MidTerm 1 Flashcards
Define and give an example of “designerly thinking.” In what ways do left brain and right brain
processing contribute to the phases of the design process?
Being able to tackle vague problems, thinking in a constructive and solution-focused way and honing in on concrete propositions… by employing an object language, often in the form of drawings or other visual models.-pg10 example: Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology at the University of Manitoba or IDEO website (on slide 3 of the Design Thinking and Design Process lecture)
Contribution in the phases of the design process: In each phase of the design process you use left brain and right brain processing…
mode of thought: involves critical thinking while analyzing the subject matter and divergent thinking while synthesizing or elaborating new ideas.
mode of expression: represent and communicate thoughts and ideas using various media (sketches, scenarios, physical or virtual models and mock-ups, prototypes, virtual images and simulation)
mode of implementation: physical embodiment of concepts into artifacts.
Sketching, drawing and modelling are forms of visual thinking. Describe two key ways that drawings are used by designers.
The making of descriptive drawings such as product representations or portraits. The emphasis here is on communication.
The making of private drawings, often in sketchbooks, where the emphasis is on the support of creative, transformational thinking.
the making of drawings that support invention or imagination. (page 86)
What are the rules of brainstorming? In what ways does this technique work to generate ideas?
defer judgment (there are no bad ideas) free-wheel (no need to explain yourself) tag on (piggyback others’ ideas) quantity is desired… work hard and fast More successful with smaller groups (4 - 10 people), and if you appoint a moderator. You must also state the topic, write everything down, establish time and quantity limit, and follow up.
What is a prototype? What value does a prototype have in the ideation process?
Prototyping - making physical, experiential or virtual representations of ideas. -pg29
Prototyping is part of the third set of iterations, testing functionality. -pg79
What is meant by the phrase “fail forward”?
When you fail, make sure you learn from the failure to improve for the future. (having a growth mindset)
What is empathy? What is its relationship to design practices? Why is it a critical attribute of designers?
Empathy requires looking closely and letting the words of another wash through you without barriers. It requires sensing motion and connections that don’t require words. It is about finding patterns with no apparent rhyme, being able to ask questions about what you think you see and being a caring discerner of what isn’t being said and what story isn’t being told. -pg28
We use empathy in the design process in interviews. We become empathetic interviewers by caring enough to understand what the other person is expressing.
It is a critical attribute because if we want to design new solutions for the future, we have to understand what people care about and design for that.-pg29
What is constructive discontent?
Never being satisfied with the work that you have created. There is always room for improvement and room to be ‘discontent’, even if you have done a great job. The discontent opens the door for even greater works in the future.
having a critical attitude of looking at our built and manufactured world to spot weaknesses in design -pg 36
What are stage gates? What role do they play in the product development process?
Stage gates are the places where the results of activities are reported. In the stage gates process the “stage” part is where activity takes place and “gates” is where decisions are made. This helps your design become more manageable. The process is broken down into this:
the first gate “initial brief” leads into the first stage of “Research”.
second gate “research results” leads into the second stage of “Translate needs into requirements”.
the third gate “requirements definition” leads into the third stage of “Concept design.”
the fourth gate “concept designs” leads into the last stage of “Design development.”
Thus ending with the last gate of “Product definition”.
At any point when at a gate and your design still doesn’t make sense you go back to the stage that it needs fixed.
Why does Allison Arieff label some artifacts of the “internet of things” as mere gadgets rather than well-conceived products? What four major criteria does she advocate for applied research and development?
These gadgets don’t solve problems that people actually have. They are not eco-friendly and some don’t even seem very useful. (Examples from this list.. smoke detector that calls your cell phone to alert you and consequently costs much more than a regular one, baby monitor that turns on lights and makes coffee whenever baby wakes up)
integration of functions
usefulness
sustainability
privacy/security
Be able to briefly explain why designers should extensively research and understand: users, context, user experience, and the object. Be prepared to list realms of inquiries and criteria if asked to explain why each or all of these four topics are necessary investigations for good design.
Answer questions concerning what, who when, where, how, and why. In order to expose problems, we need to collect data on the subject matter. We need to observe, question and gather all kinds of information that relates directly/indirectly to our topic.
Users-Who are primary, secondary users and what are habits, lifestyle, values, etc.?
Context-How interacted with? Where and when used? Why used?
User experience-How do people choose a product?
Object-purpose, features
Pg. 38 has a chart summarizing inquiries
Be prepared to explain why it is a significant mistake for designers to presume their personal experience as the primary reference and to further assume that others feel the same.
One power-point presentation quoted your textbook, Chapter 3, ‘Problem finding and problem solving’(p. 40): “Not only do people expect an object to serve its designated purpose, they understand that it reflects certain values.…our decisions to buy products are frequently based on meaning rather than function.” Be prepared to list at least 4 possible values (or meanings) a product may reflect of its owner’s ideals.
While personal experiences can matter greatly,by observing other people, we can learn how perception, attitudes and values can differ. We need to adopt a user-centred or user-focused design approach, one that puts the user and potential user at the core of our design thinking.
Four possible values: Communicative characteristics of product… what it express or denotes to the user (e.g. utility) and what it evokes and connotes (images, origin, value, symbolism, etc.) -pg40
Be prepared to explain the nature and importance of an object’s physical characteristics, technical characteristics and communicative characteristics.
Physical: might include the components that constitute the object, the relationship between its components, and its physical description.
Technical: the way a product functions, its actions, or the way it is made.
Communicative: the object’s semantic quality – what it expresses or denotes to the user (e.g. utility) and what it evokes or connotes (image, origin, value, symbolism, status, etc.)
***I’m assuming that the crappy teapot or maybe the womb chair will show up here.
Be able to define concept map; and further describe its utility in the design process.
A concept map is a type of graphic organizer used to help students organize and represent knowledge of a subject. Concept maps begin with a main idea (or concept) and then branch out to show how that main idea can be broken down into specific topics. Concept maps are able to be utilized in the design process to brainstorm broad creative solutions, gain finer detail for those solutions, and expand upon them.
Be able to know, describe and list examples of each of the three types of models (iconic, symbolic and analogue).
- iconic model: most familiar type, look like real or intended object. ex: realistic but scale model of a new building, prototype bike, or fashion sketches.
- symbolic model: work by using abstract code to represent selected aspect of real world. ex: mathematical formulae used to determine heat loss in buildings or flow characteristics in plastic molding
- analogue models: work by means of diagrams that stand for but don’t necessarily look like subject they seek to represent. ex: harry beck’s diagrammatic map of london underground and drawing of electrical circuit
What are the advantages and virtues of a virtual model over a physical model?
virtual models (although they take as much time to make as physical equivalent) have added benefit of being reproducible and transmissible; easier to make small changes such as color changes without having to redo the whole model. physical models are powerful medium for getting inside designer’s mind - allow designer, colleagues, and clients to evaluate ideas before committing to expense of producing real thing
Familiarize yourself with the diagram on page 80. What does it express about the role of iteration in the design process?
With iteration you do something over and over again. So with the diagram on pg 80 it shows how we can go in a cycle and there is no real end to the design process because your solution might be someone else’s problem. always room for improvement - try and retry gets you the best results
Be prepared to define and list the differences between iteration and evolution as conceptual themes in utilizing and developing models.
Iterations-Repeated cycles of activity in which ideas are generated, modelled, communicated and evaluated, each cycle integrating the new knowledge from the previous attempt.
Evolution-in addition to the work of designers, there are other influences on the way our world is shaped, and designers can benefit from understanding how technologies and consumer practices change and evolve over time.
