11.26

1. After this class is over, I will definitely use a more critical eye when purchasing items. I also now see everything as designed. No longer are experiences just as is, I look at the design implications that go along with it. Even if I make the same choices I will have a better understanding for why I do so.
2. I would advise all first years to keep their doors open when in their rooms. This allows many people to see you and to easily meet new people in your hall. I would also advise first years to get involved in something and spend time outside of the dorm room. I think it is important to spend time out the dorm and meet people, whether in the library, Hicks or the Cavern. I would also advise first years to take a variety of classes.
3. I would tell a student in this seminar to make sure to do all the blog posts and participate in discussion. Also I would advise them to work on papers in advance.

11/21 "The Brief Wadsworth Handbook"

1. My tentative thesis is The Anderson Gymnasium Weight Room current design is set up in such a way that it is very difficult to work out comfortably, both due to space constraints and reflective expectations tied with a gym area.

2. Some of the constraints I plan to address include the space constraints. Other constraints include price, location, the existing structure, and athletes’ needs. The trigger points include the equipment, both availability and variety. Other trigger points include usability and ease of use.

3. The Design of Everyday Things, Emotional Designs, The Experience Architect, Simplicity is Highly Overrated, Principles of Marketing

4. “These questions are all cultural. There is nothing practical, nothing biological about the answers. The answers are conventions, learned in whatever society you inhabit.”

11.17 Campus Analysis

1. I observed the Biggy Café/ The Book Club at Kalamazoo College. I observed Sunday night at 9 pm. The purpose is to provide coffee and a place for students to hang out.

2. a) Biggy’s has light brown walls with a warm undertone. It has a comfortable feeling.
b) There is both table and chairs for more upright sitting and also couches and comfy chairs. All the seating is moveable, but is set up with two areas for the comfy seating and then tables and chairs grouped together.
c) There was an influx of people but it usually was around 15 people in the area either waiting for coffee or chatting.
d) The floor was a gray tile with various shades of blues.
e) The sound level was quieter with some background music and chatter.

f) There were a variety of materials used including wood, stone, drywall and fabric.
3. It gives off a more laid back, chill feel. This is displayed in the warm tones used and comfy seating. The soft music adds to the relaxed mood. It is a calm place without being to serious. People are there socializing or doing homework. The school probably wanted to a place where students could relax without feeling the immediate pressure of the library.

4. Some people clearly came or met up in groups while other were working alone, usually with headphones on. There was a good bit of pleasantries exchanged when friends were seen in the area. The influx of people in and out of Biggy’s allowed for the sense of movement and avoids any feelings of exclusivity. Many people made themselves at home by putting their feet up on end tables and taking shoes off.
5. The fact that Biggy’s was not directly exposed to anyone walking into the library was somewhat surprising considering the limited visibility.

11.14 Principles of Marketing

1. Design affects marketing by influencing the interpretation of the marketing strategy. The design is used to display different marketing ideas. Design allows for brands and iconic design to take shape. It is also important for design to be viscerally appealing since consumers usually by items based on instinct purchases. The design of packaging is also very important for marketing. Packaging must be functional as well as appealing.

2. Although marketing could be considered an experience, it is a quick, usually subconscious experience. Experience is usually a conscious and longer lasting time experience. Marketing does discuss the augmented product level, which includes the experiences discussed by Kelly. The augmented product level includes things such as delivery, installation, warranty and any after sale services.

3. The brand of Kalamazoo College is made up a few different insignias. There is the Kalamazoo hornet mascot, the ‘K’ symbol and the ‘ZOO’ insignia. These three designs usually are applied on a variety of Kalamazoo apparel and accessories. The brand is displayed at a variety of locations across campus including the Biggby mugs and the ‘K’ above the entrance to Hick’s. The Kalamazoo brand is not very widespread, but is very popular within the campus and the city. There is not much of a market outside of Kalamazoo, so they don’t tend to advertise beyond the area. There apparel is available online so theoretically anyone could access the products. The ‘K’ brand has a wide variety of styles for the wide variety of students that come to Kalamazoo.

11.12 "The Experience Architect"

1. This reading discussed the importance of coming up with innovative and creative ideas. It was important as an 'experience architect' to be able to look at experience and see how they can be made better. Even small changes can make huge differences. It is important to have a personality when providing an experience as well as to be genuine and real.

