Design Patents

I had very little knowledge of design patents before reading Michael Hages' The Design of Design Patents originally published at Core77.com. I found the collection of articles incredibly informative, and surprisingly easy to understand and follow. Although I started to get a bit lost when he discussed the narrow to broad patent application strategy, I could certainly understand his theories for why design patents are taken for-granted, and how they can be restored to a useful place. I thought Hages' four questions to help designers communicate better with lawyers were a great distillation of the discussion, and were actually useful for a designer to sit and think about for any particular design - whether applying for a patent or not. Had I decided to apply for a patent, I most likely would have started just as the author hypothesized, by trying to read through nearly incomprehensible patent rules. This was a fantastic article that any would-be inventor or entrepreneur should read.

As far as my Gluten-Free Goodness project is concerned, I've spent the week preparing for Friday's test run. I have laid out a protocol for the restaurant staff, made some revisions to the table tents and order cards, pre-written social media blasts to run on Wednesday - Friday, and designed a brief survey which is all ready to go in Survey Monkey and will be used to supplement in-person feedback I receive on the day of testing. Let's hope those gluten-free Morgantonians come out in hoards!

Design | The New Business

As someone with a business background and a desire to pursue entrepreneurship, this week's video and readings were particularly hopeful. Because of Startups, This is How Design Works, I've decided to post Dieter Ram's 10 Principles of Good Design near my computer as a sort of checklist for each project I begin! Dieter Ram says good design is...

innovative
makes a product useful
aesthetic
makes a product understandable
unobtrusive
honest
long-lasting
thorough
environmentally friendly
as little design as possible.

Although I found Design | The New Business to be a bit slow in parts, I collected a few pages full of interesting quotes from the designers and business professional that were interviewed. One of the first interviewees stated that "managing complexity is one of the huge opportunities of our time." I agree fully and hope that I am trying to do that in all areas of my life, particularly "design." I also liked one definition of a good designer.

A good designer has the ability to translate a need or desire of the customer into a business proposition OR translate a business capability into a product for the user.

I like this duality.

I've also long wondered why our design department isn't in continuous collaboration with the School of Business. One interviewee quoted that "design without business is a pointless exercise." Perhaps because I have an art background it's tough for me to accept that word "pointless," but I think it should at least urge designers to think outside the art and typography bubble and look at their work from a businessperson's perspective.

While I enjoyed reading Fast Company's "The United States of Design," I'm not really sure if I agree with the author, or if I completely disagree with the author. She admits to making generalizations - and she does, in a big way - about national aesthetics and commitment to design, but she never truly comes full circle. While she does proffer that perhaps American design is so diverse and innovative because many greats have migrated to the US from other countries, the entire article still seems very biased and narrow. Perhaps we tend to think of American design in this way simply because we hear more about it in the media? Tischler writes

"The U.S. design community has a distinctive mind-set and perspective. Its design is pragmatic, with an emphasis on marketplace appeal; streamlined, in a way that focuses on ease of use; and democratic, which fuels the integration of new ideas, new processes, and new business models."

I have a very hard time believing that American design - like one-click ordering from Amazon - is any more pragmatic or streamlined than (what may appear to us) to be a rudimentary tool or system used by farmers in a remote village somewhere in the world who's family's entire livelihood depends on his/her productivity and ingenuity. She also tries to contrast American products like hard-working John Deere machinery and post-it notes to decorative "elegant china or precious chairs" from other countries. Hardly a fair or useful comparison if you ask me.

I also don't completely understand the desire of some folks within the design industry to be recognized or have an official branch within the government. In some respects, a government organization seems at odds with innovative design! The small forest worth of paperwork that my bank and lawyer have to complete in order for me to buy a house hardly seems congruent with innovation, pragmatism, or streamlined-ness (not a real word, just trying to make a point). Innovation seems to happen more frequently in garages or scrappy start-ups, so I have to wonder what a behemoth bureaucracy like the US government could contribute to foster more innovation?

GLUTEN-FREE GOODNESS PROJECT UPDATE
Good news this week, Terra Cafe has agreed to test some of my ideas and prototypes! It's going to be another week before that testing happens, but plans are in order to use my "front-of-house" components like table tents and customer-written order cards to find out whether gluten-free customers feel more welcome and at ease, and if kitchen staff feel they achieve greater protection against cross-contamination by using these simple, color-coded prototypes. I better whip out my exacto knife and double sided tape because I have 20 tables to accomodate for next Friday's lunchtime crowd!

FastCo.'s 2012 Innovation By Design Awards

As I read through the 2012 finalists in Fast Company's Innovation By Design Awards, I really enjoyed the fact that the recognized innovations ranged from an easy to open keyring (my fingernails thank you!) to aircraft. What a range! Here were two of my favorites among all the finalists.

