Persona Practice: SMC student

To try it out, I will fill out the persona of a "typical" Saint Mary's student. This should be interesting!!

2. Demographic attributes: 21, female, caucasian

3. User attributes: quick, easy, uncomplicated

a. Personality: outgoing, confident, positive, energetic

b. Lifestyle, self-image, social position:  middle class, generally well-liked and has high self-esteem, usually has friends or a few close friends and many acquaintences

c. Patterns of behavior, habits, daily routines, typical decisions: decisions are made on full details, habitual gym goer, daily routine includes breakfast, class, nap, lunch, class, gym, dinner, socializing

d. Living, working, and other important environments: SMC environment is very tight-knit and close, so all events are well attended and girls typically feel comforted by the number of friends around on campus

e. Beliefs, values, ideals, life goals, aspirations, important motivations: motivations to succeed, find a meaningful path in life, good career, marry a nice guy (usually ND grads), raise a Catholic family, have fun

f. Likes, interests, dreams, passions, hobbies: ND football, careers in nursing, communications and business are all very commmon at SMC, passion for major in college and hometown pride

g. Dislikes, needs, problems, concerns, worries, pet-peeves, pain-points: dislikes SMC's food, buildings do not stay open long enough, Women's Health Center has short hours, cliques, strict rules can be overwhelming

h. Influencers; sources of advice, counsel: friends offer a huge support network as well as influence, Counseling Center is well attended, many girls find they befriend professors and have more of a friendship with them

4. Summary user narrative

a. Quotes from real users: “I am thankful that I went to Saint Mary’s College because it has given me the confidence, positive attitude, and knowledge necessary to succeed in any field in communications.” 


“I love being part of a group that helps to preserve memories that will last a lifetime.”



“When I visited for the first time, I found it so empowering to be at a school of very smart, spiritual women educating themselves to make a difference in the world.”

Kid Stuff

In Tom Kelly's work entitled Prototyping is the Shorthand of Design he talks about innovation and how prototyping begins at a very early age.  He wrote about his very driven brother who, like most kids, loved to play in the snow and build things.  He explained that his brother would begin with a snowman and slowly improve his method and design until he was able to build complex forts.  It sounds like Kelly took a chunk out of my childhood experiences and placed them into his journal. As a child, I rejected TV and other forms of electronic entertainment (I still do not have a TV in my apartment). I found joy in the outdoors, collecting rocks and building with them or painting them. It was always so fascinating to me to go down to the lake in the middle of town and look for the smoothest rocks. When I gathered enough, I looked for ways to stack them to build things. Then, I thought about other ways to stack the rocks and decided that tape would be a great way. Well, I tried scotch tape and, as experience would have it, they did not stick. So, then I tried to string them together (a bit of a regression from the tape idea if you ask me, but I was just trying to improve it any way that I could). Tying them together also did not work. Then, I had the brilliant idea of gluing them. I successfully bound the rocks together (after a few attempts with different glues) and then I pained the structure. It still sits in my parent's dining room corner cabinet. Under the structure there is a thank you note to my parents for always letting me have fun.


As sentimental as it may sound, it really is an example much like Kelly's.  The end result of my rock project resembled some kind of a tower and I am sure that was my motive. It was the idea that I was building upon ideas within my own mind that makes that experience a small example of Kelly's idea that children are constantly innovating.  


I am a frequent babysitter and I love the time I spend with the kids doing creative projects. I would so much rather build and paint with them instead of watching tv. I am amazed by the things that they come up with and the ideas they have when they are given a sheet of paper, a marker and scissors. I am particularly inspired by the kids who come up with the wildest and craziest ideas and try to persuade me that what they are saying even makes sense. Those are the kids that I know will lead interesting lives. I hope that I will always be amazed by my own kid's creativity!

Design Doing

At this point in the semester, I decided to go back into our Art of Innovation book and see how my reaction to the book changed since I have been involved in innovation and design. I'll be honest, at first, this class really confused me! I felt like I was way behind the learning curve and lost. I feel completely different now. I think with innovation, you just have to have hands on learning to understand all of the elements, and that is exactly how we learned this semester; hands on experimentation. 

