my design challenge victory

Here you will find this years interzinc challenge winners:

Zinc Casting Alloys Manufacturing Technology Transfer Group-Interzinc

http://general-stores.com/interzinc/Announce.htm

I am very proud to say I was one of them. How I did it remains a mystery. I redesigned one of the most trivial resturaunt objects. A Napkin Dispenser.

Identical in form and function for decades, I was proposed the challenge of re-designing this object using die-cast zinc.

So i did, with absolute minimal production costs and a complete form and fuction make-over, I created The Billow Dispenser. And they liked it, liked it enough to send me a two thousand dollar check in the mail a couple days ago. An additional thousanddollars goes to the University of Oregon's Product Design Program.

Entered in Designboom.com Competition

Our Seing Through Touch tile design was submitted to the

design for all::future technology and daily living.

designboom design competition.

Check dis::

http://www.designboom.com/contest/preview.php?contest_pk=31&item_pk=37023&p=3

Success! The Perfed Biker Glove Is Complete

SEOUL CYCLE DESIGN COMP.-The Biker Glove Begins

Cup Holder Review

It went swimmingly, our skeletal rendition of the utility restroom cup holder got great reviews from classmates and Sara.

In the process of building our final model out of wood I suggested we take off one of the walls (the exposed one) and leave the whole cavity open. Not only did this add visual appeal and accented our objects swooping curves but functionally this object would be a hundred times easier to clean but custodians (one of our MAIN and most common users).

Well done group B.

SEOUL CYCLE DESIGN COMP.

After a well spent hour of mind mapping and brainstorming with a white board and post it notes with four other group members I have choosen a clear yet open ended design objective. I am sure your dying to hear it.

DO= To create a stylish, energy efficient, and portable bike accessory, which ensures the safety of it's user.

and drawings begin....

MOOD BOARD Seoul Cycle Design

SEOUL CYCLE DESIGN COMP.

IMAGE BOARDS BEGIN with some preliminary research. I just explored some basic facts about the city of Seol, Korea including: demographics, weather and climate, geographic, current city goals, natural resources, bicycling trends and more.

Prototyping continues for Intro To Studio

As a group, we knocked out 5 prototypes today and four over the past weekend! Looking forward to review tomorrow.

CURRENT DESIGN DIRECTION=creating a surface for your beverage in the restroom that is usable to all users and offers something more than the pre-existing surface on the toilet paper dispenser I.E. it's safer to set your drink down, prevents spills.

ahmerricah

::designing surfaces for the restroom::

Pretty awesome I think you get the point of it.

All of us in Group B would like to think.

::designing surfaces for the restroom::

Here is my prototype for a design solution for bottle placement in the restroom.

As well as the rest of Group B's initial prototype, by the way our first group proto is going to be a huge hit.

PEN(DENT) PROTOTYPING

PD370: MOAI + PEN

OBJECT ANALYSIS:

play or preformance::function= human body decoration (jewelry), aesthetically pleasing to user.

Handmade pure silver>qualities of craftsmanship

Conversation piece.

Heart & Soul:: It was collected by my uncle in late seventies-spent most of its life in a n attic. until he gave it to me when I was eighteen.

I have lost it on several occasions seemingly for good and it always comes back to me. (knock on wood)

Expresses my character and infatuation for old things.

form::cultural-Easter Island MOAI tiki bust.

MOAI+monolithic human figures carved from rock on polynesian island of Easter Island, Chile

1250-1500

Minimalistic Style.

Moai CANNON=

Deep elliptical eye

Heavy Brow

Elongated broad noses (fish hook nostrils)

Lips protrude in thin pout

Oblong ears usually rectangular

Elongated jaw line (stands out against truncated neck)

Torsos are heavy, Collar bone subtly outlined

Arms are carved in bas (low) relief

Disproportionate head usually 3/5 the entire statue.

Historical Context::Expensive to craft and transport, oral histories say people used devine power to command the statues to walk because it was a mystery how they could move them, considered a remarkable intellectual, creative and physical feat.

OBJECT TO DESIGN::

Notes from I MISS MY PENCIL

To create emotion connection between user and object.

-create stuff that has value

-can there be an emotional reaction to a pen?

-recreate an emotion

-capture love for a physical object

HOW OR WHY DO I LOVE THIS OBJECT??

