Chrissy's Design Blog

Visual diary kept for MPDC 5003-101

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 14 - Design Leadership Project Highlights 2/2

The second aspect of this course that sticks out to me is the importance of design parameters.

Firstly, I think the parameters are an essential piece in narrowing the project into a manageable and realistic goal.

Secondly, it has proven so important to seek out experts and voices in many fields surrounding the project to gain realistic goalposts of these parameters. For example, when working on designing a product to be sold in another country, there may be cultural parameters around significance of colors used, slang terms, or other details that could be very easy to overlook.

I think fleshing out all of these design parameters and including diverse voices in those conversations is therefore a critical aspect of the design process.

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 14 - Design Leadership Project Highlights 1/2

One thing that sticks out to me at the end of this semester is the importance of listening to those working in the space you're striving to influence.

For example, my overarching project deals with small towns and rural communities. It is very important that I don't simply read think pieces in the LA Times about how to fix these issues. In almost every social issue's case, there are folks who are putting in real work day in and day out, and they have the best ideas of what can help their communities. We need to strive to listen to the experts in each area to better understand how to best move forward.

[una-ragazza-con-un-flauto]

Only vaguely threatening!!!

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 13: Design Solutions - Duolingo

From a user experience standpoint, the way that Duolingo has game-ified learning a language is truly impressive. The app functions very intuitively and the different game-like functions keep users coming back.

Though its true effectiveness at learning a new language is debated, I think Duolingo is one of the few app-based programs that truly works to better the user by making the product as fun and effective as possible.

[chrissysdesignblog]

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TabBuddies?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1334009620&from_page=listing

Visual Diary 13: Amazing Solutions - Tab Buddies

Another TikTok find for me was this small business that creates adaptive soda can openers. These simple tabs help folks with disabilities - or just long nails - open their drinks.

I especially appreciate how the tools are cute, fun, and can simply look like a keychain instead of a big, bulky medical device. This can give the user dignity when using the adaptive device and help remove stigma from using helpful tools.

When devices like these are made available and even fun, it can make live easier for everyone, not just those who were initially in mind as the target audience.

For the dignity and fun of helpful adaptive devices, I think Tab Buddies are an amazing solution.

[chrissysdesignblog]

https://www.si.com/edge/2016/06/15/concussion-prevention-technology-qcollar-neck-wearable-football-hockey

Visual Diary 12 - Responsibility Practitioners; Q Collar

In the sports world, there are a lot of players that are subjected to injuries. Though there has been a lot of growth in player protection, there's still an idea that injuries just happen and they are more or less inevitable. For this reason, I'm interested in the leadership being taken to look at sports injuries differently.

The Q Collar takes an interesting approach to head injuries as it changes the way that blood and fluid interact on the brain. Though there are still tests going on and it doesn't seem very conclusive yet, it seems like a very minimal and non-invasive way to help protect athletes from lifelong deteriorating illnesses.

[chrissysdesignblog]

Business plan over the next 2 years: Partnerships #edisonmotors #development #investment #ev #electricsemi #truckers

Visual Diary 12 - Responsibility Practitioners; Edison Motors

When thinking about responsible design leaders, I immediately thought of the owner of Edison Motors. I discovered this leader through TikTok. He saw a need for a more eco-friendly transportation option in the Canadian logging industry, and instead of waiting for the options to appear, he engineered the product himself.

What I appreciate about his approach is that he has a very extensive, realistic, and holistic view of the logging industry, and is interested in creating the best product that actually meets the needs of the industry.

I would recommend going through their TikTok to see more videos of their business approach and the solutions they are working towards.

[chrissysdesignblog]

A Leaked Tesla Report Shows the Cybertruck Had Basic Design Flaws

The “alpha” version of the EV company’s first pickup had problems with braking, handling, noise, and leaks, according to an internal present

Visual Diary 11 - Problematic Stake in the Ground; Cybertruck

Tesla's Cybertruck is in a bit of a pickle. Theoretically, envisioned to be a fully electric, powerful, and modern vehicle, it's having trouble meeting even the basic vehicle requirements.