2. Consumer products focus much more on the behavioral aspect and the concrete aspect of a product. Consumer products are tangible. The design elements related to best consumer design are much bigger aspects such as usability, appearance and function. The design of experiences focuses more on an abstract concept. This focus on the abstract means design focuses on details that improve upon systems already implemented. Good experience design and consumer design both focus on meeting all the consumers need and wants.

3. A social community building idea based off ideas presented in the article would be to have an official first day of snow, sledding gathering on the quad. Obviously there would need to be adequate snow cover. If Christmas music/ winter music would play and hot beverages were provided, that would further add to the experience. It would be even better if everyone was able to use a tray from the cafeteria to sled, since that is an iconic part of sledding in college. For those that didn't want to sled there could be a snowman making competition.

wiki article link

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

11.10 The Third Place

1. The 'third place' is an area for casual comfortable conversation. It is separate from the work place and home and provides a sense of community.

2. The third place must be a more intimate, small space. It appeals to the reflective design, with a homey feel. The use of less lighting aid in a more intimate appeal. The third place needs a good location that is somewhat central, but is distinct from work and home areas.

3. I think the Cavern has potential to be a third place. It is not in a academic building and has the proper lighting and seating. It also offers cookies and tea. It needs to be better advertised as a place to chill, instead of being seen as just a place for spirituality. It could also have soft music playing to add to the ambiance.

11.7 City

1. The author's key points included what made plazas successful. The most important feature seemed to be the amount of sittable space. This sittable space was not exclusive to chairs, but also included ledges. also the location of the plaza was important. It was critical that it wasn't too elevated or lowered from the surrounding area. Grassy areas are also very beneficial allowing for both a extension of sittable space and visceral appeal. Movable seating allows people to personalize their experience.

2. Many features of consumer and urban design have similarities. Both follow the idea of being consumer friendly, easy to use, emotionally appealing (visceral, behavioral, reflective), and functional. Consumer products however also have to deal with packaging, while urban design must consider location.

3. I would analyze a public space using the following criteria : location, seating, movable seating, aesthetics, grass, space, people per square ft., and flow from public space to street.

11.5 Downtown Kalamazoo

1. Downtown Kalamazoo has much to offer to their citizens but could use some updates. It has a variety of stores, but many are very specific and expensive, which discourages college shoppers. There needs to be more events held downtown to bring larger groups of people downtown, such as guest speakers and plays, which would then lead to people shopping. The walking section is very pedestrian friendly, with wide sidewalks and minimal vehicle transportation.

2. The downtown could have more stores geared toward college students. Stores that are open later and provide inexpensive options would be very successful since there are two campuses within walking distance from downtown. It would also be nice if there were more general clothes stores for everyday clothing and not just specialty stores. The downtown could also use some centrally located entertainment areas, such as movie theaters and clubs.

3. “Their demands coincided with the interests of the state highway departments and traffic engineers, who wanted to keep building roads and whose highest professional goal was the unimpeded flow of cars. Routing highway traffic around the outskirts of town must have seemed the obvious thing to do. The downtowns thus unwittingly initiated their own march to a commercial grave.” This can be seen in downtown Kalamazoo as it can be somewhat difficult to enter with the highways and high traffic roads not as near as could be. Also there are only a few entrances due to some roads being one way. This limits the amount of traffic that passes directly by the downtown area, limiting the number of people who could be exposed to spending money there.

10.29 What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall""

1. Robert Gibbs uses a variety of criteria to evaluate a store including stores on the right when commuting to having breakfast type places and those on the right when returning having retail and grocery stores. There should be adequate lighting. However there should be minimal sidewalk distractions such as trees that hide store fronts.

2.I don't think Main Street should resemble a mall. I see it as place for community to gather. It provides an opportunity for those in the community to interact in a small, casual daily venue. I like the small local one of kind stores downtown have to offer. I would hate to see Main Street cluttered with a wide array of national chains and expansive parking lots. If someone wants a mall experience they will go to the mall. It is clear by the declining mall attendance; many people do not want a mall experience. It doesn’t make sense to transfer Main Street into something mall-like.

