DOET Chapter 2
While reading this chapter there was one quote by Norman that really stuck out to me and summed up the chapter very well: “If an error is possible, someone will make it (Norman, 36).” Discussing how designers have to plan for errors and how people mentally react to problems with a device, Norman uses example to illustrate scenarios that have previously caused or showcased problems.
One of the most common occurrences when there is an error with a “simple” device is self-blame. Even if there is poor design, if the object is easy to use people feel that it is somehow their fault that the item was having problems. On the flipside, there are times in which a device is blamed for poor design and/or functionality when it is actually the fault of the user.
Mental models are theories that people use to explain something that they saw. While these may not always be correct or logical, they are still important in seeing how someone will respond to a new device that they are unfamiliar with. Continuing with this idea, naïve physics, is similar to the process in which people use naïve (often wrong) models to describe how something works.
Learned helplessness is a serious issue that is causing a resistance to the acceptance of new technologies. Essentially, some users who have a high fail rate with a particular device feels that they are not able to perform the said task and refuse to continue using it. Taught helplessness, however, if the idea that people who suffer from learned helplessness will apply this notion to all technologies.
In order to perform a task, Norman says that there are two major steps: execution and evaluation. However to execute an action, one must first have intent and a goal. Once the action is executed it is then evaluated by the user to ensure that the proper result was procured, or to see if there were any errors in the process.
Norman continues to say that there are seven subsections of actions: forming the goal, forming the intention, specifying an action, executing the action, perceiving the state of the world, interpreting the state of the world, and evaluating the outcome. These seven component allow us to create an approximate model of the action.
Gulfs, as described by Norman, are distinctions between mental states and physical states. This is also applied to distinguish between mental intentions and interpretations. While we may have an idea of what we want the device to do, we are not always accurate at judging the outcomes.
What I got out of this chapter was a sense for how important error finding is, as it can effect the reception of a device as well as effect the reception of an entire line of products. As we often place blame on ourselves, it is difficult for designers to find all of the flaws because people assume it was a human error, even if the design was poor.
Monday, December 21, 2009
DOET Chapter 1
DOET Chapter 1
In the first chapter, Norman introduces us to the idea of design, its practicality, and its place in a consumer-driven society. Using examples such as refrigerators, telephones, and other commonly used devices, he began to lay the framework down on the important functions that design plays in our everyday lives.
Visibility is a key aspect when it comes to designing an object. If a user can see how the object functions or there are visible cues, the user is more likely to succeed in properly using it. While visibility can aid in an objects ease of use, having too many visible features can be distracting.
Natural signs, a subsection of visibility, is the use of natural order or tendencies when creating an object that people should instinctually be able to use.
Mapping, the layout of a particular design, is crucial in not only the ease of use of an item, but also its aesthetics. While a design should be simple and well suited to the item, if the device is physically unappealing it will most likely not sell as well.
Affordance is the quality and type of item that is used for a particular object. The differences can be from materials to the type of metal or glass used.
Constraints are limiting features that are used by devices to filter out how or who can use a set device.
A conceptual model is a visual diagram showing how a device functions and how it will be constructed. Having a good conceptual model is crucial when creating an object.
Feedback, the ability to get responses on an object, is also an important component in design. With the proper feedback, the designers can find flaws that they would not normally notice in laboratory tests. This allows for the consumers to communicate directly to the designers and any problems can be dealt with.
The paradox of technology is basically the idea that while newer digital technologies may be a step up from previous analog construction, too much technology can be overwhelming and have a reverse effect.
What I got out of this chapter was a newfound appreciation for all of the items around me. As he mentioned in his writing, there are roughly 20,000 items that we are able to identify and most likely use. Each one of those devices had a creator, and most devices are evolutions from previous models. While it may be easy to get frustrated at poor designs, we should be grateful that we have so many great ones.
In the first chapter, Norman introduces us to the idea of design, its practicality, and its place in a consumer-driven society. Using examples such as refrigerators, telephones, and other commonly used devices, he began to lay the framework down on the important functions that design plays in our everyday lives.
Visibility is a key aspect when it comes to designing an object. If a user can see how the object functions or there are visible cues, the user is more likely to succeed in properly using it. While visibility can aid in an objects ease of use, having too many visible features can be distracting.
