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**__ WEEK 2 __** **Physical ergonomics** deals with human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics in relation to physical activity. Individual’s posture while working, handling of materials, repetitive movements, and force are all part of physical ergonomics.

 **Organizational ergonomics** deals with the organizational structures, policies and processes in the work environment. Communication, human resource management, work design, shifts arrangements, teamwork, and the overall quality of management fall into this category. 
 * Cognitive ergonomics** deals with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response. These processes play a role during interactions between humans and other parts of a system. Mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-machine interaction, work stress and training fall into this category.

[] Advise: Provide the cleaners with mops which spray the cleaning solutions onto the floor. This way they do not have to dip the mop in the bucket so often. If cost is not an issue, they can purchase a machine which the cleaners can sit in and drive around the hallway to clean - similar to the ones the cleaning staff at UTM uses.

[] AND []

microsoft's "Natural Mouse" is meant to fit into the user's hand like a handshake. **__ WEEK 3 __**

**ASIA**
====**1.Affordibility (Bamboo Treadle Pump) -** It is made up of bamboo or other inexpensive materials, therefore making it affordable for poorer farmers. It does not require electricity for its operation so it reduces the cost of operation. ==== ====**2. Health (Ceramic Water Filter) -** It uses the combination of filtration capabilities of ceramic material with the anti-bacteriological qualities of colloidal silver. It decreases the occurance of diarhea for the users (rural poor). This also leads to reduction in their medical expenses. ==== ====**3. Environmnet (Global Village Shelter) -** It is biodegradable laminated material used in the times of emergency. It is also low cost and lasts upto 18 months. ==== ====**4. Education (Kinkajou Microfilm Projector and Portable Library) -** Low cost teaching tool designed to improve and expand access to education. It allows the rural poor to learn how to read and write. It is solar powered with large storage capacity. ==== ====**5. Technology (Aquastar Plus! And Flow Through) -** This technology uses UV-C lighth to treat water (can be used to treat large batches of water as well). Small water purification service can yeild income and can also help the community. ====

 **__WEEK 4__** The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard is about our “materials economy” which she explains as our system of extraction, production , distribution , consumption , and disposal. According to Leonard, the system is linear and the planet is finite, and argues that we can not run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely. The goal of the video is to inspire us (the people) by telling us how badly we’re treating our planet and that it will only get worse.  Extraction <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> is the collection of raw materials from the Earth. According to Leonard, we over-do it and that too at the expense of human lives. Production is where we take the raw materials and turn them into “stuff” (products to be consumed by us – the customers). Leonard also explains the use of toxic materials in these “stuff” which affects human lives and makes the factory workers secondary to products. For example, she notes that there are neurotoxin flame retardants in the bedroom pillows. She also outlines the problem of natural forests being eroded due to extraction. <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The people who once lived on these lands are now forced to work within the production stage of the materials economy for low wages, and in toxic conditions. Leonard also goes on to mention that by adding chemicals to products, we are further polluting the environment which is already spoiled by extraction. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Distribution is the part where the stuff that is produced is circulated to retailers at a very fast pace and lowest cost possible. She uses the example of a radio to explain how something so complicated is sold at very cheap price, while undermining someone else’s future. According to this explanation, those who are at the lower end of the economic chain are paying for the products through low wages, and sacrificing their health as they work in toxic environment. Hence, the price of stuff does not correctly mirror what it costs to produce and distribute it. Video explains how the products are made using strategies of planned and perceived obsolescence, and therefore the resources are consumed at a higher rate than the Earth can replenish them. We work to earn money and when we watch television, we are told to go out and buy stuff using our money. Once again, as we spend our money on these stuff, we need to continue to work for more money and cycle repeats itself (concept of consumption). <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Lastly, Leonard mentions Disposal. When we use our stuff and dispose of it, we throw them into landfills or incinerate it. If it goes to landfill, that means we’re wasting land to store garbage - waste of natural resource continues, and if we incinerate it, we are releasing toxic elements back into our environment – same toxic elements that were used in the production stage. She says recycling is a good option but it is not enough. There needs to be a greater effort in the initial stages to reduce the waste. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**__WEEK 5__** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Bodystorming <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">is a physical “technique sometimes used in interaction design or as a creativity technique” (wikipedia). It is similar to brainstorming but instead of using paper and pen to come up with ideas, bodystorming involves putting one’s self into other’s (user’s) shoes. Aim of bodystorming is to pretend and imagine an existence of prospective product(s) and to check how it works while moving around. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodystorming

Case 1: This case dealt with vision impairment (blindness). A female was blind-folded and was provided with a cane in order to assist her with her movements. Upon completion of the task, it was evident that she relied greatly on her sense of hearing and sense of touch. In order to get to her destination, she counted the number of steps and was feeling the various surfaces of things around her to create a sense of distance.