BioLite CampStove
First off, this seems like an overdue innovation for campers and backpackers. It's not the smallest stove out there (BioLite is roughly the size of a Nalgene bottle), but it does eliminate the need to carry any type of fuel. That's a plus as far as weight is concerned, but it's also nice to know that you're not going to have any fuel accidentally spill inside your pack and ruin the trip. Although I'm completely against taking an iPhone on a camping trip (old-fashioned, I know), having a USB port for some type of emergency situation is huge. I wonder now how many USB accessories will start to pop up to take advantage of this. The stove would also be great to have on hand for general disaster preparedness. Even before reading a blurb on BioLite's website about this, I was thinking about all the East Coasters who are in panic mode as we brace ourselves for Hurricane Sandy. Facebook is alight with concerns over no secondary heat source beyond electric and no generator (or gas to power a generator). Requiring a very small amount of storage space, this could be an option for families to, at the very least, be able to boil water in the event of an emergency. (Finding dry wood to burn in the wake of Sandy may be a futile effort though!)

All of that is great for a camper. What really intrigues me about BioLite though, is that they are looking at the triple bottom line. Rather than simply using profits to support charities around the world, BioLite is using their innovation to improve the lives of impoverished around the world by creating a HomeStove version that is slightly larger and more permanent than the CampStove. Approaching sustainability from both an environmental and a business standpoint, they don't view this second product as a handout, but as a low-cost product for purchase. BioLite's website explains

"We believe in market-based approaches to poverty alleviation. By creating solutions that are effective, affordable and desirable to the end user, we can reach more people more effectively. Sales of the CampStove help to support the one-time market establishment costs for the HomeStove. This is not charity, or a one-for-one model, but simply the capital needed to incubate self-sustained energy access for the people who need it most."

Pain Squad
The other innovation that I really enjoyed reading about was Pain Squad, an iPhone app that "gamifies" the pain diary that adolescent cancer patients keep to help doctors understand and treat the pain associated with their cancer. Since I don't have any children, I've never stopped to consider how difficult it must be to get children to articulate their pain: where it hurts, how much it hurts, how long it has felt that way, how it affected their daily activities. It's probably difficult to get that out of adults, much less children! The idea of creating a game, complete with rewards and appearances by favorite characters and TV personalities seems like a truly innovative way to improve the quality of life for kids who are dealing with such a difficult road. I can't imagine any actor that wouldn't volunteer immediately to lend their talent or character to this effort. And with the hope that this will increase the amount of meaningful data for healthcare professionals, I can see this innovation eventually leading to improved care and medical breakthroughs.

Throughout my project, I've struggled to understand just what service design is and how I am supposed to improve upon a pattern that has existed for many, many years. This innovation helps me see that the idea can be a very simple one (help kids track their pain) but the solution can lead to much, much larger improvements.

Build to Learn - Part I

There’s no question that IDEO knows a thing or two about prototyping

As I began deciding exactly what to prototype, I continually asked myself “What if…” and “What else?” By referring back to my experience map from a few weeks ago, I developed a list of every potential “thing” that might be involved in the ordering and preparation of a gluten-free meal in a restaurant – items both “behind the scenes” and “on the stage.” While this is an attempt to innovate a service, these physical items play a major role in the process, and also provide the playground for the innovation. In using color as a safety mechanism, these are all the things that could be colored and branded GLUTEN-FREE in order to translate into a safer and more enjoyable experience for the customer.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Labels and dedicated storage for incoming gluten-free ingredients. Making sure that all staff are on the same page about the safety of ingredients, and to minimize the potential for cross-contamination, all incoming raw materials should immediately be branded with the gluten-free mark and stored in a color-coded, dedicated storage area.

Prep and service materials. Although many utensils and cookware/dinnerware can be safely used for both regular and gluten-free meal preparation, some items should be dedicated to gluten-free only meals. At a minimum, the following items should be colored and branded to signal gluten-free specific:

Counter and prep area

Grill or griddle

Fryer (and frying oil)

Strainer and colander

Cutting board

Pizza and bread pans

Spoons, spatulas/turners, whisk, knives, and tongs

Apron

Ovenmitt

Dish cloth and dish towel

Gloves

Dinnerware (This is more for the purpose of reminding staff and ensuring the customer that their meal was carefully considered. Technically, dinnerware can be safely shared between gluten-free and regular meals.)

Posted preparation instructions. It is crucial that the restaurant post and adhere to a specific protocol for ensuring the safety of gluten-free meals.

ON THE STAGE

Welcome “gluten sensitive” notification. Letting customers know right away that a restaurant is aware of and understands gluten-sensitivity needs encourages greater dialogue and can be a pleasant surprise for new customers.

Gluten-free menu. This should be a separate menu that is NOT based off the regular menu. Sections like “About our ingredients” and “About our preparation” can help ward off numerous questions for the server/chef and allow the customer to easily decide if the restaurant meets his/her own personal safety needs.