It's...a family heirloom

has historical references

handmade original

vintage-one of a kind

PEN=

-simple product

-ubiquitous

-we al know and use pens (a variety of them)

-retractable, capped, fountain, colors

-average pen=5.5-6 inches long, .375 inch wide

Design Brief::

End User Demographic (who is it for?)

18-30 Well read, historically inclined, higher price point, premium pen,

^anyone interested in easter island history and the importance of Moai, rarity of artifacts

Tell a Story

"vintage" collectors-attracts broad spectrum these days, its trendy to have vintage

Valuable art, antique collectables reflects society and culture

Idea of traveling back in time

Having a piece of history

Narrative Pen

Context and culture (when/where/how it is used?)

Pen for formal & informal

Functional yet Ornate

Used now-contemporary

Fragile (like the stone Moai of Easter Island)

Erodes at a slow pace (needs extra care)

Requires a protective case (creative an of era case similar materials to time)

Make Comparisons

Historical Precedent study CHECK

PREMIUM Pen Manufacturers::

Sheaffer (american)-innovative filling systems and nibs

Parker (american)

Montblanc

Waterman (american)

Wahl-Eversharp

60's

Parker began good quality ballpoints-very nice high end pens in the middle to high end price range for GIFT MARKET=pens became more of a gift item than ever day writing tool.

Early days.... like the Ford Model T you could have any kind of pen as long as its black

Now.... you have the same pen in four colors.

Internet has done more to introduce people to vintage pens and distribute them.

NEXT UP....PROTOTYPES

Observations of Restroom Surfaces

R & O on Personal Objects In the Restroom

I covered three IDEO method cards to focus my research and observation for this project.

Interview with Molly Rogers a handicap user.

A few other students I interviewed yesterday....

Project 2

Group two met over the weekend at Full City cafe we have decided to focus our design objective to an object for carry ones items, whether it be for a cup, jacket, glove, pencil or bag all of the things we carry into the restroom with us lack a home or resting place inside or outside of the stall.

OBJECTIVE=A resting place for personal possessions inside the bathroom stall.

Focus=simple, congruent form with environment, functional, easy to clean, appears sanitary, inviting and use is obvious to user, THE FORM LENDS TO THE FUNCTION always.

Sink/Mirror

Here's a visual update of my progress on my midterm sink assignment. The idea is that it is a sink that is the mirror. One should feel drawn to the sink with the absence of any hanging mirrors in the bathroom. Once I have drawn you to the sink are you just going to stand there and stare? Most likely you'll wash your hands and enjoy the beautiful visual of light and water dancing across the face of this convex dome and your reflection.

I watched Helvetica

"the meaning is in the content itself, not in the type face"

I think after todays model review we can all take this quote from the film Helvetica to heart.

I hope designers can steer away from these blatent analogies or literal connections and let the forms of their objects speak for themselves without directly spelling out the idea.

+Objectified+

I had the pleasure of watching Objectified yesterday in class. If you have any interest in design or consumerism as it stands today watch this film.

This flick reaffirmed my passion for the designed world and my hope to one day be a crucial part of this intricate web of corporate america, designer and consumer.

"All objects tell a story, if you know hot to read it."

^ Design language attempts to be simple and easily understood by those that use the products we create. The ultimate goal is to tell a story of who you are and what you as a designer or company wish for the user.

WE WANT NEW THINGS there is no denying this fact but can we make new things that have a purpose before AND after use. Can we steer away from making objects that end up in landfills 11 months later?

Tell the story of man buys object, man loves object and when he is through or when it has failed the products body is reincarnated or disposed of in a responsible manor.

I love that story.

Today I make model magic. oh yes.

I'm whipping out five models for my design process class. All products for the bathroom that address the issue of washing ones hands. As you can see my room has become a model making disaster but I find comfort in this chaos.

I was in ace hardware and saw two magnificent objects that inspired me to make sinks. One was the bathtub plug...I wanted to make a sink that you looked into only to find yourself. In my research every single female looked in the mirror before during or after using the sink.

The other object was the veggie steamer...and oh my was it beautiful. How amazing would it be to open a giant contraption of this sort during your hand washing experience. yay.

Snollygoster

word of the day.

a dishonest politician, especially shrewd or calculating.

