Blog 14

How is it the end of the semester already? Time flies by too fast. I really enjoyed this class and I think it is truly different then any course I have taken so far. Often my bad habits will go unnoticed until Marty introduced the notion of slow change. I, as Marty, am not the best at getting into the gym as much as I should, but I know that if I make it a habit to go as often as I can, change can happen. This change may take time, but it will pay off someday. The notion of slow change is realistic. Also, I feel as though I have a good idea of how to play the game. Let the games begin!

Blog 14

Marty dedicating himself to working out in order to start craving exercise helped inspire me in my quest to quit craving cigarettes.  I realized how much of my day is centered around that next cig and how lame that is.  I'm thirty days or so without one now and its nice to know that I really never needed them.   I learned from this class that you can do pretty much anything if you put your mind to it.

Blog 6 -fill in

On Wufoo they use many error handling techniques. Right from the sign in they made it very easy to join and very easy to navigate their page. They showed a clear layout of their 6 types of accounts and it was very easy to use. Making a form was very straight-forward. The layout of their tools made it very easy to see your options and it got the user to immediately start using the website and didn't waste time on teaching them how. They also did a good job of not using modal objects. You have an unlimited options when editing forms and reports. This was a very easy to use site that turned beginners into intermediates quickly.

Blog 14

I have truly enjoyed this class, probably more than any class I have taken thus far. Everything from the way the class is structured, all my peers, all the help we get from people who are experienced in HCI, and of course you have been excellent Marty! I have learned so much in this class, it has actually changed the way I think about design and the people who design products. I now apply the concepts learned in this class, to my everyday thinking process. The material I have learned in this class will truly follow me for the rest of my life.

Blog 9 "fill-in" - Greg Starr

Chapter 7 talks a lot about designing for uniformity, consistency, and meaning. This relates to Theme 4 and "ease of learning" because in order to achieve what we want out of theme 4, we have to keep these things in mind. In order to make a design easy to use, it has to maintain a uniform look that is consistent.

One website that I think does this very well is Google.com. The opening search is one of the most simple designs i can think of on the web. And all the searches performed after the initial look the exact same. The search bar is on top with the results located below in the order of relevance to the search.

Compare Google.com to the likes of Yahoo! or MSN and see the difference

Blog 14

In an academic setting, especially in a 300/400 level course, it is easy to forget the basics in lieu of more interesting but complicated topics and concepts. What I like most about this class is that we learn about ideas that are simple, yet extremely important. Ideas like good group behavior, basic design principles, how to work on a team etc. These simple concepts are also something we can take to just about every venture or anything we do in the future. Oftentimes I've read about complaints of college graduates coming into the workplace lacking basic skills such as these, and I'm glad that there is at least one class that addresses these issues.

I also think this class is taught in a radically different way, which I think is refreshing. To show up to a class which has music playing in the first minutes, with free music and magic points, is very refreshing compared to some of my other courses. Especially when going to a big research university can make you feel like just a number, it's good that I have a class than can be a bit more real.

Blog 14 - Greg Starr

Ok to be completely honest, I hate this class. NOT because of the material or Marty's teaching style, but because everywhere I look, I'm reevaluating the design or whatever is in front of me. I;m thinking, hey this is can improved vastly.

So really I don't hate this class (that was a joke) but it has definitely got me thinking about how the world is designed around me. I'm still trying to figure out how I fit into the whole grand scheme of things but it's slowly starting to piece itself together. I do find myself taking a bit more risks, knowing that if I fail, I can plug myself back into the design game and play again. The game doesn't end.

This class has been an EXCELLENT experience Marty!

Blog 14

I feel that I300 has been one of the most useful classes I have taken at IU. It taught me a lot about working in groups, being responsible, having to iterate, and also how business works these days. The class gave me a lot of insight as to everything that happens when a product is released. Which is something I never really thought of before.

I would definitely say that the class changed the way I think in many ways, mainly to do with technology and how things are designed. My favorite part of the class was Project 6. It was a great hands on experience of having to work in a team and think things out.

I will be spending the entire summer in Colorado as a camp counselor and plan to think about everything I want to do in my life and intend to use Kaizen on myself.

Thank you for the excellent class Marty, it was a truly enjoyable experience.

Blog 14

In an academic setting, especially in a 300/400 level course, it is easy to forget the basics in lieu of more interesting but complicated topics and concepts. What I like most about this class is that we learn about ideas that are simple, yet extremely important. Ideas like good group behavior, basic design principles, how to work on a team etc. These simple concepts are also something we can take to just about every venture or anything we do in the future. Oftentimes I've read about complaints of college graduates coming into the workplace lacking basic skills such as these, and I'm glad that there is at least one class that addresses these issues.