3. -Good Crosswalks
- Nice window displays
-Locally owned stores
- Nearby park
-Outside seating
-Variety of store types
-Trees
-Well maintained exteriors

Retail Analysis

1. I observed Harding’s Marketplace. They market to those looking to shop for most of their food supply needs.

2. a. The outside of the store is mostly white with some blue paneling. The sign for the store is very bright and somewhat difficult to read. There are two canopy like covering at each of the entrances. The entrances have double sliding doors.
b. The store was playing some music from the 1990s with the occasional commercial or announcement every once in a while. Other than the music the store was relatively quiet.
c. The merchandise was displayed in aisles organized by product types. The ends of the aisles usually held an assortment of popular items that were being featured. There were also some islands featuring specialty items such as fall cookies. The name brand items were usually at eye level. Sections for specific areas such as meat were also labeled directly on the wall.
d. The floors were an industrial white tile, with 1 ft by 1 ft tiles. It makes for being easy to clean up.
e. The signs for the differing aisles were easy to read with the aisle number first and then the types of items in that aisle.
f. The cashier area was located in the front. It was very crowded with candy, magazines and beverages. These were placed there in order to entice shoppers to make last minute purchases. There was also a secondary cashier at what seemed to be a quickie mart check out, with liquor and lotto tickets behind the register available for purchase.

3. This business projects an image of being personable and consumer friendly. All the signs clearly label a variety of sections of the store, in a homey style. It is clearly a chain store but gives off a more local feel.

4. There were few customers in the store. The few that were there were older, and milled around individually with minimal interaction. Many shoppers seemed familiar with the store navigating efficiently from areas to area. A few perused seeming to be looking for something specific.

5. I found interesting the location of non food items such as cleaners. They were sandwiched between a variety of food items which I found a little strange. I think it would make more sense to have all non food items sectioned together. The store also had an expansive liquor selection, with a separate check out area specifically for hard liquor.

10.22 "The Science of Shopping"

1. The points from the article that I think are most important include the idea of a the stores working to please the consumer. It is also important to understand facts about the consumer that they themselves are not aware of. Observation is a powerful tool that can be used to analyze the shopper. Different types of stores are displaying very different messages but they all have the same purpose of making as many sales as possible.

2. I would say I am quite influenced by the store design. I think I am personally influence by the type of image the stores try to give off. Depending on the image the store is trying to give off probably influences whether or not I enter the store. I like stores that limit the amount of pushy salespeople. I find stores with quieter and less distracting music are better. I also like stores that are adequately lit and aren’t dark and cave like. I am also drawn to stores with less clutter and more streamlined design. I think like any element of design there is more that affects us than we are aware of. I mean I have no recognition of why I enter a store I have never been in before for the first time.

3. Checklist
-Space between clothes racks
- Easy access entrance
-Appropriate music
-Adequate lighting
-Well placed accessories
-Alluring use of window display
- Lighter colors
- Cash register in back

10.20 "Isn't It Iconic?"

1. I think packaging is very important when it comes to marketing a product. It is the last chance to advertise for a product. That is what packaging allows for, another form of marketing, another way to advertise. A product that packaging worked for are Pringles. They are the only company I can think of that puts their chips into a tube. It works very well because the tube easily fits into your hand and the chips don’t get crushed either. Also the bold red color adds to the packaging.

2. Products with iconic packaging include Absolut Vodka, Camel cigarettes, Clorox Bleach, honey in a bear shaped container, Altoid Mints, Barbie, Smuckers chap stick, Tigi Hair Products, Vitamin Water, Carmex and Cheez-Its .

3. Usability issues include difficult to remove plastic packaging. Many electronics such as headphones are contained in plastic so the product is visible. However it makes it incredible difficult to remove the packaging. Also some packaging designs make it more difficult for the consumer to use, such as strangely designed bottles that are difficult to hold. Very good packaging usually stays with the product until it is no longer needed, such as Vitamin Water.

10.15 "Biggest Mistakes in Web Design..."

1. The first point addressed is designing the web site to meet the users’ needs. Anyone on a website is strictly there for their own purposes and needs. Almost all the mistakes were aspects that made it more difficult for a user to maneuver on and around the website.

2. I thought that having easy to access navigational tools and having the website content be identifiable quickly were the most important points. These are both elements of poor design that I find irritating. Also not being able to easily navigate makes me much less patient with websites and I usually do not explore all the options. Also having “heroin appeal” is important. Some websites just have that addictive ‘it’ factor. This is what differentiates decent websites from great, lasting websites.

3. Design factors that I believe to be important for a webpage:
-Simplicity
-Easy to use
-Graphics that aren’t too flashy
-Good contrast between words and background
- Some sort of mapping

10.13 "Know It All"

1. The author’s main points include the purpose of the encyclopedia and an overall evaluation of Wikipedia. The births of both the encyclopedia as well as the much later birth of Wikipedia are discussed. Both the positive points and the negative points of Wikipedia are discussed. The positive include vastness of material covered, decent accuracy, quick to access, and simple wording. The negative includes inaccuracies, multiple entry changes and lacking creditability.

