Matthew+Stollmeyer

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=Week 11 =

__**Accesibility and the web**__ 1. Web Accessibility is the ability of a website to effectively communicate and meet the needs of people with disabilities but also of people without. The website must be fully usable by both groups of people, without any extra difficulty. The website should allow complete navigation and interactivity to both groups of people.

2. All Internet users or people helped from Internet usage benefits from web accessibility. People with disabilities benefit by being able to access a never ending reservoir of information adding to their overall knowledge. They gain a wider perspective on life and a better understanding of the rapidly changing world around them. A person with a visual impairment benefits with screen reading software and simple settings such as contrasting colours. People without disabilities also benefit by experiencing easy to use/understand pages and a higher level of interactivity within websites. People without disabilities may appreciate many settings intended to facilitate those with disabilities, such as contrasting colours. Websites become more open and more effectively communicate with everyone by becoming accessible. People that do not use the Internet but come into contact with people who do can also benefit by the transfer of information from the user to the non user, whereby the user has been made aware of news via the Internet.

3. I think my website and all Canadian websites should be accessible. People of all abilities deserve general equality whether through the Internet, government or the workplace. The Internet is such a deep pool of information everyone deserves access to. Not being able to access the Internet puts one at a severe information disadvantage when compared to people that can access the Internet.

4. The biggest challenge of making a website accessible is the time factor involved. For a site using high levels of multimedia, the input is extensive. For example, all pictures and videos must be captioned so that a screen reader can understand the message communicated. Videos also need a typed description. The structure of the site must be consistent so as not to confuse the user. The time and effort put into making a website accessible could have been invested elsewhere. Personally I think making websites accessible is in a business' best interest, as more people being notified about a goodor service translates into a higher chance of selling. = = =Week 10 =

__**Biomimicry**__ = = Out of all the green biomimicry designs featured in the Business Week Article, my favourites are the Self Cleaning Paint, the Skeleton Furniture and the Self Healing Pipelines.

__Self Cleaning Paint__

This mimics the biologic design of lotus leaves which repel water. The paint utilizes the leaf design design whereby dirt can be cleaned simply when water runs over the paint. Because of this unique characteristic, the paint is 'Self Cleaning'. This saves use of copious chemical cleaning agents normally used to rid a painted surface of dirt which then enter the groundwater when they are rinsed off the wall. Lets hope the production/manufacturing of this paint does not hurt the environment more than protect it.

__Skeleton Furniture__

This design mimics the structure of bones as they grow over time. The shape and construction are eloquent, whereby a skeleton of hollow but reliable support forms the chair. Computers must have been used quite extensively as the design seems quite complex.

__Self Healing Pipelines__

This design mimics the function of platelets in the human bloodstream, whereby wounded parts are healed automatically. The pipeline is designed with mimics of blood platelets, whereby cracks and leaking parts of the pipe are targeted. The platelets in the pipeline stream fasten to the damaged part, temporarily clotting it but also highlighting it to exterior parties so that they can repair the pipe. A continuous self upkeep of a system as troublesome as pipelines is a revolutionary design which mimics biology wonderfully and to our advantage. = = = = =Week 9 =

__**Collaborative Design**__ = = Bill Morridge outlines collaborative design as a combination of inputs from many different parties, as opposed to one design team. Ideas from different disciplines and influences are brought to the table, resulting in a collaboration. This accumulation of different perspectives and thoughts allows a process whereby a successful design is tailored to range of needs that comes from a wider base of people. He also mentions that it is important to have the intended users of the future product assist in the designing process, as it is for them the product is being designed.

An example used by Bill Morridge is Gyrus. Gyrus is a company made up of ear, throat and nose surgeons. They were included in the design process for a surgery machine they were going to be using. They integrated the surgeons, making them feel that it was their project, and became far more effective in the process. Another example used by Bill Morridge is the American Red Cross whereby they wanted more people to give blood. They redesigned the carts and sterilized everything. They pictured donors and let them write a blurb about why they gave blood. This made the donors feel more appreciated.