Design Doing : Here are some themes that highlight what Design Doing is and what it means to innovation:

• More value and less energy expended when possible

• Design thinking principles work because they are tested rigorously

• Design thinking key to more innovative ideas

• The business world is slower to develop learning strategic design thinking 

• Creativity is the ability to create something new 

• Design is the process of doing something new 

• Three best characteristics of a design mind: open-minded collaboration, 

courage, and conviction 

I bolded that last point because I think it is so well articulated and true.  In innovation, a closed off mind can be detrimental to development of ideas. Courage is needed because if you do not have courage, the ability to get your idea "out there" is nearly impossible. It also takes confidence. Conviction is necessary for you to believe in yourself and your product design. All of these elements were present in my group project experience. This hands on learning and experiencing innovation is what has helped me grasp these rather abstract concepts.

The Innovation Platform

The term "innovation" has sprung up more and more lately. In advertisements, on nightly news programs, in newspapers, the idea of innovation seems to be inescapable. But what does it all mean?  In the gloom and doom of the current recession, many public communicators are turning to promises of innovation as the hope for a brighter tomorrow (and their likelihood for election). Frankly, I think the term is abused by people. It is used casually and assumes that it is a given that people will be able to innovate and innovate well. After taking this class, I learned that there is a science behind innovation and in order to create as a result of innovative design, you will have to follow the steps of the innovation process:

Explore : secondary research

Observe : user observation

Ideate : brainstorm & create

Refine: prototype & test

Launch: implement

I do not mean to sound negative but I really wonder if these politicians preaching innovation really know what they are talking about. Innovation is a nice word, very promising. But, if you do not know how to go about innovating or have the minds needed to facilitate the innovation process, getting ideas into action seems almost impossible. If they do access the right people, I think that is wonderful!  I guess after this class, it is more difficult to listen to a politician speak about the need for innovation and I question their education on such a topic.  Innovation is not just willy nilly ideas, it is much more thoughtful and purposive than that. The cartoon below is just a light hearted example of my idea!

The Truth about Brainstorming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQvqkadg9JI

The Business Week article entitled "The Truth About Brainstorming" got me thinking...

Reflecting back on the brainstorming that we did in class within our project groups was difficult. At the beginning, we were all uncomfortable sharing ideas because innovation is new to all of us. No one wanted to seem stupid or over the top, so very few innovative ideas were shared.  When we got the big piece of paper and started to write down ideas and draw, things got a bit more creative but we were not stepping out of our boundaries.  In fact, at one point, there was a high level of criticism within the group. Some members would very quickly shoot down the ideas of others to the point where they just gave up.  It was really intimidating and bred little to no innovative ideas that we used.  Group brainstorming is kind of a vulnerable activity.  In a setting like Notre Dame, everyone seems to be competing to have the best and brightest idea.  There are nay-sayers everywhere and it is hard to feel like a member of the group.

That said, this article was right on the money.  So many times in rigid organizations, there is this artificial push to encourage creativity. That is kind of how I think we felt in our group. We were trying to step out of the box of solo work and enter a realm of group creative cohesion. Eventually, we did achieve group harmony and every member's ideas were used. It was not until we learned to lay back and let brainstorming happen that we let down our guards to be open to all ideas. Interestingly, I think that because we were not being watched closely by the Professor, we did not have such a need to come up with the best idea. We could work through a number of ideas to reach a final conclusion.

This takes me back to younger years in parochial school where we were forced to brainstorm in Language Arts class. I recall reading a story and immediately after, we would have some activity relating to the story. I cringed when it was a brainstorming activity. I could never think of ANYTHING important to say and never felt a creative energy in the activity. I felt like I was being forced to make my mind work over time and come up with great ideas on the spot. So many times I would just state the obvious and that would be that. I think that teachers could use a bit of schooling on brainstorming and maybe that article would be beneficial.

