Aisha+Afzal

=__Lab 1:__ =

The ipod’s fabrication developed by Apple may seem to be unusual to business models because some aspects of reverse engineering and discussion within the electronics industry were used to discover the unusual details of Apple's development process. In addition, Apple also relied on designs created by a third party, PortalPlayer, of Santa Clara, Calif, and it was founded in 1999. Lastly, Apple’s ipod design is very interesting because its design chain relied on off-the-shelf components incorporated in a well-designed way.
 * 1) Describe the unusual business model used in the ipod's fabrication as developed by Apple.**

The main thing that distinguishes the work of the team of jobs and Ive in relation to products designed by Apple is the factor of devoted care beyond the normal stuff, especially the infatuated attention to details to things like cables and power adaptors, which are otherwise overlooked. In addition to materials, processes, product architecture, and construction that are enabling different design, polymer advances: advances in processes of plastic, and twin shooting materials are also enabling different design. Lastly, metal forming and new methods of joining metals with advanced adhesives and laser welding is also enabling different design.
 * 2) 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?**

The importance of Apple’s team is that it is small team and everyone works together. In addition, everyone operates on a high level both individually and as a group. Other companies such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft are actually trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams.
 * 3) Describe the importance of Apple's design team. Are other companies trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams?**

__Lab 2:__

 * Three Definitions of Ergonomics**

1) __Physical Ergonomics:__ it is applied to human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics since they relate to physical activity. The significant topics include working postures, materials handling, repetitive movements, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, workplace layout, safety and health.

__2) Cognitive Ergonomics:__ it is applied to mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. The appropriate 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.

3) __Organisational Ergonomics__: involves the optimization of socio-technical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes. The significant topics include communication, work design, design of working times, teamwork, community ergonomics, cooperative work, new work paradigms, organizational culture.


 * Case Study 2: Advice**
 * Instead of having single trays, the staff should be given tier plates, so they can carry multiple plates at one time, therefore, their trips into and out of the kitchen would be reduced.

I found a good example of an ergonomically sound product and it is a laptop stand. It allows the user to use the laptop in any situation, whether it is on the bed, table, floor, etc, comfortably.
 * Ergonomically sound product:**

__[|http://www.macopinion.com/index.php/site/more/the_road_warrior_review_wizard_multi_configurable_laptop_stand_from_lapwork/]__

=__Lab 3:__ =


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

//I looked at the Products designs for South America and the five characteristics of Socially Responsible Product Design I found are://

1) Have products at affordable prices so everyone can have access to the products and services. An example is the AMD Personal Internet Communication in South America. 2) Have services where people can invest money without compromising the needs of others and by being fair. An example can be the Super Money Maker Pump, which is used in many developing countries such as Africa and South America to pump water out of the ground without the help of expensive electricity and fuel services. 3) Basic tools for people who are struggling for survival are produced such as the Aqua Star Plus Water Purification Service in South America. 4) Making goods for people by utilizing renewable resources or resources that do not cost a lot of money so they can be reliable always for the user. An example can be the Solar Aid service, which is powered by solar energy to improve hearing impairment for people in South America. 5) Re-using old infrastructure or unneeded products in the country to make new goods or services, in order to make goods cheap and available. An example can be the Sugarcane Charcoal in South America. It is an alternative for wood charcoal and is produced from the waste material from sugarcane processing.

=Lab 4: =


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

In the first process of ‘//Extraction//’, she argues that the term ‘natural resources exploitation’ is a fancy word for trashing the planet because we are using too many resources and are running out of them. Some of these include metals, water, trees, and many more. For instance, United States uses countless amounts of resources from their natural forests that only four percent of it is left. Therefore, to get more, it goes to the third world for more of the resources and as a result trashes their place as well. As a result, in this process many people loose their homes because of local erosion of their environments (from the first world). In the next process of ‘//Production//’, we take the natural resources and some toxins and as a result make more toxic contaminated products. These toxins are very dangerous to the lives of human beings and we are **exposed to them when we breathe, factory workers are exposed to them in high levels, and worst of all babies are exposed to them in high levels from their mother’s breast milk. Some of these include synthetic chemicals and BFR’s (Brominated Flame Retardants).
 * Annie Leonard talks about where the things we purchase come from and where they end up after we through them out. She explains that the ‘stuff’ moves through an interaction, from extraction, to production, to distribution, to consumption to disposal. However, these interactions are not linear because our world is finite. People are important contributors to this system and some are more important than others, including the government and large corporations. **

