Divya+Tandan

Answers to Questions from the Tutorial Articles

 A1) Apple's unique business model is known as a design chain approach. This approach leads one to produce a visibly elegant and good looking product which is designed from the 'outside in' whereby the design and looks are researched and defined first and then the design and technicalities that will make the product work are looked at.For the iPod's fabrication, Apple opted for a platform which was to be designed by 3rd party, namely, PortalPlayer - whose "design expertise yielded the highest quality of sound" (Sherman). Apple created the iPod 'outside in' whereby the design was as important if not more than the technicalities that made it work.
 * Answers to Week 1 Tutorial Questions**
 * Q1) Describe the unusual business model used in the iPod's fabrication as developed by Apple.**

A1) Possibly the best duo in the design field, Jobs and Ive seem to share remarkable chemistry as their focus and aim to take Apple to new heights is similar. Their work is distinguished by their "obsessive attention to details that are often overlooked" (like cables and power adaptors) (Design Museum). They focus on what other companies overlook and thus took the lead in well designed and innovative products (the core focus Steve Jobs implemented). New materials that are enabling different design include plastic. "With the Mac G-4, they created a techno-core suspended in plastic". Even the iPod is made from twin-shot plastic . Using plastic allows for a simple design which still allows for an elegant finish.
 * Q2) 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?**

A3) The popularity of Apple products has to be accredited to their design among many other things. Apple products are known to be different, appealing and "something you'd want even if you didn't use them" (Smith, Paul). The article mentions how the 'candy coloured' iMac and iPods revolutionized the technical industry. Along with the technicalities, it is the design of these products that attracted so much attention towards them. Thus it is evident that Apple's design team is imperative to the company. Since the design team only consists of about 12 people who share similar interests and work ethic, they are able to maintain the secrecy about their designs. Companies such as Hewlett Packard, Dell and Microsoft are trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams. In fact Hewlett Packard's design chief feels, Apple's 'visual vibe' is getting predictable while others feel that since Apple has a small design team and focus on a limited amount of projects at a time, "they can only address so many markets" (Lucente, Sam).
 * Q3) Describe the importance of Apple's design team. Are other companies trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams?**


 * Week 2: Examples of Ergonomics, Task Analysis and Seven Case Studies**

1) The term 'ergonomic' stems from 2 Greek words 'ergon' and 'nomos', which mean work and laws respectively. Ergonomics is a scientific area of study which primarily looks at the effects of human interactivity with different elements so in order to understand the effects of the elements on performance and health. (HFESA) Topics of study that fall under //physical ergonomics// include "working postures, materials handling, repetitive movements, work related muscoloskeletal disorders, workplace layout, safety and health. It is more formally defined as a domain which concerns itself with physical activity by looking into the human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics (HFESA). //Cognitive ergonomics// leans more towards mental processes that "affect interactions among humans and other elements of the system" by looking at motor response, reasoning, perception and memory.(HFESA) Finally, //organisational ergonomics// can be defined as the ergonomic domain that focuses on "the optimisation of sociootechnical systems that include organisational structures, policies and processes" (HFESA)
 * There are 3 domains of ergonomics entitled //Physical//, //Cognitive// and //Organisational//.

2) Case 4: //Wet Mopping// - Instead of alloting a 5 hour block to clean, assign quick 5 min strech breaks every hour so the employee can stretch their muscles and relax the body. - Instead of providing the employees with mops with handles cut down to chin height, provide the employees with ergonomic mops that are manufactured to provide the users with comfort and support proper positioning of the body. - Providing the employees with ergonomic gloves that would give them a better grip on the mop so they can mop the floors without hurting their palms (decreases possibility of blisters, etc)

3) An article about ergonomic mops and the reason people are apprehensive when it comes to using them: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article.asp?id=6459 An [|example] of an ergonomic mop

