Weekly+Tutorial+Articles

===**__Week 1 __****__: __****__3 Articles on the design and designer behind the iPod, Jonathan Ive __** ===

The iPod is quoted as being a “…digital music player that lets you put your entire music collection in your pocket and listen to it wherever you go." Though it is an iconic and successful piece of technology market under the name of Apple, it is a combination of technologies from different companies. Apple established working relationships with other electronics companies to produce an mp3 player technology unlike any other produced. Apple developed the circuit and interface design for the object but the rest of the components integrated into the device came from other major companies. Portelligent Inc provided the product design, Sony provided the planar lithium battery, Toshiba used the 1.8 inch hard drive, Sharp incorporated a flash memory chip. These along with many other major electronics companies contributed crucial components to the Ipod’s final design. Instead of strictly using Apple electronic components, Apple worked with other major electronic companies to produce multiple design aspects for the Ipod. Even though managing activity is difficult to monitor and update amongst all the companies, Apple cooperated with all of these companies to produce the most powerful MP3 players on the market today.
 * 1) Question: Describe the unusual business model used in the iPod's fabrication as developed by Appl e . **

According to Ive, the Apple products being developed now revitalize the core values and innovation that Apple once had years before Ive had joined. Apple now works with relatively new categories of development. Headphones, speakers, a computer mouse and other accessories are new atmospheres of development for Apple to explore. More importantly, Apple focuses on the factors of ease and simplicity. Apple products have to be user friendly in order to be efficient and the ideal choice of technology. Ive’s team also focuses on the constant attention to detail to any aspect of design with these products. Overlooking any form of hardware or software is inexcusable and requires full attention from the team. For example, Ive mentions that cables and power adaptors are not just a meaningless accessory, they must be tested and redesigned if they fail to meet the team’s standards. Though materials and product architecture are meaningful factors that forward the developing process, Ive stresses that “Polymer Advances” enable the team to create designs (for the iPod for example) that were virtually impossible years ago. “Twin shooting materials” now allow the team to develop strong and dense plastic covering through advanced molding techniques. Though many companies are currently competing with Apple, Ive’s team assures to gain the upper hand with their effective research methods, strong attention to detail and natural care for their products.
 * 2) 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? **

3) **Describe the importance of Apple's design team. Are other companies trying to compete with Apple by creating their own design teams?** The importance of Apple’s design team is that they operate together on a casual and comfortable level. According to the article, “… they operate at an extremely high level, both individually and as a group. Ive has said that many Apple products were dreamed up while eating pizza in the small kitchen at the team's design studio. It's a team that has worked in idyllic comfort for many years.” They are a team that can operate both individually and as a group to produce great design work. Companies such as such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft are also adopting this style of collaborative design work. 

**__Week 2) __**
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The three types of Ergonomics that exist are: ** Physical ergonomics ****<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">which ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> involves “…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.” Choose one of the case studies, and add an additional recommendation to one of them in step two as 'advice'. <span style="font-size: 18pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> __Step One: Task Analysis__ ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The management and staff were consulted and their main issues noted. The dining room and the staff were observed in busy and quiet times. Issues and observations included: <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The proposed solutions included: Additional Advice __**<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Another important factor that should be included in the redesign of the dining room is that the kitchen and sideboard should be arranged within close distance of each other. Though it is mentioned that the sideboard should be near the center, it would greatly shorten the time that it takes to get the crockery and the food all at once. This would improve the efficiency of the staff and provide the guests with fresh, hot food. This would also reduce stress amongst the staff having eliminated the process of going to three locations when they should just go to one.
 * Cognitive ergonomics **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> which involves “…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 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> which involves "...the optimisation of sociotechnical systems, including their organisational 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, organisational culture, virtual organisations, telework, and quality management."
 * Read each of the task analyses and case studies at ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> [|**http://www.ergonomics.org.au/ergonomics/case_studies.html#case6**]**.**
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Issue **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">: A large city hotel was being re-furbished and updated. It was thought that the dining room and its equipment could be improved to be both more efficient, and to reduce injury risk to staff.
 * <span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">the waiters and waitresses carried large, heavy trays;
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">crockery was thick and heavy;
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">the sideboard unit where most of the clean crockery and glassware was kept was located at one end of the dining room, with shelves from waist height to floor level; and
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">in busy periods staff carried more plates and were quickly and constantly moving between tables and the kitchen and sideboard
 * <span style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">__Step Two: Advice__ **
 * 1) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">reviewing the use of trays and considering using trolleys for some tasks ;
 * 2) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">changing the tray to a lighter and easier to grasp tray;
 * 3) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">reviewing the crockery designs and weight;
 * 4) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">moving the sideboard to a more central location in the room, and modifying or replacing to include some higher shelving, and placing the most frequently used items between thigh and chest height;
 * 5) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">rostering staff to cope with peak periods; and
 * 6) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">monitoring changes and adjusting as necessary.
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">