Gluten-free table marker. This item would immediately designate the table or diner as gluten-sensitive and serve as a continual reminder to all restaurant staff of the enhanced safety needs.

Gluten-free order card. To help eliminate potential miscommunications between customer to server and server to chef, gluten-free diners would complete their meal selection on a card that is transferred to every staff member that handles the gluten-free meal. The card would also prevent one server from picking up or modifying another server’s order in a way that may be detrimental to the diner (despite their best intentions to help). The card serves as a constant reminder to all staff and as a signal of compliance and safety to the customer when it is returned to them alongside the meal.

Take-home/online evaluation. This would give the customer ample time to determine if the food was safe or caused sickness.

In addition to this list, the online, mobile, and social media outlets should reflect and reinforce the company’s commitment to gluten-free customers and adhere to the same branding and color-coding.

3 Concepts Research

I did not get my blog post finished on schedule this week. Now I believe there’s a reason for that. Okay, so maybe it’s not a real excuse, but I plan to use it anyway. I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for AIGA’s Gain conference this week and was really struck by something that was brought to light in Norman’s Design of Everyday Things “Design For Change” chapter: faucet design (and public restroom design in general) is incredibly frustrating when you pause to pay attention! The bathroom sink in my beautifully renovated hotel room consisted of mirrored knobs that Norman lambasted in his book. Even more frustrating was that the flow of water out of that faucet was almost exactly the same volume regardless of how many knobs or how far the knobs were turned, making the proper direction in which to turn knobs off harder to determine. By day three, I was (sort of) getting the hang of things. Another problem on top of that, was that the tall faucet poured a long ways down to a shallow sink, meaning that water splashed everywhere when it hit the sink bottom, or my hands, or my toothbrush. And because I’m on a roll… another issue in the bathroom was a light switch. The toilet and shower were in a smaller room with their own door so that one person can be using those while another can use the sink. Pretty thoughtful. But the light for the toilet/shower room was outside of that door. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME I went into that room, I had to walk back out to turn on the light because I had forgotten to switch it in advance. I can envision this becoming an even bigger issue in a family with mischievous kids. I can guarantee you that I would have purposely turned the light off while one of my family members was inside, knowing they could do nothing about it when I was younger.

I encountered other restroom problems over the course of the trip. In the conference building, the individual stalls in the women’s restroom were apparently designed to look very sleek and neat, with minimal visual disruption. Unfortunately, this made it impossible to tell if a stall was occupied without bending over to check for feet. There was also no indication of which way a stall door opened. When it came time to wash hands, there were four sinks in a line. The problem is that there were only two soap dispensers and they were located on the ends of the line so that the ladies using the two center sinks had to stand and wait until the person beside them finished and moved away before they could access the soap. This proved very slow and frustrating when a large group is taking a quick restroom break in between sessions. I also used a variety of automatic sinks, once of which would only dispense about two seconds of water before you had to remove your hands and put them back in front of the dispenser to get a second, or third, or fourth, or fifth squirt of water. One paper towel holder would only dispense the paper towel after the patron held a hand still in front of the sensor for a few seconds. Many women waved and waved their hand before giving up and drying their hands on their pants. All it took to really understand the principles that Don Norman advocates for, was a few days outside of my normal surroundings and routines. Thank you Don, for making me even more critical of public restrooms. J

One more thing that really stood out to me from the readings, was a statement Norman made about designers also being users. I chose to tackle an issue that is one I have dealt with often and one that I hope to be able to make use of. As I conduct research and prototype the solution, I will have to remember that – even though I am a user – input from other users who are not so familiar with the project will be very important to keep pushing me toward the best possible solution. Norman warns, “Even when designers become users, their deep understanding and close contact with the device they are designing means that they operate it almost entirely from knowledge in the head. The user, especially the first-time or infrequent user, must rely almost entirely on knowledge in the world.”

PROJECT RESEARCH

I spent the week collecting ideas that were similar to or applicable to the three concepts I was considering for improving the dining out experience for those following a gluten-free diet.

Concept #1 – Color-coding to improve safety

There are many examples of industries and businesses employing color to help improve the safety of workers and/or customers. In 1970, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) was passed and involved the use of color-coding to help workers identify and safely react to hazards. Their universal code is:

Red – fire-extinguishing and protective equipment, flammable liquids, emergency stop buttons & switches, etc

            Yellow – caution, indicates physical hazards (tripping, falling)

            Orange – dangerous parts of equipment where body parts may be caught

            Blue – equipment under repair

            Green – first aid and safety gear or equipment

            Purple – radioactive materials or equipment

Similarly, Sherwin Williams Safety Color Guide provides a code for painting certain physical hazards and pipe identification to improve safety.

Medical facilities have made efforts to use color-coded wristbands to rapidly communicate key information about a patient. If a patient is moved from unit to unit or if new staff interact with the patient, they can immediately know important details about the patient based on the color of the wristband. 