//1) Definitions of the 3 domains of Ergonomics:// Human Factors & Ergonomic Society of Australia. "Definitions". Online at: http://www.ergonomics.org.au/ergonomics/definitions.html. //2) Article about Ergonomic Mops:// Erpenbach, Mary. "Ergonomics: Less Pain, More Gain". Online at: http://www.cleanlink.com/hs/article.asp?id=6459 //3) Example of an Ergonomic Mop:// SixWise. "Easy Grip: Ergonomic 16" Flat Mop System". Online at: https://shop.sixwise.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=62
 * Works Cited**

List five characteristics of socially responsible product design.**
 * Week 3: Other 90%** :
 * Choose a country on the web site's map, and read through the description of the products designed for that country.

__The Super Money Maker Pump__ //Five characteristics of socially responsible product design include:// Chesbrough, Shane Ahren et al. "__Business Models for Technology in the Developing World__". Volume 48. Online on Blackboard Super Moneymaker Pump. Online at: http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/Design/super-moneymaker-pump Image: Online at: http://www.kickstart.org/products/super-moneymaker/
 * Used in Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Africa, Mozambiqu[[image:moneymaker_pump.jpg width="238" height="176" align="right" caption="Super Moneymaker Pump"]]e, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopoa, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Yemen, Congo, Angola, Madagascar, Haiti and Phillipines.
 * Small and light enough to be carried to different places(Chesbrough)
 * Designed so women can use it without bending too much (which is an unacceptable practice in Africa)
 * In fact, the first design required women to bend too much which led to many complaints. A newer design (the one used now) was then made to adhere to the complaints. (Chesbrough)
 * Greatly impacted the profitability margin for farmers - decreased poverty
 * Able to irrigate 2 acres of land in simply 8 hours
 * Considering its size and the fact that is manually operated - 8 hours to irrigate a 2 acre area is fascinating.
 * Does not require fuel or electricity to run
 * Hence, saves farmers some money to use it and at the same time, reduces pollution.
 * Works Cited**


 * Week 4 :** **Write three paragraphs on how Annie Leonard defines the system of the 'materials economy' and describe its interactions.**

Annie Leonard defines the 'materials economy' as just half the story of the cycle of production to consumption. According to Leonard, the materials economy is a linear cycle that is made up of four components namely, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. In the materialistic society that we reside in, we continuously consume and then dispose of products. Sometimes, these products still function properly however are not accepted by the masses (i.e.: perceived obsolescence). Other times, these products are created in such a manner, that they are of no use to us after a certain period of time (i.e.: planned obsolescence). As companies focus to produce more and more items which only will be disposed of at a later date, we have reached a point in time where it has become difficult to maintain a materials economy in a finite environment. Not only have we begun to lose natural resources, we have begun to pollute our own land as well as the land of others (i.e.: mainstream companies set up manufacturing plants in 3rd world countries and pollute the atmosphere). We have reached a point where we have even created '//super toxins'//. Sadly, not even babies are spared from being subjected to different forms of pollution as even breast milk is said to have been affected with toxins.

During the economic downturn Americans were told to shop. Thus the materials economy rose to the 'end all and be all' for our society. During the production stage, we begin to work with various chemicals which can not only harm the workers but also the consumers. The raw materials to produce these products come from various parts of the world as a result, it the entire world's natural resources that are being depleted. Big American corporate giants even set up factories in 3rd world countries who suffered the brunt by playing host (through pollution). The next step in the cycle is distribution. Leonard defines distribution as "selling all the contaminated junk as quickly as possible" (Story of Stuff). The goal in this step is simply to keep the inventory moving by making people buy constantly which can only happen if the prices are low. The low prices are a result of skimping on other costs such as cutting down on employee wages. When it comes to distribution, it is all about 'externalized costs' whereby it is not us who pay for the low priced product - it is actually all those who helped make the product in order for us to be able to purchase it.

