Final Post

1. I found that the readings from Norman were the most rewarding. I believe this because I was not aware of this process at all before I read this and I found it interesting. I also found it rewarding because it helped me out on future assignments.

2. I learned how things are analyzed in a more critical way than most people think. I also learned how dynamic of a process design is. It is impressed me how much detail really goes into designing products.

3. I think using a peer review will be very helpful in the future. However, I think learning the "do's and don'ts" of PowerPoint presentations will be the most useful to me. This will help because no matter what field of study I go into I will most likely need to conduct presentations similar to these.

Green

1. The author's main point is that people will conform to what other people are doing around them. It is human nature to give in to peer pressure.

2. I definitely think I'd be more affected my peer pressuring advertisements because I would respect my friend's opinions more than the "green" advertisements. I like to help out the environment when I can but I wouldn't go as far to go against my friend's stand.

3. All plastic water bottles used to be the same, but recently Ice Mountain has reduced the amount of plastic it uses with its bottles so my mom decided to buy those.

4. Ice Mountain water bottles, Smart Cars, Chevy Volt.

Jennifer Steinhauer

1. "Although the company would not disclose its budget for this campaign, it spent 50 percent more than last year.'' This quote says it all. In order to be a successful company, you need to advertise. Without advertising, you will not sell nearly as much product as you would with advertising.


2. I couldn't figure out how to include a picture, but I chose Abercrombie. The picture included two guys with their shirts off with a pair of jeans on. This picture suggests that they are marketing to teenagers and young adults with their suggestive content. They are selling clothing that kids would like to wear.


3. When I am looking to buy sporting clothes, image has a lot to do with what I am going to buy. As far as every day clothes, I don't really care what the brand image is. I like what I like and don't care what other people think. In today's society though, I believe the majority of people believe the clothes define the people. Basically, if you are wearing the "cool" clothes, it's going to automatically make you a cool person.

Cookie Cutter

1. The main point is that too many subdivisions and housing developments are being designed too similarly. This causes bland areas and creates a boring environment.

2. I believe subdivisions are okay for city layouts. However, the new subdivisions that are being developed all look the same and are very boring. Each house is designed to look the same and gives off a bad "vibe." If you have never been to one of these neighborhoods, it is extremely difficult to find the house you are looking for because of how similar they all are.

3. I do live in a subdivision. I live in an older neighborhood that was developed over fifty years ago so all the houses are very different; however, I do agree with what the author is saying about the new developments. 

BMIWD

1. This reading focuses on the needs of the customers. A website should be geared toward the customer, not on the website producers. It also relates to what we talked about in class in regards to simplicity. When a user signs on to your website, they should be able to figure out what the website is all about right away, not search around for five minuted to get a good idea.

2. Simplicity and giving solutions to the problems. Simplicity is all a customer cares about. We don't need a super fancy website in order to buy something; if it has what we want and it is easy to access then we will be happy. It also gives solutions to the many problems; it lists numerous examples of how websites can change the bad areas of design.

3. NO POP UPS, easy to navigate, and easy to read. In other words, simplicity.

Future of Retail

1. I  don't think he states his thesis very well. I would say, "In today's world, stores have become showrooms for the internet retailers to show off their products."

2. This relates to Norman's concepts in regards to how convenient the shopping is. Why would someone want to drive all the way to a store, search for the product in the store, wait in line, buy the product (with sales tax), then drive all the way. People would rather log onto to the computer and take 5 minutes to purchase something rather than taking an hour.

3. I believe his ideas remain extremely relevant. I believe this topic will always be relevant because people want to do things the easiest way possible, it's human nature. Plus with the technology boom as of late it is even more relevant than in 1998.

4. Every year the retail business will turn more towards the internet. As technology gets better and better, so will the ability to shop online. It will become an extremely task and I wouldn't be surprised if numerous businesses go out of business.

Downtown

1. I think Burdick Street was a very nice downtown area. It was a one way street  so there was a lot of room to walk around. There were a variety of businesses including a pizza restaurant, coffee shop, and a running store. The area in general was very welcoming and very safe.

Then we made our way over to South Street and this area was not as appealing. There weren't a lot of shops and when there were some it only included an insurance firm and a liquor store. There weren't a lot of people around so it wasn't very welcoming.

