse Smartpen</a>, a product I'd bought with the hope that it would aid me in taking notes during research interviews. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfe0qq3e8tqg4C93zczFttvvbRlOP4IFst8v2Iw0sgKeJ7_pw2MwnnjSaYZ32OMAvyxlcBM_MKpL9g6qDAoobI3pW4AFszdOTlLb00QWYlrJbbPCuOtxjWumez9Kt351EMn2kB1BCLUqf/s1600-h/pulse_student.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfe0qq3e8tqg4C93zczFttvvbRlOP4IFst8v2Iw0sgKeJ7_pw2MwnnjSaYZ32OMAvyxlcBM_MKpL9g6qDAoobI3pW4AFszdOTlLb00QWYlrJbbPCuOtxjWumez9Kt351EMn2kB1BCLUqf/s400/pulse_student.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332804755767774370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px; " /></a><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>What an amazing product. Usually these things are vaporware; this is the first product I've seen of this type that performs as advertised, with very few glitches. The pen works with paper printed in a proprietary dot pattern licensed from the <a href="http://www.anoto.com/">Anoto Group.</a> The dots are in a random pattern, and each area of the pattern is unique. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTN4cIw35TdEDr-uU58h9f-hOZSu37p4Y0DgkQryEIxCztXO6Va1SS3_uV9UMb8oUzEGYIrbNOtVPzFpqyWpNM79rEFrSiHGVn1_kxtv6dcikxkv4tK94jCzPQLID6LGwImIIAXY7uqdog/s1600-h/paper.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTN4cIw35TdEDr-uU58h9f-hOZSu37p4Y0DgkQryEIxCztXO6Va1SS3_uV9UMb8oUzEGYIrbNOtVPzFpqyWpNM79rEFrSiHGVn1_kxtv6dcikxkv4tK94jCzPQLID6LGwImIIAXY7uqdog/s400/paper.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332807424359376370" style="cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 264px; " /></a><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Evidently, they have generated an immense area of this pattern—something like an area equivalent to the size of Europe and Russia—and have printed it out on the pages of a set of notebooks that you use with the pen. If you can imagine chopping the pattern up into page-sized pieces and printing it in notebooks, each page of which is unique, you'll get the idea of the basis of the technology.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pen has an IR camera embedded in the tip that "sees" the dot pattern. The pen knows, then, where it is on any page of any of the eight notebooks. And just when you think, aha!, here's where they're making their money—you're hooked into buying their notebooks—it's true that you are, but the notebooks (standard spiral notebooks or 5.5 x 8.5 Moleskine-type books) cost about what the ordinary versions cost. Not a big deal.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the pen does not actually record the image of the pen stroke; it records the location the pen is on the paper when the pressure sensor indicates that you are pressing down, i.e. writing. It's a pretty fool-proof system that records what you write by hand and stores it in the flash memory in the pen.</div><div><br /></div><div>You dock the pen to your computer to download the files to a companion piece of software, the Livescribe Desktop, where you can view your notes.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_s83Q8W6kdqlcdWa6hxFNEKJlks5-dCB8ZHewtGqrR5j6OuCht6wAIvhyphenhyphenaSsk-YnEGXYgbFVegtxOg55R-cD7ydNn0cWHsBoovuAOyNTtOxPW37tF27rnLHWKfefSxE7jgCys4OpWVay/s1600-h/mac_ld_image_hi_res_b.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_s83Q8W6kdqlcdWa6hxFNEKJlks5-dCB8ZHewtGqrR5j6OuCht6wAIvhyphenhyphenaSsk-YnEGXYgbFVegtxOg55R-cD7ydNn0cWHsBoovuAOyNTtOxPW37tF27rnLHWKfefSxE7jgCys4OpWVay/s400/mac_ld_image_hi_res_b.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332809732645991938" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 360px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"Cool," you say. But wait. There's more. The pen has a microphone on it that can record audio of what's going on when you write. And it links it to what you write. So. In your notebook, on the analogue version of your notes, you can tap the pen on any part of those notes and the pen will replay the audio that was recorded. It does this on a crappy little speaker on the pen, but on the computer, when you click on the visual image of the notes with your cursor, the playback audio reveals that the mic on the pen is surprisingly good for the size of the pen, and if the speakers on your computer are good (or you're listening through a headset), you will hear surprisingly good-quality audio.</div><div><br /></div><div>But wait. There's more. The pen comes with a headset that plugs into a mini-jack at the top end. Each earbud on the headset not only contains a speaker but also contains <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">its own microphone</span>. When you wear the headset while taking notes, the pen will record binaural, stereo audio. The playback, if you listen through the headset or through any headset connected to your computer, will give you a "you are there" experience of the event. This is seriously cool. Knowing just enough about brain science to make me dangerous, I can imagine that a learning-disabled child, taking notes with the pen and headset in school, can replay the notes later and hearing the stereo recording will enable him to better recall the experience of the teacher's lecture, hence enabling better incorporation of the knowledge. Just a theory, but I'm sticking to it. At the very least, the high-quality binaural audio puts me back into the conference in an immersive way, which I know helps my recall of the event.</div><div><br /></div><div>They call these recordings linked to notes "paper replay" sessions, and there is a community web site where one can upload paper replay sessions for others to access online. I haven't experimented with this part of the system until now (I've only looked around at some of the recorded sessions that others have uploaded there). They just added the ability to embed sessions into blogs, so I'm trying it out. Here goes.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="pencast"><a href="http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/MLSOverviewPage?sid=0cNNNNNNNNNN" target="_blank">01.24.2009 09:14:09 AM Claremont: Seligman</a><br /><small>brought to you by <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/" target="_blank">Livescribe</a></small><br /><object width="228" height="316"><param name="movie" value="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80115000009C5F81A00000120F37444876DC65D21&embedversion=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf?path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80115000009C5F81A00000120F37444876DC65D21&embedversion=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="228" height="316"></embed></object></div><br /></div><div>This is a 7-minute session of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seligman">Martin Seligman</a>'s introductory remarks at the Claremont Positive Psychology conference. I recorded this with the headset, and if you listen to it with headphones, you'll see the quality of the binaural audio. Pretty darned cool.