The next step in the materials economy is 'consumption'. It is in this step where the golden arrow prevails. Leonard suggests that "we have become a nation of consumers - it's our primary identity" (Story of Stuff). Humans are not valued as individual beings in this materials economy - instead their value is calculated based upon how much they contribute to the golden arrow. In other words, the more they buy - the more valued they are. As consumers, we continue to shop as though it is our duty to contribute to the golden arrow and within 6 months of purchase, we only use 1% of of all the products bought. This means that the rest of the things we buy is transferred to the last step in this economy - disposal. If we only use 1% worth of products within 6 months of purchase, it is evident we then dispose of 99% of products. This is where once again the idea of planned as well as perceived obsolescence plays their part. While sometimes we are forced to dispose of these materials due to product upgrades, other times, we are obliged too due to peer pressure. In the US, 4.5 pounds of garbage is made on a daily basis. Sometimes, it is just dumped in a land fill while sometimes, the garbage is first burned in an incinerator and then dumped in a land fill. Either way, we are destroying not only the earth but all those who live in it.

Works Cited: Leonard, Annie. "Story of Stuff". Online at:http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html


 * Week 5:** **Research the definition of 'bodystorming', and write a paragraph describing its characteristics.** **D****escribe the information revealed to the researchers in the three different case studies for one paragraph each**.

The idea behind //bodystorming// is to imagine or to put yourself in a particular situation. Wikipedia defines the term as "a technique sometimes used in interaction design or as a creativity technique. The idea is to imagine what it would be like if the product existed, and act as though it exists, ideally in the place it would be used" (Wikipedia). Before a bodystorming session can begin, "a preliminary a observation and documentation is conducted. From the documents, interesting phenomena are selected and edited into easily readable design questions" (Oulasvitra). Basically, the act of bodystorming simply includes reenacting or acting a particular situation in order to learn more about it.

The video featured three cases which focused on different disabilities. The first case dealt with 'visual impairmant". The participant in this case study was found to be disoriented and dependent. She depended heavily on her other senses (such as touch/feel and sound) to guide her to her destination. They even noticed how she was able to mentally count the amount of steps it takes to reach the stairs as this helped her create a mental map of the location. In essence, this case revealed how to cope with blindness, the partipant used every other sense to guide her while also using a numeric method to create a mental map of the location she visited.

The second case focused on a cognitive disability often referred to as 'attention deficit disorder'. The participant in this case study was found to face difficulty in properly performing the task which resulted in emotional factors such as frustration negatively impacting his self esteem. He repeated the task several times before reciting the phone number correctly. The study allowed the researchers to come to a conclusion that using narration during an activity would not only make the activity more enjoyable but would also improve the performance of the participant.

Finally the last case dealt with a motor disability with the focus being on chronic arthritis. The participant in this case study was found to have developed a fear of injury which made him extremely anxious. The participant also used more energy which resulted in his body temperature to rise as well. The researches also found that using tangible objects made of safe materials, using passing space and accesible routes decreased the participant's fear which could mean that using such things can assist those affected with chronic arthiritis to feel better and more relaxed.

Bardzell, Jeff. Dr. "Experience Prototyping". Online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyE5bDqaSwc No Author Indicated. "Bodystorming". Online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodystorming Oulasvitra et al. "Understanding Contexts by Being There: Bodystorming". Online at: www.hiit.fi/u/oulasvir/scipubs/**bodystorming**_AO_EK_TK.pdf
 * Works Cited:**

Using the 35mm camera as his example, David Liddle leads the viewer of the video to a path of explanation. Liddle suggests that new technologies go through three stages of adoption after their inception.
 * Week 6:** In the interview with David Liddle at http://www.designinginteractions.com/interviews/DavidLiddle, he defines three stages for the adoption of a new technology.   **What are his definitions for these three stages of adoption, and how did he apply them to his case study of a camera? Write one clear paragraph for each of his definitions, listing their attributes in relation to the development of the camera. Can you think of another consumer product which has undergone similar developments? Name it.**

The first stage is known as the enthusiast stage. This is the stage when early adopters survey the capabilities of the product. During this stage, users are known to "love and appreciate the product in an aesthetic way". The more difficult the product is to use, the more enjoyable it is for these early adopters to use it. According to Liddle, when the 35mm camera was first introduced, the difficulty level to use it was extremely high. One would need to be highly educated in order to operate the product in order to be able to exploit it.

