DESIGN DISRUPTORS/SEMESTER WRAP-UP
There are some key differences in the social media user audience of 2015 and 2018. The year 2015, was the Golden Age of social media. Many people were using it to get connected with their friends and family. Since this was a fairly new idea and nothing had been done like this before, many people were on board to start using it. There were almost no problems with the applications and many people had fun with it. Social media was all about the user experience, so the design incorporated things the user wanted to see.
Fast forward to 2018 and the experience of social media has changed drastically. Social media is still about staying in touch with those you love, but it has also turned into an addiction. People are constantly on it and have lost touch with the reality of their lives. Due to this need for connection, people have become lost in the digital social media world. This has caused a number of issues including loss of confidence, eating disorders and a variety of mental health issues. The need to live up to influencers, or people who have perfect lives on social media, has grown insatiable. People have used this platform to make them seem like they are living a perfect life when in reality they are not. Along with this negative side effect, social media is now covered in advertisements. Businesses have grown to use these applications to promote their companies to a wide span of users. Overall, social media has switched from being about user experience to making money and fame.
The designed experience has been swapped from connecting with friends to endorsing ideas. Applications originally meant to share photos with friends have turned into sharing news posts and articles. Facebook is a good example of the design feature swap in social media. Facebook originally had profiles with photos for your Facebook friends to like. As the age of social media shifted, its design incorporated a news feed. This originally was a place to share life updates and other posts. The news feed then morphed into what is now a hub for political posts, breaking news articles, and crazy videos from around the world. A design that was once focused on the user, is now focused on spreading ideas and news. The additional design feature of adding advertisements into the middle of social media posts or videos online has also changed the user experience. A once entertaining time spent on social media has now turned into minutes of waiting for advertisements to go away.
A designers role is to adapt to a changing environment and disrupt the status quo. In the Design Disruptors video, we saw that disruptions created by designers are what helps our society function. Designers must look at what exists in our society and put something out there that disrupts it. This is often seen as a solution to a problem many people have gotten used to in life and don’t realize is there. An example of a design disruption was the development of Uber. People were getting place to place using taxi cabs, but these weren’t located everywhere. The development of Uber allowed an easy experience on your phone to get a ride anywhere. Many people didn’t realize the issues along with the taxicab service and once this application came out, their lives were made much easier. Design disruption is seamless and the perfect design doesn’t add problems to society. These designs will integrate into society like they have already been there and add a lot of efficiency in people’s lives.
An application that has changed from when it first came out is Netflix. Netflix was created to have users be able to access movies online, while also sending a monthly subscription of DVD’s straight to your door. This originally was a way for users to get access to many movies without having to leave their own home. Netflix has now switched to focus more on the movies and television shows online, rather than door to door. Netflix has obtained a variety of popular shows and has grown in popularity during recent years. It offers a way to get access to newer movies and watch all the seasons of your favorite shows without commercials. Netflix has taken over users in regards to watching regular television. It has also begun to create its own television series and movies to watch. I predict that in the coming years, it will start focusing even more on its own productions and become an exclusive television and movie network. People will then have to subscribe to the application to watch its exclusive media.
Going back to the application of Uber, it has changed from being a ride service to a well-known part of society. It has become very popular and one of the number one ways to get around. Songs have been written about it and many celebrities have endorsed it. The only negative aspect is the effect on taxicabs. Uber is often the first choice for getting a ride and some taxicab services have been hurt by the app. I believe Uber will wipe out taxicabs in the near future and become one of the only ride services around.
Instagram is another application that has changed over the years. It went from being a platform to share pictures with followers to a full on business. Influencers grew out of this application and began earning money from their picture-perfect posts. Sponsored advertisements also started popping up in feeds and stories, whether the users wanted them or not. Instagram then developed more features like stories and going live online. After all these added features, in the future, I can see Instagram becoming one of the most popular apps to date. It will grow further as a business and become even more successful. More people will earn fame from it and it will offer more users a way to make money.
My biggest takeaways from this class have been understanding the foundations of design. Going into this class, I thought I knew what design was. My perceptions were changed as this class opened up my perspectives on the ideas of design and the many ways it functions in our world. From the design thinking process to making disruptions in society, I learned that design is an important tool to utilize. I understand how the design thinking process fits into many aspects of our society and can be used to create many successful ideas and products. In my future career as a graphic designer, I will take this knowledge and use it in my design work. Having the process of design thinking will allow me to ideate and create needed designs for society. After all, I’m not designing for myself, but for everyone else.