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh. By the way. Click with your cursor anywhere on the greyed-out notes and you'll skip instantly to that part of the recording. This is immensely helpful for reviewing longer talks, like this one:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="pencast"><a href="http://www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/MLSOverviewPage?sid=rcrNC69dVq06" target="_blank">Cyberterrorism: Col. Jodine Tooke 02.19.2009 01:52:14 PM</a><br /><small>brought to you by <a href="http://www.livescribe.com/" target="_blank">Livescribe</a></small><br /><object width="228" height="316"><param name="movie" value="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80115000009C5461B00000120F37444876DC65D21&embedversion=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.livescribe.com/media/swf/embedPlayer.swf?path=http%3A//www.livescribe.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/LDApp.woa/wa/flashXML%3Fxml%3D0000C0A80115000009C5461B00000120F37444876DC65D21&embedversion=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="228" height="316"></embed></object></div><br /></div><div>This one is a longer recording, but an interesting one. I recorded it at <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/">Art Center College of Design's</a> <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/summit/">2009 Summit</a>, a small conference we hold each February on the topic of sustainability. This talk is an example of why I like this little conference—it attracts a wide variety of presenters on a number of interesting topics, in this case Col. Jodine Tooke, who is talking about how the US Air Force is keeping us safe from Cyberterrorism. Pretty darn cool as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of the length of the recording, you can see how, by clicking anywhere on the image of the notes you can skip to that part of the talk. This makes listening to a longer talk much easier—you can navigate around within it in an intelligent way (as long as the notes I've taken are intelligible to you, which they may or may not be... sorry). This is a marked improvement on merely listening to an audio file, where your only option is to scroll forward or backward, without knowing where you are "landing."</div><div><br /></div><div>This second recording is an example of what is captured without using the headset—just recording with the mic in the pen. Not bad at all, although you'll note that it's a monaural recording.</div><div><br /></div><div>In sum, I'm very happy with the pen. In the past, I've recorded using a <a href="http://www.educational-software.com/belkin-universal-ipod-microphone-adapter-white-details.html">Belkin mic</a> attached to my iPod, making note of the time signature in my notebook whenever the speaker says anything interesting, so that I'd be able to cut straight to that part of the recording later. With this pen, the linking of written notes to recorded audio is automatic.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only glitch that I've found is that not all of my pen strokes are captured, which you can see in the first example, above. I was writing more slowly in the second example, and so (while my handwriting is atrocious, sorry) you can see the complete words.</div><div><br /></div><div>My friends who are designers are not happy that the pen strokes are recorded as lines of consistent width. They would like the dynamic quality (thick, thin) of the line to be captured. To them, I say, This is not a Wacom tablet. Get over it. It would, however, be an easy way to record simple sketches (the files can be saved three ways: as linked Paper Replay sessions, as JPEG files, and as AIFF sound files) and get them into a layer in Illustrator or Photoshop to use as an underlay. You can buy unlined Moleskine-type notebooks with the dot pattern only, which would make this easy.</div><div><br /></div><div>All in all I'm pretty happy with the pen, and it's made accessing my notes much easier than before. I used to attend conferences and take copious notes that I'd rarely look at later. I find that I'm accessing what I've written much more often now.</div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-37524855267514186272009-01-02T12:42:00.000-08:002009-01-02T13:57:43.520-08:00The Omnivorous Eye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4P5wswA69b8DPtAPBzkBB2l3DXkBbh0yZ_y_fWBri2u8gTuryuLo2zcWugECbRozqyU9qFez68JUK8LMUYFfITrr9v18poT8_ny76i8DcrYbsEkXO7LgMIu3Mp42QlrsIhBQbjOstIH0/s1600-h/blueprint.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig4P5wswA69b8DPtAPBzkBB2l3DXkBbh0yZ_y_fWBri2u8gTuryuLo2zcWugECbRozqyU9qFez68JUK8LMUYFfITrr9v18poT8_ny76i8DcrYbsEkXO7LgMIu3Mp42QlrsIhBQbjOstIH0/s400/blueprint.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286815043815506402" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:x-small;">California Department of Transportation District 7 Headquarters, Thom Mayne, 2004</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW1pO7sqJCrBGYz-Gnk-1caOPtRlVEv6wVQbDGz5RWqx6EuDuUbR7Xt1lXXvmNKfE4QQMx9s6DFNT5zMoDKrHCrBK-sl3TwogDZOsnySY7diDmCRp2ISPu31g76z4ybv-o0uJYC56TdBg/s1600-h/gilmore.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW1pO7sqJCrBGYz-Gnk-1caOPtRlVEv6wVQbDGz5RWqx6EuDuUbR7Xt1lXXvmNKfE4QQMx9s6DFNT5zMoDKrHCrBK-sl3TwogDZOsnySY7diDmCRp2ISPu31g76z4ybv-o0uJYC56TdBg/s400/gilmore.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286813681030343282" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:x-small;">Earl's Service, Gilmore Gas Station, Farmers Market</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_e1eZ805e6YmC-FLYGbK9ygig2MBEyAQDuRq-_BYU3lvp2TTLIrZQqyDsRBG7tujm6YKHF5DTRQqYwI8aEMa1Wu8o4khjY9eEtFjY_ibU6O5tbODJBFmhj3JDku4DJXqETK7ttZyZ7F_/s1600-h/sean_casey.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_e1eZ805e6YmC-FLYGbK9ygig2MBEyAQDuRq-_BYU3lvp2TTLIrZQqyDsRBG7tujm6YKHF5DTRQqYwI8aEMa1Wu8o4khjY9eEtFjY_ibU6O5tbODJBFmhj3JDku4DJXqETK7ttZyZ7F_/s400/sean_casey.