Ergonomically Sound Invention __** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Hal-5 Power Suit Link - []

**<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'mso-font-kerning;">Solar Home Lighting System ** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Electricity reaches only a limited portion of the world’s population. More than 1.6 billion people worldwide lack connection to an electrical network. Candles and kerosene and oil lamps are still some of the most common options for basic lighting, with dry cells and automotive batteries used to power radios, televisions, and small appliances. These sources are low-quality, cumbersome, expensive, and often dangerous, but they are the only available options to rural families, small farmers, businesses, and institutions. The [|Solar Home Lighting System], a wireless solar power system originally designed for rural and peri-urban customers in India, enables families to improve their productivity by allowing them to pursue income-generating activities in the evening while their children can have better light for studying. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">India, 1994 <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">3.**In use in:** 1.5”h x 21”w x 26”d (solar panel), 2”h x 6”w x 6”d (charge controller), 14”h x 4”w x 14”d (luminaries) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bhutan <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">**__Five Characteristics of Socially Responsible Product Design__** <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">1) Environmentally safe: The solar light system is environmentally sound and collects natural sunlight to power the individuals with interior lighting. Immense sunlight in these places can be used to benefit the individuals in Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka that desperately need it. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">2) Practical: The solar padding can easily be placed along the roof of the house where it’s likely to receive a lot of sunlight. While the parents are working during the day, solar energy can be collected for day-time and evening usage. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">3) Affordable: This solar technology may not be cheap initially. In the long run however, this technology will save families from having to spend their money on low quality, expensive and dangerous goods such as kerosene and oil lamps. Low income families will benefit more from this technology by saving their money. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">4) Considerate of climate: This technology is suited towards warmer, tropical-like weather climates that receive a lot of sunlight on a daily basis. Locations such as India or Vietnam often have sunny weather which is perfect for this technology. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">5) User Friendly: The luminaries can be placed throughout the house giving the house even distribution of lighting within the interior. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Week 3: __** **__ Design for the Other 90% at the Cooper Hewitt Museum __**<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">
 * 1) **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Designer/Manufacturer: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> SELCO-India
 * 1) <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Solar panel, luminaries, charge controller
 * 2) **<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Dimensions: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">
 * __<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Week 4: "The Story of Stuff" __**


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">Write three paragraphs on how Annie Leonard defines the system of the 'materials economy' and describe its interactions. **
 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">In this video, Annie discusses the process of the production and consumption of manufactured goods. She wanted to know exactly how products (like the iPod for example) are disposed. Annie explains the “textbook” definition of how a manufactured good is produced, consumed and destroyed. This sequence is known as the “materials economy” which is supposedly comprised of five stages: extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. Though this system is described as a linear one, there are several negative aspects to this process that are not included. The first stage is extraction which refers to the extracting of natural resources from the earth. However, Annie states that we are running out of resources and that 1/3 of the natural resource space has been consumed within the last few decades. We are simply producing too much and running out of resources. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">The next stage is production which is concerned with the use of the extracted materials and the manufacturing of goods. In most manufacturing processes, factories mix the extracted materials with toxins during production. Neurotoxins for example are a very dangerous chemical commonly found in most consumer products such as pillows. Mixing these chemicals with our goods not only affect the people that purchase them, but also people that manually construct them in factories. Most of the people working in these factories are people who have been victims of environment extraction and who have lived in those environments that supported them for years. They are forced out of their region into large cities to find low wage work at these particular manufacturing plants that use these deadly toxins. **

