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| April 14th, 2006. Issue #14 |
| Summary |
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| Is
ID user-centered? |
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| Normally, we use this space to tell about all of the awesome things going on at ID. For instance, the last two weeks have been exciting as we began the planning of the student participation in the Strategy Conference. Normally we would only talk about the open web discussion space that the engageID newsletter staff will facilitate around the conference, including podcasts, photos, interviews, etc.. We would say that we would love for more people to collaborate on this project, but instead of just being chipper and informative as always, we would like to pose a question and open it up to you, our readers, students, alumni and friends: Is ID user-centered? Far from trivial, this question gets at the heart of our institution , and recently arguments from both camps have been circulating among the student body. To get you started, I will share my opinion. It is in no way
the opinion of the rest of the newsletter staff, IDSAB or anyone
but myself. An idea that has been bouncing around my head since we started planning for AWF is that what design needs now is believers. We need more people who not only know what design is and what it basically does, but people who truly feel that through design, the world can be a better place. Coming into school, I was convinced of this and design was all in me and oozed from me, but now after a nearly a year at ID, I am not so sure. I'm beginning to think that designers end up creating the same dysfunctional, disconnected institutions as everyone else. But when I seriously consider it, I don't really believe it. I do still believe that design makes things work better. So how do I reconcile this conflict: Conflicting Observations The problem seems to me that student efforts are not enough. We cannot be both user and designer at every level. I could have stopped with the previous statement, but this is beyond a question of who does what task. The designers that are in charge of and make up the faculty of our school are working hard to ensure that they do their parts well, and I believe that they are. As a foundation student, my professors are thoughtful and dedicated. I do not ask that they work harder. Similarly, the administration and faculty cannot ask that we students work harder outside of class. The solution does not lie in each of us doing more individiually. What we need is to work better, together. We need to treat the entire ID population as a team and act accordingly. It sounds idealistic to say, as one colleague puts it, "If we would work together everything would be pink!" As such, it might be easy to dismiss, but have we really tried it? When was the last What better testing grounds for our methods than our own school? What more receptive and engaged users will we ever find than the students at ID? What more able designers than ourselves? Your editor, |
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| ID News |
| The newsletter editorial team at the Strategy Conference '06 | ||
In case you haven't noticed, the ID Strategy Conference is coming up very soon and the more defined the program and speakers list gets the more promising it looks: great speakers, mindblowing ideas and inspiring and energetic atmosphere. What better topping you can dream for the end of the term? Last Friday, Rebecca Batey kicked off the first conference volunteers meeting and we can happily say that current IDers will be represented there helping with all kind of task and of course participating in the informal talks inbetween talks. Besides, we heard that many ID alumni will attend the event so it is also a great opportunity to talk to them and see how are they doing and learn from their experiences. At our newsletter editorial office we have decided that we are going to have an special issue for the conference, giving extensive coverage by writing letcure reviews and capturing great photographic documents. And we are plannin to go beyond that: since in this kind of conferences, the real interesting things happens between lectures and also so many attendees have a lot to say (sometimes in their own blogs), we are planning to give provide a discussion platform where attendees are invited to publish thoughts, exchange resources, comment on lectures and basically keep the discussion up beyond the fromal lectures and informal discussion and extending the engrossing experience the conference provides. Also planned is to publish podcasts of the lectures so those great ideas can be refreshed anytime, anywhere. We are amibtious and it is going to be a lot of work, but if everything works the way we expect we will end up collecting great materials and capturing a rich still of the conference thoughts. If you have any other ideas to capture content and want release your journalistic spirit in whatever way you are good, just talk to either one of us and we will warmly adpot you in the team. It's going to be great! Jordan, Alex and Enric back to top |
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| Upcoming Lecturette: Bill Hill, MetaDesign | ||
Who: All Y'all What: The Value of Design for Branding and Identity When: Wednesday, April 19, 12:30pm Where: 6th Floor, Nathan "A Conversation About the Value of Design for Branding and Identity Projects" Bill Hill, co-founder of MetaDesign and a member of our board, will
present a
brief lecturette about how the relationship between customer and performer
is
changing, giving more power to designers who understand how to articulate
value. He will draw on some examples and case studies from past work
that Meta
has done. |
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| Recent events |
| Base of the Pyramid (BOP) Lecturette with TU Delft and Judith Gregory |
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On Monday the 9th, we heard about the Base of the Pyramid from two perspectives. If you aren't familiar with this term, the best way to understand is to imagine everyone in the world arranged in a pyramid based on standard of living the group at the base comprises over 60% of the world's population, but they live on less than $2 a day. (Check out ID's Design for the Base of the Pyramid project)
The second part of the lecturette was given by Judith Gregory,
one of our own professors. She took the opportunity to introduce
herself to the student body then described some of the research
that she conducted in South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique
with the implementation of a health information system in an
variety of communities. She focused on the importance of understanding
local belief systems as well simply believing in the power
of grass-roots movements to create solve problems from within
a community rather than relying on outside forces to solve
problems. for more information on this research and Judith
in general, check out her profile below.