I also think this class is taught in a radically different way, which I think is refreshing. To show up to a class which has music playing in the first minutes, with free music and magic points, is very refreshing compared to some of my other courses. Especially when going to a big research university can make you feel like just a number, it's good that I have a class than can be a bit more real.

Blog #14 - Chad Fox

I feel that I300 has taught me too learn in a new way. I like that the course is taught in a way that breaks the norms of a typical college course. In my opinion, I300 is a success because of the combination of a its laid-back, flexible, and responsive student-centered lectures, its less stressful exams, and its continual group work. Considering that I had absolutely no knowledge or experience in HCI design when starting this course, I feel that I truly learned how to play the whole game by having an easygoing and interesting lecture, in addition to group projects where I could take a hands-on approach to the course concepts. Instead of learning by attending a boring lecture, then having to study all the slides and take a stressful exam that made up a large percentage of my course grade, I300 actually taught me the material in way that I enjoyed. By designing the lectures to introduce students to the concepts and then having these concepts reinforced through group work, I300 has taught me to learn in a new, fun, and successful way that differs from the traditional course style of teaching/learning.

Blog 14

During this class I’ve discovered strengths within myself that I didn’t know existed, and I was able to realize these by taking risks. This class has pushed us to trust our teammates (who we may or may not have known very well) and to open up our vulnerabilities to others. We have been pushed to think outside the box and to broaden our minds to think about others (users) rather than ourselves (designers). This class has really made me enjoy putting myself into others’ shoes to discover their needs and wants, and it has challenged me to put aside my personal desires and thoughts about how things should be done and to consider everyone else’s (in my team and with my users). I have enjoyed working with my teammates and I think their friendship is something important I’m taking away from this class. I’ve found people I can work with in a professional setting, and the same people I can look forward to seeing in class.

Blog 14

This class has been enjoyable in the way that we have looked at the design of pretty much everything. Since the class began, I can't help but look at some things that are in the world and wonder what people were thinking when the designed that particular object or website or application. This semester has really taught me the value of iteration. All semester iteration has been constantly said to be the key to good work, and every time the rule was followed a better project came out of it. This class has taught me much not just in the design applications but the design of the world.

Blog 14 Ryan Pickard

For myself i love taking risk and not going by a schedule so everything that I did and learned in this class was interesting and intriguing. the fact that we had to listen to other people and combine ideas together to get one design was a risky task, but it was fun. I usually don't like to do things more than once and i hate repeating myself, but i had to do that in this class and get over it and just suck it up. I learned that if you go over your work more than once it only betters your final product and i will try my best to continue doing that in everything i do. This class just didn't teach me about the "whole game" it taught me ways of life and tools to complete task and get by in today's society.

Blog #14

I have always considered myself kind of a risk taker. I like to get my adrenaline pumping so I enjoy the fastest roller coasters or even find myself climbing over railings on cliffs so I can get a better view. But if in terms of this class, I would say I have learned to take risk by trusting other people. Since there is no one right idea then you have to bring to the table a bunch of ideas to find that just right mixture of them all. And its not that I'm not a group project kind of person. I actually enjoy group projects, its just that I've learned that ideas are like clay and can be molded throughout the design processes to create the final product. I've always felt like an idea was a finished piece of art and couldn't be iterated on. As for slow change, I've played sports and a couple of musical instruments, which both require slow change if you ever think you're going to be decent. Practice makes perfect, right?

Blog #14

This class definitely helped me to take risks and learn in new ways. I really always thought that if you put in 110% then you'd get a perfect product, whatever that may be, but now I know that sometimes, even after you've put in 110%, it's not perfect and there isn't anything you can do about it except keep trying. The course really helped me to learn from others instead of directly out of a textbook or only the professor. The partners I've had in the projects have all taught me something that I may not have ever learnt, whether that was a perspective that I wouldn't have caught onto or an actual approach to a problem.

As for the risks, well these projects were all about risks. Create something, it gets shot down (even though you thought it was really cool, of course you're biased), create something else, that concept gets tweaked and renamed, and so on. As part of the risk taking process it's also made me more confident and detached. I did think that a comment like "I don't think your design is very good" was more of a personal attack and now those same words translate out to be "Come on, you don't want to embarrass yourself, now do you?", for it to be more of a "Hey, I'm watching out for you." from your partner instead of a "I'm just a fame hog in disguise."