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286799922963837890" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:x-small;"><a href="http://blogs.discovery.com/storm_chasers/2008/10/greetings-from.html">Sean Casey</a>, storm chaser and IMAX director, in front of his Tornado Intercept Vehicle</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:10px;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I think 90% of design research is the act of walking through the world with your eyes open. Today I was reminded of Martin Schall, one of the all-time champions in that department. Schall, called "LA's Intimate Stranger" by the LA Times, has been shooting Los Angeles—mostly our architecture, but also vehicles, street art, and anything else that catches his distinguished eye—since he visited as a tourist in 1966. He makes yearly pilgrimages to our fair city and though he's not known for it even to those close to him, he has become well known here and among urban designers for the detailed, street-level documentation of LA on his web site, <a href="http://you-are-here.com/">you-are-here.com</a>. He's not an architect, photographer or connected to urban design at all. He's a German oil and gas engineer who works on oil rigs in the Persian Gulf. What spare time he has is dedicated to maintaining the web site, and when his boss forces him to take time off, he comes to LA to continue his mission. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I celebrate his magnificent obsession and invite you to examine the length and breadth of his site—the STARchitects, the Googie, the Transportation, and especially the <a href="http://you-are-here.com/info/los_angeles_map.html">MAP</a>—with the same attention to detail that he gives our town. You won't be disappointed. </span></div></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-3651911156738164212008-12-31T11:15:00.001-08:002008-12-31T12:06:21.262-08:00What I'm Up To<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXo9_57oqumwJn01egJYBLH6jdgeT8KiCrn_54hyphenhyphen5AL77EluXwJ7BWtE0aLQkzvRsUhafURSS-cBkbrFhgNO83D-mnIFbX2V6cxQuUstD8HeWkL1sts96xfchbvunwWlfXNg3qDHuF-EoK/s1600-h/CampBoomer_01_det.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXo9_57oqumwJn01egJYBLH6jdgeT8KiCrn_54hyphenhyphen5AL77EluXwJ7BWtE0aLQkzvRsUhafURSS-cBkbrFhgNO83D-mnIFbX2V6cxQuUstD8HeWkL1sts96xfchbvunwWlfXNg3qDHuF-EoK/s400/CampBoomer_01_det.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286035173085656866" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Research wall from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Camp Boomer</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">, a three-term research project on Baby Boomers entering retirement, by <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradye">Laura Dye</a> and <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/866/2b3">Heather Emerson</a>, back when they were my students.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I'm two-thirds through with my MSID in design research at Art Center, and I feel the need to take stock of where I am. I've been teaching design research to product design students at Art Center since 1991, but since my journey down the path of getting this additional degree I have been traveling over some interesting ground. Here's an update.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">My goal is to be able to teach product design students how to do credible and effective qualitative design research. Most product designers are at first focused on the methods, like we would be on any set of tools. Give me the tools, and I'll use 'em. I think this comes from how we learn the design process. It is a standard sequence—investigation, problem definition, ideation, concept generation, concept refinement, final design specification. We learn it by doing it, over and over. We expect that any problem can be solved by the application of this process, and for the most part this is true.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The investigation stage, however, has its own set of tools (methods), borrowed from science, psychology, anthropology, etc., and there is no standard set that applies to all situations. It is important to know not only the methods that are out there, but also the rationale behind their application. And nobody has a complete list. For example, Brenda Laurel’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Design-Research-Perspectives-Brenda-Laurel/dp/0262122634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230751618&sr=8-1">Design Research</a> cites 36; the <a href="http://www.designandemotion.org/society/knowledge_base/tools_methods.html">Design and Emotion Society’s Methods and Tools</a> web site describes 57 (not all research—some of those are analysis); and IDEO outlines 36 research and 15 analysis tools in their <a href="http://www.ideo.com/work/item/method-cards/">Method Cards</a>. After reviewing these and other sources and allowing for duplication, I have found 52 distinct techniques for research and 18 for analysis (and I've only begun to compile a list of those).</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Many design firms' initial experience with research is via the hiring of a specialist. They observe the process that that person uses for a particular investigation and assume that that is "the process," (it's as if they think that, like design itself, design research has a universal process applicable to all situations). Some offices then polish up that process, giving it a catchy name and graphic veneer, and add it to the list of their firm's capabilities as a branded form of research, much like they began to offer engineering capability in the 80s. It's a way of making their firms more marketable. In the competitive environment of today's consulting offices, this is understandable and necessary.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The problem is that the research approach should differ depending on the issues under investigation. Good research takes into consideration the entire palette of methods available and chooses the right set to uncover the necessary knowledge in each situation. It's vitally important, then, to understand the rationale behind each choice.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">And above all it is important that designers understand that qualitative research is not merely a kit of tools, it is an approach. At its heart is an immutable demand: to understand and have empathy with the point of view of all customers and stakeholders in a situation. In order to gain this understanding one must make smart decisions about which methodologies to employ. [I use the term methodology to mean the tool, or method, plus the rationale behind using it.]</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So my goal is twofold: first, to acquaint my students with at least a basic set of methods, and second, to enable them to understand why, and in which situations, a particular one would be effective.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I continue to teach my course the way I've done it since 1991: using the time-honored project-based learning we're accustomed to—learning by doing. The students engage in fourteen weeks of field research and analysis (in some cases, more than one term's worth, as in Laura Dye and Heather Emerson's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Camp Boomer </span>project, above), culminating in a research presentation. They choose the topic and I advise them on approaches that would be effective. The problem with this is that the students, like the consulting firms I describe earlier, often come away from the experience thinking that there is one way to do research.