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** Week 1 ** ** Question: Describe the unusual business model used in the iPod's fabrication as developed by Apple. **   Apple does not make the iPod, but instead works with third party developers that specialize in different areas to build up the iPod. The platform for the iPod was developed by PortalPlayer, which specialized in designing platforms for audio systems, providing high quality sound; most likely the reason Apple chose them. Other companies that work with Apple include Sony (batteries) and Texas Instruments(Firewire). This unique business model is known as the design chain approach. ** Question: What distinguishes the work of the team of Jobs and Ive in relation to products designed by Apple? What new materials are enabling different design? **    Apple has a small design team who’s goal is to devote their work on re-developing products in such a way that they become more efficient and appealing. For example, the design of the Mac Books are now thinner and more durable then ever, the Mac monitors are moveable and the Mac Mini is the smallest computer on the market. Designs like this change the traditional perspective of computer products as being bulky, dark metallic grey machines into a fashionable, high-tech product. New material is available to enable different designs, such as being able to work with plastics in new ways. For example, Twin Shooting materials allow the molding of plastic together, or molding plastic with metal. This takes away from the need to ‘fasten’ pieces together, which can give Apple products that smooth look. ** Question: Describe the importance of Apple's design team. Are other companies trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams? **    The design team at Apple, only consisting of a dozen members, is very important for Apple. They are a group who work together and individually to advance Apple, but keep what they do to an absolute secret. So secret, that they do not attend neither industry meetings, nor award ceremonies and speak to nobody about their work. Other companies are attempting to match Apple’s methods, but Apple has many years and experience ahead of them, so matching the skills of Apple will be difficult. // Physical Ergonomics // : 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:// Cognitive ergonomics is concerned with mental processes, 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: // Organizational ergonomics is concerned with the optimisation 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. ** Choose one of the case studies, and add an additional recommendation to one of them in step two as 'advice'. **    In the case of the Wet Mopping, another recommendation would be to hire more employees. That way the employees would be working shorter shifts reducing the strain on their body. Also, if they would like to work, more breaks could be given so they could relax the muscles. ** Find an example of a product which is ergonomically sound, and add a link to an article about this product. **    An ergonomic product is that of the Evoluent Mouse. A computer mouse that looks as if it’s turned on it’s side: [] Looking at the continent of Asia, there are many socially responsible product designs to help people in third world countries better their lives. Here are a list of five:
 * WEEK 2 **
 * Three ergonomics definitions (as quoted from article): **
 * WEEK 3 **
 * 1) As seen in the //Bamboo Treadle Pump//, the use of local bamboo that is very inexpensive can be used to pump out ground water to aid in watering crops.
 * 2) The creation of cheap, wireless solar panels in the //Solar Home Lighting System//, enables farmers to work during the evenings and allow their children to study which was previously impossible, since all that was available were candles.
 * 3) The //Ceramic Water Filter//, is a good use of every day materials found in most third world countries. By taking a clay pot and using ‘colloidal silver’, it has dramatically helped with battling preventable sicknesses.
 * 4) A lot of deforestation occurs due to the use and making of wood charcoal. Also, many children get repository problems from breathing in these fumes. As an alternate source, the //Sugarcane Charcoal// was developed. The key here is that it uses the waste from sugarcane production, so nothing is truly being wasted.
 * 5) The //WorldBike// is a prototype. It is a bike that is specially designed to be larger than an average bike, yet the same weight as one. This allows farmers and workers to transport more goods around at the back of the bike, which is a problem for most people.

**Write three paragraphs on how Annie Leonard defines the system of the 'materials economy' and describe its interactions.** Annie Leonard, in her video examines the way ‘stuff’ is created and the process in which it is created. According to her textbook definition, products go through a system known as the ‘materials economy’. This is a linear system in which products go through five stages which include: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. However, this linear system (left to right), does not cover all aspects of the production line because she says that it is a linear system within a finite planet. Some things it is missing include the people, society and culture that are present at each stage. Thus, limits are created that are not otherwise seen on a system diagram, such as people having more say (corporations) over how things are run. In the video, Annie examines each stage in relation to the product and environment as well as their interactions between each other. Extraction, in her words, is simply ‘trashing the planet’. This creates the first limit, which is the fact that we are running out of resources, simply because we are using too much of it. The planet is unable to keep up with renewing itself of natural resources. These resources are then taken to stage two: production. Here, toxic chemicals are added to the natural resources to produce toxic containing products. Not only are resources being wasted at this stage, but also people. This is because corporations are going to third world countries to first extract all the resources, which forces the people in those areas to move to cities, thus looking for work where they can find it; the factories. These toxic filled factories are extremely hazardous. Once the product is created, it moves to the distribution, the stores. This is where companies sell their ‘junk’ as quickly as possible, keeping the prices low and paying low wages to ensure quick inventory turn over. Annie mentions an interesting term tactic used by companies called externalizing costs. People do not pay the amount of money needed in order to normally create a product. However, companies externalize the costs through ‘other people, through the loss of people’s home in third world counties (from extraction), loss of health (from production) and loss of future. People lose these so consumers can buy cheap products. The next step is the most important on the linear system, which is the golden arrow of consumption. It was interesting to note that 99% of the products bought will be thrown out within 6 months. Corporations have been able to make consumers out of the public through two means of obsolescence. First Planned Obsolescence means ‘designing for the dump’, meaning things are design to be thrown out quickly forcing us to buy new versions and products. Secondly, there is the Perceived Obsolescence, which convinces people to throw away stuff that is perfectly useful, by simply changing the overall design, such as the look of fashionable products. The final stage is that of disposal, where all the ‘stuff’ gets dumped into a landfill, or burned first then dumped. This just adds to the problem of pollution as well as effecting and changing the climate. Burning the waste is worse, because of the toxics used back in production are then being released into the air as super-toxins. Recycling does help, but it is not good enough to stop the amount of waste. This is because for everyone one garbage can of recycled goods put out, 100 garbage cans of waste are made to produce it. And most of the ‘stuff’ cannot be recycled. All these steps happen outside the vision of the average consumer, because our vision is only on the view of the consumption stage. Yet, when the time this ‘mania’ of consumption exploded, statistics showed that the happiness of Americans began to decline. The reason for this was because people have more stuff and work hard for it, but it results in less leisure time. It creates an endless cycle of work to earn money, rest at home and watch TV that tells them they need new products, go out and buy new products and go back to work to earn more money. She concludes by stating that this is a system in crisis, but it is not one without hope. There are a lot of intervention points, and there are people working to make changes in environment and human rights. According to her, what people need to throw away is the linear view of the economy and it that it was created by people, thus can be fixed by people. ** WEEK 5 ** Brainstorming is the way of coming up with new ideas and solutions to any problem. It is done by taking a problem and thinking of as many solutions to it as possible. Each of these solutions are thought through as far as possible. Brainstorming is a good method, because it is the collaboration of many people's thoughts combined, resulting in many possible solutions. Case 1: Blindness The blind person in the test had trouble figuring her way around. She figured out how to use her other senses to compensate for her lack of site. She would also adapted by counting the steps to find her way around familiar spaces. This showed insight into creating multi-touch, texture interfaces for visually gave people.
 * WEEK 4 **