I'm not sure what the next iteration of the game will hold for me, but I'm always up for some good change. I'm also not sure about taking from the planet, but hopefully one day soon? Summertime is warm so hopefully I can focus on the new and healthy by getting out more since it'll be warm and since most are my "bad habits" are technology related like texting, social networking, and email maybe if I'm out of the house more and enjoying the weather I won't be so inclined to focus on those habits...as much.

Blog 14

Well, first, I guess I never really thought about how playing the whole game could be applied to my actual life and how I live it, so that's the first thing I am taking away from this course. If I look at MY life as the design, that would mean that I'm the user. Perhaps I spend too much time worrying about people that are not the user, which is one design flaw. If I want my life, the design, to be an effective one, I suppose I aught to fix who I'm designing for. I can't really do much with my life/design to help others, unless I manage to fix some core problems of it. Not to say that I think I'm the most important thing or that it's all about me, but what am I really capable of doing with this ineffective design?

Second, this course has taught me that no matter how much I focus on something or how much effort I put into something, that it's not going to be perfect and I am going to have to make some trade-offs. Whether this is in my school, work, or social life, I'm just going to have to accept that some things are just more important than others, and I can't change that. Thanks for taking the time to really help us understand how these things can apply to more than just HCI Design.

Week 14 Blog Assignment

Designing Your Life

That’s the topic of this blog assignment. We spent an entire semester talking about human-computer interaction design; you know, designing the obvious. And perhaps you’ve learned something along the way; not just the intellectual skills, not just the things you learn in order to pass a course, get the grade, but real things — the things that are truly important. Slow Change. Not twitter, not IM, not your cell phone — not the high school-like chatter that occupies so many of our conversations: "she said …; he said …" Really, who cares? WTF does it really matter? I’m talking instead about Slow Change. Important stuff. Life stuff.

Did this class teach you to take a risk? To learn in a new way? Did it make you think that on the next iteration of “playing the [design] game” you might actually change something about yourself? When will you stop taking from the planet and give something back instead? What are you planning to do to minimize bad habits and focus on the new and healthy?

I realize this note is a bit strange. Hey, it’s the last blog note! Let’s mess it up a little bit. Give me something interesting to read this week. It’s just between you and me. No one is watching. Have fun. The deadline is the last day of class. An easy 15 points.

Blog 12 and 13

In I300, I have learned that additional features are not always the best thing for an application or design. Additional features are normally thought of as the way to create a good product but this class has showed that products can be better if they are left alone and not added to because they make it easier for users to make.

Blog 12 and 13

When I first began this, I had no idea what HCI Design was; I just heard of HCI from the pass informatics class, and it seemed fun and great subject to know and learn about. Through this course, even though it's not done yet, I have learned that Design is not that someone can do by himself. There are many processes to produce a product with some designs. So far we are doing the project 6.4; and I truly feel that teamwork is the most significant thing to have in designing process. I will never regret that I took this course, and things I learned in this course would be very helpful for my future job - mostly team projects.

Blog 12 and 13

Coming into I300 I had no idea what was to be expected. I knew that it was a HCI design course, but wasn't even quite sure what that meant. It is a required course for Informatics majors and I can understand now of its importance.

The design process is truly like playing a game. All of the pieces fit together to complete one design which often times may take a variety of steps to complete. I've learned to focus on the task at hand and the end user not just what the computer is capable of doing. I can't forget as the title of our book suggests: design the obvious. This course has been both challenging and fun.

Blogs 12 & 13

When I began this course I only had a very basic understanding of HCID from one or two lectures on the topic in I101. However, now my understanding is completely different and that's because I've experienced the whole game throughout this semester. I've learned to appreciate design not only from the technology aspect but by how efficient and user friendly it is. I've learned that one cannot create a good design without first understanding the problem correctly and finding a solution that is well suited for the user.

I also understand that no design is perfect and we can only keep improving to get a step closer to perfection each time even though we know that we'll never reach that goal.

When I first started the course I knew very little about HCI, playing the game, and design in general.

Throughout the class, I became enlightened on the broader picture of design and how it is never really done. Truly good design does not stop, it continues until it cannot continue any more for whatever reason. I think that this class has instilled me with a new found respect for the amount of thought and effort put into the most basic of applications. Now I look at devices through the lens of a designer and try to think of how I would do it differently. I find this to be the most important idea I take away from this course: the ability to look at something from a completely different perspective in order to try and better understand what I am trying to accomplish. Whether I will do the "7 steps" or "Principles" in the future is irrelevant, because I feel these are skills that can be used in whatever I will do in the future.