WORDPLAY
In class, we began discussing blackout poetry by looking at examples of Austin Kleon’s work. While he was stuck with writer’s block, he created a variety of poems simply by taking newspaper around him and crossing words out with a black marker. Words or phrases that interested him he left on the page and eventually a poem was made. Blackout poetry is traced back to centuries ago and with new technology has begun to be used again. I created three poems using the newspaper I was given. Although seemingly an easy task, it was difficult to connect the words together to have an understandable poem. At first, I was only looking for interesting words, but as I went along, I realized how interesting it was to find phrases to use. I changed the entire meaning of these phrases by incorporating it along with other words in my poem. After finding the words and phrases I liked, the most difficult part of the task was connecting them together. I then had to try and find connector words like “is”, “to”, “and”, “a.” These helped me connect my poem and create more of a flow.
For this task, we were asked to create ransom notes. Ransom notes usually involve different fonts and styles of letters from different sources. They are often cut up in the way shown above at a random order to spell out a demand. This is a form of wordplay because different letters from different places are being used to create an entirely new message. Our task was to create a ransom note that looked visually appealing from the sources we were given. I created the demand, “Give me the cookies at midnight and you can keep your job,” because it was funny and something that stands out from other phrases. To go about this, I went through the newspaper and attempted to find various different letters. At first, I was looking through the newspaper, cutting out letters at random that I thought would add contrast. After a while, I realized it was easier to start forming my words, so I began looking for each word. I tried to cut letters from multiple different pages, looking for interesting backgrounds, different size fonts, capital letters and more. I realized the more contrast in type I found, the better it looked. Eventually, I created my demand and decided to stick it on a pink piece of paper so it would stand out. This ransom note reminds me of Mean Girls and the pink “Burn Book” with letters.
Overall, working with wordplay was fun. It opened me up further into the world of creating messages and new meaning to words. Working with material already provided is an interesting way to create something new. I learned it is all about modification and putting your own style into something existing.
TELL A STORY WITH STORYBOARDING
For this warmup assignment, we were asked to copy a storyboard of a cowboy at multiple angles. The article Learn the Lingo, Camera Shots & Techniques in Storyboarding talks about the importance of having different shots in the storyboard and knowing the names of them all. For this assignment, we focused on having an extreme long shot, long shot, knee shot, medium shot, and close-up. For the first storyboard, the cowboy was copied to a tee with the given template. For the next two, we were asked to create storyboards using animals and nature. I created a storyboard using a horse and used multiple types of shot angles to create my board. For the next board, I drew a tree using the multiple angles as well. As I began drawing each board, it became easier to draw the different angles. Through this process, I learned how crucial storyboarding is for a story and how sketching ahead of time helps bring the story to life.
For the event storyboard, we were required to create a storyboard of a fundraiser in groups. The storyboard had to show the visual experience of going to a fundraising event. Our group chose an organization for school supplies for kids in need. We decided the Kids in Need Foundation would be the best fit for our fundraiser. For this fundraiser, we wanted to create something formal that possible donors would be attracted to going to. We drew on sticky notes the various steps that people would view at the event. We included a check-in, raffle room, dining room with dancing, an auction, and display room. While thinking of the steps to put, I thought back to my own fundraising events I had gone to and the different attractions they hold. I realized having a sit-down dinner and an area to walk around it was important for the guests to experience. After our drawings, we went around to each of the groups and either approved or got rid of certain steps. The pictures above are of my refined fundraising storyboard. We were asked to individually look at the advice given and redraw our own storyboard. I used the feedback from the groups around the room and got rid of certain drawings. An example of this is with the dinner scene when many of the groups thought to show this step was unimportant. I refined the scene to show a close up look at the guests around the table eating dinner to make it clearer to the viewer the step that was going on. I continued to make sure enough details were present in each scene to help visualize the fundraising event.
During this in class assignment, we used storyboarding in a different way. We created our own images to be placed on buttons and to tell a story at the same time. Our task was to use three buttons to tell the story of why someone should vote. First, I looked through a variety of issues and topics surrounding why someone should vote. I decided on using the topic of the environment and voting to help end pollution. I sketched out my ideas using three circles and eventually created my final three images to be pressed into buttons. The story shows a dying flower due to pollution, someone voting for a candidate who will help end pollution, and the world becoming pollution-free, with the flower thriving. This exercise shows how simple a story can be to get a big message across. The act of storyboarding can help in simplifying or explaining a process unfamiliar to other people. By going through this wide variety of activities, I was able to see the importance of storyboarding and why we use it.