In the next process of ‘//Distribution//’, the goal is to sell all the products very fast at low prices. Therefore, we are not really paying for the products we buy because they cost a lot more. So who pays? It is the people who have lost their natural resources, people who are exposed to the toxins and people who have to make the cheap products (and are being paid very low wages). The next process of ‘//Consumption//’ explains how North Americans have made consumption their way of life, and buy products that don’t last them very long and hence, have to buy again and again (because of planned obsolescence). Hence, more consumption means more extraction of resources, mining, production, distribution and so on. People don’t realize that they are stuck in a vicious cycle of consumption and are not that happy despite of having so much stuff. The last process is called ‘//Disposal//’. Leonard says that we are the most aware of this process because we have to through away the ‘stuff’ by ourselves. After we through away the stuff, some of it is burned and more harmful toxins are created (dioxins), some gets dumped in landfills, and the other ends up in other people’s countries.

In conclusion, ** Annie Leonard talks about ** ** how ** we have to find another way of doing things because this system is in crisis. She says that we can reclaim this linear system and work together by making the world sustainable and equitable by practicing in things such as renewable energy and local living economies. Therefore, in the new system resources and people don’t have to get wasted.

=__Lab 5: __=


 * Body-storming** is a technique which is used in interaction design or as a creativity technique. The basic idea of body-storming is to visualize what it would be like if the product existed, and act as though it exists, ideally in the place it would be used. In other words, in this technique, certain experiences are designed to demonstrate and explore ideas and situations with groups of people. In addition, this approach allows to investigate different qualities that an idea may have when applied in a physical setting – It is similar to a game as it discloses the tensions and pleasures of limits and rules and reveals the kinds of relationships that occur through social and cultural interactions between people.


 * Visual Disability:**** The participant who was unable to see felt disoriented and dependent. Therefore, when performing a certain task she felt heavily dependent on her other senses to make the decision. To cope with blindness the participant mentally mapped the locations to forecast her movements. Her experience provided an insight on using multi- sensory approaches such as sound and touch. **


 * Cognitive-Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD):**** The participant with this disability had to correctly reset the telephone number while watching television. He felt difficulty in performing the task and the frustration negatively impacted his self-esteem. Inside’s game for this participant’s experiences are to use clear narration, to assist the user, and represent enjoyable and yet challenging activities to improve attention. **


 * Motor- Chronic Arthritis:** ** For this experiment, the participant’s hands and wrists were fastened so he could feel the disability of chronic arthritis. During certain tasks, he reported constant fear of injury and this fear made him extremely comprehensive even in undemanding conditions. In addition, his body temperature rose because of spending extra energy which increased anxiety. This experiment provided insights on using accessible routs, passing space, intangible objects composed of safe materials to decrease the fear of participation. In conclusion, to empower the user and enhance interactions, speech enhancement systems should be further researched. **

=__ **Lab 6 ** __=

According to David, there are three phases for the adoption of any new technologies. First, there is the //enthusiast stage//; it is when the technology is first exploited by enthusiastic people. The 35mm camera was first used by astronauts in 1950s and they needed a degree to know how to operate them (the camera needed to be exploited). The second stage is the //professional//; which is when the technology is developed to help people work. In the case of the camera, it went from being very expensive to becoming stabilized and practical (for example people used it in their work such as professional photography). Third is the //consumer phase//. This stage is associated with reasonable-priced technology to be enjoyed by a wide range of people. In the case of the camera, it became very automatic personalized. An example of another product that has undergone similar developments is the computer.
 * 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. **

= =

= = =Week 7: =
 * Write a description of interaction architecture as defined by Mat Hunter and Rikako Sakai in relation to their work with Kodak in 1995.**

According to Mat Hunter, //interaction architecture// is some extensible series of rules that allow a whole series of cameras to be designed and communicated. Therefore, created a //user created prototype// to make it very experiential for the users. This allowed the users to take a picture, delete it, and send it around with the help up Kodak’s new digital cameras. According to Rikako Sakai, she made use of //interaction architecture// by making the steps for //Photo Stitch// simple for users to follow and understand (she used user interface instead of the step-by-step). She also used animation to help users understand and manage the steps.

The author defines ‘leading questions’ as a question that forces a certain type of answer. To be specific, the author states that a closed format question should provide answers that cover the whole range of responses and also equally distribute throughout the range. In addition, all answers should be equally likely.
 * How does the author define 'leading questions' and 'hypothetical questions'? Write a paragraph each to define these terms.**
 * The author defines ‘hypothetical questions’ as **questions that are based on conjecture and not on fantasy. In addition, these types of questions force the respondent to give thought to something he/she may have never considered. These types of questions do not produce clear and consistent data representing real opinion. And hence, these types of questions should not be asked.