Unfortunately, this system is not universal between hospitals, and some confusion occurred with patients that wore yellow Livestrong wristbands when they came to the hospital. More recently, there have been efforts to standardize this system among all medical facilities, and to remove any colored wristbands a patient is wearing once admitted in order to eliminate potentially fatal mistakes.

Within the food industry, there are some color-coded products (like cutting boards, below) already that are focused on preventing cross contamination between things like raw poultry, raw and cooked meats, vegetables, dairy, nuts, etc. I know many gluten-free diners use some color-coding or labeling in their own homes to prevent cross contamination if all family members do not follow a gluten free diet. Some restaurants and food producers, like GF favorite Rudi's already use color-coding or zones to promote food safety and to prevent cross-contamination  between foods like raw meat and vegetables.

I think this idea has potential to be very helpful to restaurant staff, which translates to a safer experience for the diner. I also think this idea has potential for scale.

Concept #2 – Embrace & celebrate the problem or difference.

Dealing with a disease or special medical needs can be stressful, intimidating, and just “un-fun.” It can also be embarrassing to talk about. I don’t exactly enjoy explaining the particulars of my gastrointestinal issues to friends or strangers. However, trying to live in denial or be secretive about serious problems can lead to stress and additional sickness that inhibits recovery or good quality of life. I believe this is why numerous campaigns have embraced humor and honesty in their campaigns. Most of us have seen at least one of the irreverent breast cancer campaigns that aim to remove the stigma associated with the disease.

While gluten intolerance is a very different kind of disease, I think this concept could help promote conversation and understanding among a greater number of people. The folks behind the “Feel Your Boobies” campaign believe that their use of unexpected and unconventional methods help younger women in particular pay greater attention to their health when encountering these messages whereas they tune out traditional or clinical messages.  I think this could also be a good option, with potential for scale. It would be important to keep this tied to dining out however, instead of creating just another campaign to raise awareness of the disease.

Concept #3 – Gluten-free family night

It was tough to find quantifiable information about the success of restaurant family nights. While it seems that chain restaurants such as Pizza Hut and Chik-fil-A have built quite a following using family night, this initial concept does not seem conducive to scale or reproducability outside of an individual restaurant. While I have no doubt that a single restaurant could make great headway hosting a gluten-free family night, the success of that would depend greatly on the menu and price offerings, as well as the atmosphere of the restaurant and commitment of the staff. I'm not saying that there isn't room for innovation in this area, but I did not find information or numbers that made this concept feel right for my particular project.

After all this research and some deliberation, I would like to focus on the color-coding for safety concept, with maybe a bit of concept #2 (celebrate the difference) thrown in the mix. By combining bits and pieces of these ideas, I think it is possible to create a better experience for gluten-free diners that any restaurant could reproduce.

Coloring Outside the Lines

Tom Kelley's Coloring Outside the Lines chapter of the Art of Innovation struck a bit of a nerve this past week. I've been working with a client who doesn't sit still long enough to formulate a "plan of attack," but rather tries this and tries that and takes up a significant portion of my time by doing so. This lack of organization and inefficient way of working has a tendency to cause me great frustration. I prefer to break things down into stages and figure one stage out before moving onto the following. I'm learning more and more though, that's not how most small businesses operate. Then I opened up The Art of Innovation and read "Those who try to scientifically measure opportunities sometimes miss the boat." Then I read "The person who toils endlessly at his desk is not likely the person who is going to hatch a great innovation." And THEN... I came across this video with John Cleese discussing creativity and being in "open mode" as opposed to "closed mode." Basically, I've come to the conclusion that I need to stop trying to work in such a linear fashion and not worry about having all the answers before getting to work on the problem. Relax. Be a little imperfect. See where it leads you. :)

Chapter 13 gave a great warning about feature creep and featuritis when designing products and services. "Where there's featuritis - or fat - opportunity is nearby." We all want to design a product or service that everybody will love, but Tom Kelley warns that "Refining products is not a popularity contest. You have to take risks and you will alienate some people." I thought about that and realized that even the ubiquitous iPhone doesn't enamor everybody. While making sure there is a market for your new product is important, it isn't necessary to please everybody and to add and add and add in an attempt to gain more popularity among users. What really struck me as I researched The Designer Fund and many designer founders, is that most of them created a product that was solving a relatively simple problem, and a product that had one core use. Of course that doesn't mean that the development of the product or the launch of the company was simple by any means, but to all of us ordinary users, it's easy to look at an app or service and say - that's so simple, why didn't I think of that?!

For my own research, I've spent the week brainstorming on what type of cooperation I may require from a restaurant. What things do I need to know from them? What changes might I want them to try? What can we do together to make their restaurant THE destination restaurant for gluten intolerant diners in Morgantown?