NOT JUST BRAINSTORMING, BUT GAMESTORMING
Gamestorming involves the process of brainstorming new ideas in a game-like way. It is a fun, collaborative way to think of innovative ideas by using imagination. Gamestorming allows an office to be turned into an alternate reality, unlike many other traditional office settings. It uses low tech, fun methods to get ideas flowing and people excited for work. In the Gamestorming video, it talks about major companies today such as Apple, eBay, and Facebook, that was started by young adults. These young minds brought more creativity to the table and used this method to build their companies. Now, they are some of the most successful companies today, which can be attributed to their non-traditional workspace.
The rules and methods of Gamestorming are endless. Each company working this way can come up with their own set of rules and activities. Making the work enjoyable is one of the top priorities. In class, we were able to understand the variety of ways Gamestorming can take place and how much it fosters collaboration.
For our class activities, we were required to draw a cover story, complete a SWOT analysis, design a mood board, and create spectrum maps. All of these different methods allowed us to think creatively and non-traditionally.
For the cover story, we were asked to redesign a new Facebook that is focused more on community rather than news. We drew a magazine cover complete with headlines, quotes, and images. For the SWOT analysis, we had to figure out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of pop-up experiences. This type of analysis allowed for many of the features of the pop-up experience to be looked upon. The mood board was created on Pinterest that conveyed easily reusable and simple packaging. After creating a product, it is important to have the right packaging to sell it in. Lastly, we created spectrum maps of various political views showing the extremes of each side and in between. Our map involved the gun control debate, government funding, and marijuana use.
The process of Gamestorming allows for greater collaboration, creativity, and innovation. I believe it should be implemented into more companies to allow for more ideas to be generated.
TESTING IS ESSENTIAL TO THE USER
Testing is an important step in the design thinking process. It is technically the last step of the process, but this isn’t usually the case. After testing, designers often go back to their work and revise it based on the comments of the participants of the test. Taking in the feedback of the participants can allow for the prototype to be redefined and for the final product be made easier to use. When creating a product, one of the main goals is for it to be easy to use and for the user to understand how it works. If the use of the product isn’t clear during the testing phase, then it is important to go back and make it clear.
According to the article Stage 5 in the Design Thinking Process: Test, the best types of tests are completed in a natural environment where the participant is comfortable. This will help remind them of reality and allow them to relax while completing the test. They should also be solely observed by the tester during the test. If the user figures out how to use it on their own and isn’t told what to do, this will allow the prototype to be tested to its full capacity if the user figures out how to use it on there own and isn’t told what to do. Observing during the test and asking questions after will allow for the most useful feedback.
Products are always changing and the best example of this is the simplified Samsung Television discussed in the article User Research: What It is and Why You should do It. Samsung created a minimalistic television hiding all the bulky cords as they noticed users were beginning to use their televisions for decoration over function. Testing products in real life situations and garnering feedback will allow for more refining to fit the user’s needs.
In class, we started up our functioning app prototypes and began the testing phase of our wacky app process. Above is a picture of my wacky app’s home screen on the working app prototype. We went around testing our apps between different students in the class. I made sure to test my prototype with at least three of my classmates to get the most feedback. While testing, I followed the guidelines of testing we had learned through the readings and in class to get the best results. I got the prototype running for my participants and watched as they navigated through. I took notes, making sure to pay attention to detail, of where they tapped and their expressions while doing so. I allowed them to play around on the wacky app until they deemed fit and gave me feedback. I asked them how I could improve and if anything was hard to understand for them. Using their feedback, I ended up making minor changes to my screens to allow the app to be more functional.
In the end, after the testing, I had a mostly completed app. If there were more time I would’ve tested the app again after I made the changes. This could allow me to refine it more with a different set of students. Overall, testing is an important step in making sure the product works in reality and is usable to everyone.
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PROTOTYPING: THE BEST WAY IS CHEAP
According to the article Stage 4 in the Design Thinking Process: Prototype, prototyping is a necessary step in the design process and without it results can be below average. Prototyping is a way to turn ideas into reality and see how they would function in the real world. There are two types of prototyping, low and high fidelity. The most commonly used way is low fidelity prototyping because it is cheap and quick. With this style, designers can prototype and easily remake their prototypes into their desired product. After testing and beginning to gain the desired prototype, designers can begin to make more complex prototypes closer to their ideal version.