Case 2: This case dealt with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). A male participant was asked to listen to the numbers being said out to him and then repeat them back while he solved math problems on a given device. The distraction was necessary to create the feeling similar to that an individual with ADD would have. Results of the study indicated that the participant’s self esteem was negatively correlated with his performance on the task. In order to improve his attention and self esteem, experimenters used clear narration of the numbers. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Case 3: This case dealt with Chronic Arthritis. The participant had pens taped to his hands and his arms were also fastened to decrease mobility. Experimenters then had placed gloves on top to mimic the Chronic Arthritis pain. Participant was scared of pain, breaking something and cutting him self while performing basic kitchen tasks (cutting vegetables, and picking things from shelves). Due to the constant fear and limited movement, participant’s body temperature rose and added more anxiety. In order to decrease fear, accessible routes, open spaces, and safe materials are needed. Suggestion on researching and installing automated speech systems is also mentioned. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> __**WEEK 6**__ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**David Liddle's 3 phases for the adoption of a new technology. For this specific case study, it is the camera.**

In this initial phase, a small group of users explore a particular technology because of the technology's aesthetics. Since the technology is new and difficult to use, it requires one to be an expert. In the case of the camera, Astronauts first used it to take pictures of space and the experience was described as, needing a PhD to operate the camera. The enthusiasts are interested in exploring the technology's various capabilities and do not care much about the productivity or other general lifestyle benefits.
 * 1. Enthusiast Phase:**

Once enough enthusiasts (experts) are using it, one or few of them figure out how to do something with it in their work to add productivity. During this stage, the technology’s features are somewhat stabilized and there is an emergence of some uniformity. The technology may still require special training but the productivity gains are worth the trouble. It is usually the managers or specially trained individuals within the workplace(s) who use the technology. Access is still restricted to small group of people.
 * 2. Business Stage:**

With the technology now in a growing number of hands for business use, the technology now begins to reach a price point that is affordable for the masses (or those picking up the tab for the masses, in the case of marketers). Mass marketing bares the burden of the price as it picks the tab for the masses. In the long run, this pays off as there are many consumers wanting to purchase the product. Increased sales of the simplified technology means higher revenues and also allows for the technology to change (develop) according to its users. In this phase, the important controls become automatic and the learning process occurs at a rapid pace on the part of its users (consumers). The rapid consumption of the technology is driven by its style and its affect on the lifestyles.
 * 3. Consumer Stage:**

Internet is another example of a technology which has gone through the above three stages. It started out as a technology (Ethernet) only used by the government and the military and found its way to the households (personal computers and lap-tops) of millions. Now-days, it is available on the mobile phones, video game consoles, and television. <span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">__**WEEK 7**__ <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Mat Hunter describes interaction architecture in relation to Kodak as a series of systems that would allow multiple cameras to be developed (built). He mentioned that he wanted to create a prototype so that it can be experienced, a different methodology than having a booklet which can only be read and at times very difficult to understand. Prototype created him included user interface which enabled the users to not just take pictures but to also preview them before saving, delete them without saving, and even share them. The prototype allowed users to express themselves, record, capture and share moments with ease. The prototype later became the product itself and was one of the best selling camera (DC210).

Rikako Sakai developed the software called “PhotoStitch” for digital cameras. This software allows users to “stitch” photos with each other in order to create a panoramic picture. In the initial periods after its release, it was noticed that the software was not too user-friendly and needed modification. Users had to adjust the camera positions to match the original picture with the new picture. There were too many steps in “stitching” photographs and results were often inaccurate. Therefore, Rikako Sakai made changes using tabs, interfaces and animation. Final result was a software which was interactive and more accurate.

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Author defines **“**A leading question” as one that implies that there is only one answer and the reader is forced to pick an answer. Author explains that the mistake is easily made “in the choice of the answers” rather than in the question. Possible answers for a question should be equally likely to occur and must cover a range of responses. An example given by the author is as follows: <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Reference: [] <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Author defines **“ Hypothetical Question” as one that is based “ **at best, on conjecture and, at worst, on fantasy.” For example: <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The above question forces you to provide a response based on a thought which you have not yet considered in its full nature or have not considered at all. Data derived from such questions is not clear and inconsistent as it does not represent real opinion. <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> Reference: []
 * 1) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Superb
 * 2) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Excellent
 * 3) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Great
 * 4) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Good
 * 5) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Fair
 * 6) <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Not so Great
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">If you were the president of this country, what would you do to make this country a super power?

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**__WEEK 8__** <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Jan Chipchase works as a “human behavior researcher” for a Finnish mobile phone company, Nokia. As a part of his job, Jan travels around the world to gather research on the effects of cell phones in people’s lives. His research plays an important role in the development of Nokia products. At the Nokia headquarters, a team of technologists, designers, and marketers use Jan’s research to create products that will best serve their customers. His methods for collecting data are very practical and interactive. He has face-to-face conversations with people in order to understand their needs (in terms of cell-phone use). Also, in order to provide the design team with an accurate feedback, Jan takes photographs of the people whom he is researching.