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| Green Design Lecturette |
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Who is the user really? Are we really just designing for ourselves? At last Wednesday’s discussion, Peter Nicholson, a former ID student and founder of Foresight Design Initiative, asked us to question the value that design really brings to the table. Design’s value lies not in the dollars that we generate, but the function we can bring to the world. We cannot divorce design from ethics. And so we should think about more than green design, but think about what sustainability really means. After all, is our goal to create better products or to elevate our quality of life? Foresight hosts Green Drinks, a monthly get together to talk about sustainability issues. The next one is on Tuesday, April 18 at Jefferson Tap & Grill from 5:30-9:00pm. This month’s special guest is Commissioner Sadhu Johnston from the Department of the Environment. For more info, www.foresightdesign.org words by Eric Niu back to top |
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| Showcase |
Faculty interview: Judith Gregory |
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- What is your role at ID and where did you come from? I joined the core faculty of ID in September 2005, with special responsibility for the Understanding Users core area of the curriculum, and as faculty member in ID's Doctor of Philosophy in Design program. I am currently co-coordinator, with Keiichi Sato, of the PhD-Design program. In 2006, I became co-principal investigator for the Base of the Pyramid project, with ID Director Patrick Whitney. Before joining the ID faculty, I lived and worked in Norway for 5-6 years. In Oslo, I worked Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo (2001-2005) advising masters and doctoral candidates, and an external consultant and Professor II at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (2002-2005), advising doctoral candidates. My Ph.D. in Communication is from the University of California-San Diego (2000). - What are your overall impressions so far since school has started? The ID masters students and doctoral candidates are tremendously creative and energetic, and spirit of internationalism of ID is very exciting. It is a great honor and privilege to work with such talented designers and designers-in-the=making. My ID faculty colleagues are known throughout the world not only for their many accomplishments but also for their kindness and generosity as people -- they live up to their reputations! The ID staff provide great practical support and set a warm and welcoming tone.
- What are some cultural differences between where you were previous to ID? |
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Article: "The Innovation Imperative" |
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The "Revolutions" of Business: a story of optimization What happens when you can't "out-optimize" anyone? Innovation exists in a space between the disciplines of design and business. Both are capable of contributing but neither are master and commander. Larry Keeley, ID professor at the Institute of Design and CEO of Doblin Group, argues that "Innovation" is evolving into a new discipline of its own and teaches such at the Institute of Design. I'm not sure I agree. Webster's defines discipline as, "training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior." I would certainly argue that structures, methods and practices are evolving to assist individuals and companies to be better innovators. That said, I am less sold on Innovation with a capital "I" being thought of as a separate discipline outside of design or business. In fact, this is where I see things getting really interesting. I see innovation developing as a shared practice of both design and business disciplines. There will always be a need for the star iconoclast and impossible-to-work-with designer as well as for the hardcore accountant. These two types will never easily work together. For the rest of us, less extreme designers and businessmen, there is a space we can both agree is important and share an education in practice and common ground: innovation. The convergence of business and design education? Because of business education's focus on learning through cases and common texts, I believe businessmen have a fairly comfortable view of their role in a firm. Similarly, this allows fellow businessmen to have clear conversations between each other with little to no prior relationship. Making deals, understanding profits and losses, operations, economics and the like are all essential for companies to develop and execute innovative solutions. Unfortunately or not, "businessmen are generally the ones in power within organizations. Frankly, this puts an onus on design. Unfortunately, "design" as a concept is attached to everything from systems to products to hair and everything in between. Everyone seems to have their own definition so it is difficult to communicate its value to those in power and not yet already sold. This is where designers need to plant a flag in the ground and clearly and consistently communicate as a group . Can we so comfortably discuss our value as the tens of thousands of MBA's we deal with or have we failed to design the very thing which is most essential to us: a common vision? Regardless, designers do need to become more aware and comfortable with the lexicon and practices of business. Design's power is great (greater I would argue than traditional business practice) but only if it communicated and used effectively. This is why I currently attend the Institute of Design and not Kellogg or the University of Chicago GSB. Our challenge is great but also compelling. I believe the current context and this space of innovation between design and business is of extreme importance to both disciplines. It can, in fact, strengthen the relationship and understanding of these two, in the past divergent, modes of thinking. The best firms will indeed get it and, with luck, more design and business schools will start working together. (This piece was written partially as a response to a post written by Michael Beirut on the Blog Design Observer.)