Blog 12 & 13

Before HCID, I was somewhat knowledgeable about the design process, but focused primarily on the technical aspects of projects.

In HCID, I learned the full application design process. I also learned some strategies that will help with design & development of various applications and projects. As I plan to work in programming, I feel this will greatly help when working with design personnel on projects. I have even used some of the techniques discussed in class on some independent projects I've worked on this semester.

Blog 12 and 13

Coming into this class, I knew almost nothing about Human Computer Interaction Design and had never even heard of the concept of "playing the whole game". I now feel that I have a good grip on all the different steps that go into the design process. I now find myself relating all the different concepts of design I have learned to everyday things. This class has actually put me in a situation where I wouldn't mind doing this for my career. I have really enjoyed the creative thinking that was involved with all our projects that we have completed through out the year.

Blog 12 & 13 - Greg Starr

When this class first started I had no idea what "the game" was about or what it really meant. But now that the class is coming to a close I think I have a much better understanding of what it's all about. The game is the continual development of a product. It isn't something that a designer plays once and then "tada, its finished." The design of a product is never really complete. There is always room for improvement, hence, the game must be played over and over.

Through this course I have learned how to spot flaws in a designs interface, and how to approach it, plug it into "the game" and then iterate. There are many different things that I can do as a designer to improve a design. I've learned how to properly identify a flaw, draw a sketch of a potential improvement, develop a persona that helps determine if the idea can work, and how to run a usability test. I have also learned how to think more broadly about what a "good design" entails (such as tailoring a design to the need of a client, making the design efficient, etc.)

Overall this class has given me a much greater appreciation for the products that are designed well, and an appreciation for the hard work that designers must go through when designing a product.

Blog #12 & #13 - Chad Fox

When I began this class, I had absolutely no experience with design and I had no idea what "the whole game" was or what one should do to develop a good design. Now that this course is approaching its end, I feel that I have learned a great deal about HCI design and playing the whole game. I am walking away from this course with a solid foundation of design skills. I struggle at the beginning of the course because everything was new to me. But as the semester moved forward, and more design projects were completed, I noticed my skills improving. I now possess the knowledge of the terminology, concepts, and procedures of design and I am very comfortable and confident in taking on a design project.

Outside of the actual material taught in I300, I feel like I also am walking away with a lot. I obtained good experience working with others during the projects, and I really liked the different style of teaching and class structure. This course was more entertaining and interesting than many of my other classes and for that I am grateful. I believe that the classroom energy, along with the way this course was taught and constructed, resulted in I300 being a success.

Blog 12 and 13

Before taking I300, I very rarely though of all of the things that get put into a design. I have done a significant amount of engineering work but have never thought about the whole game and everything that goes into even the most basic designs. I now look at things in a much broader scope with a more expanded outlook on them. I feel like I appreciate good design more and notice it so much more than I ever have previously. The most influential thing I learned in this class is that "Design is never done." You can always iterate and make something better. No design is ever perfect, and this is the reason the game exists.

Blog 12 and 13

Before I took this course, I had never really had any experience "playing the whole game." I never fully understood how everything fit together as part of a big picture, but rather just focused on the specific tasks at hand. This course has really changed the way I think about designing something, both as a technical designer and in my work in fine arts. Before I took this course, I had never had experience with every part of the whole game, and learning every stage of the process has taught me to think about problems in a different way than I had previously been thinking about them.

What really interested me this semester was the distinction between an artist and a designer. This is something that we discusses in this course, but I also discussed it in my current graphic design course. I had never really understood the distinction, and considered myself an artist. As these two courses progressed this semester, I feel I have a good understanding of what makes a good designer, rather than focusing on being an artist. While I still love art and creating it, I think from now on I will focus my work on being a good designer, rather than pleasing myself. This is something that I never thought I would have gotten from this class, but it is so very relevant to what I'm trying to do in school.

Blog 12&13

I learned about the whole game of design. More specifically I took away how to better approach a design task and develop a very useful object by playing the whole game. Another thing I took away from the class was not only how to create good design but exactly what it was. I always kind of knew what it was just from using objects that were better designed but there were never any set definitions to determine what made an object be considered good design. Now that I know what the 7 principles are I can apply them to my work to have a better end result.



