Monday, May 3, 2010
What would you like to accomplish by the end of this studio?
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Final model
The final model is made of mostly one piece of fabric that folds. There is padding where the carrier touches the lower back. The wings at the back contain draw strings to be able to wrap around and secure any type of load.
Final sketch model
We decided on a combination of shoulder straps and a wrap in order to most effectively distribute the load. The wrap goes around the head and hips, keeping the load close to the body and above the center of gravity. The wrap ties around the hips so that the bulk of the weight is anchored on the strongest part of the body. The head wrap acts as a brace, improving posture and keeping the weight distributed evenly.In this model, there are wooden dowels folded into the back of the carrier to act as a frame. However, for our final model we decided this was an unnecessary feature.
Sketch models
We experimented with wraps as well as frames in order to determine which carrying mechanism would be most comfortable, easiest to use without help, and most accommodating of different types of loads.
Project 1 sketches
For our project we decided to address ergonomic issues related to carrying. The avove are sketches investigating effective carrying mechanisms.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Project 1 First Idea Boards
First investigations into addressing ergonomic issues of village women in western China
Reading Response
Out of all the examples discussed, I thought that the Barefoot College example was particularly remarkable and inspiring. We have already discussed the idea that educating local people has the potential to produce more effective solutions, and Barefoot College is a real life example of that. If this method is in fact so incredibly successful, then what are we doing in class? Instead of still trying to learn how to design for other cultures, why are we not focusing all of our energy on learning how to teach what we know to others? With regard to the three types of business models, I thought that the third type of business model, the social business model, has the most potential to affect change. Social businesses have the potential to set an example for all business. As products and services from social businesses become a bigger part of the marketplace, perhaps it will drive all businesses to adopt socially responsible missions.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
3 Areas of Social Need
One area that I am extremely interested in is the area of the hospital experience. This includes both the experience of patients as well as hospital staff and families. One serious issue faced by hospitals is that of error prevention, both in the area of record keeping, and in actual medical care. Quite often it is the physical environment that contributes to errors committed by caregivers. For example, the location of the nurse’s station on the floor of a hospital can either facilitate or discourage communication between patients and nurses. Design of systems and procedures can also have a major impact on how smoothly processes run. For patients, creating a healing environment is essential to speeding recovery. Design elements such as exposure to nature, or the arrangement of furniture in a waiting room, have been shown to have significant impacts on rate of recovery and feelings of safety and security.
When people are in a hospital, they are at their most vulnerable. On the patient side, they are putting their lives in the hands of others and trying to return to normal life. On the caregiver side, they are placed in high-stress situations, having to juggle the needs of patients, families, and coworkers, in addition to having to perform highly complex procedures. I believe that there are countless opportunities in the area of environmental, product, and systems design, to improve the experience of those in hospitals and, while it may be beyond the scope of this project, it is something I am interested in pursuing in the future.
Prison Systems
My limited knowledge of the prison system comes mostly from what I have seen on television. However, I believe there is enormous potential for design to influence behavior and improve the overall environment in prisons. Perhaps one of the most destructive elements of the prison system is the gang or race – oriented prison culture, and I believe it would be a fascinating challenge to attempt to address this issue through the redesign of prison spaces, or through the design of programs that are meant to occupy and inspire inmates. I think that being locked up and isolated from society is punishment enough, and I believe that improving the physical environment in prisons could improve the mood of inmates, and may have positive influences on their behavior and future outlook.
The Elderly
As an undergrad I did a project for a retirement community that made me aware of many issues that elderly communities face. The challenge of creating a safe environment that balances the need for privacy and social interaction, and the needs of people of varying physical and mental abilities, is quite an interesting one. I believe that one of the main problems with elder care facilities is that residents become completely isolated from the outside community. I met an older woman in Providence who had lost so much touch with the outside world that she didn’t even know what city she lived in anymore. Being able to empower the elderly and restore their quality of life through the design of programs and/or facilities would be extremely rewarding.
Reading Responses
I believe that teaching a multinational course to students headed into design fields is extremely valuable, because it will instill in the next generation of designers a degree of sensitivity that is necessary when creating solutions for cultures other than their own. It will also open their minds to the idea of collaborating, as opposed to imposing their own ideas on different cultures.