2. South Street should try to add more stores it it's area, on both streets add more stores appealing to younger people, and maybe add a police officer or two.

3. "One reason is messiness." Whyte said this in chapter 6. I think this relates to Kalamazoo because when you go from store to store or area to area, everything seems random. There aren't boundaries which makes it hard to find stores that you may like.

Whyte vs. Gibbs

1. Whyte says it is important to have landscaping in front of stores, in particular tall trees. On the other hand, Gibbs believes that landscaping in front of stores isn't very necessary. He believes this because he thinks it will obscure the view of the stores. Gibbs talks about how traffic that is directed toward downtown helps the stores. He thinks this because he says it forces the people to look at the stores while the traffic flow is slow. However, Gibbs thinks good pedestrian flow is better than congested. I believe Gibbs way of analyzing is more effective because when I shop in my downtown I don't look at the landscaping.

2. The urban setting that appeals to me is an area with a lot of people. I have a better time when I am surrounded by people rather than in an area where I am all alone. It gives the area a good "vibe."

Chapter Six of City

1. The main point in this chapter that Whyte was trying to get across was how to attract customers. I thought it was cool how he said that when stores came all the way to the sidewalk it attracts more customers. Also, if traffic is congested then the stores downtown will succeed more (even though it is frustrating for the drivers and other pedestrians). Lastly I liked how he mentioned the little things that made a huge difference. They may not seem like a big deal but if you have a ugly looking bench and nasty trash can if front of your store, that is a big turn off.

2. Norman and Whyte agree on reflective and behavioral design. In regards to behavioral design, they both said it is important because obviously a store has to function well if people are to buy products. If it is hard to find things and really cramped inside, no one is going to want to buy the merchandise. On the other hand, Whyte said that the visceral design does not necessarily help a store. If the design of the store is too extravagant then it will distract the customers from buying things.

3. My checklist:
      - store flushed to the sidewalk
      - store close to the street
      - windows in the store
      - tress
      - benches, trash cans, etc.
      - second story with windows

Main Street

1. The first thing is does it have a generator (attraction of customers)? Next, is the view of it obstructed by trees, benches, etc. Another component is what side of the street is the store on. Lastly, does the store advertise well?

2. I think Main Street should be turned into a mall because then everything would be unified and owen by one person. Everything would then be in a central location and easily accessible. This would make it easier for shoppers so they would not have to go to numerous places to shop, all the things they need would be in one spot.

3. My criteria would be pretty simple. One, would it be easy to get to. Second, is there a variety of stores so the complex would appeal to a great amount of people. Lastly, is it safe so the customers will feel at ease so they can shop without having to worry about their well-being.

Wikipedia Post

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Football_in_American_Samoa

Best Buy

1. I observed Best Buy. This store markets to anyone with a technical. They sell everything from televisions to calculators.

2. a) The outside of Best Buy looks very large. There is a bright yellow sign with black lettering, placed on top of a royal blue siding. It is very easy to see when driving by so you cannot miss it if it is your first time going to the store.

b) Inside the store they do play music. It was not being played very loud and there were a broad range of songs.

c) The merchandise was displayed in an accessible fashion. Everything could be easily reached. The only things that you could not pick off the shelf by yourself were the heavy items such as TV's.

d) The aisles with merchandise in them were covered with blue carpet, but the walkways that are used to get to different parts of the stores were made of tile.

e) The signs in the store were all hung from the ceiling. Each aisle did not have its own sign but certain sections did. For example, the music section had its own sign, and the computer had its own as well.

f) The cash registers were located in the front of the store. More specifically to left as soon as you walk in.

3. I think the image that Best Buy projects is sold to those people who are interested in technology. The visceral side of the store is very appealing because of all the brand new technology it displays, and that is basically what visceral means. Behaviorally it works just as well. The store is spread out but not too spacious. There is enough room to find your items without being bumped in to by other customers but it is also small enough to move from one side of the store in less than a minute.

4. The store is set up to be very hands on. A lot of the items they are selling you are able to play with before you actually buy the product. A downside of the store is that the workers are very aggressive and almost annoying.

5. The thing I found most interesting about Best Buy was that there were a ton of people working there. Everywhere I turned I could see multiple employees.