An online example of a collaborative design is ThinkCycle. ThinkCycle allows collaboration among individuals, communities and organizations around the world to design challenges facing undeserved communities and the environment. They procide a shared online space for designers, engineers, domain experts and stakeholders. These designers discuss, exchange and construct ideas towards sustainable design solutions in problem domains URL: http://www.thinkcycle.org/  = = =Week 8 =

__**Can the cellphone end global poverty?**__ = = Jan Chipcase journeys around the world, primarily to rural areas without high volumes of cellular phone users. He is required to obtain information of the lifestyles, needs and dreams of these dwellers in order to give his employer, Nokia, in order for them to produce phones to cater to these needs. He takes hordes of photos so that Nokia can get a realistic idea of the living conditions and tendancies of the people he interviews. At first this policy seems money hungry, Nokia preying on underprivileged people to boost sales. While this is partly the case, it is part of a greater good. The supply of cellphones and resulting increase in communication provides the grounds for people to climb out of poverty.

Communication allows greater efficiency in all aspects of life, the economy is not exempt. A person can now coordinate his/her life, increasing timeliness. Jobs can be better performed and more easily found with telecommunication. Potential employees can be reached regardless of their location (usually), this way the employee benefits by earning income while the employer benefits by turning a profit as a result of the labour. Telecommunication is only effective if it is practical, which is where Jan is most useful.

A cellular phone will be ineffective if it does not cater to the lifestyles of its users. Just as a blind individual needs focused audio and kinesthetic controls, an individual in poverty requires specific characteristics as well. An area that is prone to flash flooding requires a phone that would be tolerant to water (to an extent) or an addition to hang the phone. If Nokia can provide necessary features, they will not only improve their profitability, but help the lives of those most in need of it. It is a situation that is a win for both parties, hopefully Nokia will not take advantage of those less powerful than them. =Week 7 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Interaction architecture**__

Mat Hunter describes interaction architecture as a series of rules that can be applied to more than one model of technology. Digital cameras are required to not only take pictures, but to perform extra operations such as reviewing pictures, deleting pictures and adding effects. Kodak used a user experience prototype to gain an understanding of the general feel of the real user interface. The user interface allowed one to take and manage a picture as well as export it to an external location.

Rikako Sakai works with the Photo Stitch software and developed its third version. The structure was not visible to the user and there was too many steps to stitch the photo. She used the tab user interface instead of the step by step process. She discovered that the old version's structure was not visible to the user, and there was too many steps to stitch the photograph. There is now a user interface for the step by step process which uses animation and text to help beginners to use the program.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Questionnaire Design**__

Leading question: one that forces or implies a certain type of answer. The answers supplied must equally cover the whole range of possible responses. An example of a range of possible responses is:
 * 1) Superb
 * 2) Excellent
 * 3) Great
 * 4) Good
 * 5) Fair
 * 6) Not so Great

Hypothetical question: one which is based, at best, on conjecture and, at worst, on fantasy. An example is:
 * 1) If you were president, what would you do to pull the economy out of recession?

This forces the respondent to give thought to something he may have never considered, which cannot ensure concrete, verifiable answers. These questions should be avoided.

=<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);"> = = = =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 6 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Adoption of a new technology**__

The three stages of the adoption of a 'fresh' technology are the enthusiast stage, the professional stage and the consumer stage.

The **Enthusiast** Stage - The first users exploit and appreciate the technology in an artistic way. The challenges and difficulties of unknown technology attract the users, they enjoy figuring out the capabilities and functions of the new technology. In the case of the 35mm camera, astronauts without a full knowledge of the camera used it to photograph planets on their missions. Despite their lack of expertise or a 'PhD', in optics, they figured out how it worked and used it to their advantage.

The **Professional** Stage - Rising popularity of the technology results in its further applications. The piece of technology now helps people work, increasing productivity and allowing work to be achieved in different ways than previously. As the camera was increasingly used, characteristics of certain features started to remain constant, such as the positioning of the viewfinder and the operation of the controls.

The **Consumer** Stage - It is now feasible for the average consumer to buy the piece of technology. In this stage the priorities for the product change, the important controls by and large become automatic, as opposed to a completely manual former process. The camera has now become simple to use, and can be widely applied to different settings and styles.