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">To remedy this I have added a theoretical component that teaches the wider range of methods and their accompanying rationales. A survey of the methods is followed by learning the principles behind their application via the case study method. The cases are written specifically to teach design research, and each case centers on important axioms. Much like the case study method pioneered by the Harvard Business School, the cases provide opportunities for students to engage in discussions centered on the decision process involved. Instead of discussions about management theory, the cases I am writing focus on the decisions necessary for planning research activities. A range of cases allow students to act out the planning process—and choose approaches—for research that would apply to a variety of design problems.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So far, I've got that long list of methods and am working on descriptions of each of them (broken down into: a brief description, an example, the objective, the procedure, the rationale, advantages and limitations, and citations of references where one could go for more examples, papers by those who have used the approach, etc).</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I've got a few simple cases that I have used to teach basic axioms, and am working on some larger ones with research specialists from a couple of well-known firms. Both are excited about my doing this work, and although it's a tall order to flesh these out, it will be worth it.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; min-height: 15px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">While I started out like many product designers, focusing on finding "the right kit of tools," I have come to realize that the so-called tools are only a means to an end. What really matters is how smart you are at analyzing what you get from using them, and figuring out what it means.</span></p></span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-60039910109460114342008-11-01T14:43:00.001-07:002008-11-01T15:26:51.503-07:00This Is Brilliant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLosGJNTlgrCBnHD7NSYWiCGLiqf7lnCtwcilsa16fDzQ-CxNdHVdonvMVJGDj8tIdnGg6qj4U_x8AqBwE2UhpU2YVq2QEZgpLRsaeRmBgIUzxlmSaM0PtlKrlLL2sZSEwEdBTuuYjWzrj/s1600-h/Plug_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLosGJNTlgrCBnHD7NSYWiCGLiqf7lnCtwcilsa16fDzQ-CxNdHVdonvMVJGDj8tIdnGg6qj4U_x8AqBwE2UhpU2YVq2QEZgpLRsaeRmBgIUzxlmSaM0PtlKrlLL2sZSEwEdBTuuYjWzrj/s400/Plug_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263808115174523506" /></a><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">You can accuse me of living under a rock because I haven't seen one of these before, but this is absolutely <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">brilliant</span>. I just bought a new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BGR400XL-1800-Watt-Removable-Plate-Grill/dp/B000TRH5T8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1225577734&sr=1-1">contact grill</a> and take a look at the plug on the cord set. For all of you designers out there who bemoan the "stupidity" of consumers, how they won't follow directions, bla bla bla, take note of this simple design solution. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The problem is as old as electric products themselves. People grab the cord rather than the plug to unplug an appliance, eventually ruining the cord. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The conventional solution: warn people not to do this. Put it in the instruction manual. Get irritated at them and call them <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">stupid</span> for ignoring this warning.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The brilliant solution: Breville's designers designed the plug with a convenient hole to hook a finger into. Yes, I know there are plugs with flanges that provide good affordances for pulling. My <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dyson-DC-11-Telescope-Canister/dp/B0001K5GOE">Dyson</a> has one of these:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3CC47nHlsXq5iYHEQzzbolx3Ly3KaML91hJr12U1IGz4XgVZjcDU90WreKP10wWcE_lH8kS6W1-lfwRt3lLASHNqadDAT5QMYjfmyX25vPxbgeOhaTgadxjBFwJc9zgnA4EOT4865bkv/s400/Plug2_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263813511056971762" /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Sure, either of these affordances could be ignored, but the shape of the Breville plug, top, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">invites</span> us to use it in the way the designers intend. It's a message from the designer: "Here's something helpful. I'm thinking of you."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Moral of the story. Design things to accommodate what your customer actually does, rather than what you think they <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">should</span> do. Give, in a spirit of generosity. Remember <a href="http://bennettation.blogspot.com/2008/08/objects-of-affection-part-6.html">Eva Zeisel</a> and her message to us: Design is a gift across time from the one who made it to the one who receives it.</span></div></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-6220530469634201682008-10-19T13:00:00.000-07:002008-10-19T13:00:00.293-07:00Stroller Theory, Revisited<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKprU87EY_o4x1shIfGtxK_33ZiMAcPZk8zMB2Qe2drEdORmU0StMLsfqptiAkBTPEsQNhh4q8me7fsur6cDeBnyFseznQgoij4DgVp68fejSDx9Gk3o9ckpQiiWSQ0zH_G06MZBwPK5z/s1600-h/segway-baby-stroller.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKprU87EY_o4x1shIfGtxK_33ZiMAcPZk8zMB2Qe2drEdORmU0StMLsfqptiAkBTPEsQNhh4q8me7fsur6cDeBnyFseznQgoij4DgVp68fejSDx9Gk3o9ckpQiiWSQ0zH_G06MZBwPK5z/s400/segway-baby-stroller.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258651437222166386" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, so much for my Unified Stroller Theory (previous post). Like I tell my students, Strauss and Howe's <a href="http://www.fourthturning.com/html/millennial_generation.html">pronouncements about generational types</a> don't account for individual variations.</span></span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-66004958519032321042008-10-18T13:38:00.000-07:002008-10-18T17:19:46.517-07:00Stroller Theory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOL-22tTnOMA9ctEfgmRiy3csK6eBq7in3kI2VC7UzboXqN4H_q9BjubdC4I3B-eQVX-fpBnR8dMIplSVznHzRRpH3uHo52lWoQQRvoaAS0AB0Icq3Vvg4ml48Umb2Cn9Pdv_vCatBDr8/s1600-h/MacLaren_B-01.