Metrics for Measuring Ideation Effectiveness
Attempting to quantifiably measure what is in essence completely subjective and open to interpretation does not make sense to me. As someone mentioned in class, I believe that it is not the nature of the idea that needs to be evaluated; it is whether or not the implementation of that idea is effective that is what matters. Furthermore, the ideas generated in a controlled or simulated setting will be entirely different from the ideas generated in another context. Even if the evaluation method that is proposed is effective, I would be wary of the information gained in a “lab” setting vs. in a real-world setting.
Creativity as a Design Criterion
I believe that the results of this study are a further indication that it is futile to attempt to quantify subjective concepts such as creativity. The study found that, even among design experts, there was little agreement over which designs were most creative. What strikes and inspires people is a result of their own personal experiences and interests. Having said that, it would be interesting to see if there are cultural differences between people’s evaluation of certain designs. Learning what people of a certain culture gravitate to could be a useful tool when attempting to create products for cultures outside of our own.
First Assignment
The above images pertain to our first assignment, in which we were asked to come up with several ideas that would address some of the challenges faced by the communities in the Himalayas. While we did not have much background knowledge, the goal was less about feasibility, and more about generating ideas while considering the constraints of the community. The practice of coming up with solutions and discussing them with the class was extremely helpful in bringing to light all that must be taken into account when designing for a marginalized community. This mini project has primed us to be able to begin the next assignment, where we will be asked to come up with practical, feasible design solutions that will address the various needs of the Himalayan people.
My ideas attempted to address the issues of heating and dung (fuel) collection. I proposed crystal-sized photovoltaics that could be worn, and the energy could be stored in a battery, and then used to power a heater or electric blanket. I thought that the yaks that they herd could also be used to carry solar powered batteries that could be used for the same purpose. My second idea was to create removable insulation panels that could absorb heat in the sun during the day, and put on the walls to radiate that heat into the home at night. My last idea was a tube that could be used to collect, store, and place dung using a suction pump in order to reduce pathogen transmission through touching.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Reading Responses
The meaning of Social Entrepreneurship, J. Gregory Dees
Dees’ broader definition of entrepreneurship as responding to change and creating new opportunities, as opposed to simply forming new business ventures, expanded my view of the term. His definition helped me see that entrepreneurship is a state of mind, and that it is not exclusive to business-savvy individuals. However, I do not agree with his distinction between social entrepreneurship and business entrepreneurship. According to Dees, the difference between business and social entrepreneurship is that businesses measure their success based on “value creation,” whereas social ventures measure success based on “social value creation.” I do not believe that this is a strong enough distinction because, in a capitalist society, any business can argue that its presence in the market creates social value in the form of stimulating the economy, providing jobs, or even by simply satisfying consumers’ desires. Social value is too broad of a concept, and I believe that social entrepreneurship must be defined on more specific terms.
Reshaping Social Entrepreneurship, Paul C. Light
Light’s insistence that the definition social entrepreneurship should include innovative groups as well as individuals is sensible and realistic. He encourages readers to break away from the romanticized notion of the “risk-taking individual,” and admonishes that, in the real world, people do not work in a vacuum. I agree with Light’s assertion that social entrepreneurship can be found in individuals, companies, or even parts of companies. It should not matter where or how groundbreaking ideas are formulated. If there is a risk that a social venture will not receive support due to semantics, then the term “social entrepreneurship” should be defined as broadly as possible.
Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition, Roger L. Martin, Sally Osberg
Martin and Osberg’s definition of social entrepreneurship and their discussion of examples was inspiring. Before these readings, I believed that the qualities of an entrepreneur were only possessed by a select few. However, Martin and Osberg’s definition of the term is much more accessible. Through their examples, they show that simply by questioning the status quo and proposing new solutions, anyone can make a significant social impact. Unlike Dees’ article, Martin and Osberg assert that the overall goal of business and social entrepreneurs is the same: they wish to find a creative solution to an existing problem. According to them, the key distinction between business and social entrepreneurship is that social entrepreneurs target a disadvantaged market. I believe that defining the term based on who the venture serves, as opposed to the overall intention of the venture, is more accurate, because it is not something that can be argued.