Prototyping allows us to learn more about our users and circle back to the previous steps of the design process. If a prototype isn’t working out the way it is expected to, then designers can go back and ideate to come up with solutions to the issues. Creating a prototype and observing how the user interacts with it allows designers to learn more about the user that wasn’t known before. The article Design Thinking: Get Started with Prototyping shows that prototyping is crucial when it comes to learning and understanding the user. It also shows that this exploration can lead to inspiration and motivation for the designer to empathize and ideate further. This is a learning by doing scenario that allows visualizations to come to life and designers to learn how their product will succeed day to day.
During the week of prototyping, in class, we were asked to use our final idea for our wacky app and create a working app prototype to go along with it. We were given sheets of paper with phone screen layouts to sketch out our screens. The picture above is a set of some of the screens I included in my wacky app. As designers, even while sketching we had to make sure to pay attention to detail because this step was an important part of the prototyping process. The app we used to create the working prototype is called Marvel. This app allowed us to take a picture of our hand-drawn screens and translate them into functioning app screens. We were required to add links to different sections of our screen in order for the screens to switch between one another. While I was doing this, I began to realize the tedious work that goes into apps and how each little part of a screen needs to be accounted for. Even though this was just a prototype, there was a good amount of time and work put into it.
The prototyping process allows designers to redefine their problem and gain a further understanding of the user. It is an important step that transforms ideas into reality and shouldn’t be skipped. Prototypes can lead to further testing to allow the product to become the best it can be. This step allows designers to have research across multiple interfaces and forms of media. Prototyping has helped to create the majority of products that exist today.
IDEATION- DAYDREAMING LEADS TO SUCCESS
This week in class we focused on the topic of ideation. Ideation is the third step in the design thinking process and involves the brainstorming of ideas. The Creative Spirit article talks about how daydreaming can help lead to ideation. If we all took moments out of our day to let our minds go blank and run off in free thought, millions more possible ideas could be made. Daydreaming is a way to take time off from our busy schedules and allow our minds to be lifted of distractors. Many good ideation ideas come from taking this space out of a hectic schedule. This article also talks about our unconscious and how rich it is in information. Our conscious mind only contains certain information whereas the rest goes into the unconscious. Having this moment of daydreaming and meditation can allow others to tap into their unconscious minds and discover ideas they didn’t think possible.
In class, we were given the task to brainstorm ideas for a dog house. We were given no rules, no budget, just a concept. We came up with a list of extravagant ideas we wanted for our dog house while still making them useful to the user, the dog. Our list included a private chef, a pool, and a huge couch for the dog to lounge on. Even though all these things aren’t necessarily necessary for a doghouse, they allowed us to ideate and come up with crazy ideas that could possibly work for the user.
Next, in class, we were asked to ideate and come up with a list of wacky app ideas. Our group created a web of ideas, each topic branching out from one another. This process allowed our minds to be stimulated for the real task of coming up with an actual app. The picture above shows our list of wacky app ideas we came up with after discovering ideas about what makes apps not useful. By ideating, we were able to come up with a long list to narrow down into the best idea to prototype.
This process of ideation was difficult at first because we didn’t know where to begin. There were no rules, no guidelines, just thoughts. Coming up with the perfect thought to get our unconscious minds working was tough, but eventually, we began brainstorming. All these ideas we came up with were creative. I think collaborating with a group allows designers to bounce ideas off one another and continue having more thoughts. In a group setting, there is room to build and construct the perfect idea. I also think that having time on our own to ideate for this project would’ve been beneficial because we would’ve been free of distractions and able to tap into our unconscious minds further.
Ideation is a crucial step in the design thinking process because, without it, ideas couldn’t be formed. Choosing one idea and going onto prototyping is a risky decision that could possibly end in failure. Using this step to take the time to come up with well thought out ideas can allow for great success.
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EMPATHY MAPPING
Empathy mapping is a way to create an innovative product or idea for a user’s needs. It involves using empathy and design thinking to research design ideas. A designer will first observe the user to understand the feelings and needs for a new design. In the slideshow above, an empathy map for Don Fertman is featured. In class, we watched an episode of Undercover Boss where Don, the chief development officer at Subway, went undercover. We were able to create a map of his feelings in what he hears, sees, and does. His feelings could then be translated into needs that help ease these emotions.