Time in the Jungle

The longer I practice as a designer, the more value I place on what IDEO calls cross-pollination. I have learned many times over that I am incapable of becoming an expert on everything, so I try to make it a point to seek out folks who are experts to work with. Tom Kelley's Seven Planting Tips in The Art of Innovation are really great reminders to always be observing and learning to recognize opportunity. His statement to "become an expert at watching people perform even the smallest tasks," is something I must continually remind myself to do. Busyness always creeps in and tries to steal my ability to observe my surroundings, so I'm trying to be more mindful of that. I also really enjoyed advice he gave under the CHANGE HATS section. "The best new products are like shoes someone else has broken in. Smart folks have already anticipated likely problems and opportunities." I must make certain that my product goes through testing by all the different "hats" possible before releasing it to the world.

My big plan for research these past two weeks was to go out and interview chefs, restaurant owners, and kitchen and wait staff for one side of the issue, and fellow gluten-free diners for the other side of the issue. I sat down multiple times to develop some questions for each group and gradually realized that I didn't know WHAT to ask them. I wasn't really even sure where to start with my research, despite being so close to the problem. Or maybe BECAUSE I'm so close to the problem. I frequently have to remind myself that many people have no idea what it means to follow a gluten-free diet, and most folks have no reason to know that or feel that it is an important issue.

Task #1 then, seemed to be giving folks a reason to care - particularly the chefs, restaurant owners and staff. With that in mind, I decided to leaf through the IDEO method cards to see if David Kelley & Co. could provide other ideas of where to begin with my research. Naturally, they came through. Here are a few of the cards that helped me get started this week.

Secondary research really began a few weeks ago when I was trying to decide between three items on my bug list. At that point, I checked into many of the options currently in the market to assist gluten-free diners. There were the chemical test strips and a wide variety of apps and websites designed to help the gluten-free make informed choices when dining out. I continued that research this week by searching for certification programs that restaurants can participate in to gain endorsements from certain gluten-free/celiac advocacy groups.

Although I really didn't need to conduct any anthropometric analysis (yes, I did have to Google that word to see exactly what it meant) this IDEO card did inspire me to conduct some demographic and market research to get back to the idea that restaurants are going to need a good reason to care and to want to participate in some type of change. While I'm sure that many of our local restaurants would love to help every special interest group, change has to make sense when it comes to the bottom line for any business. Hopefully they show concern for the triple-bottom line, but asking restaurants to make adjustments will have to make financial sense for each of them. When I finally sit down with restaurant owners, I KNOW that catering to gluten-free diners is important and a good idea, but the intuition of a complete stranger will likely not inspire great confidence. I'll need real evidence. Here are some highlights of the research that I'll expound upon in class:

• 1 in 133 Americans has Celiac disease
• An estimated 1 in 20 Americans has Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
• 15-25% of consumers are currently looking for gluten-free products
• Currently, only about 5% of celiac sufferers are diagnosed. It is expected that the level of diagnosis will reach 50-60% by 2019.
• The National Restaurant Association named gluten-free one of the top 10 industry trends of 2010
• The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the Gluten Intolerance Group are two major organizations that provide training and grant seals of approval to restaurants. Between these two organizations, only one restaurant (chain) in the state of West Virginia has sought and received approval.

Finally, I used a combination of Activity Analysis and Flow Analysis to map out the average experience of a gluten-free diner and the restaurant personnel that they interact with. Currently, this experience varies quite a bit from one restaurant to another, but I tried to find the average or the most likely experiences and map those. I used social media to request general input from fellow gluten-free diners when it came to the existing environment, but so far I've received very little feedback. I plan to make another attempt and readjust my map if necessary.

My hope is that analyzing these pieces will start to shed light on the best opportunity for improvement, as well as arm me with solid information and questions that I can discuss with local restaurants.

Beginning with an Eye - Part 2

With my bug list narrowed to three complaints that I was most interested in and felt had the most potential, it was time to do some research. I started this stage of the process by asking:
What products or services currently exist in this market?
Who is using this product or service?
What is missing or lacking in the selection of existing products?