Mind Mapping

In the image above, I did a simple mind mapping exercise to help me decide what to get my Dad for Christmas. It has been a question that has been plaguing me for the past few months and this mind mapping exercise helped me come to a few conclusions!  I decided that the general concept is that my dad wants to stay connected and keep in touch with my sisters and I. He is proud of us and wants to keep his family close by figurartively. The bar/pub glasses are glasses from each of our respective colleges (he has expressed interest in this a number of times) so that he can have a piece of us with him when he throws back a frosty one (just kidding).
He has expressed wanting more pictures of family and friends to hang on the walls around his bar, so I think that ties in with the desire to keep family and friends close. He also loves organization and appreciates an organized work space. I think that updating and re-writing our family's address book would be another way to tie into the idea that he would like to keep in touch with family and friends.

My dad is a US postal carrier so he is outside in the biting cold 5 or 6 days a week. A good thermal shirt would be good to keep him warm out there!

My dad also really loves music and it is something that binds my family together. He is a very big Bob Dylan afficianado and though he does not like technology, I think he would eventually get used to an ipod. I thought of this because he travels to the ocean with my Mom alot and they listen to CDs on the way down to the beach. It might be nice for them to have an Ipod so they can just coast on down to the beach house and not have to constantly change the CDs.

This mind mapping tool was a nice way for me to organize my thoughts and come to the conclusion that I did. I found common themes among presents and that will help me to decide on the final gift!

Job Mapping

(from blog.weddingpaperdivas.com)

"Job Mapping" is an entirely new concept to me.  Job mapping allows companies to take objects, service, products etc. that are already being used in the world, study their flaws based on current usage and find ways to improve the product or service. This is kind of like a summary of what we have learned about the innovation process as it can be applied to product innovation. It is funny how far you can go "breaking down" the way a person uses, say, a tool. It seems basic; you use a hammer to hammer a nail for instance. Prior to this class, I would have left it at that. You use a hammer to hammer a nail, its basic. After reading this article in addition to what we have learned in class, I now know that you can get much deeper than that.

So, lets take an example and apply it to this. I will use a very basic example but one that I think will work for this methodology. The example:  Hosting a brunch.

(1) defining the objectives:  planning the menu appropriate for all guests, inviting guests, determining how much money is available for the food, determining type of brunch (formal or informal), reasoning behind inviting guests (build relationship, thank you etc), clear space in schedule

(2) locating the necessary inputs: locating place to purchase food, place settings, materials needed for cooking, decorations, babysitter if needed during brunch, locating specialty stores for obscure foods

(3) preparing the physical environment: setting table, organizing kitchen for cooking, cooking all of the food in a timely manner, decorating the home, cleaning, making sure every guest has a seat and utensils, decide on good music

 (4) confirming that everything is ready: making sure that the food is cooked well and is ready to be eaten, making sure there is enough of everything, confirming that the home is clean and welcoming, turn off oven to prevent major disaster


 (5) executing the task: host brunch guests, serve food, welcome guests, have meaningful conversations and help the guests to feel comfortable, ensure that all are fed and that everyone has what they need

 (6) monitoring its progress: key in to guest's needs, monitor food to ensure that there is enough and it is still edible, notice conversations, keep good music playing in background, keep dog out of dining room if necessary

 (7) making modifications as necessary: fix anything that needs to be fixed (make stronger coffee, put more bread in the oven etc) adjust heat in room if too hot/cold, change music if needed, offer low calorie options if requested

(8) concluding the job: see guests to the door, say goodbye, clean dining room, clean kitchen, wash dishes, preserve food, turn off electricity


While this example is undoubtedly basic, it does indeed follow the methodology of job mapping. If a person was to follow this when planning a brunch, the next time they plan one, they may be able to forsee issues and prevent them from occuring. It is a great way to improve a task and in the long run, save money, effort and energy.

Nature

Biomimicry studies nature to solve some of the problems humans face today.