Once the product has been surveyed, analyzed and exploited by the early adopters, it moves on to the second stage. The second stage is known as the Professional stage. During this stage, the early adopters use their entrepreneurial skills to figure out different ways the product could be used to improve the efficacy of a business. These business minded users then come up with "clever and practical" ways of using the product. The 35mm camera was used by professional photographers who helped stabilize the controls in order to use the camera on a constant basis. Using the product became simpler.

According to Liddle, "after a product has built up big enough volumes through the business phase, you reach price point". This is the beginning of the consumer stage. The consumer stage is when the "golden arrow prevails"! (Story of Stuff) As the product becomes an affordable and a practical buy for the masses, it becomes a desired product that if bought will help the materials economy (Story of Stuff).. The product might become a fashion accessory or a must have for the season. Liddle depicts this idea by stating, during this stage, consumers are asked to "look at how the product fits in with their style" and "look at who you become if you enjoy the capabilities of the product". In addition, the product gets easier to use. Most of the time, the important manual inputs/controls become automated. For example, the 35mm cameras today, do not even require film. If they do require film, the camera sets the focus and exposure automatically. The simplicity is so prevalent, that according to Liddle, even a chimpanzee can take excellent pictures. Another product that has undergone similar developments is a computer. Initially, computers were so big that a big empty room was required to fit the computer in. In addition, the difficulty level to use them was extremely high. Their use was limited to "performing numerical calculations and only solved one problem at a time" (Buzzle). During the professional stage, many users changed and added to the usability of computers. Kondrad Zuse was noted as including "binary and floating-point arithmetic and a considerable amount of programmability" while the US Army innovated the computer further and created ENIAC. As constant innovations were made to the original invention and users figured out different ways to improve the efficiency of the product, we finally reached the consumer stage. Intel played a huge role in bringing computers to this stage. By "using integrated circuits on silicon chips", the sizes of computers shrunk tremendously. Their functions and simplicity rose and today, almost every household has more than one computer. **Works Cited:** Leonard, Annie. "Story of Stuff". Online at:   http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html Liddle, David. "Designing Interactions". Online at : http://www.designinginteractions.com/interviews/DavidLiddle (Buzzle) No Author Indicated. "Evolution of Computers". Online at: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/evolution-of-computers.html Picture of Evolution of Computers. Online at: http://it-techinfo.com/wp-content/themes/ultra-clean/images/computer_evolution.jpg

Matt Hunter began by outlining the events that occurred in the past that allowed for the creation of an information or interaction architecture which consisted of "extensible series of rules that not only allowed them to design just one one camera but a whole series" (Hunter). George Eastman, the man behind Kodak came up with an idea to create a product which would eliminate the use of harsh and messy chemicals. He felt it was time that a product be manufactured which would provide the consumer with a user-friendly interface and easy to use functions. He recognized that there was a market which was ready to buy a product which would allow them to capture an image with one click while Kodak's technology did the rest. Kodak understood that "photography was a means of self expression and social enterprise, whereby it dealt with social capital and sharing pictures" (Hunter). Kodak knew that sharing pictures with one another was important for their consumers, thus they started to brainstorm ideas about how a digital camera might look like. Right of the bat, they were aware that a "digital camera would suffer from a challenge that not only would you capture images, you'd share them, delete them, put voice annotation or even order prints from the camera itself" (Hunter). Thus, they ended up creating user experience prototype (which was the interaction architecture). This prototype consisted of a large and bulky box with a security camera on the front and a cable connecting the prototype to a Macintosh computer. Marcomedia direct was used to work the prototype at the time. Finally, in a few weeks, they were able to create a user interface for the first digital camera which not only took pictures, deleted them but allowed the user to send them across the room to a television. This new digital camera really expressed "what was going on, the features and functions and how it felt" (Hunter). 8 months later, Kodak created the DC210 which was the first digital camera for the mass markets.
 * Week 7: Write a description of interaction architecture as defined by Mat Hunter at** [] and Rikako Sakai at [] **in relation to their work with Kodak in 1995.** In addition, as you will be creating a questionnaire for your major assignment, read the article at [] to help you formulate the question. **How does the author define 'leading questions' and 'hypothetical questions'? Write a paragraph each to define these terms.**