Case 2: ADD It was hard difficult for the participant to recite phone numbers while completing math problems. This simulated how one with ADD could find fustration in seemingly simple tasks, and as a result have a lowered self-esteem. This gave insight into creating easy and user-friendly activities for ADD diagnosed people, as to prevent easy distraction. Case 3: Chronic Arthritis The participant had his hands/arms restricted to simulate arthritis. He reported constant fear of injury when doing simple tasks such as cutting vegetables. Also, more work involved increased body temperature which added to his anxiety. This gave insight in creating safe material objects and spacious areas. ** WEEK 6 ** Enthusiast Phase: This is the beginning stages of a technology, and being new can be very hard to use and sometimes quite expensive to sell. When the camera came out, the ‘enthusiast’s were the people rich enough to buy a camera, to show off to others. This small group of people enjoyed the challenge of new technology and figuring things out. Professional Phase: The part of the product life cycle where the ‘professionals’ look at the product a potentially beneficial to their own profession. The camera became more user-friendly, which allowed for many uses by many professions. Consumer Phase: This is where the average consumer accepts a product because the price finally drops, and is a lot more users friendly. The camera eventually reached the point where every household has at least one camera. A product today could be seen in the computer industry. Every time new, larger memory or computer breakthroughs are released, it is very expensive and only a few can afford it as a household object. However, eventually all computer components find themselves in all the ‘average’ computer. ** WEEK 7 ** In the first article of Mat Hunter it gives the term he developed known as Interaction Architecture. It is basically a set of rules or guidelines set up in design to make sure products are user-friendly. In relation to Kodak cameras, prototypes were built with new features to see how they would work with the average consumer. A leading question is one that forces or implies a certain type of answer. In other words, the options for the answers are sometimes closed off to all point in one direction. It is important to give answer options that cover the range of possible answers. A hypothetical question should be avoided. This is because it forces the reader to consider themselves in a situation they have never been in, such as “If you where [this person] what would you do?”  1. The Avian Elements design is used in high-speed trains. Built in Japan, the bullet train is the fastest train in the world, and is extremely quiet. This was because the designers emulated owls, one of the quietest birds. They did this by adding components to simulate the feathers. The nose was designed after the kingfisher’s beak to reduce resistance, as the bird itself dives straight down into the water.  2. Sticky Naturally is toxic free glue used in manufacturing a range of high-end furniture and floor surfaces. This ultra strong glue was designed after researching the way mussels sting to surfaces underwear. By mimicking the secretion of mussels, they developed glue that was non-toxic either.  3. Echolocation is an amazing sonar-enabled cane used for those who are visually impaired developed in England. To prevent collisions, the cane sends out sonar just like a bat does when it flies. If there is an object in the way, or something coming, the cane will detect it and send a tactile warning through the handle.  1. Web Accessibility can be described as the ability for a user to visit a website and be able to understand and navigate the website regardless of any disabilities. This could include impaired sight, hearing or colour blindness.
 * WEEK 10 **
 * WEEK 11 **

 2. Both the company of a website and the user benefits from accessibility. The user will be able to find information (or perhaps purchase) what they want and the company will satisfy a customer.  3. It takes a lot of effort to make a website assessable, and may in some cases take away from a look and feel that one may want. I don’t think something like a blog (unless you know it) necessarily needs to be assessable. However, I think major websites of both government and corporate should be user accessibility, because a lot of different types of people will be visiting it.  4. I think the biggest challenge is embedding the many types of user needs within a website while making it fit in with the overall look and feel of the website. That includes space and colouring, which may clash with the website plans.