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOL-22tTnOMA9ctEfgmRiy3csK6eBq7in3kI2VC7UzboXqN4H_q9BjubdC4I3B-eQVX-fpBnR8dMIplSVznHzRRpH3uHo52lWoQQRvoaAS0AB0Icq3Vvg4ml48Umb2Cn9Pdv_vCatBDr8/s400/MacLaren_B-01.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258609676824308866" /></span></span></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I was talking to my colleague <a href="http://www.idsa.org/idea/idea2003/S202.htm">Steve Montgomer</a>y today about my Unified Stroller Theory (it's not really unified, but I think theories sound better if called that, don't you?). The theory goes like this: I think the generational demographics outlined in Strauss and Howe's </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Generations: A History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> and expanded on in </span><a href="http://www.fourthturning.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The Fourth Turning</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">—that is, that societal attitudes about children and the degree of nurturance they receive have swung from casual to protective—are reflected in baby stroller design from the 60s to today.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">In the late 60s-early 70s, you saw minimal strollers like the first <a href="http://www.maclarenbaby.com/us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=137&Itemid=479">Maclaren</a>, above—no protection for the kid, all about convenience for the parent--because that generation of parents had a casual attitude toward parenting. Entitled beneficiaries of the post-WWII economic boom, this generation of parents carried childhood self-centeredness into adulthood. They seemed to view their lives and goals as central, with kids added. The kids were pretty much part of whatever the parents were doing. I can remember one of my young college professors who had a small child. Like many young adults at the time who were busy "finding themselves," she continued her work as a painter and teacher, and didn't skip a beat—the kid went wherever she did. I remember seeing her one day, forging her way across a busy city street, thrusting that baby carriage out in front of her as she raced across, mid-block. I can still picture that red Maclaren B-01 in my mind's eye.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlkez93oruhcQdKqXSASJ-ceHlS8byaZ1kPrN68IBgASgOP7rgxqK4khmiD72ldlRsqct2N33p8VgBVnfXZnVT_OROFFfOSW6oooUNdrmKm3R3aANU8M00l0h8O9x8N_zjXl-syEOBAzg/s1600-h/Baby_Jogger3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlkez93oruhcQdKqXSASJ-ceHlS8byaZ1kPrN68IBgASgOP7rgxqK4khmiD72ldlRsqct2N33p8VgBVnfXZnVT_OROFFfOSW6oooUNdrmKm3R3aANU8M00l0h8O9x8N_zjXl-syEOBAzg/s400/Baby_Jogger3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258609547580029874" /></a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Even the jogging stroller (especially the jogging stroller) fits the theory. The inventor, journalist and jogger </span><a href="http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088037,00.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Phil Baechler</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, wanted to spend more time with his son, but instead of dropping everything to do that, he built a stroller that allowed him to bring the boy along with what he would be doing anyway. No judgement here on the quality of parenting—just observing that in these examples, the kid is included in the parent's life, rather than the parent's life being solely centered on the child. What I see today is a less easy-going and casual, and more intensely focused, style.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><br /></p></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The 60s and 70s saw the rise in dual-income couples, the resulting phenomenon of latchkey kids, and the generation we have come to call Gen X—one that has gotten a very bad rap from the rest of us (much of the time undeserved, I might add). As these children grew up into risk-taking young people with a live-fast, die-young worldview, the indictment of them by society was severe. Portrayals of children in movies like Rosemary's Baby and The Omen reveal uneasiness, or at best, ambivalence. The worsening trend of lack of nurture continued until we became fed up with what we perceived as the "slacker" generation that resulted. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu0t9op0wpvxcJsGiO8XEl3VRTdmPw3FkBO4_TK6GZfPdcRue1uar1j6c_Lj1HU4hcLOefUjjw_PlgH1rc_Fyis-mxr5OxzO_eUaOLAkoD16PStUJYaSjZTcL2zOajvs3ooa_4S3I9bmN/s1600-h/Both_Movies_sm.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLu0t9op0wpvxcJsGiO8XEl3VRTdmPw3FkBO4_TK6GZfPdcRue1uar1j6c_Lj1HU4hcLOefUjjw_PlgH1rc_Fyis-mxr5OxzO_eUaOLAkoD16PStUJYaSjZTcL2zOajvs3ooa_4S3I9bmN/s400/Both_Movies_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258609324833280322" /></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">These days, we see a complete turnaround. Movies like Home Alone portray the kinds of kids we want to raise today—smart, resourceful, and assertive. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlU3aezCiW9f3OYES4LDZWrPGl-5Yd-Y4Igl7vJjRrUA5gDfS7BP6fi-TWFuVh9QTf3uzNq7UXNSKvEJDbzaFl2vwejsXMAs4B0ZTUZp7UFmPUlx-hBm_pwvhDrY9wuzzhM5avp7NvfaV/s1600-h/home_alone90.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlU3aezCiW9f3OYES4LDZWrPGl-5Yd-Y4Igl7vJjRrUA5gDfS7BP6fi-TWFuVh9QTf3uzNq7UXNSKvEJDbzaFl2vwejsXMAs4B0ZTUZp7UFmPUlx-hBm_pwvhDrY9wuzzhM5avp7NvfaV/s400/home_alone90.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258609098452440578" /></span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the 90s, many of our kids began to go to school in uniforms. Education became a top political priority (in the 70s it was something that we lost focus on). Strollers began to be bulky, protective, and padded—the SUVs of the sidewalk—telegraphing the message that kids are precious cargo.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcYLWdPzTLnLMO4ZWANJYXglZOVccrZ3ZrPFvTLUUU_gHnTO3VvKYk4AS-b6fYJQInQOoSO3_HJUFh2qAGCqgjd7ndfGtUPZQXikVJ_vcfmu1AiWXz-ZoB78LGtL62lbfdwBrME3uGJtR/s1600-h/SUV_Stroller.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcYLWdPzTLnLMO4ZWANJYXglZOVccrZ3ZrPFvTLUUU_gHnTO3VvKYk4AS-b6fYJQInQOoSO3_HJUFh2qAGCqgjd7ndfGtUPZQXikVJ_vcfmu1AiWXz-ZoB78LGtL62lbfdwBrME3uGJtR/s400/SUV_Stroller.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258608900896883794" /></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Most recently, kids are the focus of increasingly intense nurturing attention, and strollers have risen to cult objects that now telegraph this amped-up emotion. Considering our growing uncertainty in the face of perilous times, it's not surprising that our protectiveness is on steroids. The same obsession that goes toward Vuitton bags is now spent on outfitting our child with the latest. With a product like the </span><a href="http://www.orbitbaby.