Another consumer product that has undergone similar developments is the cellular phone. It began as something completely new and intriguing and owned by few, to being widely used in the business field, then transposed to an extensive everyday use by people without professional motives. =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);"> = = = =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 5 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**The characteristics of bodystorming**__

Bodystorming is a participatory method for demonstrating or developing ideas in a physical setting. Bodystorming aides a person in building and testing ideas and is a physical way in which an idea can be showcased and later communicated. It allows the designers to experience the results and implications of their idea at work. The process is designed to uncover how the relationships between people, locations and things affect ideas in ways that written scenarios cannot. It enables rapid iteration of ideas and relationships through a dynamic process of acting and evaluating. The process reveals how people interact with services, products and each other on a physical, emotional and intuitive level. (Fairbrother, 2008)

__Work Cited__

Fairbrother, Anne (2008), //Bodystorming//, online at <http://annefairbrother.co.uk/2008/03/26/bodystorming/>, accessed on 9th February 2009.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Case 1: Visual Impairment**__

The participant was required to move about in certain situations without vision. Participant felt disoriented and dependant. When performing tasks she heavily used other senses, seen when she is using the stick to tap her surroundings and her hands to feel for the correct keyholes. The usage of these senses allowed her to make decisions on how to move. This procedure showed that multi sensory approaches targeting senses such as sound and touch could be effectively used to aid the visually impaired.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Case 2: Attention Defecit Disorder**__

The ADD participant was required to correctly recite a telephone number while solving math problems with a blaring television in the background. Multitasking was reported as difficult, he failed to correctly recite the number when asked. This provided insights to use clear narration to assist the user and present enjoyable yet challenging activities to improve attention and retain self esteem.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Case 3: Chronic Arthiritis**__

The participant had stakes attached to his arms and fingers, extensively inhibiting finer movement. Next, gloves are placed over the modified hands to emulate the feeling of chronic arthritis. After performing routine kitchen tasks with potentially dangerous tools, the participant reported a heightened fear of injury and a general apprehesion around the kitchen. As his restraints forced the participant to be meticulous, more energy was needed to perform the tasks leading to an increased body temperature and a risen level of anxiety. For safety purposes, accessible routes, passing space and tangible objects composed of safe materials should be implemented to decrease the fear of participation. Systems targeting as speech recognition should be considered and further researched to aid the user in performing these tasks. =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 4 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**The Story of Stuff**__

Annie Leonard defines the materials economy as a linear system through which 'stuff' experiences its cycle of life, that is, from extraction to production, production to distribution, distribution to consumption and consumption to disposal. She stresses to the viewer that the system is in crisis because it is a continuously running linear system with finite resources. Resources are limited, but the operations of the linear system is not, resulting in a growing shortage of materials for the system. Both human and natural resources are being exploited to satisfy the ever growing demand for products.

Human resources are incorrectly omitted in the original drawing of the model and are added at all stages. Without humans, the model would be dysfunctional illustrating their importance. Humans are primarily exploited in the production stages of the model, where many injustices are brought against them. In the extraction stage, their environmental resources are 'trashed' forcing them out of the area sustained by those resources. Approximately 20, 000 persons per day of them relocate from their original homes to cities in search of industrial work. As the workers are desperate, they willingly endure unfair working conditions and poor living conditions. This creates a vicious, reinforcing cycle of pain and suffering. The Government, who is supposed to be looking out for the well being of its people have shifted their attention to the well being of the corporations, who now own 51 of the world's 100 largest companies, compared to government's 49. Many corporations are not paying employees enough and are avoiding necessary benefits, health for example. This is especially relevant when the employees' jobs involve hazardous materials or gases.

Consumption is the main driver of the system. Ensuring continued consumption has become the main priority of the government and corporations. A whopping 99% of materials produced are disposed within 6 months. This shows how prevalent consumption is in America today, it has become a way of life. This happened as a result of the depression experienced after World War II, where America was urged to spend in order to get the economy back on track. Too much emphasis is being placed on the economy, which is supported by consumption. If consumption falls, the economy weakens, and overall standards of living decline. Corporations are depending on planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence which drives disposal of perfectly useful products. Despite growing spending (which satisfies needs and fills voids), happiness is falling. People are spending enormous amounts of time and energy on working in order to be able to spend, leaving no time for the ideals and things that really matter and add to aggregate happiness, such as family and friends. =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);"> = =<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 3 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Solar Home Lighting System**__

=Solar Aid=



Approximately 10% of the world population has a disabling hearing impairment, and 80% of them live in developing countries. The most expensive part of a hearing aid is the battery, which needs to be continually replaced. The [|Solar Aid] solar-powered hearing-aid battery recharger, developed in Botswana, helps those with hearing disabilities afford to continue in school and participate in economy activity. More than 7,000 units are in use in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. And because batteries are generally expensive everywhere, Godisa intends to make this affordable technology widely available not just in the developing countries but also in the United States and Europe.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Five Characteristics of Socially Responsible Design seen in the Solar Aid solar-powered hearing aid battery recharger are:**__

__**1. Environmentally thoughtful**__ - Functioning on nothing but solar energy, the Solar Aid minimizes environmental impact as energy does not have to be drawn from categories that result in harmful externalities. The battery installed is rechargeable, therefore it will not constantly have to be replaced, reducing the amount of toxins let into the Earth.


