Design Discussion 2
Smart Design
This video emphasizes the importance of inclusivity in design. One strategy that designers use to achieve this is to prioritize user extremes (people with disabilities, etc.) over the average user. This ensures that a product can accommodate a variety of users, even those who encounter more issues than most in completing simple everyday tasks. Other design factors that this video emphasizes are detail-orientedness and problem-solving. Designers must break down a general problem into a specific one to address user needs. In this video, the problem of a vegetable peeler user with arthritis was addressed. People with arthritis experience joint pain that could make a simple task such as using a vegetable peeler very uncomfortable. This problem was then broken down into simpler problems: how can a vegetable peeler handle that is much easier to grip be created? What factors must be considered in creating a vegetable peeler handle to address the needs of users without full mobility? With that said, the designers in the video studied the different factors that could make the peeling experience more inclusive (ex: handle circumference). This led them to discover a rubberized bicycle grip which was used as a basis for creating a more accommodating vegetable peeler.
Emotional Design
This video emphasizes the importance of designing a user’s interaction with a product, in creating effective product designs. To achieve this, a product must be intuitive and functional; a product should be able to address user needs with various features, and these features must be easy to navigate. If a designer successfully incorporates these factors into a product, users can find that this certain product fits perfectly into their lives which can invoke an emotional connection between them and the product. An example of a product I have an emotional connection with is my wallet. It has several compartments for cards which I can use for bank cards, licenses, and membership cards, as well as a coin purse. It is also small enough to fit into smaller purses, which I prefer. Another product I can say I have an emotional connection with is my retractable water bottle. As a frequent traveler, one of my main issues when packing for trips is making enough space for my necessities. My water bottle’s retractable feature solves this problem. These products’ compatibility with my lifestyle and functionality has allowed them to fit seamlessly into my everyday life, which helped me form an emotional connection with them.