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Orbit</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, you are not buying a stroller, you are buying a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">system</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. We're even seeing a reprise of the old-fashioned </span><a href="http://www.silvercross.co.uk/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">pram</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> (nostalgia is the last refuge of those enduring turbulent times). </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75PQwILqXM10cQHYk2FvNQnYAfSYUCn3uF5QAuqgapuS1AZZLbEU2ny6mK17OuEt733jffT3higpMrp_BNqbOhfoJenT0DIsa48JTTAxNgP2FNVGvnmIxxzA16TJGd-NM2zDDkd_k_0-O/s1600-h/Orbit_Pram.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75PQwILqXM10cQHYk2FvNQnYAfSYUCn3uF5QAuqgapuS1AZZLbEU2ny6mK17OuEt733jffT3higpMrp_BNqbOhfoJenT0DIsa48JTTAxNgP2FNVGvnmIxxzA16TJGd-NM2zDDkd_k_0-O/s400/Orbit_Pram.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258608613934575570" /></span></span></a><br /></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-32294385782226350822008-09-19T15:31:00.000-07:002008-09-19T15:41:46.341-07:00I. Can't. WAIT!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzndDX7ztBN_YTKpwbsUL3AfeuvY94HYIMdnHl6JVwA3iHlMk0VJ-gdM7V_HxvEHnn_14Rz5KHTOdbbKr4dfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I don't know why it's taken us so long to begin to talk about getting high speed rail into California, but it's well past time. It's a no-brainer, especially now with the post-9/11 airport security measures making door-to-door between Los Angeles and San Francisco a tossup between taking a plane and driving there.... The route between Sacramento and San Diego has been approved, the environmental studies have been given the go-ahead, and it's now up to to voters to vote on a bond measure on the November ballot. Let's hope that the voters have the sense to say yes. Check out the <a href="http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/">web site</a>. There are some wonderful quicktime animations. If you download them, they come up as full-screen movies. The station view, above, is particularly nice at that size.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-70833550905219110802008-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:002008-09-14T14:00:01.346-07:00Cranbrook / IIT Smackdown, II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVn1HweCSNkUX5L41VaE6FyudYWCsOXmXr4ePhVp9vPFi99rYfsZNMYB07pSiyMmaGF2i5-ng-WIzthpRfTEkMp7BnYMhrqGkkPcs-sIvdM8TppztsCgKxEYglF-wa5OzhLZR81LQ8PSg/s1600-h/Smackdown1sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVn1HweCSNkUX5L41VaE6FyudYWCsOXmXr4ePhVp9vPFi99rYfsZNMYB07pSiyMmaGF2i5-ng-WIzthpRfTEkMp7BnYMhrqGkkPcs-sIvdM8TppztsCgKxEYglF-wa5OzhLZR81LQ8PSg/s400/Smackdown1sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245908085589384226" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">A pair of slides from yesterday's presentation by Cranbrook's Scott Klinker and IIT's Jeremy Alexis. Above, IIT aims to root out inefficiencies in process, while Cranbrook asks, "But what will it look and feel like?</span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXKTueIzZKlfNVdpeV_g3POho_9gnJC_s2LwfDbWXO_DPFyFwD_KWrkdLOIuJnaMx67QSGoCu6mZCB7vlm8ZUVecO2-taWuyWD2NBIGwuLvgKwUCZNlNROFrTP6p7qEmSHXJO7QCyosYd/s1600-h/Smackdown2sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXKTueIzZKlfNVdpeV_g3POho_9gnJC_s2LwfDbWXO_DPFyFwD_KWrkdLOIuJnaMx67QSGoCu6mZCB7vlm8ZUVecO2-taWuyWD2NBIGwuLvgKwUCZNlNROFrTP6p7qEmSHXJO7QCyosYd/s400/Smackdown2sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245907950521690882" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Above, radical craft: genetic code-generated silverware. At this point in the presentation, the discussion turned toward what we might call digital baroque.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I found the presentation compelling, with both sides—IIT's down-to-earth approach and Cranbrook's "things with attitude"—represented well. The result confirmed what I've believed all along: it's not either / or, and we can stop the name-calling. There is a valid place for both.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-83682400573938484892008-09-14T10:00:00.000-07:002008-09-14T10:00:00.613-07:00Cranbrook / IIT Smackdown<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQNV4S0uIjZKv_imybAbi_JS_DPh6AYotN-8v60fc-C3sYLuK1Mm7u4TpN44TYfsw0jSJqdCXKkGuBsNz2DjD5osOLnEtObRN6SSjJVynq8WH-om0D97zI8yT1kCDdRGhi5YdcUJKlkQy/s1600-h/Cranbrook_Eames_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQNV4S0uIjZKv_imybAbi_JS_DPh6AYotN-8v60fc-C3sYLuK1Mm7u4TpN44TYfsw0jSJqdCXKkGuBsNz2DjD5osOLnEtObRN6SSjJVynq8WH-om0D97zI8yT1kCDdRGhi5YdcUJKlkQy/s400/Cranbrook_Eames_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245750262034163314" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">This morning, Cranbrook's <a href="http://www.scottklinker.com/">Scott Klinker</a> (above, wrapped in Eames' <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.eamesoffice.com/index2.php?mod=intro">Design Q & A</a></span> diagram) and IIT's <a href="http://www.id.iit.edu/478/">Jeremy Alexis</a> revisited a debate between the institutions' dueling ideologies that had occurred between <a href="http://www.michaelmccoydesign.com/">Michael McCoy</a> and <a href="http://bauhaus.id.iit.edu/473/">Chuck Owen</a> some years ago in ID Magazine. Very thought provoking. Fuel for many upcoming discussions, to be sure, with my students. A few aspects of the debate:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><a href="http://www.cranbrookart.edu/Pages/3D.html">Cranbrook</a> : <a href="http://bauhaus.id.iit.edu/">IIT</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">things with attitude : strategies that transform organizations</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">exploring personal voice : improving organizational performance</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">cultural innovation : business innovation</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">patrons : clients</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">social value : value to the organization</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I know this is cryptic, but it's late. More later.