Next, we focused on the interview aspect of interview mapping. Imagine going into an airport and asking someone all about their travels, this is the task we had to complete. We had to come up with a series of questions to find out more about the airplane user. The questions wanted to help gather information on the user, understand the users actions, and dig for emotion. Creating a list of questions was helpful overall for the interview process, but the best interviews veer off of the question list and go more into depth on the details the user is providing. For example, if the user is asked why they are traveling and they respond “for work”, don’t move onto the next question. Instead of doing this one should ask, what kind of work do you do? They also could be asked, is this your first time traveling for work? These follow up questions use empathy to understand the user more deeply.
After listening to the Empathize section of the Design Thinking Handbook, I was able to practice my skills of empathy mapping further. We were asked to create the ideal wallet for a user. I first created a sketch off the top of my head, thinking of what users would need. After this, the empathy mapping started. I asked my roommate, Emma, to show me her wallet. I then asked her a series of questions I had prepared to understand her wallet use further. Again, I veered off of my question list a little as she showed me the various unique pieces in her wallet. After the interview, I wrote down a list of needs she would need in a new wallet to help solve her problems. This wallet I was designing was specific to her as a user because I used empathy to understand her needs. After figuring out the needs, I sketched a series of 5 different designs that could help improve her wallet use. Two of the designs involved having a wallet on the back of her phone, which was easy to use for her. The other designs used a regular wallet style with some twists. After finishing the designs, Emma was excited to see the new innovations and desperately wanted a prototype.
The Six Habits of Highly Empathetic People shows that having empathy allows designers to cultivate curiosity, challenge prejudices, step into another persons shoes, open up, inspire action, and develop a forever changing imagination.
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DRAW TOAST
In this draw toast workshop, we were required to collaborate with a partner and draw out the process of making toast. The first picture with the purple drawings represents the first draw toast attempt. We had no limit to the number of steps or detail needed for the toast process. Afterward, my partner and I ended up crossing out certain steps of the process and adding subtle details to refine it.
Next, we were required to draw out the steps for doing laundry. There was also no limit or rules to the drawing process. At first, we were required as individuals to draw our own laundry steps. Then, we met with a random group and had to use our own individual laundry making processes to create a combined system. This process would’ve been fairly simple, but we weren’t allowed to talk. Eventually, looking over everyone’s different steps, my group and I came up with a final process. It was clear that when working with the group we only put in the most important steps and got rid of the unnecessary details. This workshop was helpful in showing us the design thinking process.
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WHAT’S IN MY BAG/DESIGN THINKING
According to the Wikipedia article Design Thinking, design thinking is a creative process used to find the best solutions to a problem. When given an issue that needs a resolution, design thinking can be used to filter through all the possible outcomes. Say a clothing company has an issue communicating with its customers, there is a variety of solutions that can be formed to solve this problem. Going through the design thinking steps can solve most issues.
First one must empathize. Empathizing would be to understand the clothing company and why the communication issue is present. In order to empathize one must observe how the clothing company runs and interacts with its customers. One must also engage in interviews and research the company to get all the possible data. Next one must define a point of view on the issue. This includes the company’s needs and insights one can make about the company. This can be the fact that the company only communicates with customers in person and has no presence online. Creating a persona will help visual the audience members for which this problem exists. Then design thinkers will ideate. According to An Introduction to Design Thinking Process Guide, ideation is brainstorming to create a wide variety of ideas or solutions to a problem. This process uses both fluency and flexibility. For the clothing company, it could be putting out more commercials, advertising on billboards, creating a website, developing social media, or more. From this, the solutions can be narrowed down into the best ideas including, most likely to delight, the rational choice, and the unexpected. In this situation, social media would most likely delight to the young customers, a website would be rational for more sales, and having a celebrity appearance in a television commercial would be unexpected. From here, designers can begin to prototype and be prepared for failure. Prototyping includes creating cheap mockups of possible solutions. Designers must build with the user’s needs in mind in order to create a successful prototype. For the clothing company, prototypes such as designs for a new app or a website launching can be made. The final stage is then testing the product. Seeing how the customers interact with the social media accounts or the activity on the website can help determine the best solution. However, it is always important not to tell users how to interact with these prototypes because more refining can be done later. After these tests, a solution can be used that best serves the clothing company.
These methods described all contribute to the design thinking process. Instead of struggling to come up with just one solution, design thinking allows many solutions to be found while also having a deeper understanding of the problem. It is commonly thought that design thinking can only be used in a design, but it can be used in a wide variety of fields as well. According to “Design Thinking… What is That?”, the results of this process can be truly exceptional and it is urged that people start to use this way of thinking in business.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking
https://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
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