Working on Vision!

Hello there,

During my internship at Studio Roosegaarde, I have been paying lots of attention to figuring out my vision. With all the experience I gained there, I created the following. Hope you like it!

Vision

Design in general is all about creating value; creating new possibilities for people in a positive way. This can be done in two different ways; by improving existing design (incremental) or by creating design with new meanings (radical design) (R. Verganti - Design Driven Innovation, 2009).

During the sober economic period we live in now it is important to be creative in (re-)using resources and designs. I believe that designers need to take the responsibility for this. Designers and artists are the people that can still dream in a way that big changes can be brought about. In extent to this, I believe in a world in which small design firms collaborate with others to get the best solutions and realize those concepts as well. (E.g. Studio Roosegaarde works together with constructor Heijmans to realize a sustainable, smart highway of the future). This co-creation is also about finding the harmony between different elements; combining the best of multiple worlds.

At this moment, technology is being implemented in our daily lives (smartphones, cars, televisions, etc..). It is becoming a new default to walk around with a ‘techno-skin’, a new layer. This new skin is disconnecting people from each other, not getting people together, even though we know more and more about each other (e.g. by social media we know and see what people are doing/have done). Design is also about understanding how to use the information that is (becoming) available.

This techno-layer is also disconnecting people from their senses; from their natural habits. People only see things on a small screen, without actual depth or anything and hear recorded sounds. I want to get people out of this drag and let them experience by hearing, seeing, touching, smelling and even tasting; to get in touch with the natural richness people posses.

Great design is reached when the synergy of all the elements in a design (user, interaction, aesthetics, context, etc..) is bigger than the sum of its individual elements. “Perfection is not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” (Antoine de Saint Exupéry).

Another aspect on which great design sets itself apart from bad design is in the details; how does the product sound?, how does the design allow itself to be plugged onto a cable? How well does a design fit the hand of the user?, etc. The more attention is put into the finishing touches at the end of a design process, the better the product will appeal to people over time.

Identity:
As mentioned in my vision, one can design in two different ways; incremental and radical (R. Verganti – Design Driven Innovation). I am a designer that searches for the latter, to create new meanings for people through existing as well as non-existing products. This basically means that I want to create proposals (visions) based on research, discussions and .

I like to be in touch with the products I create; experience them by making them and adjust them with the results discovered from tests and discussions. This hands-on approach connects me to the senses of people and shines light on the good and bad aspects of design. Since I am designing from an experience point, I can use these pros and cons to improve the design.

I am always open for new ways of thinking, creating and making. Inspiration comes from everything around us, including ways of approach. This also means that I can adapt to new situations quickly and be productive without a lot of time wasted. I work hard not afraid to be critical towards my own work.

I do not believe in an approach that always works, but I do believe in the process of searching for the right methods and techniques for a particular project. In this process, it is a discussion between intuition and knowledge, both needed for a designer.   

My qualities lay within the combining of all the elements; technology, interaction and user come together in a bigger picture. Although I mostly design starting from an interaction point of view, I am not afraid to let go of my design when discovered that another perspective fits the case better than the old one.

Once the concept is nearly done; it is important to take time to create prototypes and a final product. During my education and internship I have seen the positive effect of putting effort into sanding, painting and other techniques to finish products, mold etc. 

Showcase update

The showcase works!

I have the whole overview in Flash right now, with dummy pages and dummy Images.

However, I am very excited with the way it turned out to be.

Here are some pictures of the showcase so far. (I will enhance it further after I have written more reflections).

Long time, no update.

It has been quite a while since the last update..
During the last weeks of my projects and assignment, I needed the time to finish my project properly.
After Christmas and the beginning of the new year, it is time to pick it up again!

There is going to be a change in why and when I am uploading. Since this is the showcase period, I do not have something important or worth while to mention everyday. The creation of the website takes a lot of time, but there is also a lot of repetition. (pasting al the text is not worth mentioning on the blog). So, I am going to upload the things I think are important, i.e when I think of something important during reflections.

I am quite happy with how the project turned out to be. Even though it was chaos in my second half of the project, I managed to get a working prototype and a finished report before the start of the Final Exhibition. Even though, there were (and always will be) things that I wanted to be different/better.

It was quite strange and funny that the first person that visited my project group and myself was the assessor. I did not have the time to test my pitch, as this is something which I fine-tune during the exhibition. Although I am happy with the way the conversation took place. Now that the first impression is delivered, it is time to create my showcase; to show 'em what I've learned!

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday overview

30-11

Wednesday was again introducing day. Thomas and I started working on the practical assignments. They are though. We really had a hard time figuring everything out. In the end, we will manage, but we need a little time!
We tried to catch up with the assignments and nearly managed to do this, we are one task behind schedule.


1-12

Thursday was about preparing the user test in its full extent in the morning. Just checked if the LED's and potmeter still worked since I need them during the test on Friday. In the afternoon I had to guide some teenagers from high school for the introduction day they were following. Together with Remco Nagtzaam, we told them about the educational system and our vision. It really helps a lot to talk to people about the design one wants to create, because only then one fully notices the differences in thinking between other people.