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-85757218818114762412008-09-13T21:24:00.001-07:002008-09-13T22:06:40.666-07:00Mobility Vision Integration Process Workshop<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5_Xx7LFgAMzWDSgnlo6foYxTZRsMFnTmMFU6vLqCPvRArq5GGpfizyqfpNLgryTs5GFn3r5mMWcb3L63bdQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrFf1L_nLkL2Ie3KVCl0dEEA9BZxr-nIbl3IyevYsEOh6BVJHnzjnvUhjaxN2AsDhq_QKw0AwgRklLkd2SuaD9xv-jvQyA6MCA6kGMiOuCcgzVGoY-GMfM2AUenwEBmoWH9eIkOZIfTJV/s1600-h/mVIP1.jpg"></a><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Today at Polar Opposites Geoff Wardle presented the <a href="http://www.mobilityvip.com/">Mobility Vision Integration Process</a>, a method developed by Lloyd Walker, Geoff, Andy Ogden, Heidrun Mumper-Drum and David Muyers at <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/">Art Center</a>. It's a way to run futures scenarios brainstorming workshops using a set of cards that they have developed. This video was shot at Art Center's <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/summit/">Sustainability Summit</a> this past Spring, where the mVIP cards were rolled out for the first time. In it, Lloyd Walker describes the mVIP process and you can see how we used the cards.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrFf1L_nLkL2Ie3KVCl0dEEA9BZxr-nIbl3IyevYsEOh6BVJHnzjnvUhjaxN2AsDhq_QKw0AwgRklLkd2SuaD9xv-jvQyA6MCA6kGMiOuCcgzVGoY-GMfM2AUenwEBmoWH9eIkOZIfTJV/s1600-h/mVIP1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrFf1L_nLkL2Ie3KVCl0dEEA9BZxr-nIbl3IyevYsEOh6BVJHnzjnvUhjaxN2AsDhq_QKw0AwgRklLkd2SuaD9xv-jvQyA6MCA6kGMiOuCcgzVGoY-GMfM2AUenwEBmoWH9eIkOZIfTJV/s400/mVIP1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245728571860797122" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">In today's workshop, a team looks over the "hand" of cards they've been dealt that describes the future world. The team gets an understanding of this world for a few minutes and considers the implications of the scenario. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Left to right: Ron Pierce in the black shirt, Peter Treadway, standing, and Mark Dziersk, at far right. My apologies to the other two designers! I've forgotten who you are!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande'; font-size: 10px;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1rIrZutGQZBL-xtNU75pUmDeXbUi-xJiOaSbrDfEyoTYMFW10KgP5ugGYbw6J1CVZyym70G5dW2PKD_6s9KdolhwQUrZamUIVwDkyHvlWKbCvZTZqmIZrArCkLhDji2458NDKEaW0i9T/s1600-h/mVIP2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1rIrZutGQZBL-xtNU75pUmDeXbUi-xJiOaSbrDfEyoTYMFW10KgP5ugGYbw6J1CVZyym70G5dW2PKD_6s9KdolhwQUrZamUIVwDkyHvlWKbCvZTZqmIZrArCkLhDji2458NDKEaW0i9T/s400/mVIP2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245728440812407378" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Next, four cards are dealt that describe the enterprise the team works for, the enterprise's axiom, the customer, and a constraint. The team considers all cards and brainstorms design solutions that address the circumstances set out in the cards.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrhTF7kk4NqCDfXxpNxzeKnjOqxU1R2aYj9w18KtPtyRtshzAT3W2CD4DKgAFw3SLNOLLIjavj3z3Vprs_dbW9WmVV_Zl28eMwDfvVVpiHHOz-JSeOq_z96r3t9V-55Hmm3LKNEtM8liC/s1600-h/mVIP3.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrhTF7kk4NqCDfXxpNxzeKnjOqxU1R2aYj9w18KtPtyRtshzAT3W2CD4DKgAFw3SLNOLLIjavj3z3Vprs_dbW9WmVV_Zl28eMwDfvVVpiHHOz-JSeOq_z96r3t9V-55Hmm3LKNEtM8liC/s400/mVIP3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245728333305419266" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Finally, one member of the team (in this case, Los Angeles designer Max Beach) presents the design solution to the rest of the teams.</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">We always have a good time running this workshop. It's a break from the tedium of PowerPoint, and provides a great networking opportunity. When we ran it this Spring, we broke the entire conference out into groups. It was great.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I talked to a number of educators who wanted to check out the cards as a brainstorming and team-building tool for their students.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.mobilityvip.com/deck/index.html">Flash demo</a> we have on line. You can deal yourself (or your students) a "hand," print it out on a letter-sized sheet (using the button at the top right), and have a hard-copy for reference during the exercise. You can deal yourself a random hand or you can select the cards.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">Check it out—try it with your team, your firm, or your students, and let us know what you think!</span></div></div><div><br /></div></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-16445230027221902132008-09-13T06:40:00.001-07:002008-09-14T16:36:10.558-07:00Top o the Morning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8GkIGRMnyftPRdXHsocwhG9rwN4I6ZTgCQzjSrPx1aoVcrwIjMGVkdO4OgsUh35uG0fd5cxnf45M-IBO55L5ol7R6OlrrHAuL7AxwG8FDsZB2vxf0v6COEAzdACPQIjdYuf8kY6L_29X/s1600-h/Kor.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA8GkIGRMnyftPRdXHsocwhG9rwN4I6ZTgCQzjSrPx1aoVcrwIjMGVkdO4OgsUh35uG0fd5cxnf45M-IBO55L5ol7R6OlrrHAuL7AxwG8FDsZB2vxf0v6COEAzdACPQIjdYuf8kY6L_29X/s400/Kor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245500625282395090" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Toasting the morning sun with the only liquid that makes sense in the desert—water—in my new Kor <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.innovationlab.eastman.com/InnovationLab/inspiration/Inspiration_KOR.htm">hydration vessel</a></span>, courtesy of the folks at <a href="http://bennettation.blogspot.com/2008/05/lunch.html">Eastman</a>. They had presented the Kor story at <a href="http://artcenter.edu/catalog/">Art Center</a> a few months ago and told an abridged version here at <a href="http://www.idsa.org/absolutenm/templates/?a=3636&z=150">Polar Opposites</a> Thursday morning. We run materials-based explorations in our <a href="http://www.artcenter.edu/cmtel/">Color, Materials, and Trends Exploration Lab</a> (CMTEL), and are scheming up a plan to do one with Eastman soon. More later... I've got to meet Geoff Wardle (whom you saw flying a screaming monkey in the previous post) to help him run a workshop later today with a tool we've developed in Grad ID that enables anyone to run a futures scenario workshop, the deck of <a href="http://www.mobilityvip.com/">mVIP cards</a>. More about that later, too.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-89621571575049420892008-09-12T14:56:00.000-07:002008-09-12T15:22:52.157-07:00Screaming Flying Monkeys at Polar Opposites<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzwLCkkbW39UXD2zsyqE5e5nSVK80bZN3-V1xtkHXYzlXl1WtDhOexykYsNkSWOWDrHgR3Cl0nh0IrUzDC4TA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">You had to be there. I'll get serious later, but for now, enjoy the screaming flying monkeys, brought to you by the folks at P&G Design.