-Emily Harder

Blog 12 and 13

I have learned a lot from this class. I have learned about the extensive process of design, which I originally had thought wasn’t as complicated. The game of design involves many thoughts and practices which include, the ideas, research, sketching, insights, concepts, users, target markets, prototyping, usability testing, iteration, strategy, predispositions, time, capital (money), and countless people on the team: designers, the users, programmers, the executives of companies, etc. The biggest thing that I’m taking away from this class would be how to work in teams. We were challenged to open ourselves out of our comfort zones and to collaborate with team members to complete a project and to make decisions. We all have different ideas, opinions, and views about how things should be done, but in teams we have to come to one decision, while listening to each other. I also will take away the realization that all these ideas I have about potential projects and designs can become a reality if I play the game right.

Ryan Pickard Blog 12 & 13

Coming into this class I had no idea what to expect, but now I understand the concepts of design and the steps it takes to create a technology. The whole game was a great explain for teaching people how to design a technology. I thought design was this complicated process, but by using "the whole game" aspect it made it easier.

I know now that when designing a technology you want to focus more on the user and not so much on the technology. As well as reiteration being a key factor for HCI. To improve your design you just lay everything on the table at the beginning and sketch it out and then start making changes. After this class I will be able to use the whole game for multiple things and not just design.

Blog 12 & 13

There are a lot of things that I've learned from this course. I had no idea that there was a game to even begin with. The main things that I learned is that design involves a process with a lot of iterations and the focus should always focus on the user. I also thought that designers would just come up with a good idea and try to make it to a final product. But in actuality, the first design sketch will most likely be completely transformed by the end of the last design. The class has been very interesting and I'm almost positive that I will always remember the steps to "the game" which will help me out later on when working to design things for users.

Blog 12 and 13

I learned that all aspects of the design process embrace multiple perspectives which makes playing the whole game difficult at first.  Throughout the semester we've worked with techniques for making design obvious, and I've found that most important perspective to keep in mind is the needs of the end-users.  Technology and all the little features you can add to a design do not make it more effective.  Less is more, which I personally find as a good mantra to apply to other matters in life.  Also, no design is ever complete and rarely is there a design that succeeds on its first trial.  Iteration is important, as small changes over time in a process are more manageable and cost effective.  Conducting tests on design concepts and prototypes is very important. Bloopers late in the game are expensive.  Overall, I feel more confident in myself after this course. I know I've gained teamwork and time management skills, some business knowledge, and an understanding of a various design frameworks.  I wasn't worried about the class in the beginning or that enthused, but I'm happy it turned out to be more rewarding than I initially thought it was going to be.  

Blog #12 & #13

I really was clueless when I began this course. I knew where I wanted to end up, but not so much how to actually achieve that end goal. I took this route, or class rather, after many suggestions from friends that this would be a great start in the right direction. I was incredibly nervous because ultimately my whole future depended on how I understood the class and the concepts. If I couldn't do well in this class then I'd pretty well have to change my expected profession. I want to design cell phones and now with this class I'm off in the direction I should be.

The biggest thing I've learnt in this class is to open my mind up and think about different points of views and aspects that I normally wouldn't. When I design something it's not so much why I want or need it, but why others want or need it. I've learned that just because a concept may be easy for me to grasp doesn't necessarily mean it's that easy for others and vice versa. I can definitely say that the most important thing I've taken away from this class is a more open mind and more consideration for others needs and wants. This is really nice to take away because an open mind and thoughtfulness is something that can help me analyze situations in everyday life, not just the classroom.

Weeks 12 and 13 Blog Assignments

If you do this one it's worth DOUBLE points, 15 for each week, 30 points total!

And because it's being posted late, you'll have until Monday night, April 19th, to write your answer.

The last chapter of our book encourages us to “get in the game.” Read the chapter; it will take 20 minutes (at most), and it’s good reading.

So here’s what I’m curious to know: When you began this course, most of you had no clue about the “whole game” of HCI Design.

What have you learned? What are you taking away from this course?

Blog 11

Kaizen relates to the theme of continual redesign. It is the continuous improvement of all aspects of a design. Reaching perfection is impossible yet every designer should strive to get as close to it as possible. With each and every little improvement one gets a step closer even though it is an unattainable goal.

One of the concepts generated by our team for project 6 is to make the waiting in line experience enjoyable and healthy at the same time. One of our ideas is to put a piano staircase that plays music as one steps on it which involves physical movement.

By implementing Kaizen we would keep improving the staircase and its features repeatedly. One improvement we could make would be to give results of the participants' distance or calories burnt during the activity to show them what they have accomplished without even realizing it. Moreover, we could also give them discounts for a healthy foods at Disneyland.

