David Kelley: Human-Centered Design (Task 1b)

We normally focus on products and objects in terms of technological involvement. Human-centred design is the approach to the design involving behaviors, personalities and products. Therefore it makes us more enjoyable when we encounter those products.
Kelly showed some videos concerning products, services and the environment. At PRADA New York, scanner has an important role to communicate with customers. For instance, if customer gets interested in a product, the scanner shows how she could fit with other items. Also, in dressing room, more information will　be provided by touching the screen, so that customer can check what to fit as well.

In the next video, there is one interesting device at London Science Museum. Active games on the big screen are placed on the table for multiple players. Also, huge screen fulfilled with lines displays the feedback from visitors. Such line design is based on London subway system. In the last video, funny room is showing up. It has the cubes all around involving various kinds of elements such as flower base and fish tank. All the things in the room are creative and eye-catchy.

I liked a product named spy fish, which is a small camera-built hovercraft seeking under the water as well as what scuba divers do. You can watch the video by its camera on live. Also, it is attached with a remote controller up to your desire where to go.

During the video, all he mentioned was the design with fun, enjoyment and pleasure. One of his known designers did manufacturing business in Kenya for the local people and the sales on the product are non-profit in fact. So in this point, it is obvious that Kelley focuses on human, people, living etc. to connect to design rather than business markets. This could be because he knows or believes that the design with such features would be more trust-worthy for consumers.

I think the idea of human-centered design is quite important as Kelley mentioned. It is because we design products for people. I want to see people feel pleasure and happiness. We have just started project of design product having more pleasure to use but the video refreshed my mind what is primary to consider. I need to refine my idea more and more for the best human-centered design.

Don Norman: Emotional Design (Task 1a)

This post is about the first Video Blog task of Emotional Design by Don Norman. During his speech, Norman mentions about the new view of what the beauty and the emotions are. He says that the design, (or could be anything) should be that people can be positive by touching and feeling those.

He had an impression to the Japanese knife in terms of its shape (saying "beautiful"), balance (feels good) and function (excellent sharpness).
His passion is all towards the fun. For example, he defines brain-storming as the method of making us happy. Thus when the problem in our head is solved, that is the moment we feel happy. That should be emotional satisfaction of us. In addition, he explained about such satisfaction by raising the example of a car up. He seems pretty happy about the well-designed appearance of inside the car. All the components are round and organized. Therefore, how those are placed is also the key point of feeling happy, I guess.

In our case as designer, we can achieve that people (clients) feel happy about our design by our emotionally successful ideas. We can feel happy as well because we figure the solution about the best idea out.

Therefore, it is important for us to be creative not only about how functional, or any physical excellence our designs are, but also about how emotionally we can communicate with people so that they can feel good to use it. That is the wonderful part of the design.

In my thought, good design should come with a good appearance first, however if we have only that point, it is never enough to achieve the emotional satisfaction. We need everything. Those are like function, balance, etc.. So I can say that Norman points the quite important issue out. All I need to do first is maybe having fun. This is because if I did not design with fun, enjoyment or something similar, my products will surely not be interesting in terms of not satisfying you.

In order to enjoy my design, I think I need the vital spec with me such as the general skills about design. So I must be fine with technical drawings, marker sketching, model making etc.. And then I can start enjoying my design. Therefore, I feel the time is never enough to build up myself. Design is fun and I want to enjoy more. I will never forget this “emotion”.

studio IDES 1031

this is the beginning of the studio 2011.
I am currently excited, motivated but also anxious a bit.

All I will do is doing my best with the biggest effort and well-organized time management.
Work most efficiently.


Kosuke Fujisawa