What a semester that was! Interesting classes, Interesting people, Interesting projects, interesting situations to handle.
A few things that I really learnt was teamwork, and working with fellow designers. Having worked in the design field before, the situation was different. Though there was teamwork, I usually was the sole designer. So still I had a huge say in the projects that I did. But when there are two or more designers in a team, the equations change.
I did manage to watch a lot of movies, sometimes as a relaxation medium, sometimes as a source of inspiration for my design thoughts. Many people asked me how I managed to do it. Maybe it was a case of time .. squeezing in the minutes to finish up a movie part by part…
My photography was put on hold for a while, but I am sure to get on with it to a larger extent in the semester to come. Though I did manage to do a series on Fall Colors and an American Wedding shoot, in between. Do check out my flickr gallery if you have not. One of the most important things that I did realize about the course, and the way of teaching here is the blend of all media video,photo,music etc to think of all as a design. This was exactly what I had in mind when I was thinking as a designer and by meaning Multimodal Design. And I am so glad that its actually practiced here! Being a designer, its so important to be alert and sensitive to different forms of art, craft, technology.
This multi-faced approach to design is what truly makes this a great place to be!
Hope to have many more exciting semesters ahead!
Thanks Marty!
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge this semester, along with some understanding. I’ve always been careful to distinguish the two; many people seem to confuse knowledge for understanding. One, of many things, that I’ve developed is an appreciation for design, which is how difficult and important it can be. And this made me realize that for a long time I’ve been concerned with design, but never quite thought about it that way. For example, I come from a science/math background and I’ve always disliked the lack of good notation and the often poor interface to mathematical concepts/structures. Making these tools cumbersome to learn and use, and what’s worse just add to math/science phobias. Even though I love math, one time I came across a particular object called Clifford Algebra, it seemed interesting, but the interface (notation & manipulation) to this object was horrible. I rather quickly became disinterested and had trouble understanding the core of it. Now, years later I found that someone created essentially a new interface (Geometric Algebra) to this idea that radically changed my perspective and increased my understanding; in fact at first I didn’t even realize it was the same algebraic object.
There is a lot out there in the world, in any subject, that requires learning. Too many things seem too elitist in their construction, which hampers understanding and consumes too much time. That’s why I really liked those classes where Marty talked about learning, whether it was the prison flashcard system where everyone did so well the warden thought people had cheated or the children learning about ‘=’.
Personally I’m not going to pursue a career in HCID, but it is a powerful school of thought that I will take with me and be mindful of. I commend those of you who do go on in this field and maybe one day I will get to work with you, and our mutual HCID experience will only enrich conversations and endeavors. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday vacation, and I’m sure I will see some of you around in the future. J
Here is one of the photographer and project that I have been hugely motivated by:
I am sure most of us would have heard about the “Ashes and Snow” project by photographer Gregory Colbert. ashesandsnow.org/
None of the photographs are digitally collaged, or enhanced.
This is exactly as the photographer saw through his lens!
Be inspired. Think about your style.
As designers and photographers its really important to identity our own style. i hope this video will set people thinking about it!
Talk about computer imagination, here is something similar. This is photography imagination.
In the distinguished colloqium talk today, one important thing that Prof Eugene from Purdue, said that we should try and think about the things we are trying to solve, rather than what are the tools to available to solve the problems. Being computer imaginative does NOT mean having to think in terms of a desktop pc. Think about the processors in the microwaves, in other electronics, there are no operating systems, no desktop interface, but still they work fine!
About Greg,
Canadian photographer Gregory Colbert collaborated with animal species around the world to create “Ashes and Snow,” a groundbreaking exhibit of photographs and films that explores humanity’s relation to the natural world.
Recently, I’ve really gravitated toward the design theme of “craft, not art”
[Good Design] is more craft than art. With a craft you acquire a set of rules; you
apply them; you extend them. This is not art. Art de-emphasizes rules.
It’s easy sometimes to see something as a product without giving much consideration to the process. We watched segments of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in class to illustrate this point. And the example of music composition from yesterday’s lecture illustrates it as well. When watching a cartoon or listening to a piece of music, we don’t think about the rules, methods, successes and failures that went into it. Sometimes we don’t even perceive it to be there, as if the thing just “happened”.
An argument that comes up a lot in art, is where the “art” actually resides, in the the product or the process. Is the painting itself art? The sculpture itself? Or does art reside in the process? How does this distinction play out in design? Food for thought…
One of the things that I really miss from India is the presence of small shops along side a street. The concept of a market is completely different as compared to here. The one reason why the streets look barren here are the absence of these shops.
The experience of going through different shops, finding about different prices and discounts is something that often I miss. Bargaining, which is perhaps very common in India is unheard of here. Atleast I never think of bargaining in Marsh or Kroger or any store for that matter.
In the Monsoon Wedding there is this one scene where the to-be bride and groom go outside the groom’s college tea stall and ask for tea. That set me nostalgic. How I miss having tea at those stalls. I often wonder, what takes us there? The hygiene levels are not at all commendable, but there is something in the stall, or perhaps in the tea that one gets there that makes the experience so wonderful. This is an experience that cannot be found in any Starbucks, or Barista or any coffee shop. For college students, especially back in India, these small tea stalls, have a multi-purpose fucntionality. They are often used for team meetings, sometimes to get stuff, most of the time to just chit chat over one thing and everything under the sun over glasses after glasses of tea and cigarettes.
So coming back to the point of experience design. What is the element that is creating this experience? Is is the tea in the glass? Is it the tea stall location, which is under a tree often? Is it the behavior of the teamaker? The way he presents the tea? The retro music that plays from the old radio….
Of late there has a been a huge rise in the usage of mobile phones across India. And technology is becoming more and more accessible to this class of people. So the point is, how do we as interaction designers, help in creating the same experience and give to these users, in return of the experience of the drinking of tea in his/her stall?
I believe as an interaction designer, now the focus is more experience of an entire system and not just a product or a interface. Its equally important for the designer to know the conditions in which the design will be working.
Oh and by the way, if you are ever visiting India, do make a trip to these stalls, (along with someone reliable of course) and ask for special tea. I am sure you will cherish the experience!
An interesting interview that i came across by Bruce Tognazzinni.
Bruce Tognazzini was Apple’s 66th employee, developing the company’s first usability guidelines and founding its Human Interface team.Almost thirty years later, he’s a principal at Nielsen Norman Group and still making his feelings known when companies commit design errors.
Here, ‘Tog’ gives us a variety of thoughts on interface design, freedom, the future of computing, the iPhone’s place in world history and why he travels around in a 400 sq ft motorhome while towing a 4×4 and two Segways.
Referencing today’s lecture, check out the following parody of Budweiser’s “Whassup?” commercials. This is truly the best “Whassup” parody I’ve seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBgMgEjx9I
I will start by saying this movie moved me in such a way that I could not have expected on a normal Tuesday afternoon. I think it was the familiarity (and as many others have said, humanity) of the speaker that made this connection for me. I also was deeply moved by the conclusion of love in the story. I find it fascinating hearing about the ways people fall in love. After hearing their story, I thought this must be the truest, deepest sense of love/connection I have ever heard.
After considering the simplicity of the movie, and also the simplicity of other works of art or design, I become consistently frustrated. Simplicity seems like it should be the most obvious and well… simple answer to any design problem. Yet it takes heaps of time and effort to design simply.
I wonder if the director made huge amounts of effort to retain the simplicity of his design…