METHOD CARDs

IDEO created method cards to assist designers throughout their design process. For my PD199 class we are to design products for the bathrooms addressing issues of behavior I have chosen five approaches for each of the four categories of research approach.

MY DESIGN OBJECTIVE: create incentive for restroom users to wash their hands through the use of a enjoyable experience.

Learn

+Affinity Diagrams: Cluster design elements according to intuitive relationships such as similarity, dependence, proximity, etc. This method is a useful way to identify connections between issues and reveal innovation opportunities.

+Activity Analysis: List or represent in detail all tasks, actions, objects, performers, and interactions involved in a process. This is a useful way to identify and prioritize which stakeholders to interview as well as which issues to address.

+Secondary Research: Review published articles, papers, and other pertinent documents to develop an informed point of view on the design issues. This is a useful way to ground observations and to develop a point of view on the state of the art.

+Cognitive Task Analysis: List and summarize all of a user’s sensory inputs, decision points and actions. This is good for understanding users’ perceptual, attentional, and informational needs and to identify bottlenecks where errors may occur.

+Long-Range Forecasts: Write up prose scenarios that describe how social and/or technological trends might influence people's behavior and the use of a product, service, or environment.

Look

Rapid Ethnography: Spend as much time as you can with people relevant to the design topic. Establish their trust in order to visit and/or participate in their natural habitat and witness specific activities. This is a good way to achieve a deep firsthand understanding of habits, rituals, natural language, and meanings around relevant activities and artifacts.

+Fly on the Wall: Observe and record behavior within its context, without interfering with people’s activities. It is useful to see what people actually do within real contexts and time frames, rather than accept what they say they did after the fact.

+Behavioral Mapping: Track the positions and movements of people within a space over time. Recoding the pathways and traffic patterns of occupants of a space helps to define zones of different spatial behaviors.

+Still-Photo Survey: Follow a planned shooting script and capture pictures of specific objects, activities, etc. The Team can use this visual evidence to uncover patterns of behavior and perceptions related to a particular product or context, as well as structure and inspire design ideas.

+Personal Inventory: Document the things that people identify as important to them as a way of cataloging evidence of their lifestyles. This method is useful for revealing people’s activities, perceptions, and values as well as patterns among them.

Ask

+Five Whys?: Ask “Why?” questions in response to five consecutive answers. This exercise forces people to examine and express the underlying reasons for their behavior and attitudes.

+Cognitive Maps: Ask participants to map an existing or virtual space and show how they navigate it. This is a useful way to discover the significant elements, pathways, and other spatial behaviors associated with a real or virtual environment.

+Card Sort: On separate cards, name possible features, functions, or design attributes. Ask people to organize the cards spatially, in ways that make sense to them. This helps to expose people's mental models of a device or system. Their organization reveals expectations and priorities about the intended functions.

+Surveys and Questionnaires: Ask a series of targeted questions in order to ascertain particular characteristics and perceptions of users. This is a quick way to elicit answers from a large number of people.

+Conceptual Landscape: Diagram, sketch, or map the aspects of abstract social and behavioral constructs or phenomena. This is a helpful way to understand people’s mental models of the issues related to the design problem.

Try

+Experience Prototype: Quickly prototype a concept using available materials and use it in order to learn from simulation of the experience using the product. This is useful for revealing unanticipated issues or needs, as well as evaluating ideas.

+Be Your Customer: Ask the client to describe, outline, or enact their typical customer’s experience. This is a helpful way to reveal the client’s perceptions of their customers and provide an informative contrast to actual customer experiences.

+Paper Prototyping: Rapidly sketch, layout, and evaluate interaction design concepts for basic usability. This is a good way to quickly organize, articulate, and visualize interaction design concepts.

+Quick-and-Dirty Prototyping: Using any materials available, quickly assemble possible forms or interactions for evaluation. This is a good way to communicate a concept to the team and evaluate how to refine the design.

+Try It Yourself: Use the product or prototype you are designing. Trying the product being designed prompts the team to appreciate the experience the actual users might have.

MORE...

RESEARCH SOURCE DOCUMENTATION: WASHROOM HABITS

http://www.health.state.mn.us/handhygiene/how/clean8.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/

http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/factsheets/Handwashing.htm