Caroline+Bosgoed


 * //Week #11//**

1. I would describe web accessibility as ensuring that as many websites as possible include a variety of features that would allow many people with a range of disabilities to access their information. This may include features that, for example, allow a hearing impaired individual to navigate it without a significant amount of trouble.

2. Individuals that could not previously benefit from websites due to personal limitations would definitely be able to take advantage of new technologies that would improve accessibility, but this depends on the range of people that the website attempts to cater to. Accessibility would allow the potential of any website to be used by many more users and it would provide information very easily and quickly to those who previously could not benefit due to the lack of access. Yet this all depends on what features the websites include to attempt to reach as many users as possible.

3. I believe that if it is a blog or website for school purposes (such as this one) and there are individuals within the class that need special access, then yes it should be accessible. I also believe that Canadian websites that are meant for distributing information to the entire nation, such as government websites etc., should be accessible as well. Yet if it is simply a personal page that was created for personal use then accessibility is not necessary.

4. I think that the biggest challenge to making a website accessible is that there are many different needs and disabilities that it would be virtually impossible to cater to everyone. The challenge is choosing those needs that are most prevalent and effect the most intended users in order to make a website more accessible in useful ways.


 * //Week #10//**

One of the interesting designs featured on Business Week was that of a sonar-enabled cane for the visually impaired. This cane utilizes the capabilities of bats to use echolocation when they fly at night. The same idea is applied to this cane, providing a warning system for the person of oncoming objects and obstacles.

Another design that I found very intriguing was that of the self-healing pipes. The pipes are modeled around the idea of platelets in the human body that find and repair cuts and scrapes. These pipes have technology that alerts engineers to a leak and dispenses a substance that adheres to the pipes walls to repair leaks from the inside.

The bio-inspired color displays of cellphones is another interesting design that caught my attention. These types of displays use tiny structures to reflect light in such a way that produces vivid colors. This appeals to me as it would reduce energy use in cell phones, therefore prolonging their battery life.


 * //Week #9//**

Bill Moggridge defines collaborative design as a group of individuals, all from different disciplines yet working for the same cause, that work together in an intimate way which, in turn, produces more effective brainstorming and design through the collaboration of many unique minds. He also showed two examples of this collaborative design that actually involved the people who the design was being made for. The medical tool design involved the surgeons who would eventually use this product and the blood donor re-design involved input from those who ended up giving blood in the environment.

//__**Week #8**__//

Jan Chipchase is not part of the marketing or advertising aspects of Nokia, rather, he purely studies people and how they communicate and use communication technologies. He observes people in their daily activities in order to determine in what ways the cellphone might benefit them the most.

First Chipchase discovered the financial and commercial use of the cellphone in developing countries. He found that when one owned a cellphone it allowed them to communicate more effectively and to uncover potential business opportunities, as well as allowing them to become available to more customers. This increased the potential for higher income and wider job opportunities.

Chipchase also found use for cellphones in aspects of life such as health. For example, contacting a doctor for medical advise is taken for granted in our western society, whereas in developing countries using a cellphone to communicate during emergencies etc. would save precious time.

The benefits of analyzing cellphone use and design in developing countries is to expand the cellphone market to those of the population that do not have cellphone whether it be due to financial or availability reasons. Chipchase believes in the extraordinary power of cellphones to dramatically increase the standard of living.

__//**Week**//__ //**#7**//

Interaction architecture refers to a set of rules that govern how a technology would be used and allows this set of rules to be applied to many different versions of that technology. This allows consistency to be achieved from model to model, allowing the user to use the technology successfully. When it comes to the camera, the interaction architecture consisted of a specific set of features that would be included in multiple models such as the ability to review and delete pictures.

Leading questions: This refers to questions that imply or direct the person to respond in a specific way. The question itself may not be the only leading element, as the choice of answers can also persuade (whether intentional or not) a certain response for those who are responding. Hypothetical questions: These questions require the respondent to contemplate an idea that they may have never thought of before, as these types of questions are largely based on fantasy. This type of question is not useful as the respondent will more than likely think in fantasy as well.

//__**Week #6**__//

Enthusiast phase: describes the phase in which a technology is first introduced. It is very expensive and usually hard to use. As described with the camera, the people who bought this product when it was first introduced were those that wished to show off what no one else had. The difficulty in usability was part of the attraction to this group.

Professional phase: describes the phase in a technology's lifespan when professional's begin to explore the possibilities of the technology and whether or not it can benefit their profession. In the case of the camera, the features were becoming more user-friendly, allowing diverse groups to explore the potential of this product.

Consumer phase: describes the phase in which the average consumer adopts the product, as its price drops and the most important functions become automatic, allowing ease of use. The camera became widespread and appealed to a consumers desires of style. Also many of the functions that had been manual in the original model become unknown to the user of the camera, making it very easy to use.

Another product that has gone through similar developments would be the DVD player. When it was first introduced it was incredibly expensive and not a product that many consumers could afford. Yet as the technology developed and became more widely known, it was adapted to meet the average consumer's needs in a affordable product.

//__**Week #5**__//

Bodystorming is much like brainstorming, in the fact that it requires you to use hypothetical situations to come up with ideas and outcomes. Yet bodystorming differs because this technique employs the body, and requires movement and exploration in a physical sense, rather than simply discussing possible ideas and outcomes. Bodystorming takes an idea and imagines what it would be like if this idea was implemented, and requires the physical action of acting out possible outcomes within the intended physical environment.

//__**Week #4**__//

Annie Leonard describes the "materials economy" as a very complex, non-linear system that involves many different steps and is filled with challenges along the way. She states that this system is in crisis because the "materials economy" was envisioned as a linear system and has been dealt with and organized in this manner. Yet, as Leonard describes, this system is working within a finite world. In other words, this system has many interactions and influences that alter it.

Some of the different interactions that Annie Leonard describes includes societies, cultures, economies and the environment. It interacts with society and culture, for example, during every step along the system through people. People live, work and play along the entire system. This interaction with people effects the system because certain people within the system are favoured, while others are forgotten. This causes the system to become unbalanced. The environment is also effected, not only at the extraction and production stage but also as the disposal stage. The environment and the damage that is inflicted upon it is not considered and is not a factor in this system, however, explaining why our environment is in crisis.

Annie Leonard ends "The Story of Stuff" with a proposition of how a new economic system could look and operate, including concepts of sustainability, renewable energy, etc. She also outlines many ways in which our current system can be improved to account for many of the interactions that are not considered. Overall, she presents a very tangible way of understanding the way our economic system operates and exposes many problems that are not apparent to many.

__//**Week #3**//__

1. Utilizes materials and resources that are locally produced and available 2. Is cost efficient 3. Directly impacts local community in a positive way 4. Improves quality of living without negatively impacting any other community 5. Is environmentally friendly

//__**Week #2**__//

Physical Ergonomics: refers to a concern with how humans interact with their environment physically Cognitive Ergonomics: refers to a concern with mental processes and how they affect human interactions with each other as well as other parts of a system Organisational Ergonomics: is concerned with organizing structures in such a way that optimizes their potential

Case Study #2: Hospitality and Serving Food Advice: Change set up of the dining room to allow for easier movement and allow for multiple waiters to move easily by each other.

[|Ergonomically correct computer table]