 * __2. Educationally thoughtful__** - This hearing aid gives students with a hearing loss an improved chance to better their education as they can now listen attentively in class. Even outside of class, where a huge amount of learning takes place, the students will be better equipped to learn audibly.

__**3. Economically thoughtful**__ - Since children are able to be better educated, this translates into a better economy in the future. Gaining an education allows now young men to make smarter choices when dealing with investment and finance. They also may have a better idea of productivity as a result of their education, which allows them to prosper and add to the GDP of the country.

__**4. Culturally thoughtful**__ - Many stories defining the culture and identity of a group of people are passed down by word of mouth. Increasing the hearing capabilities of the people will ensure the stories maintain their presence and that the people retain their cultural identity.


 * __5. Socially thoughtful__** - As the country is developing, many people are living in poverty. Having a better education will result in a better standard of living. Future breadwinners will be better equipped to provide for his/her family. Being able to hear may very well reduce frustration of people as well, as one can now communicate effectively whereas before he/she could not.

=**<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 2 **=

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Ergonomics defined**__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system (the environment). The profession applies theoretical principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

The three types of ergonomics are as follows:

Physical ergonomics is also concerned with how the physical environment around you might affect your performance. 'Physical' here means the kinds of things physicists know and love - heat, light, noise, dusts, chemicals, etc.
 * Physical ergonomics** is concerned with human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity. The relevant topics include working postures, materials handling, repetitive movements, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, workplace layout, safety and health.


 * Cognitive ergonomics** is concerned with mental processes ('brain work'), such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. The relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to human-system design.


 * Organizational ergonomics** is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes. The relevant topics include communication, crew resource management, work design, design of working times, teamwork, participatory design, community ergonomics, cooperative work, new work paradigms, organizational culture, virtual organizations, telework, and quality management. Simplified, organisational ergonomics is trying to organise people and the work to best effect. (Worthy & Sinclair, 2006)

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Advice for Case Study number 7: Truck Operators**__

An additional piece of advice would be to implement an adjustable driver's chair, whereby the driver can adjust the chair vertically and horizontally according to his/her unique characteristics. This can be also applied to the joystick, whereby its positioning can be altered in much the same way as the chair. These two faucets of movement ensure the driver has maximum opportunity to customize his/her physical work environment to his/her preference.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**An ergonomically sound product:**__

The ergonomic mouse

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ergonomics/home/products/ergonomicmouse/

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Bibliography**__

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tina Worthy, Murray Sinclair, (2006), //The Role of an ergonomist,// Ergonomics, online at <http://www.ergonomics4schools.com/lzone/ergonomics.htm>, accessed on January 21st, 2009

=<span style="font-size: 170%; color: rgb(8, 196, 30);">Week 1 =

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Article ‘Inside the Apple design Triumph’**__


 * The unusual business model used in the iPod's fabrication as developed by Apple.**

Apple’s creation of the iPod was a move that revolutionized the music industry in such a way that portability and compatibility became absolutely paramount to the customer. The creation of this device could not have been done without a business model, which ‘converts new technology to economic value’(QuickMBA, 2007). ‘Not only is the business model important, in some cases the innovation rests not in the product or service but in the business model itself.’ (QuickMBA, 2007) The business model used by Apple held an array of unusual characteristics revolving around the usage of third parties, one in particular, PortalPlayer, to aid in the iPod’s development. PortalPlayer, now NVIDIA Corporation is a leading supplier of semiconductors, firmware, and software for personal media players (PMPs) and secondary display-enabled computers. (NVIDIA Corporation, 2009) In the earliest stages of designing the iPod, PortalPlayer provided tools working towards its development. PortalPlayer was also responsible for including a number of outer companies on the project, such as Wolfson (sound production) and Linear Technologies Inc. (power management). Other companies directly involved in the iPod are Sharp Electronics Corp. (flash memory chip), Texas Instruments (Firewire interface controller) and Toshiba (disk drive). This illustrates how much independent input the iPod was given in its design. The model was not within one company (Apple Inc.) but among many. These companies working together to create one item resulted in an extremely valuable item in terms of economic strategy. The value added by each company is indescribable, but the end value is enormous nevertheless. This gives them a strong competitive advantage, as their product revolves around so many independent faucets of technology. This however can work against Apple, as the independent companies may very well contract other competitors in making a similar device. Even though Apple's business model is unusual, it is certainly effective in making an excellent product which they can call their own. Unfortunately for Apple, the inclusion of so many third parties results in a sharing of profit from sales of the good, but it is certainly a move that pays off overall.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Response 2 on article ‘25/25 – Celebrating 25 years of design’:**__