I started with Bug List item #6: Dining out for the gluten-intolerant.
Surprisingly, there are a large number of apps and websites designed to assist the gluten-intolerant when it comes to grocery shopping and dining out. Most are relatively recent developments, and the majority have received mediocre reviews at best. Here were just a few products and services that stood out from the others.
EZ Gluten. This is not an app or website, but rather portable test strips that diners can use to test foods and beverages for the presence of gluten. Downside: you have to keep purchasing test strips.
iEatOut and iCanEat OnThe Go apps. Gives diners advice for eating in ethnic restaurants (iEatOut) and fast food restaurants (OnTheGo). The benefits of these apps are that they do not require an internet connection, there are numerous restaurant menus in the database, and there is also advice for talking to your server or chef included to achieve the best possible experience. According to reviewers, the downsides are the speed of the app, the lack of up-to-date information, and the fact that cross-contamination issues have not been considered.
Allergen Menu. This app allows users to input multiple allergies (because celiacs are often sensitive to other ingredients) and the results are filtered based on the combination of allergies. This app only includes 85 chain restaurant menus however, there are no restaurant reviews, and users must subscribe (aka pay) yearly to receive updates.
GlutenFree Restaurant Cards from CeliacTravel.com app. These digital cards contain explanations of celiac disease and the associated restrictions that can be shown to a server or cook to better articulate a diner's needs. The cards are translated into numerous languages, so they are quite useful for international travel.
FindMe Gluten Free. This was, by far, the best solution of all the ones I evaluated. This app is free and lists restaurants and/or individual menu items that are gluten free. Although a relatively small number of users have rated this app, it is highly recommended for being user-friendly, for providing reviews, directions, and the ability to call the restaurant for reservations if using an iPhone or Android. The app also indicates if a particular place or item has been recommended by The Celiac Diva. Users can also recommend new restaurants, search by address or chain name, or use location services to find the nearest options. The main downside to this app is that it is only as good as the people who use it and contribute to the reviews. I'm not sure that I could develop this type of application in a way that is significantly better than FindMe Gluten Free.


Bug List item #7: Buying a car.
deCapo Software Car Negotiator app. Provides a step-by-step checklist of the entire car buying process from when to buy a car to the closing of a sale. This list seems to be relatively generic, but it does help provide some sense of organization and process for new buyers. The main feature of the app is a financial calculator that allows terms of the sale to be entered in order to calculate the "Out-the-door" price, the total lifetime cost of the vehicle, as well as the monthly payment. Lets users save various purchasing scenarios and take photos.
Edmunds app. Allows users to search for new and used cars, locate them at a particular dealer, get a price quote, read specs and safety and consumer ratings for the vehicle. Recent searches are automatically saved. iPhone users are able to search using multiple parameters to filter results. According to some reviewers, the app is designed for users who already have significant knowledge about cars rather than newbies. The latest version of the app has received very low ratings, seemingly because of usability.
CarSoup Car Shopping app. Allows users to search for new and used cars based on their location, as well as by make, model, price, year, color and other features. CarSoup also finds and lists cars for sale by individuals. Full screen photos, including interior shots, access to free CARFAX reports if available, information on local special and promotions, and the ability to share information make this an extensive car buying app. The app is relatively new and has few ratings.
Women's Automotive Solutions.com. This online service will actually help users choose a car, will handle the negotiation of both buying and selling/trading, and then delivers the new vehicle with keys and paperwork to be signed. Car buyers are independent business owners who basically buy-in to a franchise. The service charge is a flat fee, regardless of car price.

Bug List item #12: Lack of a flat surface when backpacking.
Smokeeater 908 Lightweight Cook Table. This small table appears to be little more than a flat piece of aluminum with one curved edge to allow it to fit snugly against a tree trunk, cord to anchor it to the tree, and a hiking pole to serve as a leg. Interesting setup, however the sheet of aluminum does not fold down to a smaller size, a hiking pole is required (I do not use hiking poles, I suppose a branch could work), and the curve of the aluminum could be a problem if only very large or very small tree trunks are available. That seems a bit of a stretch, but Norman says to assume every mishap will happen. :)
snow peak Ozen Solo Table. This aluminum alloy table seems to be a relatively good solution. There are minimal parts and setup required. The downsides are that 12oz is still a fairly significant amount of weight for an item that most wouldn't consider a necessity, and the table appears to have no other use or function beyond being a table top.
Aluminum slat tables. There seem to be no shortage of small aluminum tables created by assembling slats and small poles. While it is nice that these break down and nest (as seen in this YouTube video), the amount of assembly required and the weight (typically in the 20 and 30 oz range) do not make me want to spend the money or allow the backpack space and weight for these.
I do think there is room for innovation around this particular product. The key, in my opinion, will be creating a product that can be multi-functional and more than simply a table. Although many "purists" will likely not purchase any table simply because it isn't a necessity, creating a delightful product may encourage many backpackers to make a little extra space for a table.

Choosing between these three categories is a tough decision.

Beginning with an Eye - Part 1

In preparation for narrowing the Bug List down to one topic for semester long research and development, the readings this week provided good information on forming a great team, prototyping, and designing to eliminate potential human error when using a product or service. I'm very interested in the crossover between design and business leadership or creating a culture within a company. Tom Kelley's discussion of "hot teams" is one of my favorite chapters of the entire book. It seems so simple to foster a fun, collaborative environment and motivate employees to do their best work and be invested in their work, yet so many small businesses fail miserably at this task and endure the struggles that come with a divisive, unmotivated workforce. With the plethora of books and articles touting servant leadership and collaboration, how is it that so many business are still getting it wrong?

