Assignments for January 21, 2011

RR04:

For this response, I'm going to bullet pieces I find intriguing along the way...

• I guess I didn't realize how difficult making a singular global product would be.  Never considered the different cultural beliefs/practices and how they tie into everyday objects like a washing machine.
• Changing a corporate identity really does create higher expectations for the general public.  When I see imagery/branding change, I expect a larger internal change as well. 
• I don't really have any major response to the systems chapter. It seems pretty self explanatory.  The challenge for designers is how to make current and creative systems coexist.
• I like the concept of Oxo Goodgrips.  It's universal design was intended to help people with arthritis (which we often overlook as a common disability), but it's a more comfortable/appealing design to a wide range of people.
• The mention of James Dyson and his various vacuum designs reminds me of a Dyson commercial I just saw highlighting their new "ball" technology.  Instead of wheels, there is a large ball that pivots which makes it's turning capabilities MUCH easier than the typical vacuum.  It's a change that seems so simple, but is brilliant and unheard of at the same time. 
• Didn't realize USA does not have a design policy (rr I guess I didn't realize other countries have design policies).  Since countries are promoting design to increase international trade, I'm surprised the US hasn't done the same.

CR04:

Another short week (one real class meeting) because we were out of class on wednesday to do the scavenger hunt.  On monday we discussed designing for accessibility.  The statistics given were suprising, but it was more surprising to me that in this day and age (and with a growing # of people with disabilities) not everyone (and not necessarily even the majority) is striving for universal design.  To me, as a design student, I think that would be the way to get a more marketable design or a highly received space.  I wouldn't want to design something that only half of the population could physically enjoy.  We are taught today to picture a person in a wheelchair when we hear the word "handicapped," but I think the population as a whole (I guess designers in particular) need to remember the infinately broad range of disabilities.  I think universal design is something I will consider from now on in my everyday life and in my own designs in school.  While accessible design is a great start, I think universal design should begin becoming the norm.  Many people with disabilities already feel separated from society in a way, so why create a literal physical separation in modern designs today?