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The third and fourth stage is distribution and consumption; where products are shipped to stores to be sold at an accelerating rate. These products have externalized costs and are sold at an affordable price. Methods such as perceived obsolescence and produced obsolescence keep people buying new products. This occurs when the products are produced to be obsolete within half a year or do not have the same current level of value as the newer and more valuable products. Through advertising and commercials, we influenced to consume these products on a regular basis even though it is not necessary. At the final stage of disposal, we either incinerate the garbage which releases super toxins into the earth’s atmosphere or dump the garbage into a landfill which is a harboring space for massive amounts of garbage. Either way, this stage is terrible for the earth’s environment and cannot be reduced with recycling alone. However, this process is being revamped by people who are saving the environment, excluding toxins from production and working on labour rights and free trade to save this process in crisis. It is a crisis that can be resolved with the most logical and healthy approach.

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">__**Week 5: Bodystorming**__

Bodystorming is a form of interactive design that utilizes the body’s movement and senses to construct design elements during a design process. Similar to brainstorming, bodystorming allows for investigating the qualities of an idea within a physical setting. Observing and experimenting with interfaces, designs and techniques in a physical setting determines the level of practicality and interaction with the objects through a constant process of trial and error. This style of evaluation can resolve unattended issues to design flaws and opportunities for re-innovation which can help make a design universal in accessibility.

In the video “Bodystorming Experiencing a Disability,” a group of researchers implement personal visual, physical and cognitive impairment experiences in order to obtain information for improving conditions for disabled individuals. During the first experiment, the participant was blindfolded and impaired of all visual senses. This situation mimicked the conditions of blindness and the participant attempted to walk back to her apartment building. During the experience, she obtained a heightened use of her other senses and depended on them heavily to accomplish her tasks. She developed mental mappings of her whereabouts in order to guide herself through the landscapes and streets. Her experience provided a strong display and use of multisensory approaches to accomplish her goals. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The second bodystorming experience was meant to simulate the disability of A.D.D. or Attention Deficit Disorder. The participant had to recite a phone number while solving simple math problems at a rapid rate. The participant recorded that his constant distraction from the game negatively impacted his performance and his confidence. Observations detailed that the user would benefit from clear narration during challenging and fun activities. This would improve his level of attention.

The third bodystorming experience was meant to simulate a motor disability, in this case, mimic chronic arthritis. The participant’s forearms, hands and fingers were fastened to limit the level of movement in his joints. The participant displayed a constant fear of potential injury and limited his participation during tasks that encompassed minimal difficulty. His experience provided insight on using safe and accessible objects in order to decrease the level of fear and anxiety. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">


 * __Week 7: Interaction Architecture and Designing a Questionnaire __**

For Mat Hunter, interaction architecture was prominent when digital photography in 1995 was a new for the consumer market. At the time, photography would be a simple process of taking the picture and leaving it unchanged regardless of it sometimes being unclear. However, this new design for consumers offered opportunity for interaction architecture as well as new design challenges. With digital photography, users could capture digital photos and have the option to review, delete or keep their images. Users could also share their photos with friends and family and have multiple copies of their images.

Rikako Sakai was also part of the development team for the PhotoStitch software which would allow users to combine photos to create a larger image. At first, her program was difficult in terms of usability. It was difficult to combine photos through a tedious step-by-step process. Users would become frustrated with the program and lose interest during the process. However, a simple animation along with instructions simplified the right process for combining images. This type of user interaction helped Rikako find the missing link to her program and made it possible to view photos on a much larger scale.

Leading questions provoke an individual to answer with a response that reflects their personal opinion towards the subject. There must be an equal distribution of responses in order for the question to seem fair and unbiased. These types of questions need to offer a wide range of opinions in order to provide accurate feedback. If the options are limited, the results may not be positive or correct. Also, if there are too many response options, it will make the question less coherent and difficult to answer.