Rikako Sakai talks about information architecture in terms of developing the user interface/ experience for version 3 of PhotoStitch. After being part of Canon for about 8 years with their Human Factor Department, Sakai got the opportunity to review versions one and two of PhotoStitch to identify faults which could be improved and worked on for version 3. She did years of radio testing using "in house people as test subjects" (Sakai). The biggest problem that she found was that "the structure was not too visible to the user and there were too many steps to stitch" (Sakai). Thus, in order to eliminate the step by step structure, she introduced a 'tab user interface'. Since, at the time, her introduced concept was not popular, she faced many hurdles to implement it. In order, to provide a clearer understanding of how to use PhotoStich v3. with the new changes, she decided to use animations. They found that the animations (which showed users how to drag an image on top of another) were helpful guides for users. Similar to Hunter, creating an information architecture in terms of a prototype, Sakai crafted an information architecture in version 3 of PhotoStich.

The author provides a detailed article on how to construct an effective questionnaire. From how and when a questionnaire can be used to a variety of ways questions can be developed and asked, this article acts as a definite foundation from where we can gain insight into developing our own questionnaires for the final project. Under the subheading "What type of Questions do we Ask", we find a list in which the author defines //leading questions// and //hypothetical questions//. Leading Questions are defined as those types of questions that compel the other party to choose an answer from a given list or rather obligate the other party to give an answer they might not have given had the question not been in such a //closed format//. Closed format questions generally provide a list of answers whereby the person answering the questionnaire can pick one answer. These answers "not only cover the whole range of responses, but are also equally distributed throughout the range" (Questionnaire Design). A few examples of leading questions are as follows: a) Beyond Excellent b) Good c) Okay d) A little less than fair OR 2. Do you like Country Music? a) Yes b) No
 * 1) How would you rate the course: CCT333 IAWW?

On the other hand, //hypothetical questions// are more open ended and do not restrict the other party to a limited amount of answers. These types of questions allow the answeree to think and give his or her own answer from the heart. Of course, more often than not, we run into people who dislike being asked to think outside the box, especially during surveys. Thus, it is a possibility that their answers might not even reflect their thoughts. According to the author, hypothetical questions should be avoided as they " do not produce clear and consistent data representing real opinion" (Questionnaire Design). A few examples of hypothetical questions are as follows: OR 2. If you were to ever find yourself being sent to an isolated island by yourself, what two things would you take with you and why?
 * 1) If you could be any superhero for a day, who would you be and why?

Hunter, Matt. "Designing Interactions: Matt Hunter" Online at: http://www.designinginteractions.com/interviews/MattHunter Sakai, Rikako. " Designing Interactions: Rikako Sakai". Online at: http://www.designinginteractions.com/interviews/RikakoSakai No Author Indicated. "Questionnaire Design". Online at: []
 * Works Cited:**

[] very carefully. **In three paragraphs, describe the role of Jan Chipchase in defining the role of cellphones in the developing world for Nokia, and the benefits of analyzing cellphone use and design in different cultures as part of their market expansion.**
 * Week 8: Read the online article 'Can the Cellphone end Global Poverty?**' at

Jan Chipcase, a British "human behaviour researcher" works for the ever so famous Finnish cell phone company known as Nokia. In essence, his job is to travel around the world, particularly to third world countries and study the lifestyle, needs and wants of the rather poor population. He basically analyzes what their life is like now and then compares it to the level of improvement that could suffice if the population had a cell phone which met their particular needs. He takes pictures of what he sees and loads all the collected data onto his digital briefcase/hard drive which he then sends to the Nokia headquarters. Thus, at times he is looking through a woman's purse or taking pictures of a shoe salesman and his home. Chipcase noted that owning cell phones was like carrying your identity with you where ever you went. As soon as you gave your cell number to another individual, you handed them a piece of your identity, even if all the other information you gave them was fake.