 =Week 8: = = = = **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 and defining cellphone use and design in different cultures as part of their market expansion. **=  Chipchase works as a ‘ human-behavior researcher,’ he peeks into the lives of other people, gets information about them and sends it back to the company, Nokia. This information is required by Nokia so they can make use of it in terms of their designs, technology, and marketing. In addition, he talks to people (in developing countries) face-to-face, takes there photographs, asks them questions about their lifestyles, asks them if they own cellphones, and determines their usage.

The benefits that these companies (such as Nokia) get from analyzing and defining cellphone use is that they get to know their potential customers before actually making the product for them and if they already own the product, they look for ways to improve it according to their needs and preferences. Chipchase’s work has helped Nokia design effective products as they are more aware of people’s situations. For instance they have to think about designing a product that can be easily repaired by a streets-side repairman who may not have access to the parts, or build a phone that won’t die in the monsoon season, or build a phone that is shared by many people, and so forth. To sum up, Nokia has to learn about lifestyles and cultures of different people from different countries so they can make them efficient and beneficial products.

It is also believed that cellphone usage in developing countries can have an ‘economizing effect’. In other words, it allows people to be more efficient with work, and it saves time and planning. Cellphone use has also known to be a part of market expansion because it can itself provide jobs for people (for example, an individual who owns a cellphone can become a commissioned sales person, using the phone to check market prices). In addition, cellphone usage has allowed people to access the job locations, have allowed people in businesses and communities to communicate, has decreased consumer prices (as people are more aware of competition), and at the same time has increases profits.

Week 10:

 * The following three examples illustrate** the biomimetic principles applied to products**:**

= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 90%;">// Sticking, Naturally //, is a very interesting product design because it makes use of natural materials and eliminated harmful toxins to make a product. To be specific, it is a Columbia Forest Product that manufactures a wide range of wood products. The company came up with a ultra-strong glue that does not contain toxins. They have done this by mimicking the composition of the secretions mussels use to cling to the surface underwater. = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 90%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 90%;">// Echolocation // is also an interesting product design. It is a high-tech device that uses sonar-like technology. It is made for people with visual impairments and enables them to navigate in the dark similar to a bat (and this helps them prevent collisions). To be specific, the cane sends out sound waves ahead of the person holding the cane. These waves then sense upcoming objects, such as street signs and people. The cane also provides a warning if the individual is oncoming an obstacle. = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 90%;"> = =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; text-align: left; display: block; font-size: 90%;">// Stanch the Bleeding // is also a green design. It is a self-healing pipeline that has been inspired by the platelets in our bloodstream. These platelets patrol our veins, wounds, and sealing cuts. The company’s technology adapts the technique for industrial applications such as oil pipelines and hence, the flow inside the pipeline is delivered to the cracks and the leaks. In addition, these platelets stick against the pipe’s wall and seal the leak. =

<span style="color: rgb(255, 18, 0);">Week 11:
Web accessibility basically refers to the easy usage of the internet for people with disabilities. To be specific, web accessibility allows making user interfaces perceivable, operable, and understandable for a wide range of people with varying abilities. Even though the primary focus of web accessibility is to benefit people with disabilities, it also benefits people without disabilities.
 * 1. How would you describe web accessibility?**


 * 2. Who do you think benefits from accessible websites and how?**
 * Almost everyone benefits from accessible websites, whether they have disabilities or not. For example, people with motor disabilities that don’t have the ability to pick up the newspaper or turn its pages can access newspapers online by using certain assistive technologies depending on their disabilities. **People who are deaf also benefit from accessible websites. Deaf people always have the possibility of reading newspapers by themselves, but the web allows them to read online transcripts of important speeches or view multimedia content that has been fully captioned. All major categories of disabilities require specific adoptions in the design of the web content. These adoptions benefit almost everyone, and not just people with disabilities. ** To be precise, **everyone benefits from clear illustrations, organized content and an understandable navigation.

Blogging has become a world-wide phenomenon. Blogging allows almost everyone to share their thoughts and information with a wide audience. Therefore, I believe that all blogs, including my own should be accessible because everyone has the right to experience everything in this country despite their disabilities. I believe that all Canadian websites should also be accessible because everyone should be given equal rights and an equal opportunity to access information in the society.
 * 3. Do you think your website/blog should be accessible? Should all Canadian websites?**

I believe that the biggest challenge in a making a website accessible is to make it accessible for people with all kinds of disabilities. For example, a website that is made accessible for people with visual impairment may not be accessible for people who have hearing disabilities. Hence, making them accessible for everyone make require lots more time and money.
 * 4. What do you think is the biggest challenge of making a website accessible?**

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