 * The factors distinguishing the work of the team of Jobs and Ive in relation to products designed by Apple and the new materials enabling different design.**

Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive play a crucial part in the success of Apple Inc. When Ive and Jobs entered, Apple would have already had a core set of designs, technologies and assets working towards their competitiveness. Ive and Jobs did a number of things differently and paid attention to factors typically overlooked by Apple in order to distinguish their work and lead Apple out of decline. One of the key factors in design that distinguishes Ive’s work is his ‘obsessive attention to detail’ (Burrows, 2009). Ive focused on areas often disregarded by designers, areas that proved to have a lot more meaning that what meets the eye. An example of this was the cables and power adaptors. Another example is the iMac’s handle, allowing a greater sense of mobility and reducing its preciousness. New materials and methods of joining them are now opening up a vast reservoir of creativity in design. Materials such as polymer, plastic and metal are becoming increasingly present in Apple’s products. Methods such as Twin-Shooting whereby materials are co-moulded together allow a greater range of possibilities and deepen the unique reservoir of design that Apple can pull from. Advanced adhesives and laser welding are other methods in which materials can be joined. Apple has successfully integrated these modern techniques, and as a result has a growing market share and seamless, striking products satisfying even the savviest customer.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">__**Response 3 on article ‘Who is Jonathan Ive?’:**__


 * The importance of Apple's design team and those of their competitors**

Apple’s design team is a small team with big ideas. They are an extremely cohesive, friendly, operable group of individuals sharing a common passion: creativity. Apple is known for their sleek, attractive appearance. This appearance is responsible in part for Apple’s large and rising trend in sales. Customers seem to really take to Apple products, illustrating a rapidly growing market share in both the operating systems market (Palmer, 2009) and the digital music market. Design plays a crucial part in this achievement, as often an item’s appearance instills the initial interest in it. The importance of Apple’s design team lies in this, the requirement to ‘grab’ the customer initially through visual means, then through other faucets such as simplicity and straightforwardness. The team needs to be able to work together to create products that will capture market share over their dominant competitors, most notably, Microsoft. This lies in the product’s design, and thus on the shoulders of the design team.

Other companies, such as HP, Dell and Microsoft are ‘trying to lift their own design games’ (Burrows, 2006). All companies in the same industry are competing; each company is bound to have design teams responsible for the look and composition of the product being developed. For example, one of Apple’s big competitors, HP, has a ‘team of designers and human factors engineers throughout the company creating HP products’ (Twombly, 2006). The set of companies are competing against one another, Apple being a key player in that set. In order to maintain a steady rate of increasing market share, the Apple design team must remain cohesive, learn from mistakes and take the charge in creating new, revolutionary products while pushing the limits of modern design.

<span style="color: rgb(221, 122, 19);">**__Bibliography__** Burrows, Peter (2006). Who is Jonathan Ive? Business Week, online at < http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_39/b4002414.htm>, accessed on January 16th 2009. NVIDIA Corporation, (2009). NVIDIA® Acquires PortalPlayer®, NVIDIA, online at < http://www.nvidia.com/object/portalplayer_acquisition.html>, accessed on January 16th, 2009. Palmer, Robert (2009). Apple market share tops 10%, Windows share lowest since tracking began, online at < http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/apple-market-share-tops-10-windows-share-lowest-since-tracking/>, accessed on January 16th, 2009. QuickMBA, (2009). The Business Model, Entrepreneurship, online at < http://www.quickmba.com/entre/business-model/>, accessed on January 16th, 2009. Twombly, Susan (2006), Simplicity by Design, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, online at <http://h41131.www4.hp.com/ca/en/stories/Simplicity_by_design_HP_Feature_story_October_2006.html>, accessed on January 16th, 2009.