Janine Benyus' TED presentation on Biomicry challenges us to "re-think nature" she said to try to imagine spring if spring never existed. This is incredibly complex and thought provoking but insanely frustrating. I really can't imagine trying to design nature because it is so beyond my thought capability. I realized, as a result of this notion, that we really do design almost every basic thing on what is found in nature. An example of this that I remember from class was the Nokia Morph phone that we studied back in October. The Morph cell phone could withstand virtually every natural and unnatural element. Like a duck with feathers, it beads up water and expels it off of the surface of the phone. Like a fly, it has thousands of transistors on it's skin. It is almost like technology is beginning to come full circle and not be the antithesis of nature like it often is. So many times, technology strives to be better than anything that has ever existed, including nature. It is the StarTrek mentality. That something out of this world and shiny and metal is the way to go. I know that this might seem like tangent but I Janine's account of nature as the sole design from which we should learn and base our own designs sparked my thoughts. It also makes me think about how we are all so vulnerable and weak sometimes. People are praised for technologies that can actually be harmful to us in the long run. The cell phone, while it makes life easier and planning ahead less difficult, it has really affected our interpersonal communication. This video was just pretty eye opening and very humbling. I think that all of the tech moguls should watch this!

I have included a video of the prototype of the Nokia 888, kind of like the morph but does not seem to have all of the biomimicry elements that the morph has. Here it is (I cannot seem to format it to play right here in the sourcebook):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G32JmZkRddc&feature=related

Jonathan Haidt

I found Haidt's idea of Liberal vs. Conservative morality so entertaining!  I agree with him whole-heartedly on his idea that we assume liberals to be more open minded and conservatives to crave familiarity and comfort with tradition.  I have always felt that but never could find a way to communicate that.  His idea that openness predicts who becomes liberal is true in my own life.  As a democrat, I am surrounded by conservative-hating liberals (I am not one, I like Republicans and value their opinions) and I cannot keep track of how many jokes and comments I hear about conservatives being afraid of things that they do not know.  This idea is present in the current debate on gay marriage. Haidt also talks about how the majority of "tedsters" are most likely liberal, and by a show of hands, he is correct.  He goes on to say that while this is expected, it is not ideal.  TED maintains the goal of seeking deeper understanding of the world.  With a team that shares all the same attitudes and values, it shuts down the possibility of gaining insight through a different set of beliefs.  I can compare that example to feminism at Saint Mary's College.  As a student at SMC,  I am constantly reminded of the sacrifices of early feminists and how we have to continue the fight today.  I think it is fair to say that the majority of SMC students adopt some level of feminist values, beliefs and attitudes.  With this singular ideal, we get stuck in this rut of feminist angry discourse.  I am not much of a feminist - I'm a person, while I am a girl, I am just a person.  I do not think being a woman puts me at any advantage or disadvantage, so I do not identify so much with feminism. I am able to offer my opinion in classes and I hope that it offers a different point of view for my classmates and helps them to open their minds to what the outside world might think (The outside world being people who are not feminist). 

Haidt talked about the moral matrix in human beings and how there are 5 categories that testify to the validity of this moral matrix.  Harm Care, Fairness Reciprocity, In-group loyalty, Authority and Purity/Sanctity, were the 5 that he identified.  All of the categories were interesting but I found the purity/sanctity the most interesting.  He said something that I had never thought of before.  He said that liberals are beginning to connect purity with food choices and what we find healthy enough to put into our bodies.  I think that is extremely profound.  After I graduate from SMC, I would like to continue on to grad school to study public health and nutrition.  This idea of food as purity is incredibly interesting and the more I think about it, the more I see examples.  The organic craze and the whole foods trend seems to be a liberal thing. That would be a really awesome thesis. This is something I will be thinking about over the next few months!!

-

Re-thinking the Brain

I am extremely interested in all the information that we are learning about the brain. In Pink's book "A Whole New Mind", a good portion of chapter one is dedicated to explaining how the brain works and the necessity of both working hemispheres. We hear alot about being more right-brained or left-brained and historically, the left-brain has been more praised for its analytical, problem-solving skills (one schooled in gender theory may call these traits "masculine") but recent studies show the right-brain as a champion for creative and innovative thinking capabilities. More and more we are seeing exercises for the right-brain, focusing on increasing creative ability. The right-brain, marked also by emotional intelligence and the ability to understand interpersonal cues would be more traditionally feminine qualities. Just something to think about!