Natural signs, a subsection of visibility, is the use of natural order or tendencies when creating an object that people should instinctually be able to use.
Mapping, the layout of a particular design, is crucial in not only the ease of use of an item, but also its aesthetics. While a design should be simple and well suited to the item, if the device is physically unappealing it will most likely not sell as well.
Affordance is the quality and type of item that is used for a particular object. The differences can be from materials to the type of metal or glass used.
Constraints are limiting features that are used by devices to filter out how or who can use a set device.
A conceptual model is a visual diagram showing how a device functions and how it will be constructed. Having a good conceptual model is crucial when creating an object.
Feedback, the ability to get responses on an object, is also an important component in design. With the proper feedback, the designers can find flaws that they would not normally notice in laboratory tests. This allows for the consumers to communicate directly to the designers and any problems can be dealt with.
The paradox of technology is basically the idea that while newer digital technologies may be a step up from previous analog construction, too much technology can be overwhelming and have a reverse effect.
What I got out of this chapter was a newfound appreciation for all of the items around me. As he mentioned in his writing, there are roughly 20,000 items that we are able to identify and most likely use. Each one of those devices had a creator, and most devices are evolutions from previous models. While it may be easy to get frustrated at poor designs, we should be grateful that we have so many great ones.
Mapping
I was going through all of my materials for the course and came across the mapping assignment that I had never posted. Originally I was going to be making a looping animation of the map but it ended up taking too long so I just used a map that I created of the space and I drew out the paths of all of the customers and the staff at Einstein's Bagels.
Simple Overview
This image is a quick overview of the major technological components and how they interact. For more detailed images as well as video, please check out my previous posts!
Attention Whore Concept
Attention Whore Concept
For this assignment I wanted to create a piece of wearable technology that reflects present youth culture and the obsession of drawing attention to one's self. While the tactics used to call attention have changed over many generations, using sex or visual sexual stimulation have remained a constant. While it has always been a part of our culture, it seems that flaunting one's sexuality, as well as one's body, has become a wide-spread fashion trend.
I recently visited a club and took the chance to watch people and look at what they were wearing. Most everyone in the club was at the least well groomed (or it seems that they at least started that way), and I would say that over half were wearing clothes that were revealing or sexually inspired.
Witnessing a growth of these trends throughout such a small period of time made me wonder what the next step in fashion would be for our sex-hungry generation. While our generation may be obsessed with sex and fame, our generation is also obsessed with new technologies.
Our generation, commonly referred to as the Me Generation, is filled with hungry consumers with a strong desire to have every aspect of their lives personalized to reflect their individual style. Whether our style is reflected through the clothes we wear or the songs that we have on our iPods, we are making a statement about who we are in relation to those around us.
Using the trends of our generation, I wanted to create a piece of wearable technology that not only was personalized to the wearer, but a garment that reflected our overwhelming desire for attention. In a time where each successive piece of clothing further stretches the boundaries of acceptability, I wanted to continue on with this trend and take it to the extreme.
Creating an evening dress that was covered in two layers of organza (a shiny semi-transparent material), I installed LED displays on the breasts that act as a music visualizer. Each display (which was made to reference a nipple) consisted of eight blue LEDs arranged in a circle with their lights shining towards a center point.
The two layers of organza were used as a diffuser for the light that gets emitted, creating a soft display that moves and flows with the garment. I chose the color blue because it is a color that I commonly associate with youth. I specifically stayed away from red as I felt that the lights on the chest would be more than sufficient attention grabbers and that using a color such as red would be more of a distraction than an enhancement.
Conductive threading was used to connect the LEDs to the Arduino, which were all able to be hooked up to the same PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) slot. The setup also includes a headphone splitter wherein one of the jacks is used for a wire that inputs the electrical signal from the music device into the Arduino.
While the current design only allows with audio from a computer, the goal is to get the system to work with a MP3 player or any other portable music device.
The dress is designed to allow the wearer to listen to their favorite music and have their breasts display their individual music style.
The organza as well the dress design allow for maximum fabric movability; because of this, the light display not only mimics the music that is being played, but it also moves in time with the wearer's movement.
The name "Attention Whore" was chosen as the title of the piece after its completion and while acting as a pun, I chose it because I felt that it summed up the essence of my work.