Chipcase plays a very important role in defining cellphones in the developing world for Nokia. Due to his role in analyzing cellphone use and design in different culture, an array of benefits arise for Nokia's market expansion. The article mentions that about 3 billion people in the world who do not have a cell phone (Corbett). These people without phones can use them for a variety of reasons. Due to the poverty levels in most of the areas, people cannot afford to make a day long trip to see the doctor in the nearest village only to find out he's not available. Thus, with a cell phone, they would be able to call and find out ahead of time if the doctor would be available. He noticed that even those people who owned phones could benefit from a design that would suit the environment they lived in. Companies try to incorporate the 6 environments (economic, competitive , technological , social/cultural , political/legal and geographic ) when they come up with designs however they don't take into consideration the different environments that affect the poorer markets. Thus, in analyzing the different design needs for Nokia's market expansion, Chipcase is able to collect enough data which would otherwise be 'unknown' and send it back to the head office so that specific products that cater to the needs of this population can be created rather than generic products. Other ways Chipcase collects data about future cell phone designs is by allowing the future customers to hand in designs themselves.

Benefits that arise for those who already use cell phones vary. Fishermen can decide the rates of their fish before they reach the shore because they are already aware of the demand through one phone call they made. In fact, due to cell phones, these villages have even come up with a very innovative way to transfer money from one place to another. Cell phone use in these areas has allowed for an economic growth and has brought in more wealth for families. Due to the different uses and benefits cell phones provide, in a couple of years, an 'unconnected' village will be unheard of and m-commerce will become huge.

Corbett, Sarah."__Can the Cell Phone Help End Global Poverty?"__. Online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?_r=2&emc=eta1&pagewanted=all
 * Works Cited**

(Hint: Bruce Mau's Massive Change web site also presents examples of these principles of using 'a shared mind'.)
 * Week 9 : View the video of Bill Moggridge**. The founder of IDEO, at PICNIC08: Design as a Collaborative Process at []
 * Describe how he defines 'design as a collaborative process', and cite two examples of how creators involve the people they want to create for in their work, according to Bill Moggridge's lecture.**
 * Find an online example of a product which utilizes his principles of collaborative design, add its URL, and describe its design in three sentences.**

Formally defined, collaboration is "the act of working jointly" (WordNet). Moggridge uses this definition when he discusses the concept of design as a collaborative process. He uses the concept of 'togetherness' in his presentation to introduce his stand on design being something which should be done in teams. When talking about design, he introduced 3 ideas namely, the different ways in which practices in design are changing; understanding the people you design for and finally understanding the changes in context designers design around. When designing a product that relates to any one of these ideas, it is imperative to work as a team. In order to design anything, certain information is needed about the people you are designing for and thus the concept of design as a collaborative process arises. You immediately start working with the person you are designing for because as a designer, you are trying to understand him or her in order to meet their needs. Thus, the design process isn't limited to just the designer's thoughts but also contains the target market's thoughts. He believes when it comes to the changes in the way design is changing, it is best to have intimate relationship with the rest of the team so you can brainstorm. He believes shared minds will bring more ideas forward than the individual mind.

Moggridge gave a few examples of how designers involve people they want to create for. One example was when he was speaking about participatory design whereby designers worked with surgeons. He noticed the design team became more effective as they worked with the people who would use these products. Another example was a project with the American Red Cross whereby donors were asked to provide a story of why they donated blood. By doing this, more people wanted to give blood as well as it made them feel good. The creators created a less mechanical and dreary process by introducing this concept.