Hypothetical questions place the person in a fantasy or imagined scenario. They provoke a little more than just a one-phrased response and require explanation and thought. Though this may offer more than just a leading question, it does not qualify as accurate data because the answer provided will not represent any real opinion. These question types are most likely to be avoided in a questionnaire as they do not provide valid qualitative content.

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">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. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Jan Chipchase is referred to as a human-behavior researcher that works for the world famous cellular phone company Nokia. Jan travels around the world to different countries seeking out how different cultures make use of cellular phones. Generally, the people that Jan observes don’t have high paying jobs nor can they afford the most luxurious and technologically advanced phone. He takes photographical evidence of the many ways that cellphones are used, protected and carried by specific individuals. For example, Jan would photograph the inside of a prostitute’s purse to determine what the weight and size of the phone should be. He took several photographs of how a family in Mumbai would suspend their cellphone above the floor in a bag to avoid water damage during seasonal floods. Jan would use these pieces of cultural evidence to help construct a cellphone that can benefit all cultures around the world.
 * __<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Week 8: Human-Centred Design Case Study of Cellphones in Developing Countries __**

Analyzing cellphone usage is not only crucial to Nokia’s success, but it also key to creating a phone that benefits all individuals who do not possess one. Essentially, Jan is analyzing and documenting all of these examples of cellular phone usage in different cultures to create a phone that is perfect for individuals that do not possess one. This is due to the fact that these people cannot afford a cellphone or live in distant rural areas that are without this form of technology. Cellphones are practically a tool for maintaining ones identity. The ability to communicate with family, friends and coworkers is a privilege that these individuals need with their current lifestyles. Texting or SMS can be an efficient way to forwards operations within their day jobs. Designing the phone to be suspended above ground may also be another way to benefit individuals with hazardous weather climates. By analyzing these forms of cellphone usage, Jan can illustrate through photographical evidence how to develop a cellphone that is universal.

Aside from being a form of communication, cellphones have proven to be a form of individual identification. They show the location of an individual from anywhere in the world which can make one feel connected to the rest of the world. Through war, floods and other hazardous environments, an individual can connect with family, friends and still maintain business operations. By analyzing all of the different cultural cellphone usage around the world, Jan can satisfy all cultural lifestyles around the world.

**
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Week 9: Design as a Collaborative Process __
 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">Collaborative design is a process where individuals come together to assemble their ideas into one. The people involved in the design process generally come from different backgrounds. Bill Moggridge notes that some individuals are focused on design disciplines, engineering disciplines, business factoring, brand factoring and marketing. He also notes that in any design process, these individuals will have to develop an intimate relationship with each other by sitting through a meeting and brainstorming concepts. “They want to believe that the shared mind is going to be more effective than the sum of their own individual minds.” (Moggridge, 2009) Having all of the brainstormed work available within the meeting room allows these individuals to instantly remember the work accomplished within the room which is crucial to the design process. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">An important portion to the process is what Moggridge defines as “participatory design.” This occurs when a design team integrates the individuals that will use the designed product in the end. One example that Moggridge mentions is when his design team integrated surgeons into the design team. As the surgeons and designers brainstormed ideas, one of the designers proposed a way to design the surgical drill tool so that the surgeons could hold the tool as you would a pen. This was an efficient way to use the tool as opposed to the in-line cylindrical approach that was used before with the surgical drill. Both the designs and surgeons were satisfied with the results and benefitted from the outcome. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">Another example of participatory design is the cubicle project where a design team attempted to design a cubicle work space that would suit the specifications of a comedic cartoon character named Dilbert. Dilbert is an office drone worker that detests his job and the area in which he works. The goal was to design a custom made cubicle with a comfortable and aesthetically strong setting. Though they could not actually invite the character to the process, they would integrate the creator of the cartoon into the team. Throughout the process, the creator of the comic witnessed numerous amounts of concepts before finally experiencing the prototype. The final result had customizable shelves, soft lighting, and other items such a hammock, a punching bag and a fish bowl. All of these additions are supposed to resemble one’s home setting and less like a prison cell. **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">URL: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">[] <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">__**Week 10: Biomimicry**__ <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> __Avian Elements: Shinkansen Bullet Train Design__ Being one of the fastest trains in the world and great way to travel throughout the country of Japan, the Shinkansen takes its design principles after some notable aspects of nature. The nose of the train is designed after a kingfisher bird’s beak. This particular bird dives into the water at high speed to catch fish. The designers of the Shinkansen used this aspect to apply minimal resistance to the train while traveling at high speeds. Other design aspects such as the shape of the train’s body and the serrations along it provide noise reduction while traveling on the track and through tunnels. These aspects are modeled after owl feathers which also have serrations along them to reduce noise while flying through the air. __Self Healing Pipelines__ Pipelines transporting liquids such as oil or water are prone to leaks and cracks. However, designers have created an approach to prevent these accidents from happening by using one of the most common factors of the human body. The designers used platelet technology much like platelets in a bloodstream to clot and plug any leaks surrounding the pipeline. Specially designed platelets flow through the pipeline to cover all cracks to prevent any leakage and prevent further damage to the environment. __Sonar Enabled Cane__ Designers have created a cane that uses the application of sonar. In this case, the cane is based on how bats used sonar to navigate through their dark environments. The stick portion of the cane sends out a sound wave which sense objects in front of the person using it. The handle senses the objects ahead and provides a warning back to the user of what is ahead. Signs, vehicles, people, anything that is within range of the device will be identified to the person using the cane before they reach the objects. This will prevent collisions, accidents and other hazardous situations for the user and give them a stronger sense of direction.
 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">One example of a collaborative design process is the cooling vest designed by and for surgeons in the medical field. This design is used to improve the surgeon’s level of thermal comfort during surgery. Often surgeons feel a level of heat discomfort during an operation which is counterproductive to their performance. Regulating that heat will help the surgeons perform better during difficult situations in surgery. **