Egg

When we first received our egg, we thought it would be a good idea to put it in the freezer. We left the egg in the freezer until we started to build the box the morning of the experiment. In building the container, we figured that since the egg was already frozen, we would not need to build a very complicated contraption. We ended up just wrapping the egg in a bath towel and placing that in a shoe box.
When we dropped the box out of the windows, the box broke and the towel became un-wrapped, but the egg did not break. The reason for the egg not breaking was definitely that it was frozen.

When I went to link my Keaton's and Cam's blogs, it said the website did not exist.

The Science of Shopping

1. I feel that the main point of this article was to make people realize how much shopping involves the mental state. When I think of shopping I think of knowing what I have to get before I go to the store, go to the store, grad the item(s), and leave. But apparently it is much more than that. I found it particularly interesting when Gladwell described the set-up of a grocery store. He said the designers put produce on one end of the store, dairy in the middle, and meats on the other side. They do this so buyers can't run it and out quickly when shopping. This forces them to be tempted to buy other products.

2. I personally feel that I am not influenced by a store's design at all. Before I go into a store I know what I am going to buy and that is it. I don't like to waste my time by looking at other items.

3. The first thing I would check for in analyzing a store would be the lighting; does it look inviting, or dark and gloomy. The second would be the workers; are they nice and respectable or mean and grumpy. If they are nice, I would be more prone to buying something because of the respect I got. The third thing would be the placement of the "hot" items; are they at the back of the store or the front. If they are in Zone 4, then I would be forced to look at more items to potentially buy.

Packaging

1. When I am looking to buy a product, of course I want the actual to work as well as possible. However, the packaging is what stands out when I am looking on the shelves for something new to buy. If I like how the packaging looks, I am more likely to buy the product based on the appearance itself. A personal example of this is when i went to buy headphones for my iPod. Although other models might have worked better, I chose to buy the ones I have now because of how they looked in the packaging.

2. LIFE cereal has iconic packaging because when you are in the cereal isle you notice the four, multi-colored letters on the shelves.

3. Going back to my buying of new headphones, after I purchases them I could not wait to open the box and start using them. However, due to the extremely tight packaging, it took me ten minutes prying the box open with scissors.

Know it All

1. The first point was that wikipedia is a free encyclopedia available to all people who have access to a computer. The second point was that it is a gigantic resource of information; it is the seventh most visited website. However, the information that comes from the site is not always credible because it can be submitted by anyone.

2. "Is Wikipedia accurate? Last year, Nature published a survey comparing forty-two entries on scientific topics on Wikipedia with their counterparts in Encyclopædia Britannica. According to the survey, Wikipedia had four errors for every three of Britannica’s, a result that, oddly, was hailed as a triumph for the upstart."


After I chose this passage I looked to see what other people put as their's and I saw that Keaton had the same quote. Like Keaton, I believe Schiff put this fact in there to make her point even more. This really hits  home to a reader and makes you realize the facts.

3. In comparing the two sites, I found that wikipedia allows anyone to edit information on a certain topic but not necessarily be right. On the other hand, Encyclopedia Britannica only posts accurate information on their site; they are aiming for a more credible site.

Garr Reynolds

1. I believe the author's three most important points are simplicity, structure, and confidence.

2. When talking to a group of people, you want to be simple and short to the point. Your presentation also needs to have structure so it is not confusing to the audience. Lastly, when conveying your presentation, you need to have confidence in order to get through to the people, or else they will lose interest.

3. In both scenarios, the end result needs to be simple enough so the consumers or listeners can relate to it. If you use too complex of words or hard directions to follow, the people become lost and lose interest in the final product.

2. I would like to explore the designs of cars. I think this would be interesting because there have been numerous problems lately with cars and I would like to see the cause of this, whether it is cheaper materials, lack of good design, etc.

Reflection on Emotional Design

1. "Behavioral design is all about use. Appearance usually doesn't matter." This is my favorite quote from the chapter because I try to live my life like this. Although I do like to own things that look cool and everyone will think looks good, I like to have all my things work efficiently even if it doesn't look as cool.

2. All three of these categories are useful to me, but I would like to change the name of Visceral and Behavioral. I think Visceral should be changed to Look Design because it is exactly that; and Behavioral Design should be changed to Efficiency Design for the same reason as before.