It feels a bit like the folks at Tesla are being highly pressured to make this design work even though the design has major downsides in its usability.

[chrissysdesignblog]

https://www.fastcompany.com/90900643/how-not-to-design-a-bus-stop

Visual Diary 11 - Problematic Stake in the Ground: La Sombrita bus shelter shade

The scope of the problem in this case is that LA is facing extreme heat in climate change and most bus stops do not provide adequate shade. The local government is inundated with bureaucracy and red tape and is unable to move forward with a meaningful solution. As a stop-gap pilot program, they rolled out La Sombrita.

Locals, and indeed people from across the country, can see that this solution will not be truly effective as a shade or shelter system for bus stops. This Stake in the Ground is problematic in the way that it frustrated and even offended folks who want real solutions. However, it did bring to the forefront discussions on governmental systems and how they can stand in the way of creative solutions.

[chungwipff-blog]

Good for the World, Good for Your Bum*

Good for the World, Good for Your Bum*

*https://tinyurl.com/27z2sjmd

View On WordPress

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 10: Stake in the Ground

For my second stake in the ground moment, I'm going to stay on the path of eco-friendly home goods with Who Gives a Crap? toilet paper.

This toilet paper brand offers two kinds of toilet paper: 100% recycled paper or bamboo toilet paper. No plastics are used in packaging. And 50% of profits are donated towards providing toilet and hygiene care to folks who need them.

This company focuses in on the idea of the ecological impact of toilet paper. A very large percentage of newly cut trees to be used for paper are used specifically in toilet paper. As tree growth is a significant way to create carbon sinks to counteract climate change, we see a problem with cutting down trees for the unglamorous job of toilets.

Similarly in other beauty and hygiene products, the use of plastics can become problematic. The traditional plastic wrap used to keep toilet paper secure in shipping cannot be recycled.

Who Gives a Crap put their stake in the ground on these problems saying that they can create a business model on recycled products with no plastic at all.

[resuableeco-friendly]

HiBAR Moisturize Shampoo & Conditioner bars are made with naturally nourishing ingredients like coconut oil and rice protein. They’re 100% color-safe and leave your hair soft and silky. Is your hair chronically dry, frizzy, or unmanageable? If you have thick, curly, or dry hair, you’ve probably tried everything from DIY hair masks to pricey salon products to tame it.

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 10: Putting a Stake in the Ground

HiBar is a shampoo and conditioner company rooted in combatting climate and waste problems in the beauty and hygiene industries. They noted problems in:

-Plastic bottles

-Plastic not being recycled properly

-Excess water in products, causing higher shipping costs and fuel consumption

-Plastics being used in shipping & packaging (plastic bags, plastic bubble wrap, etc.)

Instead of moving toward a different material bottle or selling concentrates, they focused on a high-quality bar soap that could be used, shipped, and sold without any plastic of excess water at all.

I think this is a significant stake in the ground of the problem as they identify several key issues and make a solution feasible and workable for many who share in these concerns.

From a physical standpoint, they also color-code their formulas to help consumers remember and identify their favorites, and the shape of the bars are ergonomic.

[chrissysdesignblog]

The Golden Rice Project

Visual Diary 9: Cultural Parameters

Golden Rice

Another example of a project using cultural parameters to design a usable solution is Golden Rice. Humanitarian efforts found that in some areas, children are more likely to develop Vitamin A deficiencies which can lead to blindness. Instead of introducing imported supplements or encouraging different cropping or diet practices that were different to their cultural meals, scientists developed a strain of rice high in Vitamin A. The rice could be implemented with no real difference to the conventional rice the people had been cultivating and eating, but could help with dietary needs of the people.

This is a similar practice to other fortified foods we use often, like iodized table salt, and Vitamin D fortified milk.

