CR05

(I'm not exactly sure which classes we're supposing to be covering for this course reflection but...) the last few lectures were very engaging because it let me apply some of the knowledge I gained from Design 200. It let me go through the whole process of design and how an idea turns into an actual product (even though we didn't actually create it). 

It was also interesting seeing everybody else's ideas because there were many ideas that were very original. When we were first given this project, I thought of bringing something awesome about camping and the outdoors back to the home and it was neat seeing how some of the other groups had a similar view when they were coming up with their product.

I am very excited to take my next design classes for my design minor and I hope I can build up on my foundation  I have from Desgin 200!

J10

Overall I am very happy that I took Design 200 because:

• it redefined the term "design" for me; it is not all about aesthetics, it is about creating something for others
• it introduced me to the different areas within design; industrial, visual communication, interior
• it taught me the importance of thought process
• it helped me further understand what my Design minor will entail
• it let me realize how much "design" surrounds me in my daily life
• it made me feel smarter and more knowledgeable
• it showed me how design has an influence on so many things; accessibility, business etc.
• it was a fun, stress-free class :)

J09

Here are my team members:
Aggie: http://agerhardt7design200.blogspot.com/
Avi: http://avistad.tumblr.com/
Crystal: http://crystalscornerblog.blogspot.com/
Kristian: http://kboy123.blogspot.com/

•  For this project, our group started off with many different ideas for our product. 

These were a few of the ideas I had for this project. In the beginning, we started off thinking of a product that would be intended for use in the home setting but having the potential to be used for camping as well (dual-purpose). When I thought about this project, I thought about twisting that concept in the opposite direction and that was how I came up with some of the ideas above.
During the brainstorming stage, things such as bedding, lamp and storage came to mind within the group. Eventually, the idea of a table that could also be used as a bed was thrown on the table and as a group, we decided to go with that.

This is a sketch of what I envisioned as our potential product after that idea came to surface.

After talking to Gabe, we realized that since Coleman already has so many camping related products, we could detach ourselves from the camping concept and focus more on the home setting. From here, the image of our product changed into something that was more appropriate to the typical home but also being able to be used outdoors as well.

Then, the idea of a table that could also turn into a hammock came along. At that point, we decided that that was what we were going to work on as our product. As a group, we discussed how we wanted to format the packaging and kiosk as well so that the product would be appealing to both the user and the client.

Here is the actual Prezi presentation: http://prezi.com/0dv9wr10fqro/coleman-for-the-home/

Putting together the presentation, we were all assigned different topics to cover for the product.

• For this project, I tried to throw out different ideas to help bring about even better ideas at the initial stage. After we decided what we wanted to do, I was in charge of the Client part of the presentation. For that, I identified who the client was and I created a collage that showcased Coleman's products and its identity and for the presentation, I explained how we wanted to help Coleman start up its brand in the home goods sector.

I thought this project was interesting because like I mentioned before, it was different from my Theatre 100 project where instead of just coming up with whatever we wanted to do, there was a specific client and user that we had to keep in mind and the whole process revolved around the client and user. That definitely changed my way of thinking through the project.

RR04

  When I read chapters 9 and 10, the point that really stood out to me was about how design can be so powerful and influential in so many ways.

  Design can be seen as a very general or broad concept which lets it be applicable to so many areas. Before taking this design class, I thought of design only being applied to things such as fashion and furniture to make things look intriguing and appealing visually. However, now that I took this class and read this book, I now know that design can be applied not only to businesses but to other things such as government policies as well. And it is not just about aesthetics either. It is about coming up with something for someone else.

  It was also interesting to see the power of design when it comes to being successful. I had never really thought about how much influence design could have for business success. By creating up something completely new and innovative, it can really affect how well the business does and could potentially change and redefine its identity as well.

  Design can also be powerful in a way that it can help improve the quality of life. Since design is all about doing something for others, design has the power to make things better for other people which connects back to our lecture on design and accessibility.

  Overall, design has the potential to do so much and that just made me want to pursue this study even more!

J08

What is Design and Accessibility?

Many people may think of design as a concept of aesthetics; making sure a piece of furniture looks visually appealing to the user. However, design is actually more than that. It is about creating something for others and this applies to all areas of design. When this meaning comes to surface, accessibility becomes a very important entity because it shows how design can help solve problems not just for the disabled but for as many people as possible. It is all about getting rid of barriers that may restrict people from being able to do certain things that others can. There was not necessarily a specific point in the lecture that intrigued me in this topic but the fact that I just happened to stumble upon a website for a company called Krabat right before we talked about this in lecture made me very interested in how design and accessibility was connected to each other.