Blog 11

1. define kaizen in your own words; relate it to one of the seven themes.

It's like a concept of iteration, thinking about the design again and again until getting a good result. In terms of the 7 themes, I would say it relates to Continuous Redesign.

2. describe a project #6 concept before you apply the technique of kaizen.

Our team works on designing a restaurant. One of our concepts is giving people opportunity to cook foods that they will eat, but virtually. It could take children's attention and entertain them. It is hard to make children eat in restaurant, but in this way, it could be easy.

3. describe the revised concept after you apply the technique of kaizen.

After applying the technique of kaizen, I would revise the concept a little. Just making children do the entertainment would be hard, so disney characters could be in the screen and make children follow that. It will be very entertaining for children to follow what disney characters do and eat the food what children had made on the screen.

Blog #11

The term kaizen means constant redesign. This definition also directly relates it to the fifth design theme of "Good design entails continual redesign." This process is constantly editing and improving concepts to continue making them even easier to use and understand. One concept that my group has thought of while pursuing the restaurant side of things is keeping families entertained and active while they wait for their meals. We decided that the best idea was to incorporate activities or games into the actual table that the families were sitting at. One side would be used for the activities and the other for eating. Once the families were done waiting on their food they could flip the top of the table over onto the flat surface used for eating. A revised idea of the "table top concept" could be that instead of just the table top being used for activities the legs of the table, chairs, and controllers could be included to maybe open up a variety of games like racing and motion controlled games that may be similar to Wii games.

Blog 11

I would describe kaizen as part of the design process which involves continuous iteration and redesign. The fifth theme describes that good designs come from constant re-designs and being able to go back and reevaluate your design. Rarely is a design considered a good design on the first attempt. Over time a good design will begin to appear.

For project 6 my group has been able to come up with many concepts for a bar in Disney World. One in particular had too much packed into one place. It looked like an arcade and bar. On one side it had a place for arcade games and also a dance floor.

A revised concept of this would eliminate either the dance floor or the arcade games. I think having both, particularly in the same area could be too much activity. I would rather focus on one and integrate it into our bar.

Blog #11

1. Kaizen is the concept of using iteration to create a functional, perfected project more efficiently. It relates the 5th theme of good design: Continual redesign. Essentially, Kaizen is a part of this theme, as it uses iteration to start producing a better product from the start.


2. To integrate health and fitness concepts into queues, we decided to partially replace lines with a Mickey Mouse pager which would alert guests when to return to the attraction. By limiting the amount of time guests would stand in line, they could roam the parks, getting exercise while waiting.


3. A possible addition to the pager would be a mile counter, tracking how far the guests have traveled while waiting in line. We also felt some sort of reward system for walking a certain distance would help encourage exercise while in the park.

Blog 11

Kaizen is constant improvement, which relates to the theme of continual redesign.   They both entail iteration.  In project six, before kaizen, one of our first concepts for the standing in line issue was some type of mobile phone distraction.  However, the client needs us to address health and wellness in some way.  After kaizen, we decided it was important to reduce wait times in line and refine the total experience of an amusement park.  our next concept involves user-friendly devices and incentives to free people from lines to enjoy the time they've paid for and to motivate movement around the park.

Blog 11

1. Kaizen means going over your design again and again, constantly improving the design by little bit to change it in big ways. Kaizen is very much like the theme of "Good design entails continual redesign". Kaizen is about iterating over your design to improve it and the theme says good design requires continual redesign.

2. Our team had an idea to create a line that would be a structured theme. The line would have built in hills and stair cases. The line would make people burn more calories in the process of walking through the line without really noticing it.

3. A revised concept would be to add in signs that would advise healthy choices to the people in the line. The signs would show the people healthy choices that they could make everyday to make people healthier. The signs would tell people that while people were in the line they had burned so many calories, show how many more steps they would need at the end of the line, and tell simple ways to make people healthier.

Blog #11

1. Kaizen is simply the process of designing, and then redesigning a product or use. This process needs to be done repeatedly to create the best possible design. The design will never be perfect, but slowly but surely the design will continue to get better and better. Kaizen most closely relates to good design being the result of continual redesign. Both concepts call for iteration in the redesign part of the design process.

2. For project 6, my team is addressing the waiting in line issue. One of our concepts we generated was having a sort of scavenger hunt that the guest participate as they make their way around the park. Since the rides are scattered through out the course, we decided we could create a park scavenger hunt to promote walking around the whole park. Customers would have to snap a picture of something related to disney when they reached the destination. This would address the health and wellness of the customers, while making sure they walk the whole park seeing all Disney has to offer.