2.“At first, Wales handled the fistfights himself, but he was reluctant to ban anyone from the site. As the number of users increased, so did the editing wars and the incidence of vandalism. In October, 2001, Wales appointed a small cadre of administrators, called admins, to police the site for abuse. Admins can delete articles or protect them from further changes, block users from editing, and revert text more efficiently than can ordinary users. (There are now nearly a thousand admins on the site.) In 2004, Wales formalized the 3R rule—initially it had been merely a guideline—according to which any user who reverts the same text more than three times in a twenty-four-hour period is blocked from editing for a day.” This shows specifically how the website is regulated. Many people are unaware of the regulation policies of Wikipedia and automatically disregarded it as not credible. However this specific process shows that those in charge are trying to keep Wikipedia credible. This provides very clear, concise and specific supporting evidence into how the website is monitored.

3. Encyclopedia Britannica is more difficult to use because it requires more time to search and find a specific entry. Wikipedia is much more efficient. You simply type in what you would like to search and it comes up. Some people may find Britannica more reflectively appealing due to the scholarly image it gives off. Wikipedia provides more options as to what you can search, so it is less specific. Britannica however is more reliable. Both are pretty easy to use as long as you have access to them.

Topic Change

I am changing my topic to the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site. :)

What Wiki has: Deinking practices no longer in use led to PCB contamination of the river. Sewage effluent, other industrial discharges, and trash also contributed to the pollution of the river. For many years in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, the river was an "eyesore" and most people did their best to avoid it. Beginning in the 1970s with the federal Clean Water Act, serious efforts were made to clean up the river. Although today the river is cleaner, the persistent PCB contamination has led to Superfund designation of a 35-mile section from Kalamazoo to Allegan Dam. Many species of fish inhabit the river including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, and many types of panfish. Though populations have increased in recent years due to the cleanup of the river, it is still advised for people to not eat large amounts of fish from the Kalamazoo River, and pregnant women are also advised not to eat any fish from the river due to lingering effects of the pollution in the diets of many fish (particularly bottom feeding fish like catfish which can accumulate high levels of mercury).

1. Visceral design is usually more simple. Due to the immediate response to an objects design a simple, bright colorful object is more viscerally appealing, than a complex design. Visceral design plays into our innate response, and innately we will be drawn to more simple shapes and designs. Both simple and complex designs can appeal to behavioral design, depending on the use of the object. Some objects such as electronics need to be more complex due to their multi-use nature. However some everyday objects, such as washers are more behaviorally appealing when simple. Reflective design is almost exclusively relegated to complexity. Many people believe the more complex something is the better it is, even if many functions will go unused. in a few cases a purposefully simple thing may appeal to reflective design, by purposefully attracting someone who wants a streamlined, minimalist look.

2. "Water, quite simply, is the covalent bond existing between two hydrogen and a singular oxygen. I would assume that above a certain level of purification, differences among brands is negligible. But purification level or technique is not why people often purchase a specific brand of water. Oftentimes something as trite as water is purchased based on packaging alone as certain package designs tug at our heartstrings, and those especially beautiful ones of niche market brands serve as long-lasting mementos. What emotional beings we are!" -Javin

"An example of visceral design that i have experienced is the Nestle Pure Life water that i drink. The bottle has a sleek and modern design that makes me want to have it compared to the normal shape of water bottles. I am sure that the cheaper water taste the same and probably has the same water quality as the more expensive water but the water bottle sold me on the Nestle." -Andy

The point both Javin and Andy address is the visceral appeal of water bottles. Something that is essentially the same regardless of the brand, but however each brand has their own signature style. Javin also touches on the reflective side of water bottle design, in which the actual bottle is kept although the water, what the object was supposedly bought for is long gone.

Paper Topic

I will be writing my Wikipedia paper on the Lillian Anderson Arboretum. I have visited it twice since being here at K and I love it. Although it is not particularly well groomed it has a wonderful atmosphere.

10.3 "Simplicity is HIghly Overrated"

1.I bought a digital camera with much more options than I needed or would ever use. Some of them I don’t even really know what they mean. However it is fairly simple to just take a ‘normal’ picture. I wanted to be able to do all sorts of fancy photography, just in case.

2.I think complexity is justified when products are more advanced, such as combination products with a phone, camera, palm pilot etc. kind of combination. I feel such a product would be very difficult to make simple since it has so many functions. Also the consumer wants a product that “does it all” and are probably expecting it to be somewhat complex. I think items used regularly for only one main function do not need to be complex. A perfect example give by Norman is the toaster. Any device with only one true purpose needs to be3 as simple as possible without all sorts of bells and whistles.