I am very interested in this because I babysit a boy who has behavioral epilepsy, to put it simply. He has an under-active right brain and it is often targeted with seizures. When he has a seizure, he cannot control any of his emotions and often ends up breaking things, screaming, pulling out his hair and heaving. His parents travel to Chicago weekly to see a neuropsychologist to help remedy his seizures. It is interesting to see these two disciplines collaborating, something that Pink said does not happen often. It has been beneficial to study the brain and the functions of each area of the brain to understand his condition.

Personas

Our discussion in class about different personas was really interesting. Our minds seem to want to categorize ideas and things as a means of simplifying data. It is odd that we do that with complex human beings in order to create simplicity and I do think it undermines the creative human mind, but I understand why we do this. We talked about the "soccer mom" and "joe the plumber" and in class, we are organizing professors into different types. I think that this is all good and well, but probably the cheapest way of organizing humans. In fact, if we thought through it more completely, I am sure we could argue for or against some of the professors in the different categories we placed them in. In other words, this is a subjective way of trying to organize information objectively and I cannot imagine that that is really how it is done in innovation and design. I am looking forward to attending class today to see if we discuss any of these points of view!!

(The image above is a study done on Cell Phone user personas)

Design Observation 3: The South Bend Farmer's Market

I grew up in a very natural area of Pennsylvania in a town with no stop-lights, corn fields lasting for miles and hiking trails meandering up and through the vast and beautiful Appalachian mountain range, which my town nestles right up against. My town surrounds a children's duck lake on which fishermen can be seen in old rusty canoes in the autumn and spring and geese fly overhead on Christmas morning. Needless to say, this natural area produces abundant crops, fresh herbs and bright red tomatoes in the summer months, fresh cheeses and crisp apples in the fall. These gifts of the earth travel only a few miles to be sold. They can be found only in the local Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.

Since I have been out in South Bend, Indiana, I have longed for my life back east. In my mind, everything is fresher and more clear on the east coast; people are honest and food is pure. Little did I know how sheltered I am. Here I am in the Midwest, the agricultural heart of this country and I have not began to appreciate what the Midwest has to offer before this past year. An experience that has really brought me closer to the area in which I currently call home was my visit to the South Bend Farmer's Market this past Saturday morning. I was attracted to this service because of my connection to my farmer's market back in Pennsylvania. My parents frequent the Carlisle, PA Farmer's Market so I thought I should support the local farmers here in South Bend and reap the delicious benefits of their hard work.

The farmer's market is housed in a big red building that evokes feelings of an old barn with bare dressings. The morning was fresh and the air had that crisp scent of autumn. The stone parking lot was nearly full and my boyfriend and I had to find a place to squeeze in. We saw young families, older couples and some loose amalgamations of teenagers hanging around (likely helping their parents or friends at the booths). Inside, vendors lined the walls and stood behind tables displaying their produce, meats, cheeses and scrumptous treats (unfortunately, we did not pay a visit to those stands, better to never taste it than taste it and crave more, sometimes it is just nice to enjoy seeing the sweet "art"!! :)) The aisles were moving at a medium-slow pace and though initially we were moving at a medium-fast pace, we slowed down with the natural rhythm of the flow of people.

We stopped at a table where a husband and wife were displaying their vibrant green beans. Unsure of whether or not we were to grab a handful and do it ourselves, I asked her. She explained that we would tell her how much we wanted (a half pound) and she would measure it out and place it in a paper bag for us. We began to understand that that was the procedure here and that was helpful to know. Every interaction we had was a positive one. Some better than others (we loved the apple guy!) and others just polite but positive (the tomato lady, I think she was tired of selling tomatoes..) The interactions made me feel wonderful, I was helping the local farmers and getting the freshest produce at a great price. The crisp autumn air could be smelled inside the market as the doors were open and that smell along with the scent of apple pie and other seasonal desserts was sensational!

We are planning on going back to the Farmer's Market this Saturday morning before football game festivities begin. I would absolutely recommend the South Bend Farmer's Market to a friend who appreciates the farmer's market experience. The organic, home-grown feel of a farmer's market is such a wonderful, nostalgic feeling. I seek experiences like this one and when I have the opportunity to immerse myself in culture, I take it. Another similar experience that I am looking forward to is the New Buffalo Wine and Harvest Festival along the southern coast of Lake Michigan in a small town called New Buffalo. I am looking forward to sampling some of Michigan's best wines, partaking in the bounty of an autumn meal and experiencing New Buffalo, Michigan during one my my most favorite seasons.