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Foundation Project: "Kogiri", Desktop accessory design |
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Do you ever look at your desk and warily stare at the volume of stuff that it hosts? No matter how big your working space may be, desktop real estate seems to come at a premium. All those accessories you use on a daily basis seem to compete for a spot closest to you, leaving minimal space to do much else. One of the recent projects I did in foundations product design class was creating a new desktop accessory. I visited two offices to conduct some ethnographic research, Lohan Anderson and Spencer Stuart. What I noticed was people almost always had their tape dispenser and stapler side by side, or at most just inches apart, always within arms reach. Since desktop space comes at a premium, I thought to myself "how can I integrate these two frequently used items so that they take up less space?" I went through three iterations before coming up with a final design. My first attempt turned out to be very large and industrial looking, an in appropriate scale for a personal desk. To rectify this problem, I explored the idea of a vertically standing stapler. This addressed two concerns: desktop real estate space and aesthetics. I took my second prototype around school and asked people to give me their feedback. Many people liked the idea of the vertical standing stapler, and felt the form had good ergonomics. However a common complaint was that the design language was too sharp and aggressive, which sent me back to the drawing board for the third time. I ended up paring down the edges for a more fluid look and better feel to the hand. What resulted in the end a more dynamic and fluid looking product, that enabled users to grip the stapler easily, as well as pull tape from the dispenser easily, which was located at the head of the device. I gave my accessory "Kogiri," the Korean word for elephant, as it had a subtle body language that was similar to that of the actual animal. The swooping beak of the stapler together with the tape dispenser at the top looked like the elephant's trunk and and it's front foot, poised to take step forward. The base of the product, when standing vertically also had a footprint identical to the elephant's footprint. To me, Kogiri suggests a kindred spirit that is loyal and always by your side, like the dutiful tape dispenser and stapler that sits on your desk.back to top |
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| IDers: Past and Present |
| With every newsletter we will try to bring to you a profile of a new ID student as well as one from the past so we have the chance to get to know each other better. Our aim is to reflect how varied and interesting every member of the ID community is and how much we can learn from each other, as well as to bring the whole ID community closer together. If you are interested in being profiled, or know someone who would be willing, drop us a line (e-mail below). |
| new IDer:Kevin Denney |
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My name is Kevin Denney. I am 32 years old and an MDM student, Class of Winter 2006. I was born and lived in Valparaiso, Indiana Birmingham, And what are your first impressions about ID (people, faculty, the
space, the city..)? Is there anything amazing from your culture or where you come from that
you think people should not miss? (music, culture,design, food, cities, believes...) Which are the designers or thinkers have impressed you the most lately
or you are following now? What are the websites you could not live without? What kind of activities are you planning to do in your free time in
case you have any while at ID? Is there anything you think everybody should know about you? |
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old IDer: Sean Philips |
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Sean Phillps
We asked Sean a few more questions. What do you mean when you say
that you are "needing
to sell more than you originally anticipated?" |
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Analysis: With 150 students running around, is there really a Ghost Floor at ID? |
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(This is Part 1 in a series of 3.) In an all-student meeting a few weeks ago, our director, Patrick Whitney, posed an interesting question. He wondered why, in the middle of the day, there were so few students on the 5th floor of the ID building. An apparent contrast to the bustling paces of our 3rd floor counterparts. Now, don't get me wrong. I have deep pride in my 5th floor – I can always seem to get work done and it's closer to my classes. But you really have to wonder what this phenomenon may be about. A design challenge lurks in the midst. "There are less team meetings. And you've got to remember that some people work." Though it took me a whole semester to get this valuable insight (kidding), Kim Dziedzic (2nd yr. MDes and 5th floor neighbor) poses a very practical theory. With the 2nd years focusing on individual demo projects, perhaps they don't need to wait around for their teammates? "What I wonder is why people don't sleep at ID more often," observes Anjali Kalkar, a former alum and currently a research assistant with ID, "when I was here we used to sleep on the floor during systems workshop". So…maybe that's the other extreme, but somewhere in the middle there we had a cultural revolution. Or could it be that the wireless infrastructure is at the root of this social behavior? The mobility of laptops gives students the opportunity to work anywhere now. Maybe it's the environment. "It's so sterile here," remarks Chelsea Holzworth (1st yr. MDes), "professors don't encourage us to make design boards and take over the walls." Indeed, there are a lot of white walls around the space. (Part 2 will continue to think about this issue. In the meantime, if you have any social theories of your own that we could soak up, send them on over. ) |
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| Future shock: School's out for summer | ||
"I'll be returning to Boston this summer, which is where I live when I'm not in Chung-Yi Fan 1. Where will you be living? "Possibly LA down town or Pasadena area" Clinton Barth Living where? "Sunny Chicago" Thanks for your contributions, guys, more student updates to follow in the next newsletter! |
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sporty ID: intramural dodgeball team in action |
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Rebounding in their second week, the ID dodgeball team played a strong match on the evening of April 6. The team that night (made up of Lauren Schwendimann, David Beihoff, Taylor Lies and Eric Niu) stormed out to a commanding lead of 7-0 in four-on-four play. Their opponents called in reinforcements but even under-manned four people against six, the ID team continued to play well and end the evening with a 12-7 victory. Reports are that general soreness and bruising are persisting well into the following week. Unfortunately, the team's match from April 13th ended too late to be included in this edition of the newsletter. review by Taylor Lies. |
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| of Interest |
| Observed |
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Procrastination Heaven. Check out some of these evocative sites. Technology General Interest & Trends Design Visual/Interactive For fun Thanks to the students submitting! |
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About engageID |
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