I'm endlessly fascinated with the connections between compensation (both money and fringe benefits) and motivation. I don't believe there is any magic formula for compensation, but aside from money, creating an environment similar to that of IDEO seems like an achievable task for any company. I'd like to think that - given the opportunity - I could try and emulate at least some of IDEO's strategies for building a hot team. First and foremost, getting buy-in from team members is crucial. When discussing the shopping cart project, Kelley says that the team members "were totally dedicated to achieving the end result [...] everyone was enthusiastic." I feel this is the first misstep for most companies. If a team member doesn't feel valued and important, it is not likely they will pour 110% effort into any project. IDEO's lack of permanent hierarchy gives all employees an opportunity to play "the expert." Furthermore, Kelley states that "The right team and leader can create their own energy around the task at hand." Innovation is not something that can be achieved through rote memorization of a process or by following a book. Inspiring leadership and dedication are vital to innovation. One more word on inspiring hot teams. I love Kelley's statements about morale. He says, "You can't worry about how much time or money the fun costs. You'll get back whatever time the team lost in the next week and quickly move into the black. After all, morale isn't something that can be measured or planned." Such a fantastic statement, but apparently harder for businesses - particularly small businesses on a tight schedule or budget - seem to embrace.

In his advice about prototyping, one sentence really spoke to me this week, as it is something I have always struggled with...this week's assignment no exception. "Think about tackling problems when you don't have the answers." Even as I made my Bug List last week, I found myself already trying to solve the problem that I couln't even articulate. I had to constantly prod myself to add a problem to the list or research the problem further even if I had no worldly idea what I might be able to do to solve that problem. In a society that is so results-driven, so much emphasis is placed on success. Success in worldly terms. Making more money. Saving more money. Winning awards. Even knowing that greats like IDEO have created "failures", it's difficult to embrace the process and the experimentation without having the answers already. And risking failure. Maybe more than once. I know numerous inventors and entrepreneurs have failed numerous times and later gone on to be a great success, but that is a huge barrier to cross, even in a school environment. I must keep reminding myself that there is still learning in "failure." :)

I continued to be fascinated by Norman's discussion of errors and mistakes (two completely different things that I'm sure I have used interchangeably by "mistake"). The entire chapter boiled down to two simple sentences advocating for user-centered, empathetic design. "Think of the user's point of view. Assume that every possible mishap will happen, so protect against it." One funny side note about "every possible mishap will happen"...

During my first year or two of college, my grandmother came to stay with me for a weekend and we made an outing to the new Target store. Although she normally still wrote checks for most purchases, she was paying with a credit card this time and had her first opportunity to use the point-of-sale card reader. She slid her card to pay. Then, despite the special stylus hanging from the display, my grandma carefully used her ballpoint pen to sign for her purchase and permanently etched her first, middle, and last name in beautiful cursive on the digital screen. Don Norman is right again!

Now, to narrow down that Bug List to one single problem...

Bug List | Part 2

My original Bug List, plus some:


1. I never have a camera handy when I run. ( I have a little point and shoot, but it's still too clunky to take on a run. I don't take a phone on runs, and typically don't take an mp3 player either.) I constantly see interesting things when I'm out running on both trails and the road.
2. Most measuring spoons won't fit down inside store-bought spice and seasoning bottles. I bake a lot, and because I am impatient, I typically remove the "cap" that has small holes for sprinkling or a larger opening for pouring so that I can pour faster straight from the bottle. Also because I am impatient, I usually over shoot and spill said spice into my mixture of ingredients with no good way of retrieving it. Then I just have to guess how much more of the spoon's contents I need and return the rest to the bottle.
3. My driver's license gets stuck in the clear window pocket of my wallet and I break fingernails and get frustrated when trying to fish it out.
4. When I remove the lint trap in the dryer to clean it, a fine "mist" of lint goes everywhere! The screen scrapes against the edge of it's special little compartment, sending a cloud of lint all over the floor in front of the dryer. My old dryer had a lint trap on top that was really long and fit into it's compartment quite snugly. It created an even larger mess when removing. I had to wipe down the top of the dryer each time and hold my breath while I was removing the lint trap.
5. I get tired of having to scoop two bowls of dog food out of the stinky dog food bag morning and evening. Self-feeding bowls are nice, but the dogs could keep eating from these continuously if they wanted.
6. I follow a gluten-free diet. Because of that, eating out in restaurants tends to be more work than it's worth. I either have to try and guess the ingredients in a dish or I have to be a pain in the neck for some busy server by asking a million questions. Some restaurants have a dedicated gluten-free menu, but they are few and far between. I don't always have the luxury of going online to check ingredients or allergy information for a restaurant before going. It would be nice if there was some sort of universal standard for allergy labeling...I'm sure there are many folks out there allergic to nuts, dairy, eggs, etc that face these same obstacles.
7. I HATE, Hate, hate the process of buying a car. I shouldn't have to pay more for a car just because I'm not a very good negotiator. I can't imagine how many people are taken advantage of each year when purchasing a vehicle. Buying a car should be like going to Walmart...you see the price of each item and you decide if you're willing to pay that or not.
8. When I need to refill my CamelBak water bottle, I have to unscrew the lid and either hold it in my mouth or find some odd way to hold it in the same hand as the bottle to keep both the straw and the mouthpiece from touching anything while I fill the bottle. If I'm trying to carry any other items like books or a purse, I'm sure this all looks ridiculous.
9. When I floss my teeth, I wrap the floss around my fingers 800 times to keep it from slipping off my hands when I apply pressure (my teeth are really close together). This means that my fingers are blue by the time I finish.
10. I am terrible at polishing my nails. Polish ends up all over my skin and my cuticles.
11. My headphones get incredibly tangled when they are tossed in my bag or floating around at home. I like to have a long cord for them so that I can move around easily if need be, but the longer the cord, the more tangles I have.
12. When camping (backpacking), it would be great to have some type of flat surface to sit things on. I normally use rocks, or just the ground, but the uneveness combined with the dirt can sometimes equal problems. My water jug, a container of food, utensils, etc would be better off on a nice flat surface. Camp tables exist, but I need something super light-weight, compact or foldable, and preferably dual-purpose. Space is limited in a backpack, so each item has to earn it's keep.