Generation C

I thought trendwatching.com's account of the new Generation C was pretty interesting.  I have heard bits of this theory in my marketing research class last semester.  The idea of "egonomics" and the need for personalization and room for creative freedom.  The report on Generation C, I thought, was pretty accurate.  Our generation and especially the generation after ours (early 90's kids) tend to seek out products that give them "creative genius" and allow them to be the artist.  However, sometimes I think that maybe the tools needed to be the artist are embedded in the product.  For example, there are so many internal tools in a camera to ensure a perfect shot...so really, the camera is doing a lot of the art.  Further, access to this kind of creativity takes money...and a lot of it.   I recently bought a Canon Rebel XT and that set me back $600.  This reminds me alot of some of the photos I see on facebook that, typically girls, retouch to scrawl messages in wild colors and fonts on about being "gurlfrndz 4 lyfe" or something of that nature. Photoshopping the photo in this manner, I think, is a characteristic of Generation C.

New Uses: Coffee Filters

I thought this was useful and innovative!

Use Coffee Filters to:

1. Diffuse the flash on a camera. When you’re taking a close-up, soften the brightness by placing a coffee filter over the flash.
2. Strain wine from a bottle with a broken cork. Place the filter over a pitcher or a carafe and slowly pour the wine into it.
3. Serve popcorn or other snacks. The filters act as disposable bowls, so there’s no dishwashing.
4. Make yogurt dip. Use a rubber band to secure a paper coffee filter over the mouth of a deep cup or jar. Slowly pour 8 ounces of plain yogurt onto the filter. Let drain for one hour. In a bowl, mix the thickened yogurt with 1 small minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers.
5. Heat up leftovers in the microwave. Use a filter as the protective covering over a bowl or a plate.
6. Prevent soil from draining out of flowerpots. When repotting, place a filter at the bottom, over the drainage hole, then add the soil.
7. Prevent scuffs and scratches on fine china. Use flattened coffee filters as spacers when you stack your dishes.
8. Protect hands from Popsicle drippage. Slide the wooden stick of an ice pop through a coffee filter so your hands stay mess-free.
9. Serve pita sandwiches. A circular filter is the perfect size for carrying a sandwich on the go.
10. Clean windows and glass when you’re out of paper towels. Coffee filters leave no lint or other residue.

Information taken from: www.RealSimple.com

Small Ironing Boards

Small ironing boards look innovative - they make large, formidable ironing boards into smaller, more easily manageable ones. Looks can be deceiving, though. These small, low to the ground ironing boards are hard to operate, require you to kneel to iron, and don't give you any space to let the rest of the piece of clothing dangle from the board itself to prevent wrinkling while you are ironing the rest.   My first experience with one of these things was during my freshman year of college.  The small board was a perfect solution to the relative lack of space in the dorm rooms.  Little did I know, it was a waste of $10.  I should have just put my shirt under my mattress while I slept. Because of the small size, these ironing boards find their ways to dorm rooms and other tight spaces. While they are innovative in a size approach, they are not innovative in a features approach. 

Inefficient

The small ironing board does not allow for efficient ironing. Often, you have to re-iron what has already been ironed. That means more time re-doing what has already been done and wasted time.

Quick Fix

These small ironing boards make sense if you have a small place and no room for a standard board.  Still, its a quick fix that really was not well-planned.  They make wall-mountable ironing boards now for those who are pressed for space, likely as a result of the ineffective and inefficient small boards.  

Cost ineffective

 When I bought my small ironing board, it was about $10.  Now, I see these at the store going for closer to $20. I am not sure the reasoning but they are no longer in the affordable college-kid category.  This was a surprise and a disappointment. 

Therefore, a good product will be efficient, a well-thought out solution and cost effective. 

Try to find a good standard sized ironing board and forgo the small variety so you dont get burned!!