2-12

On Friday I had usertesting all day long. I converted the test into a pilot, since I quickly noticed that the test itself was not good enough yet to test if people get activated to think more about subconscious things. After 4 people I changed the test into a more open test. I did not tell the people what to do any more, but I just let them do what they wanted to do. The room in which I tested was made very dark so people would have to turn on the lights. This already let people think more, but I was still present in the room to actually switch the lights on. I must rethink the test carefully and see if the product can be tested at all in a short period of time. I do not think so at this moment.

Below the set-up during the first run of actions. The second time the light switch on the table was replaced with the bowl and a bottle of water.

I also participated in the IDbate, where we had the opportunity to make our worries about the about the bachelor college. It was quite interesting. As they present the current plans, it looks okay. My worries go out to the things which they have hand in as a compromise. Already looking forward to the next IDbate!

DG220 continued

Today's lecture (noticed that I start almost every blog with Today, just so you know..) was about Kirchhof's laws and Norton & Tevenin. It is becoming a bit harder to understand every single thing Geert mentions during the lecture.

After the lecture, THomas and I again started making the assignments. The KVL and KCL are okay, but need a lot of calculations. It is really easy to make mistakes during this process and I feel like this does not contribute too much. I do think that the KVL and KCL are useful to have learned, but the Norton and Thevenin is something of whihc I do not see the practical use yet. Maybe it will become more clear during the practical assignments of these chapters. We'll see!

In the afternoon I finished my part of the SDL report as far as I can atm. I also wrote a reflection about this, but it still needs a second look to adjust some things. (as I always do this).

Since the report is coming up, I have also made a start in designing this. I want to make it a real designer like report; making the important stuff to 'jump out of the report' by the way I designed the report and the chapters. No pictures so far, but I will post them when they are there.

Busy busy monday!

28-11

Mondays are not nice, because they are always really busy!
Today started of with a coach meeting with Sam, with the first part being a project meeting in which everybody presented their design documents. Mine, luckily was good enough for the time being, but Bruno had a hard time. It is hard to see this happening to a project mate and I was really doubting if there is something which I needed to say or that I should just let things be.. This does remind me of how important communication is. Being able to tell what you want to tell in a clear overview is a skill which will become of a great importance during a designer's career.

It also reminded me of the unique position of the ID student at the TU/e. The process approach, learning from  other students and learning by doing are different from other ID educations, but make this one so strong. One can learn so much from others. I have learned as much from other students and their work as I have learned from assignments and other activities.

The second part of the meeting, was individual. I send an e-mail to Sam on Thursday or Friday last week that I was struggling with what he mentioned as an interaction which was too easy. I did not quite understand what he meant en though that the power of this concept is in the 'simpleness'; if something would be added/changed the focus of the design would be on another interaction in stead of the pouring-interaction. When I talked to him, he luckily said that he did not think my concept was bad, but the story did not add up entirely yet. I need to mention that the product is meant as some sort of ritual, something which needs to be done to respect the action of creating light. He also taught my showcase has a good base now of which I am really glad!

At 12:15 I joined the Educie meeting again, in which we decided to have a brainstorm and settled some unsolved mysteries of the upcoming photoshop workshop.

In the afternoon, I helped Mariette with programming the Arduino. She had not yet seen the Arduino being hooked up to a sensor, so it was the easiest if somebody could help her for a minute. It was not to hard to write the program, but it needed some smoothing. Unfortunately, another meeting was waiting before I could finish this properly, so I left Mariette on her own with the coding.

The third meeting of the day was with Rik about the SDL report. It needs to be finished! So we looked at the last things which need to happen before it is done. Thankfully, it is not that much. It is mainly the final chapter and pasting the appendices from the right documents.

And in the end of the afternoon there was the academic development again. This time it took the lecturer sooo long to make his point that it was really really boring. I have not learned anything at all this time..

The end of the week

24-11

Today I made the final details on the design document. I am quite pleased with the result, but there are some things which need some adjustment. After discussing it with the group and with Sam, I will probably know what needs to be changed. 

I also started writing down a user test in which I will test my theory about the activation of the conscious mind about subconscious actions. 

At the end of the day I worked some more on my showcase, making the present page and the default overview for assignments and other activities.

25-11
After making a start with the user test, this needs to be documented properly and some questions have to be thought, which is an activity I performed today.

Of course, something has to go wrong! In my case, its the technology. When I talked to Geert van den Bomen, to get a new sensor because the one I had gotten was broken, he said that it is not usable at all as a pressure sensor. All this time 'waisted' at the piezo sensors, that is not really fun! Luckily, Edwin had a very good idea. If I turn a mouse upside down and hook it up to Processing, than I can track the movement of the bowl with that mouse. A quick try made sure that this would work, with some adjustments of course. Next week, more technology and user testing!