more to come I'm sure...

The Bug List

I am really loving The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman right now. The book is making me think that taking some sort of behavioral psychology class might be a good idea for improving my ability and intuition as a designer. In chapters 3 and 4, Norman discussed knowledge, memory, constraints and mapping in relation to tasks and objects that we encounter on a daily basis. There were many things in these two chapters that stood out to me, the first of which was the problem with learning through rote memorization. Learning information in school, or learning how to use a product through rote memorization affords the user no reason or explanation for particular actions. With no reason for an action, the user has no understanding of what to fix or adjust if a problem arises. Although I am still not entirely sure how this will play into my responsibilities as a designer, it seems very important to keep at the forefront, particularly where education might be concerned.

Norman's discussion of natural mapping and the four types of constraints (physcial, semantic, cultural, and logical) was fascinating. His discussion of doors, stoves, and light switches made me realize that I have experienced every one of these frustrations in my life. I have lived in 10 different places so far in my adult life, which means that I've used at least 10 different stoves and dealt with 10 different combinations of light switches. All of the stoves had labels for the burner controls. I can't begin to count the number of times I have flipped the wrong light or fan switch because I "forgot" which switch controls which device. Just by reading these two chapters, I will now think about the way natural mapping and constraints have been exploited or destroyed by a design.

While Norman's writing makes me consider how I can be more observant to improve my design, chapter 4 of Tom Kelley's The Art of Innovation had me thinking about leadership. Being able to participate in a great "brainstormer" is one thing, but I think a designer needs to develop the skills to facilitate a great brainstorm. That being said, Kelley's fourth secret in Seven Secrets for Better Brainstorming seems to be the most difficult, yet most important to master: Build And Jump. I think this would be a skill that could actually be practiced though. By having a peer develop a few pre-scripted brainstorms that fizzle at some point, the facilitator-to-be could practice that skill of building and/or jumping in an effort to reinvigorate the session. Maybe this should be an exercise that we build into a class? Just a thought.

BUG LIST
Had I read Norman's two chapters earlier in the week, I might have developed a more robust list of items and tasks that bug me. As usual, I found myself going through the week at break-neck speed and not stopping to observe and contemplate as often as I should have to create a really nice list. Here are a few thoughts that I did have this week however.

1. I never have a camera handy when I run. ( I have a little point and shoot, but it's still too clunky to take on a run. I don't take a phone on runs, and typically don't take an mp3 player either.) I constantly see interesting things when I'm out running on both trails and the road.
2. Most measuring spoons won't fit down inside store-bought spice and seasoning bottles. I bake a lot, and because I am impatient, I typically remove the "cap" that has small holes for sprinkling or a larger opening for pouring so that I can pour faster straight from the bottle. Also because I am impatient, I usually over shoot and spill said spice into my mixture of ingredients with no good way of retrieving it. Then I just have to guess how much more of the spoon's contents I need and return the rest to the bottle.
3. My driver's license gets stuck in the clear window pocket of my wallet and I break fingernails and get frustrated when trying to fish it out.
4. When I remove the lint trap in the dryer to clean it, a fine "mist" of lint goes everywhere! The screen scrapes against the edge of it's special little compartment, sending a cloud of lint all over the floor in front of the dryer. My old dryer had a lint trap on top that was really long and fit into it's compartment quite snugly. It created an even larger mess when removing. I had to wipe down the top of the dryer each time and hold my breath while I was removing the lint trap.
5. I get tired of having to scoop two bowls of dog food out of the stinky dog food bag morning and evening. Self-feeding bowls are nice, but the dogs could keep eating from these continuously if they wanted.

I know there are A LOT more things that bug me that I'm just now slowing down enough to appreciate, so I'm sure this list will continue to grow.