Ethnography

The video posting on how to approach an ethnography was interesting and pretty relevant.  Right now, my fellow Communication Studies cohorts and I are all diligently working on our senior theses.  I chose the qualitative track and conducting an ethnography is one of the possible tracks for study.  I never saw an ethnography as an opportunity to gain insight into a culture to improve upon some dimension of that culture and I think that is really awesome.  Gaining access to an entire culture and using that information to help is very inspiring. 

I am not doing an ethnography but I will share this observation with some of my classmates who are doing an ethnography.  I wonder what they could come up with based on their studies!  Just something to consider...

Dan Gilbert's Ideas Change Nothing

I cannot say that I agreed with much that Dan Gilbert had to say.  I found myself taking notes on his theories and automatically noting my disagreement with them. The flaws that I found rest mostly in the theories dealing with monetary value.  When Dan suggested that people are too "stupid" (his vernacular was over the top in my opinion) to see that the difference between a declining salary from 60k --> 40k and an increasing salary from 35k-->50k is a 25k difference, over time, if you were to accept the declining salary.  Well, many people cannot continually adjust their lifestyle to feel comfortable with a declining salary even if they do make more in the long run.  It is more than a dollar amount, its a lifestyle change that people consider. 

Further, the idea of comparing the past and the possible did not relate to my life.  He mentioned the ticket example.  Well, if I spent $20 on an item and I lost that item, I would not pay $20 again for the same thing.  That is because I would like to spend that $20 on something different - a new experience perhaps.  Also, the example with the _ _ R _ and R_ _ _ (trying to decide if the english language has more words containing R in the 3rd place or R as the first letter) did not apply to me.  I knew off the bat that there are more words with R in the third place.  I think Dan underestimates the human mind to a serious degree. 

I was SO pleased with the audience member who poked holes in Dan's lottery ticket theory.  Dan's response did not impress me. I agree with the audience member's point that many people buy lottery tickets for something other than winning, they buy them for the anticipation and excitement. 

Sorry if this was really opinionated!!!! I just think he underestimates the human mind and emotions. Thanks for the opportunity to listen to him and challenge my mind!

Human Centered Design

The reading for today, Human Centered Design, was  pretty fascinating.  The concept of designing products around people, for the betterment of people seems like it should be the first thought designers have when creating new pieces. But, most likely, the thought of creating the most economical product- getting the most "bang for your buck" and turning a profit is the goal. It is nice to know that there is a whole school of thought dedicated to understanding how the product helps people. 

I thought it was pretty cool how the author separated the concepts into books; Hear, Create and Deliver booklets (interesting how the acronym HCD for Human Centered Design and HCD for Hear, Create, Design match up). The three stages are well organized and cover the bases in terms of creating a product from start to finish and staying in line with the goal; creating a product for the person.  I really liked how in the Hear stage, there is an element of inspiration through human interaction that occurs. Taking the time to spend a while in the environment for which you are designing a product will likely have a profound effect on the Creation process, because of that experience. 

The qualities that an HCD product must have are simple, but crucial. The three qualities are desirability, feasibility and viability. It is noted that for the product to be successful, all three qualities must be present.  

As a side note, I also enjoyed the funky tips and warnings that advised the designer to use power wisely - I thought that was clever to stage this personal piece of advice with the universal warning sign symbol.

I researched Human Centered Design and found this bike which was designed by a company 

called Giant, it says:

Boston, MA - - The Giant Revive was included in a display at the opening of the Institute for Human Centered Design in Boston, MA. The International Exhibit and Showroom had it’s grand opening on March 19, 2007. The Revive was included for it’s comfortable ergonomic design and ability to be easily adjusted to fit riders from 5’ tall to over 6’. The ground breaking seat and pedal position relationship pioneered the safety and security of being able to touch the ground while still providing an efficient pedaling position.