Take a look at these sources 

for more information on design and accessibility:

1.

In lecture, there were a few slides that gave statistics related to disabilities. This article (is a little old) but it uses statisitcs and poses the question "Does it really matter? Should businesses take the small demographic into consideration?" Steve Grobschmidt was the one who wrote this article and his statement, "It’s not only becoming more and more of a legal issue, it’s also an issue of ethics. " really struck me because that is true. Whether it be a small group of the population, when it comes to design, people should always try to cater to as many people's needs as possible.

http://www.theaccessibility.com/2008/12/is-accessibility-worth-it-by-the-numbers/

2.

This article explores the meaning of universal design and how it is not only aimed towards people with disabilities but to other people as well. One good example they gave was about a ramp which assists not only people in wheelchairs but mothers with strollers and teenagers with skateboards as well. It also talked about how universal design is an important concept that businesses should keep in mind because "there are 54 million Americans with disabilities, with $175 billion in discretionary spending ability" and by catering to their needs, businesses can be very successful.
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/ada/article/Accessibility-for-One-and-All--5573
3.
This is a YouTube video that explains how universal design can be applied to learning. Different ways of teaching are shown in this video and they are all designed to accomodate students from different backgrounds. The way the video is made is very interesting too because it utilizes the concept of universal design to make sure all people can watch the video and understand what is going on.

4.
This article is about the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show that was held recently in Las Vegas. It introduced many innovative products ranging from bathtubs to drawers all with universal design in mind. It explained how universal design is becoming a cruical concept for designers since the baby boom generation is starting to reach that age where they will need more assistance in living their day-to-day lives. http://www.freep.com/article/20110519/FEATURES01/105190514/Universal-design-meets-style-bath-kitchen-show-Las-Vegas
5.
This TED lecture is presented by Caroline Casey. She is legally blind and her presentation is very interesting because instead of just lecturing about universal design, she lets the audience know what it is like to have a disability and the struggles that come along with it. She shows that just because an individual may have a disability, that does not mean that they are unable to do things. She shows the true strength in people and shows that people have the potential to do whatever they want. And ultimately, designers can help make this become a reality.

CR04

I feel like the past four classes have exposed me to the work ethics of design and what it is like to collaborate with a group of people and come up with a final product.

It is much different from my group project I had last quarter in my Theatre 100 class because in that class, we just came up with some random story and made props and costumes the way we wanted to. However, in design, there's a specific client and user that we need to keep in mind when designing and I feel like that made this project a challenge for me. It's much harder because now you have to focus on what it is that represents the client and how to match that with the user's needs.

Through working with my group, I also learned what it takes to cooperate with other people. Before, I was too scared to propose ideas because I was afraid of that rejected feeling where it seems like you came up with the worst idea in the world. But this time, I realized that any idea matters and whether people like it or not, it's important to just throw yourself out there because who knows when that thought could spark a brilliant idea?

It was also exciting and interesting listening to all the different ideas that people came up with. Some were very innovative and they helped me stretch my brain out to farther ranges. In the end, I am in love with what our group came up with and I kind of wished it really existed :)

RR03

In all honesty, I kind of neglected all the recent reading assignments but surprisingly, I was able to catch up (because I'm a really slow reader...) with everything and here I am writing my third reading response for this class.

Overall, I thought this book was pretty interesting. Even though there were some points where I felt like the author was just repeating the same concept over and over again from previous chapters, there were a lot of ideas that I had never thought about and in the end, I feel like I learned a lot from this book about the relationship between design and the environment.

The first thing I thought was interesting started from this quote,

"While the economic payoff immediately rises, 

the overall quality of every aspect of this system is actually in decline."

That point struck me a little because usually in history class, the teacher emphasizes how the Industrial Revolution was such an important time in history because it helped change people's everyday lives but at the same time, it can also be considered the starting point to the deterioration of our environment. In the short-term, it is hard for us to see the effects on the environment but eventually, all the pollution and trash and such will accumulate to the point where it will be too difficult to fix things back to how it should be.

The other thing that I thought was interesting was how the things the author talked about connected back to Janine Benyus' lecture on "Biomimicry in action." In the book, it talked about how people should design their system of production and design in a similar manner as nature. In nature, for example a cherry blossom tree is very efficient because when it grows, each of its components goes back to mother nature and it helps the earth such as by acting as fertilizer or food for other organisms which will then eventually turn into fertilizer for the soil. Benyus' Biomimicry was about a similar concept too where people could design things by taking ideas from nature and its efficient manner in living their day to day lives. Hopefully, there will be more new designs coming out in the near future where nature and people can help each other out so that we can coexist on an everlasting, healthy planet.