3. A designer could look at these designs differently depending on what they are making. If they are trying to make a car, I think most people would like their car to look good, so Visceral might come first. If the designer is making a watch, then Behavioral Design might want to be considered more strongly.

Emotional Design

1. I felt that the author made three key points in this chapter. The first was Visceral Design, the second was Behavioral Design, and the third was Reflective Design.

2. In this chapter, Norman describes different strategies that producers use to make certain products. Some might be for looks, others might be aimed at just getting the job done. In the previous chapter, the author took a different perspective and just looked at the problems with former products and how companies made their products better based on those problems and customer reviews.

3. An example that I encountered with Visceral Design is buying a baseball bat. Whenever I go to the store to get a new one, I usually look for the one that looks the coolest or the one that everyone will think is cool, disregarding how efficient the bat will actually be. An example of Behavioral Design is when I was buying football cleats. Although I usually like to get the pair that looks the best, it is key that they will also withstand the wear and tear of everyday practice. In this case, the ones that do not always look the best are usually the ones that will last the longest. As far as Reflective Design, I really didn't understand the true meaning of this, so I therefore do not have an example for it. The thing that makes Visceral Design successful is that everyone will be satisfied with how it looks. Behavioral Design may not always look the best, but it will always get the job done.

The Design of Everyday Things: Favorite Section

1. Page 9. "Plates are for pushing. Knobs are for turning. Slots are for inserting things into. Balls are for throwing or bouncing." I liked this passage because I am a very visual learner, and if something is easy enough for me to use without reading an instruction manual, I would be a very happy consumer. Reading long and complicated manuals makes me want to give up and return the product.

2. I believe this book is still making an impact today because although the technology is more complicated and lifestyles are changing by the day, the people's wants are not. It is natural for humans to want things to be as simple as possible; if they are not, it is also natural for people to give up. Therefore, the main points in this book still pertain to people in this day and age.

3. On my checklist, I only need two things. I want the product to be easy to use, and appealing to the eye. If the designer can make the product this way, I'm all in. If not, I won't even deal with the product. One good example of this is again the iPod. It is extremely easy to use and is also high-tech looking.

The Design of Everyday Things

1. I believe that the author was trying to make two main points. The first was that the instructions for products are not always as descriptive as they should be. The makers try to make high-tech machines without be specific enough on how to work the device. The other main point was the design of the products. Norman says that these days everything needs to look extremely fancy and cool looking. He, on the other hand, believes that things should be simple looking and not so intimidating to use. To sum it all up, the author is saying that he believes everything should be simple and not as complex looking. Devices should be easy to use, not complicated. In other words, users should not have to look through a manual for three hours to figure out how to turn the machine on.

2. Something that I had trouble working is the printer I bought for my dorm room. The printer that I have at home only has one chord and all you have to do is plug it into the wall and it turns on. The one I have now requires you to hook it up to a phone, plug a million wires in to the printer itself, and read the instructions just to figure out how to load the paper. This applies to Norman's point of making things simple. Instead of a complex instruction booklet, just give a simple diagram so the buyer can easily tell what he/she has to do to make the machine work.

3. The iPod designers seemed to almost every one of Norman's ideas in the making of the product.  They made the design unique looking yet still very simple; and they made the device easy to use.  On Monday Shelby talked about how she never owned an iPod before and the first time she picked one up she had figured out how to use it in five minutes. This is the simplicity Norman was talking about and the designers used this theory to perfection.

The Perfect Thing

1. The elements of design include having a plan and acting on it, trial and error (numerous times), and finally creating the final model of the product. The company had a plan and hired certain people to design certain parts of the product. Trail and error was used when Jobs turned down certain prototypes and Fadell had to come up with new designs. Lastly the final product was made when all parties of the company were satisfied.

2. Factors I would used to evaluate a "perfect thing" would be the style of the product and the acceptance of it in relation to all types of cultures and people.

3. There are many strengths of the iPod.  One is that it is easy to navigate and find music.  Another is the size because it can easily fit in your pocket.  Lastly the sound quality is excellent compared to similar products.  The only negative I have is that the battery life is usually not too great.

Introduction

My name is John Jakubik and I attended Detroit Catholic Central High School.  I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school.  I was also on student council and participated in the monogram club.  I have two younger brothers and live in Plymouth, MI.  I love the summer time and hope to move to California one day.