Sir Ken Robinson: Fearing Failure

Aside from the fact that he is absolutely hilarious,  Sir Ken Robinson is a captivating speaker.  I enjoyed listening to him and found myself agreeing with many of the points he made.  His position on the necessity for creativity and cultivating an environment that welcomes creativity early on in life was fascinating.  I was lucky to grow up in a family who embraced creativity before knowledge or logic.  Our creative ambitions were applauded more often than our academic achievements (perhaps there were fewer of those! ;) ).  Sir Ken's point about children being more creative as a result of their willingness to accept fail if it should arise, versus an adult fearing failure, was remarkable.  I have missed so many opportunities in my adult life because of my fear of looking stupid, dumb or inept.  A memory that is fresh in my mind that relates to this idea is my soccer career.  When I was little, I loved soccer.  I could not play for the life of me, but I loved going to the field and all the excitement surrounding the game.  I was the goalie (not sure why, I only stood about 3 1/2 ft tall...maybe it was to keep me off of the field).  As goalie, I saw it as my duty to dance in the goal, spin around and pick flowers.  I was bold and confident and quite creative with my time.  When senior year of high school rolled around, my friend Kati and I decided we would try out for soccer so we could "get a good workout before spring break".  We made excuses to make our attempt seem cool.  We were awful and I recall the feeling of failure and masking it with negativity and a "too cool for school" attitude. Truth is, I was just as bad as a senior as I was when I was in 2nd grade, but I did not fear failure early on.

I really appreciated this video and I hope that there are more thought-provoking videos to come!

Wow!: Bath and Body Works Foaming Hand Soap

Bath and Body Works Foaming Hand Soap (shown in Energy above)

It may seem odd, but I really enjoy foaming hand soap in any form.  I have Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap in my apartment- both in the bathroom and the kitchen and it just makes the whole process of washing hands much more pleasing. I like foaming hand soap because of the luxury of having the soap pre-lathered. When you pump regular cream soap (or worse, bar soap) into your hands, you need to have the right ratio of water to soap to get a good lather going. The consistency of cream soap is slimy and thick. Sometimes it just slides right off of your hands when you turn on the water. Foaming hand soap leaves you feeling cleaner and more fresh, not to mention, the scents offered by Bath and Body Works smell excellent!  Foaming soap requires little to no water during the cleansing process. On that note, it is also a great product for kids.  I am an avid babysitter and a proud aunt. Foaming soap is so much easier to use when I am helping the kids wash their hands. I do not need to rub the cream soap in for them, I just pump the soap into their palms and let them squish around and play with it - good, clean fun. 

Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap is also one of my favorite products because the packaging is attractive. Instead of having plain, old Dial soap in my bathroom, I have Energy - Orange and Ginger foaming soap on my sink ledge.  The amber bottle dressed in a burnt orange and apricot label which gives a detailed description of the contents of the bottle, has an old apothecary feel.  The design of the bottle compliments my bathroom decor; deep autumnal shades of burnt orange and gold. 

I can categorize my feelings about foaming hand soap into the following categories to help me better understand why this product and others is attractive to me:

Packaging: Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap is always packaged nicely.  The graphics on some scents are a small piece of art for your bathroom. The aromatherapy line, with it's old apothecary feel, is a nice addition to a bathroom with a slightly more "earthy" feel. The shape of the bottle is tall and thin, taking up less surface space and keeping your sink ledge less cluttered. 

Convenience: The convenience of foaming hand soap is key.  The pre-lathered aspect of the soap takes one step out of the process and thus taking time off of hand washing. You simply press down the pump, swish around, run your hands under the water and you are done. The soap slides off when the water hits it in a nice clean sweep. 

Effectiveness: Foaming hand soap is an effective way to wash your hands. As I mentioned before, it works. The foam clings to your hands, whereas liquid or cream soap so often slides right off of your hands before you are able to get a good lather and clean your hands. Foaming soap seems to clean hands better and faster.

Luxury: I appreciate a product that boast luxurious qualities. Foaming hand soap is luxurious in a number of ways - the texture, the pre-lathered aspect, the scent, the well-designed packaging and the smoothness of the pump when activated. 

Pricing: It is important to mention that while this soap is excellent quality, it is moderately priced.  Bath and Body Works Foaming hand soap runs anywhere from $5.00 to $7.00. Sales and promotions are frequently offered at Bath and Body Works. 

These qualities are applicable when judging many hygiene products. If something is relatively high quality, feels good, looks nice and works well, it will likely sell.