[chrissysdesignblog]

Visual Diary 9: Cultural Parameters

Adoption of Cover Crops in Row Crop Farming

When thinking about solutions that need to be aware of their adoption because of cultural practices, I thought about agriculture and cover crops specifically. Agriculture is an industry that is very dictated by historical trends and habit. Conventionally, farmers plant crops in the spring, harvest in the fall, and from fall to spring the fields lay empty.

In the last several years, researchers have found that this fallow period from fall to spring makes the soil more vulnerable to wind and rain erosion. To mitigate this, folks have tried to implement cover crops - a practice to plant something in the fall to provide ground cover from fall to spring.

One tangible parameter around this is cost - it costs money to drive over the field, it costs money to purchase the seeds, and it costs money to harvest the cover crop in the spring.

However, an intangible and heavily cultural parameter around cover cropping is the fact that farmers like to do what they've always done, or like what their parents and grandparents have always done. Introducing change in this environment is very difficult, and changemakers need to get buy-in from those in the community and come with lots of data backing their position to get others to agree.

[chrissysdesignblog]

A second example of a design problem situated around specific parameters: turning abandoned mall spaces into apartments.

I love this idea for the major reason that I hate to see usable buildings sit empty while new buildings are built in different locations. This constant shuffling of what part of town is "cool" is unsustainable and destroys huge swaths of land.

The idea of taking large buildings and using them for housing could potentially help provide new housing spaces. Extensive work would likely be needed to retrofit the old storefronts into usable homes, but the framework exists and the mall could also potentially add extra amenities for residents, such as kids play areas, gyms, or even grocery stores, hair salons, or other services that malls historically have housed.

Some parameters that would exist around turning a mall into an apartment neighborhood:

-Local, state, and federal regulations around housing codes (windows in bedrooms, ventilation needs, etc.)

-Making feasible apartment layouts within the walls of existing storefronts

-Providing adequate privacy from the mall walkways

-Providing adequate windows/lighting from exterior sources

-Financial parameters around reasonable rent costs vs renovation costs

-Addressing any zoning laws around retail vs residential

[chrissysdesignblog]

When thinking about how design solutions that exist between set parameters, I think about ethanol - the plant-based fuel source.

Ethanol is a pure alcohol primarily made from field corn, but can be made from any plant with a moderately high starch or sugar content. While we now know there are some problems associated with ethanol, I feel that there were good intentions behind using plants that we already grow lots of to use as a fuel source to help wean us off oil-based gasoline.

Some of the parameters that helped ethanol usage in gasoline-using vehicles:

-Ethanol performs similarly in combustion engines

-It can be pumped in an identical way to gasoline - no new fuel pumps or plug-ins needed

-People are familiar with gas pumps and using liquid fuels in their vehicles

[chrissysdesignblog]

https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-growth-small-towns-and-rural-communities

Governmental processes and resources around designing success for dwindling small towns.

Collecting resources/plans around programs that have been successful in this area. Plans need to be holistic, human-centered, broad, and all-encompassing. A problem of this scope needs to address issues in many disciplines and therefore requires many perspectives and folks with many kinds of expertise.

[chrissysdesignblog]

Specialized spoon for folks with tremors

I love this design that helps folks maintain dignity and agency around feeding themselves. It can be a helpful tool for folks with many medical backgrounds. I find this to be a very tangible and concrete intervention that directly improves lives.

[tc452by2]

Using Miro to Plan Collaboratively.

Miro is a free to use website that provides us with the tools to help us work collaboratively both in college and out of college. We plan to use Miro to brainstorm ideas using the mind maps template and post it notes, aswell as using it to manage our time with the.

Miro is great because it allows us to easily embed videos and website links just by dragging and dropping them onto the page. This let's us easily make note of any resources that we use and also and research.

[chrissysdesignblog]

A tangible tool to think and plan collaboratively with a team: Miro

One downside is that it's most functional in it's paid form, but I have used collaborative Miro boards for school and work to help map out website flow, customer personas, relevant media channels, and file storage patterns. It can be a very helpful tool!