3. Of course people are not going to want to do the scavenger hunt for nothing. So we needed to implement some kind of reward system, maybe a discounted ticket price next visit or maybe even a tshirt. We also thought about how there was nothing stopping customers from posting the pictures online for everyone to use. So we needed to have rules about what needs to be in the picture. We decided to make it where a person in the group needs to be in the pictures and they need to be present at the end to receive the reward.

Blog 11

Kaizen changes this for the better and progressively advances an improvement. It includes constant redesign for simplification. It is improving something through iteration to reach a better design.

One idea was for customers to perform games while waiting in line for a restaurant. They more games they play, the less of a discount they would get on their food.

After implementing Kaizen to our project, we realized that wouldn't sound very appealing to customers who have been walking all day and just want food. We decided to form a discount package for customers. The more they walk with their pedometer, the more of a discount they would get on their food. Discounts would be higher for the healthier food on the menu.

Megan Resig

Blog 11 - Greg Starr

1. Kaizen is the process of steadily building up a design piece by piece and making it better over time since nothing is ever built 100% the first time around.

2. For project 6 my group is tackling the restaurant problem. One of the concepts that our group has is an integrated system that utilizes a bunch of touch screens that look similar to what has already been introduces to the market. (ie. back button, drop down menus, etc.)

3. After applying some Kaizen to our original concept, one of the ideas that my group has come up with is to use e-ink instead of just a standard touch screen. It would give our design a fresh new look instead of the same old boring one that we've seen a million times.

Jaclyn Duket Blog 11

Kaizen is the idea of constantly improving something. It involved focusing on smaller tasks of improvement, rather than the whole task, to improve the overall quality of something. This approach allows you to not worry about minor set backs along the way and to focus on each task in terms of the big picture. I think Kaizen can be related to the 5th theme: good design entails continual redesign. The idea of Kaizen can be applied to this theme by thinking about redesign in steps. A designer should focus on improving specific aspects of a design to improve the whole design, rather than only thinking about the final product.

A concept my team has discussed is making the task of waiting in lines part of the whole Disney experience. By this, we are thinking that people (mainly children) will be given the opportunity to solve some kind of mystery or story during their movement through the line.

We could apply the idea of Kaizen to our design by thinking about each part of the line experience (when it's the best and worst times, when a group has just moved up a few steps, etc.) This would allow us to focus on fixing smaller aspects of our design that we might not have otherwise thought about. Perhaps we could also use the idea of Kaizen to think about our concept as just a small piece of the Disney experience as a whole. This would allow us to keep in mind that we are designing for Disney, and if our concept doesn't reflect Disney, then it is not successful.

Ryan Pickard Blog #11

1. Kaizen is the ability to constantly improve a design. If you design something just to put something out in the public that is okay because Kaizen allows you to improve that design on a daily basis and also enables you to see the reaction from the public and make more changes accordingly.

2. For project 6 our group picked the lines for the rides. We first started to think of ideas to solve the line situation but they seemed to get to technical and very costly so we stepped back and started to think simple. One idea we had was to put tandem bikes at the major rides and in order for someone to move the family has to pedal.

3. We then made some changes to that and didn't make is so difficult and made it more like a ride waiting for another ride by putting monitors on the bikes and having races with Disney characters vs the families. This will keep the patrons mind off of waiting in lines and keep them entertained and give them a little exercise as well.

Blog 11

1.) Kaizen is the concept of iteration. It is about constantly redesigning something so that it can be continually improved through a process instead of trying to get it right on the first try. This is a lot like theme number 5) Good design entails continuous redesign. Things can always be improved on.

2) Our group is doing the restaurant idea. One idea was to engage the entire family in physical games while they waited at their table for their food. For example, one side of the table would have ropes that would allow the family to participate in tug-o-war, then the table could flip over when the food arrived.

3) After applying the idea of "Kaizen" we realized that even though getting the whole family engaged in a physical activity together helps the family maintain a healthier lifestyle, most people when they come to a restaurant aren't looking to be psychically engaged. They'd rather rest and eat and there might be better ways of getting them more physically engaged like making some sort of obstacle course to get into the restaurant.


-Emily Harder

Kaizen is the process of incremental redesign, where something is made better through a process that improves the said thing in every iteration. It is supposed to make something better gradually, and as one of the 7 themes says "Good design is continual redesign"

My team did the queues, and we originally had the concept of a virtual queue system. We thought that people might get more exercise and be more entertained if they spent time other than waiting in lines.