__<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">1. How would you describe web accessibility? **
 * __<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Week 11: <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Glen Farrelly: Questions on Usability and Accessibility


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">Web accessibility pertains to the fact that the internet isn’t exactly accessible to all individuals with hearing, motor, cognitive and visual disabilities. Being able to hold and move the mouse, see visuals and text and hear video content are just a few of the requirements for experiencing the full effect of internet usage. However, most of these crucial functions cannot be accomplished by people with disabilities. Essentially, web accessibility is the ability to use the internet on a comfortable and coherent level regardless of having visual, hearing, motor and cognitive disabilities. Preparing specialized content to inform the disabled user increases the usability of the internet on a universal level. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">2. Who do you think benefits from accessible websites and how? **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">Individuals who are blind, have low vision or are colour blind benefit from accessible websites. For example, individuals with blindness can access the latest information by using “screen readers.” Screen readers read the text out loud so that the blind can know exactly what they are selecting. This function can be applied to reading news articles, recent information, updates, anything that provides text can be understood by the user. People with motor disabilities can also access the computer with modified technologies that assist them with their disability. For example, individuals with motor disabilities will have immense trouble accomplishing simple tasks such as picking up a newspaper and turning the pages. With a properly modified mouse and keyboard, that individual can access the online newspaper transcripts and access its pages with the click of a mouse. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">3. Do you think your website/blog should be accessible? Should all Canadian websites? **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">I think if we implemented functions that allowed people with disabilities to access personal blogs, it would open up a large portion of the web to these individuals. Blogs can be very informative and display recently updated information which is something that may not reach the newspaper websites in time or at all. If we were to implement technologies that could assist these individuals onto our personal blogs/websites, we could expand the levels of readership and gain much more web participation than ever before. People with disabilities could also produce their own blogs and provide content to those who suffer from similar disabilities. This could potentially bridge large disabled communities together online. Canadian websites should offer accessibility to most of their informative websites so that Canadian residents with disabilities will be informed. **


 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; msobidifontweight: bold;">4. What do you think is the biggest challenge of making a website accessible? **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #000000; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">The biggest challenge would be to make one website accessible to all types of disabilities. This would require large amounts of time to research different methods of content observation of individuals with disabilities. Implementing all modes of communication onto one website would reach the masses of people with disabilities but would require constant research and innovation to communicate with them.