I plan on continuing working with wearable technology in the future, but other than attempting to make this piece work with a portable music device, I will not be making further changes to the piece. While an advantage of using technology is its ability to be easily updated, I feel that changing any other components would be changing the dress itself. Instead I plan on taking my other ideas and iterations of this dress to create new pieces.
For this assignment I wanted to create a piece of wearable technology that reflects present youth culture and the obsession of drawing attention to one's self. While the tactics used to call attention have changed over many generations, using sex or visual sexual stimulation have remained a constant. While it has always been a part of our culture, it seems that flaunting one's sexuality, as well as one's body, has become a wide-spread fashion trend.
I recently visited a club and took the chance to watch people and look at what they were wearing. Most everyone in the club was at the least well groomed (or it seems that they at least started that way), and I would say that over half were wearing clothes that were revealing or sexually inspired.
Witnessing a growth of these trends throughout such a small period of time made me wonder what the next step in fashion would be for our sex-hungry generation. While our generation may be obsessed with sex and fame, our generation is also obsessed with new technologies.
Our generation, commonly referred to as the Me Generation, is filled with hungry consumers with a strong desire to have every aspect of their lives personalized to reflect their individual style. Whether our style is reflected through the clothes we wear or the songs that we have on our iPods, we are making a statement about who we are in relation to those around us.
Using the trends of our generation, I wanted to create a piece of wearable technology that not only was personalized to the wearer, but a garment that reflected our overwhelming desire for attention. In a time where each successive piece of clothing further stretches the boundaries of acceptability, I wanted to continue on with this trend and take it to the extreme.
Creating an evening dress that was covered in two layers of organza (a shiny semi-transparent material), I installed LED displays on the breasts that act as a music visualizer. Each display (which was made to reference a nipple) consisted of eight blue LEDs arranged in a circle with their lights shining towards a center point.
The two layers of organza were used as a diffuser for the light that gets emitted, creating a soft display that moves and flows with the garment. I chose the color blue because it is a color that I commonly associate with youth. I specifically stayed away from red as I felt that the lights on the chest would be more than sufficient attention grabbers and that using a color such as red would be more of a distraction than an enhancement.
Conductive threading was used to connect the LEDs to the Arduino, which were all able to be hooked up to the same PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) slot. The setup also includes a headphone splitter wherein one of the jacks is used for a wire that inputs the electrical signal from the music device into the Arduino.
While the current design only allows with audio from a computer, the goal is to get the system to work with a MP3 player or any other portable music device.
The dress is designed to allow the wearer to listen to their favorite music and have their breasts display their individual music style.
The organza as well the dress design allow for maximum fabric movability; because of this, the light display not only mimics the music that is being played, but it also moves in time with the wearer's movement.
The name "Attention Whore" was chosen as the title of the piece after its completion and while acting as a pun, I chose it because I felt that it summed up the essence of my work.
I plan on continuing working with wearable technology in the future, but other than attempting to make this piece work with a portable music device, I will not be making further changes to the piece. While an advantage of using technology is its ability to be easily updated, I feel that changing any other components would be changing the dress itself. Instead I plan on taking my other ideas and iterations of this dress to create new pieces.
Doet 5
The six different types of slips are
Capture errors (something more frequently done dominates) - typing a common word instead of a rarely typed one.
Description Errors (when your mind generalizes too much) - today
Data driven (when one type of data overwrites another)- Typing dialogue from a movie into something i am typing
Associative Activation Errors (doing something based on similar triggers) - In the morning when my alarm goes off, I normally snooze the first one. However, I believe I sometimes will snooze every alarm if I am not awake enough to realize the situation.
Loss of Activation Errors (forgetting mission)- I often end up wanting to google something on my computer and I end up forgetting to do it and then I am on youtube.
Mode Errors (too many fuctions) - today I put in a dvd that had two sides. I tried to put the correct side in, but I accidentally flipped it around when putting it on a tray.
Flowchart
observe the piece and cutout of hand > realize that ones hand is meant to be placed there > Place hand there and have sensor read skin > read result >get stamped by performer > think about result
There are potentials for error when a person has to touch their arm to the sensors, it doesn't look friendly to touch or heavy duty enough.