Jan’s research is important for Nokia as it allows the company to gain knowledge about their existing and future customers. All this is possible without the company going through the hassle of developing a product, introducing it, and then getting feedback on it to improve it. Company is able to save time, money and at the same time come up with the product that has a much higher chance of being accepted and liked by the customers. Through anthropologists like Jan Chipchase, Nokia is making an attempt to learn about the lifestyles and cultures of their present and future customers who come from all over the world. One example of this is shown when Jan visits Mumbai, India. During the time he spends with a shoe maker, he noted that the shoe maker kept his pone in a plastic bag to prevent it from being damaged by the water in a flood prone city. Based on his observations, Jan proposed the hook based design for cell phones. This method allows the phone to be hung above the floor, hence preventing it from getting damaged by the water. <span style="font-size: 12pt; background: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Nokia’s methods of promoting their products in a larger market are much more efficient due to the information provided by Jan’s research on the specific demographics. For example, customers in developing nations choose to go with //pay-as-you-go// plans rather than monthly contracts. People in these countries also use text messaging more often to reach their contacts because it is very affordable. Looking at this information, it becomes quite evident that the cell phone usage in the developing countries present bottom-up economic model. In other words, a shoe maker, and a fisherman can use their cell phones to expand their business and in the process are able to provide their families with the basic necessities and more. Therefore, Nokia can pool in a large group of customers by re-designing their products to fit the needs of these //bottom of the pyramid// customers. These are the future customers (of Nokia) who will be using cell phones to conduct their work/business and also give their business to Nokia. <span style="font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**__WEEK 9__** According to Moggridge, whenever a company or organization designs a product or a service, the concept of //togetherness// plays a crucial role. The group should work as a team (being one while remaining individual) to make the process of designing a collective process. Moggride emphasizes on recruiting team members from various backgrounds when working in teams to bring novel ideas to the table. He describes this design process as one which is //interdisciplinary//. ** Bill Moggridge ** states that it is important to understand human anthropometrics and people’s cognitive psychology while designing through ** a collaborative process. Cognitive psychology is how people think and relate to a product, technology or an event. Therefore, it is important to work with the people whom who you are designing your product for. This will allow you to understand their needs and help in creating a successful design. Moggridge gives following examples to show how users were integrated in the design process: ** ** i) CDC is an example of a initiating a program that demonstrated the obesity trends in America to put together intervention by individuals. ** ii) Another example was that of IPOD Touch. Its successful design model included the users in a distinctive personal manner. URL: []
 * An example** of a company using the colleborative process design is that of NOKIA. We discussed the case of Jan Chipchase and how he interacts with the people in order to involve them in the designing process. He studies the way people think and act and reports back to the headquarter in order to help the designers come up with the most suitable product for these individuals.

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**__WEEK 10__** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**__Bullet Train__**
 * The bullet train in Japan clocking speeds up to 200mph is one of the fastest trains in the world and its silent engine adds to its beauty. The inspiration for the **500 Series Shinkansen’s front (nose) was nature driven. The ** biomimetic nose was designed to mimic the **kingfisher's beak. Due to this design, the train is able to move at rapid speed with very little air resistance and there is also a great deal of reduction in noise. Designers also added some serrations on the sides of the train to reduce the level of noise even more. This was once again inspired by nature (owl).

__**<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Toxin-free Glue **__<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Columbia Forest Products produce plates which are used for making high-end cabinets, furniture, and many different flooring surfaces. The company’s researchers inspired by nature created an extra strength glue without the use of toxins. The glue was designed keeping in mind the composition of the fluid mussels use to stick to the surfaces underwater. //**<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-style: normal; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Furniture based on human skeleton __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **//<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> The design by artist Joris Laarman is very interesting in a sense that the designed furniture is meant to mimic the human skeleton. The structure of the furniture is hollow but it forms a strong “architectural matrix of support”. The computer software used to create the human skeleton like furniture mimics the way human bones grow over time. General Motors (GM) has used similar concept for developing car parts that are much lighter than average usual parts but just as strong. <span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">

<span style="font-size: 120%; color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">**__WEEK 11__**

** Who do you think benefits from accessible websites and how? **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> When websites become more accessible, everyone benefits. Those who are isolated from the world and need to communicate with others and want to know what is going on in the world benefit from accessible websites; access to instant chatting websites, blogs, social networking websites and news allows them to be connected to the world. Businesses too benefit because an accessible website provides them with the ability to reach broad range of consumers. Educational facilities can also benefit as they are able to scan and collect wide variety of knowledge to present in their classrooms. ** Do you think your website/blog should be accessible? Should all Canadian websites? **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> In terms of ethics, absolutely yes. No individual should be excluded and must be treated equally. Democracy makes any form of discrimination illegal. If a technology can be changed to include “normal” as well those with disabilities, efforts must be made in order include people from all walks of life. ** What do you think is the biggest challenge of making a website accessible? **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> One of the biggest problems would be the affordability. If the cost of making a website accessible exceeds the returns, it would not be advisable to do so. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">