A great example of a product that utilizes Moggridge's principles of collaborative design is the Super Money Maker Water Pump (written about in a previous article analysis). The designers of the pump worked together with the end users to understand what they wanted. In fact, after the first pump was distributed to the farmers, the designers recieved some negative feedback about the way the pump needed to be used. Since the women needed to bend too much to use it, the designers redesigned the pump to satisfy the end users. The link to read up on the Super Money Maker Water Pump: http://www.ideo.com/work/featured/kickstart

WordNet."__Definition of Collaboration"__. Online at: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=collaboration Moggride, Bill. "__Design as a Collaborative Process: Togetherness: Picnic08__". Online at: http://vimeo.com/2814939
 * Works Cited**

More Information: Janine Benyus' TED Talk 12 Sustainable Design Ideas from Nature []
 * Week 10: Read the article 'Using Nature as a Design Guide' at [] about Janine Benyus, creator of the burgeoning "biomimicry" movement.**
 * Look over examples of her biomimetric principles applied to products in the slideshow located at [] and write a short, one paragraph synopsis for each of your three favourite product designs.**

Janine Benyus showed some great examples of how biometric principles are applied to products we see in our world today. Out of the ten examples in her slideshow, three that caught my attention included 'Avian Elements: High Powered Train', Echolation: Sonar-Enabled Cane' and New Plumage: Bio-Inspired Colour Displays.

The design for the //High Powered Train//, also known as "500 Series Shinkansen Bullet Train" was inspired by two birds namely, the kingfisher and the owl (Green Design). It's unique yet visually appealing design assisted in making the train the fastest train in the world. The low level of noise the train makes when in motion was the feature that was inspired by owls, while the front of the train - the nose, resembled a kingfisher's beak. The reason the train was designed using these two birds as design inspirations was because both the birds had certain characteristics that could be modeled in a technological sense to improve the functionality of the train. Since owls are known to be the quietest birds, the designers of the "Shinkansen Bullet train" created some raggedness that was similar to an owl's feathers. In essence, this reduced the amount of noise created by the train as the "noise generated by the train's pantograph—the component that connects to overhead electrical wires" was lessened to a great degree (Green Design). The nose of the train was created keeping the kingfisher in mind as the beaks of this bird cause minimal resistance when they dive into water from air. In a similar manner, the nose of the train would provide minimal resitance when the train would pass from tunnels back to the open air, once again reducing the amount of noise created. The reason I like this design is because it is unique and aims to fix a problem for which such a solution seemed far-fetched, once upon a time.

The //Sonar-Enabled Cane// is truly a well designed product for which the design was inspired by bats! Personally, I would've never guessed a design idea for a cane could come from learning about bats! These canes sense obstructions such as people, upcoming objects and even streets. It then sounds out sound waves to the person using it to warn them the path ahead isn't clear. Not only does the cane warn the user of an obstruction ahead, but also "provides a tactile warning of the obstacles location through the cane's handle" (Green Design). The reason, I like this product is because it helps the visually impaired. In general, the visually impaired do not have a lot of products that can assist them in their daily lives thus they have to rely on somebody to help them at all times. However, with such a technology, they can be pre-warned of obstructions and as a result can maneover in a safer manner.

The design of the //Bio-Inspired Colour Displays// was inspired by a peacock's plumage and the colourful wings of butterflies. This technological innovation aims to reduce power consumption in cell phones and other electronic products. In essence, the display consists of "tiny structures" that reflect light so that certain wavelengths of light hit one another to create "vivid colours" (Green Design). This technology has already been implemented in bluetooth headsets by VOXX. The reason, I like this technology in particular was because it aims to tackle society's problem with energy consumption. Such an innovation can bring with it many positive outcomes that can improve the environment.