Using kaizen, one could make a small change in which the amount of steps somehow correlates to queue length. My team felt that we needed to incentivize the process and give people some reason to walk around. This is a small change, but my team felt it would have a big impact.

Blog #11 - Chad Fox

1. Kaizen is the concept and process of creating something and then improving it repeatedly, little by little. Instead of focusing on creating a flawless design for something in one try, kaizen focuses on creating a good design through iteration, in which small improvements are made over and over again that benefit the design progressively, then add up to have substantial results. With regards to the seven themes of good design, the idea of kaizen most relates to good design being the result of continual redesign. This is because the ideas of both "kaizen" and "continual redesign" emphasis that a concept is made best through repetition.

2. For project 6, my group is taking on the waiting line challenge. One of our concepts is to make the line more fun, but also healthy-minded, by including Disney themed in-line games/activities that involve and promote physical movement. Examples of such concepts include an interactive piano staircase/sidewalk that plays a note as you step on it or a pinball machine where the paddles that hit the pinball operate when the user steps on a stepmaster workout machine.

3. After considering and implementing iteration through kaizen, I have realized that there might need to be a little more to the concept other than just designing these games/activities into the line. People waiting in line will probably need some incentive to actually utilize these new features of the line. So, keeping the idea of health, wellness, and fitness in mind, we could possibly redesign these in-line game/activities to be more fun by giving the users feedback with a score from the game they played. Additionally, we could also promoting health, wellness, and fitness by giving the users feedback of how many calories they burned by participating in the fun activity and then we could reward them with coupons for free/discounted healthy food and beverages to use within the park after they ride the attraction that they are in line for.

Blog 11

1. Kaizen is a process of improving something a little at a time to arrive at the desired end result. It's a way to think about building something piece by piece, improving it piece by piece, instead of designing directly for the end result. Kaizen involves making tiny changes at a time and constantly thinking about what can be changed, which open up new doors of the design but don't disrupt the entirety of it. It's an iteration. Which is similar to the "Good design entails continual redesign," with Kaizen you are continually making changes and improvements.

2. Our team has chosen the Restaurant project, one of our concepts was to create some type of rewards system within the restaurant that can be redeemed for completing healthy activities within the restaurant. Such as having the user wear a pedometer while in the park, and if she/he has completed so many steps they can redeem those for an appetizer or beverage.

3. Using Kaizen, perhaps one small change is to have the activities that are redeemable at the Restaurant be completed within the Restaurant instead of the Park to ease the confusion because a user might think that the rewards system is used for all the Restaurants, however it would be unique only to ours. For example, while waiting for a table the user could complete a short warm-up exercise and receive an appetizer, or the user could complete a "Healthy Trivia Game" for a beverage.

Blog #11

1. Kaizen to me isa constant improvement. You constantly make the technology better in order to get to it's optimal capability. There is always something you can fix or make better. The theme I would relate it to is "Good design entails continual redesign". Kaizen is about constant improvement and that is exactly what that theme refers to.

2.My group chose to do the restaurant problem. One concept I had was having a restaurant be in a garden. The garden would be an attraction that taught people about growing home gardens. People would be lured in by the majestic gardens then fed a healthy meal. During the wait time for the food they would be instructed on growing and maintaing a home garden.

3. After thinking about this idea with Kaizen I have decided that seeing gardens doesn't give much incentive to start a garden. The users need something that will really make them want to grow a garden. Therefore the restaurant would give out seeds as customers left in order for them to have something to plant when they get home. The idea of the restaurant is to get people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Week 10 and 11 Blog Assignment

Blog 10 is a "feebie." Everyone earned 15 points on it.

Blog 11 is this:

Chapter 8 is a great chapter to read, and it won’t take you very long. It’s called “Reduce and Refine.” It reintroduces the word “kaizen.” Does it remind you of one of our seven themes? Which one? Good design is… ?

Now think about Project #6. Think about one of the concepts you or your team recently generated. Apply the kaizen technique to it. What was it before, and what is it now? Just describe the two states: before kaizen and post kaizen. Begin your post by defining kaizen in your own words.

So, here’s how to organize your post (after reading the chapter!):

1. define kaizen in your own words; relate it to one of the seven themes.
2. describe a project #6 concept before you apply the technique of kaizen; and
3. describe the revised concept after you apply the technique of kaizen.

Because I’m posting this late, you’ll have until WEDNESDAY, 11:59 PM to reply.