3.“A thing may be amazing, or beautiful, or efficient but it can never be perfect. If given the opportunity to think of new addition for a product or thing there will always be new ideas. This is shown in the industry which is always coming out with new version of the iPod that my look different or have more functions. So I really don’t think that anything in this world is absolutely perfect because being perfect is subject to point of view. Some things that people consider when they think about their own view of perfection maybe elegance, strength, color, size, shape. But every person has their own thing or things that they look for.” -Keenan
I thought Keenan’s point of view on perfection takes a very insightful point of view. Not only does address some aspects that may be considered in good design but also realizing that due to individual preferences no one object could every be perfect to everyone.

10.1 Emotional Design part 2

1. “That’s the design challenge- to discover real needs that even the people who need them cannot yet articulate.”
This statement by Norman fascinates me. All the everyday items that we now consider essential were at one time not available or considered superfluous. A perfect example is the cell phone. Even when the concept was introduced most consumers did not respond very positively to it. However, now every where you go you can find someone talking on their phone. It just shows how innovative and persistent designers need to be.

2. I find the division of categories useful, but I thin k they could be better named. I think that behavioral design and reflective design both make sense right after being introduced to them. Both words are used frequently, therefore commonly understood. However, visceral design in not as obvious. Although the definition of visceral may relate, it is a much less common word and therefore more difficult to connect. In my opinion, a better name would be Instinctive design, since most of it is based off a subconscious common to all attraction to certain design elements. It could also be useful to classify the three types of design in levels, with visceral being first, behavioral being second and reflexive being third. This would work with each level entering into a more complex thought process and a deeper level of emotional design.

3. A designer could decide what type of design is most important for a product based off numerous factors. A few prominent factors would include target consumers, price, length of use, function and visibility. Those products with a higher price are probably more likely to appeal to the reflexive design. Most likely part of the price is due to the brand being bought, and there is usually a cheaper comparable product. Function and length of use would most likely apply to behavioral design. Length of use may also apply to visceral design when the product has a short length of use. High visibility items would most likely need to be designed around reflexive design. A young consumer such as a toddler would need products designed to the visceral level of design. A teenage consumer would most likely be concerned about reflexive design to the status structure among their peers. Adults would most likely care about both behavioral and reflexive design. The elderly would most like care about behavioral design. Products such as clothes, phones, cars, and purses are usually reflexive. They are often replaced and on high visibility. Many appliances, tools, and more technologically advanced objects are usually appealing to behavior design. Many food items appeal to visceral design.

9.29 Emotional Design

1.Norman’s main points included the three levels at which one could look at design. Theses three levels were visceral, behavioral and reflective. Depending upon the method that was used to gain consumers different aspects of design would be focused on. The most basic level was the visceral level in which one’s first impression based on biological hard wiring is targeted. Items that are geared toward the visceral level are usually fun, and pretty. The use of bright colors and simple design is what leads to an automatic, subconscious level of interest. The behavioral level focuses purely on the function of an object. The object must first perform well. However it is quite often difficult to work on behavioral design due to the difficulties of coming up with new consumer need and innovations. The behavioral design must also be easy to understand and easy to use. The most complex design is reflective design, which unlike behavioral and visceral occurs at the conscious level. Reflective design is about how any given object will make an individual appear. Items bought based on reflective design ties into the message we want to convey to other about ourselves. Often time reflective design involves higher cognition, such as having a bad experience with a product but having a very positive experience that eliminated the problem. This shows the net positive outcome is more important that the negative aspects of the design. Reflective designed is all learned and based on the cultural experiences and each person’s point of view, leading to many different ways to appeal to reflective design.

2.This chapter focuses much more the emotional aspects of design going beyond just usability and function. Norman takes a deeper look into the consumer’s psyche and discovers aspects of design that often go unnoticed. The complex thought process that goes along with objects design is discussed in depth. However in his earlier book it was merely address the products shortcomings. This takes a consumer’s point of view about design more so than his previous work did. It is easy to tell that Norman has broadened his horizons when looking at design and now expresses a more mature and introspective look at design.

3.An object that appears to the visceral level is the new iPod nano. The iPod comes a wide array of bright saturated colors that automatically makes you want that product. An item that appeals to behavioral design would be a printer. Most people don’t really care what a printer looks like as long as it is easy to use and works well. Something that appeals to the reflective design includes shirts with brand names written on it. This is a display showing personal status, and usually isn’t that innovative of a design. The shirt signals to others that you have the money to buy brand name clothing.