Green Design. "Design Tips from Mother Nature. Online at: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/02/0209_green_biomimic/index_01.htm.
 * Works Cited**

__**Week 11**__**: Glen's asking a series of questions to usability professionals in interviews - his abbreviated list is below. Answer the below questions briefly in consideration of the material on these two websites:** []- basic introduction to various forms of accessibility in web communications []- integrating accessibility in design

To me, the term "web accessibility" is used to describe the capability of a website to cater to a disabled user. The disabled user can be visually impaired, hard of hearing, can suffer from cognitive disabilities such as ADD, dyslexia, etc or the user can even be physically disabled meaning they are quadriplegic. Web accessibility would then mean that the website is able to cater to the needs of all its users, therefore, for a visually impaired individual, the website would offer "screen readers" while for the colour blind, websites wouldn't rely on colours to convey important meanings to the reader. In essence, 'web accessibility' removes or breaks the barriers that differentiate how and what disabled users can access and what those without any disabilites can access. The Worldwide Consortium (W3C), published guidlelines that define what four principles would determine whether websites are accessible to the disabled in addition to the 'able' people. These principles are:
 * 1. How would you describe web accessibility?**
 * Percievable - available to the senses;
 * Operable - can be operated using a mouse, keyboard, or assistive device; available for those who are quadriplegic;
 * Understandable - content is clear and divided perfectly so there isn't a glut of information in one area confusing the reader;
 * Robust - content is available regardless of type of technology user is using (i.e.: old/new)

I feel that the disabled populace benefits from accessible websites the most as such sites give them the opportunity to connect with the world digitally through such a large platform. Through such sites, they too can voice their opinions on topics they would not have been able to before, they can access up to date headlines and news articles, in fact, they can even order groceries to be delivered to their door. Other than the disabled populace, I feel that the different companies, news websites, blogs, etc also benefit from accessible websites as by offering such sites, they increase their "target market" base therefore, attracting more visitors and as a result attaining more hits on the site which leads to an increase in popularity and revenue. For example, if Grocery Gateway implemented an 'accessible website', they can attract more customers which will lead to further revenue! Furthermore, Grocery Gateway would probably attain positive publicity for offering an 'accessible website' which would attract more customers for they would support a company that supports a good cause. Of course, it isn't just business' that can attain such positive publicity, blogs and news sites can as well.
 * 2. Who do you think benefits from accessible websites and how?**

Chances are that if I had my own website or blog, it would be a public page for the world to see. Most people create blogs which are followed by many more people than their friends. Similarly, websites also attract more visitors than just the creator's friends. Thus, the site or blog should definitely be accessible as there is absolutely no reason not to cater to disabled people, especially because it's a public page.
 * 3. Do you think your website/blog should be accessible? Should all Canadian websites?**

Yes, Canadian websites should be accessible as well as just because the populace is disabled, it doesn't make them any less Canadian. They too have the right to be able to surf through the website and 'see' what it's about. Actually, the internet was meant to narrow the digital divide but it appears that the is a gap increasing as websites don't cater to the different types of people out there.

The biggest challenge of making accessible websites is the fear designers have that it will be too difficult and expensive, not to mention time consuming. Of course, when learning anything new, it takes some time to learn the technical aspects and developing accessible websites is no exception. Granted, it does take time learning how to develop a website such that it caters to the needs of the disabled populace but in the end, the hard work will yield results. Another challenge that is evident is figuring out how to make the site accessible so that it caters to the different type of disabilities. For example, Grocery Gateway would have to consider ways and techniques so that the hard of hearing, visually impaired, colour blind, quadriplegic, etc can all access the site without any problems.
 * 4. What do you think is the biggest challenge of making a website accessible?**

(No Author Indicated) Just Ask. "__Integrating Accessibility Throughout Design"__. Online at: http://www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/overview.html (No Author Indicated) WebAIM. __Introduction to Web Accessibiltiy.__ Online at: http://www.webaim.org/intro/#people CalState. "__Access Key Image__". Online at: http://www.calstatela.edu/accessibility/images/accesskey.jpg
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