</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-53996537564744414622008-09-11T21:09:00.000-07:002008-09-11T22:12:00.966-07:00Something to Consider<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PC1qX7EDljtH_uTarq7v3e6D25CUoVaLJAuc-qKtc5oTDdZ_y7p67NIzYWeONUfJgDbMydZMFxpLUJiT5oTXzIruuZRoap756Y4O3f1mWuRLUUAB4O4Zv8OboqQEpdss9hAT82o6wHXr/s1600-h/FemDenBuying)Female_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PC1qX7EDljtH_uTarq7v3e6D25CUoVaLJAuc-qKtc5oTDdZ_y7p67NIzYWeONUfJgDbMydZMFxpLUJiT5oTXzIruuZRoap756Y4O3f1mWuRLUUAB4O4Zv8OboqQEpdss9hAT82o6wHXr/s400/FemDenBuying)Female_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244983066064013138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthE34DqXmu8THwSbdexAGr53xdbRnwjVIcANX-cC99MlY0dN1R77QKxk_sQ5Bq69omYvMHeqMscBRkCkDBDRiWf1i3ApuL2duH1VYRtjGgeqW9u_iZjNSLMeaJII7bFQWICdugVA472SP/s1600-h/FemDenDesign)Male_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthE34DqXmu8THwSbdexAGr53xdbRnwjVIcANX-cC99MlY0dN1R77QKxk_sQ5Bq69omYvMHeqMscBRkCkDBDRiWf1i3ApuL2duH1VYRtjGgeqW9u_iZjNSLMeaJII7bFQWICdugVA472SP/s400/FemDenDesign)Male_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244982934877788578" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Two slides from Erica Eden's slide show this morning give us something to consider. Erica is a senior designer at Smart Design and one of their <a href="http://www.femmeden.com/">FemmeDen</a>, an in-house group of women designers dedicated, as they say "to drawing connections between social, cultural, and economic changes in design to satisfy the unmet needs of women consumers."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">If women have 80% of the buying power in this country, yet 85% of industrial designers are men, well, that might explain a few things about the world we find ourselves in.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Eden shared a session this morning with Marti Barletta of <a href="http://www.trendsight.com/">TrendSight Group</a>, who specializes in marketing to women. A dynamic, wickedly funny speaker. No surprises in much of her talk for the women designers in the audience, but were the men I saw "multitasking" with their phones at least to some extent tuned in? Hope so. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Some take-aways:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Men (and she's working with averages here, recognizing that there is a continuum) organize by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">prioritizing</span>, while women organize with an aim toward <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">maximizing</span>. Men focus on a few top-priority criteria in deciding, for example, what jeans to buy, while for women the buying decision is a process of discovery, finding multiple options that fit the initial criteria, adding new criteria, weighing options and working toward a perfect answer. Men buy the first pair of jeans that fit the top criteria; women will look at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">all</span> factors, coming eventually to the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">deciding factor</span> that clinches the deal.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Designing for women is like universal design—if you design for women, you amplify the benefits for male customers as well. Key factors to keep in mind:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The Basics</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';">designs must be easy to handle</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';">easy to use single-handedly (consider the McLaren stroller's <a href="http://www.maclarenbaby.com/us/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=88888891&Itemid=88889239">single-handed 5-second fold</a> and you'll know what we're talking about)</span><br /></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">easy to store; efficient use of space</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">easy to clean (machine-washable stroller liners, for example)</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">easy to understand (not because they're dumb, but maybe because women don't have the time to mess around? I'm just sayin'... Barletta said that women aren't busy, they are <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.timestarvedmarriage.com/">time starved</a></span>. Indeed.)</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Extras</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">pay attention to aesthetics. They spend time and money designing their living room in Craftsman Style, or Country French, or whatever, and you tell them that they've got to put a big black box of <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?type=category&id=abcat0101000">electronics</a> in the middle of it?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">appeal to the senses. For four of the five senses, women have more acuity, and for the fifth, sight, it's not that men have better sight, they have better depth and distance vision, while women have better peripheral vision.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">offer "two-fers" two-for-one. Sunscreen <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">and</span> foundation. That kind of thing.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">make it green. All other factors being equal, 57% of women will choose the environmentally-responsible product.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">connect with people. Products that help people connect (Wii, for example, which allows people to play together) are big successes with women consumers.</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Well there you have it. Go out there and get <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">busy</span>, people!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3293410640944331569.post-24227384183081984542008-09-11T15:50:00.000-07:002008-09-11T15:59:22.450-07:00IDSA Polar Opposites Conference, Phoenix<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yf51Zy1kaesnZFXL6ZjpI8qy-A8oZv4ufCzl6tvpG8gFK2P10B8uCYxJEdoejIyVaR_uFGZ7j-XZjkGT7dbVkfW24QvLpDz2cMFKVMiVFhb6nfO2rIrL0Fa1MU62R0Wo3uI67hw1zkgJ/s1600-h/RoomView_sm.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Yf51Zy1kaesnZFXL6ZjpI8qy-A8oZv4ufCzl6tvpG8gFK2P10B8uCYxJEdoejIyVaR_uFGZ7j-XZjkGT7dbVkfW24QvLpDz2cMFKVMiVFhb6nfO2rIrL0Fa1MU62R0Wo3uI67hw1zkgJ/s400/RoomView_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244901725438761522" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande';">I will be posting from the IDSA National Conference, Polar Opposites, in Phoenix for the next few days. More to come. In the meantime, enjoy the view from my hotel balcony at the Arizona Biltmore, the location of the conference. Oh pool boy.... peel me a grape, would you?</span></div>Katherine Bennetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06230869655360346215noreply@blogger.com3