Memorize/retrieve info recently I have had to do a lot of studying for art history exams. These are unique tests in which you have to memorize both an image and information about it in order to do well. In order to remember this information, I have to do a flash card method without shuffling. I also will verbally announce the information in order to hear the info too. In order to remember one card, I have to relate it to other cards around it. A structure of 120 card existing in my head each with artist, title, and date has to be arranged in a nice grid.
The Connectionist approach is an interesting theory that memories are generalized over time and averaged, while unique events are separated out. Its like when I look back on high school classes there is a stereotypical classroom with desks, and sometimes individual ones with familiar faces, but I can rarely remember specific days unless something really unique happened.
stuctures - from my understanding, a wide structure has many decisions to be made before the next is reached. A narrow structure has few choices or may only have a single yes or no answer that needs to be given. A shallow structure has very few steps or following instructions to it. A restaurant menu has many different meals, but once one is chosen, the meal is served. A deep structure means that a menu might ask what meat you want, and what noodles you want with it, and other things you might want to add. Our group project has a narrow and somewhat deep approach. People have to decide if they want to approach the object and then if they want to put their arm up to it. Its all a linear arrangement of yes no questions.
A person must perform few actions when viewing our piece simultaneously. they have to comfortably hold their hand up to a sensor while waiting for feedback from a light saying when the reading is complete. They have to trust the piece will not harm them and that it is working.
Capture errors (something more frequently done dominates) - typing a common word instead of a rarely typed one.
Description Errors (when your mind generalizes too much) - today
Data driven (when one type of data overwrites another)- Typing dialogue from a movie into something i am typing
Associative Activation Errors (doing something based on similar triggers) - In the morning when my alarm goes off, I normally snooze the first one. However, I believe I sometimes will snooze every alarm if I am not awake enough to realize the situation.
Loss of Activation Errors (forgetting mission)- I often end up wanting to google something on my computer and I end up forgetting to do it and then I am on youtube.
Mode Errors (too many fuctions) - today I put in a dvd that had two sides. I tried to put the correct side in, but I accidentally flipped it around when putting it on a tray.
Flowchart
observe the piece and cutout of hand > realize that ones hand is meant to be placed there > Place hand there and have sensor read skin > read result >get stamped by performer > think about result
There are potentials for error when a person has to touch their arm to the sensors, it doesn't look friendly to touch or heavy duty enough.
Memorize/retrieve info recently I have had to do a lot of studying for art history exams. These are unique tests in which you have to memorize both an image and information about it in order to do well. In order to remember this information, I have to do a flash card method without shuffling. I also will verbally announce the information in order to hear the info too. In order to remember one card, I have to relate it to other cards around it. A structure of 120 card existing in my head each with artist, title, and date has to be arranged in a nice grid.
The Connectionist approach is an interesting theory that memories are generalized over time and averaged, while unique events are separated out. Its like when I look back on high school classes there is a stereotypical classroom with desks, and sometimes individual ones with familiar faces, but I can rarely remember specific days unless something really unique happened.
stuctures - from my understanding, a wide structure has many decisions to be made before the next is reached. A narrow structure has few choices or may only have a single yes or no answer that needs to be given. A shallow structure has very few steps or following instructions to it. A restaurant menu has many different meals, but once one is chosen, the meal is served. A deep structure means that a menu might ask what meat you want, and what noodles you want with it, and other things you might want to add. Our group project has a narrow and somewhat deep approach. People have to decide if they want to approach the object and then if they want to put their arm up to it. Its all a linear arrangement of yes no questions.
A person must perform few actions when viewing our piece simultaneously. they have to comfortably hold their hand up to a sensor while waiting for feedback from a light saying when the reading is complete. They have to trust the piece will not harm them and that it is working.
Set 5
Inside Pocket of dress that houses the Arduino unit. If I can manage to figure out a way to use the device with a battery, there is enough room to enclose the power source as well.
This is a map that I made to show how my LED array works. Each breast contains 8 LEDs which are all oriented on a circle with their light shining towards the center. The Positive and Negative marks show how the conductive thread was run in order to prevent short-circuits.
This is a view of my computer hooked up to the Arduino. For this iteration the computer was playing the music as well as powering the microcontroller.
This is a top-down view of the Arduino, labeled to show how the project was wired to the board.
This image shows how the conductive threading is hooked up to the microcontroller.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)