9.26 Design of Everyday Things part 2

1. “Hence the problem for British Rail: when the shelters had glass, vandals smashed it; when they had plywood, vandals wrote on and carved it.”
I found this example very interesting. Although both the glass and plywood would take similar strength to break it, due to the affordance of materials humans don’t think to break plywood. This psychology of materials is fascinating to me. I love that how we see objects limits how we will use them. Without even realizing we limit the options for use of objects by our assigned ideas of what objects individual purpose is.

2. The book is still influential today due to the general design aspects that are applied by Norman. He focused on what aids in good design. Concepts such as mapping, affordances, and constraints. These concepts will always relate to good design despite the advances in technology. Also having the important parts of a design visible for the consumer is an idea that will always make sense. Norman took time to focus on components of good design that are universal or somewhat universal to good design. That is what makes his book ring true even twenty years later.

3. I would include a variety of factors to evaluate a design. Visibility of needed aspects of designed object would need to be ensured. Anything that will be commonly used or is needed must be visible to the consumer. Also a good conceptual model must be made so the consumer can innately figure out what to do. The conceptual model must match how the design actually works so the consumer can best use the design. I think most products that are somewhat complex should be tested on consumers. It would be important to have the clearest labels possible for different parts of the apparatus. There should be clear thought put into the amount of buttons and executions that correspond to it.

9.24 The Design of Everyday Things

1. The author wanted to demonstrate ways we respond to design, either consciously or unconsciously. Many designs nowadays involve many advanced technologies. Theses advancements lead to more and more all in one and complex products. These complex products make it difficult for an understandable design to be created. The author’s key points included the use of natural designs. Natural designs are designs that we can figure out without have to consciously think about them. This allows for an easier awareness of how to use something. Also affordances of products constrain what we use products for. This also gives the consumer clues on how to use a product. The more complex and less logical the design is the less likely we are to remember it. Norman emphasizes the amount of psychology that can potentially enter into design. Due to human expectations and behavior certain designs are more suited or less suited for the brain to quickly figure out how to use it. Conceptual models are also discussed.

2. I had a very hard time using a microwave once. It had a plethora of buttons; however I couldn’t find one that simply let you heat something for a designated time. This shows a lack of adequate visibility of a basic button. Instead of the button being located somewhere which made sense or being clearly labeled it was hidden amongst many specialty buttons. This arises from mapping errors as discussed by Norman. If the most used button was mapped in an obvious or central location, it would be easier to identify.

3. The designers of iPod put a huge emphasis on using as few buttons as necessary to increase simplicity. Also they constructed a mental map through the scroll wheel, which aligns in the way it scrolls and the way the song lists scroll downward. Both the fast forward and rewind buttons are in locations that fit the conceptual model and mapping. It makes sense to us innately for fast forward to be to the right and rewind to be to the left. All the buttons on the iPod are clearly labeled, although most have more purposes than just the one labeled.However the iPod does not come with a manual. I am not sure if that is because they felt the product was so self explanatory or not, but I personally would have liked a manual with the iPod.

9.22 "The Perfect Thing"

1. This article illustrates many elements of design including ease of use. There had been other MP3 players made but most of them were difficult to navigate through many of the songs. The iPod had as few buttons as possible to assist with ease of use as well. The actually style of the iPod is very aesthetically pleasing with its clean and crisp appearance. The iPod was also made somewhat affordable with pieces used to make it being relatively inexpensive. The shape was very carefully thought out making sure it would fit in a pocket and was relatively lightweight. The iPod showed the element of innovation by making a product that filled a new niche. The element of durability was also tested with a drop test.

2. I would evaluate a perfect thing through using style, cost, durability, ease of use, quality, and efficiency.

3. I feel the strengths of the iPod include the popularity, ease of use and style. I feel the iPod cost and durability are weaknesses. The iPod is easily scratched surface plays into the issue of durability. Overall I think the iPod is a great product which dominates the MP3 device markets. It is now very easy to specify an iPod to meet individual needs.

Hi! I'm Liz. I am from a small town Saline, just outside of Ann Arbor, MI. I am the oldest child and have one younger sister who is 16. She is my best friend, which is convenient. i enjoying running and volunteering. Purple is my favorite color and I drink tea everyday.

I am pretty excited for the class except for all the writing. I love when design is a combination of function and style.