Final Blog Post

1. What seminar readings, exercises, or assignments were most challenging, interesting, or rewarding for you? Why?

The most interesting and rewarding exercise for me definitely has to be when we had to build a chair in under 30 minutes on the first day of class. I really enjoyed this exercise because it truly depicted what we were going to learn, but most importantly it really made us think on our feet, and made us collaborate with each other. It was also interesting to see what ideas our other classmates had when building the chair and there methodology.

2. What are the most important things you learned in this seminar?

The most important things that I learned in this seminar has to be how design is an important element in our society, and even the smallest thing has some sort of design and reasoning behind that design. Throughout this seminar I have also learned to recognize both positive and negative types of design and how they can improve. It has also made me questioned some types of design, especially when it comes to doors.

3. How might you use this learning in the future?

I will use this learning in the future just to keep in consideration all the things I learned that I learned in this class.

Wiki Post

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Oakland_Theatre

Behavioral Architecture

1. What are examples of architectural design that you consider to be epic failures?

An example that I consider to be an epic failure has to be a small store in Downtown Oakland that has absolutely no visceral appeal. The building itself, doesn't too have a clear structure, making it a not-so visceral building.

2. Good, Bad, and Ugly. Choose a building on K's campus and analyze its behavioral and visceral usability.

The Hicks Center definitely has to be the one of K's best buildings. With its large white columns, to the "glowing K" at night, the Hicks Center is designed pretty well. Once you enter Hicks, everything seems easy to access and has a great visceral appeal both inside and outside.

3. What is the flaw in the current design process? How could this problem be fixed?

A current flaw in the design process has to be the lack of substantial feedback. When an architect builds something, there's has to be a good amount of feedback that can prevent future problems. The fact that its not so easy to "correct" an architectural mishap, makes it more crucial to have a legitimate feedback process to avoid making corrections at a late stage.

Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture

1. Select a brief passage from the reading and post it on your blog. Explain why you thought it was interesting.

"Given this situation, when the media were seen as weak, advertisers could argue that advertising was relatively trivial- a service to inform or entertain the public, but little more than that. Yet at the macro level, when we look at collective behavior, it seems that advertising does have power. It is advertising's role as a cultural and political force that is significant. We may lack tools in the social sciences to show how advertising affects specific individuals or small groups of people in tests, but when we look at advertising as a social and cultural phenomenon, the situation is strikingly different."

I thought this passage was interesting because it makes a strong point about how advertisement plays an important role in society when successful. If the ad isn't catchy, it will not be as successful as other intriguing ads. This passage also highlights the fact how people are strongly influenced by the media even though it can't actually be proven.

2. What do you think were the author's key points?

The author's key point included how the main advertising influences are through television and commercials. He refers to this as teleculture. The psychology behind this is that people in our society are easily manipulated by intriguing ads. For example, during the presidential campaign, both candidates aired commercials to persuade voters and to get their message across in 3 minutes.

3. Why is it important to have a psychological understanding when it comes to advertising?

It is highly important to have a psychological understanding when it comes to advertising in order to manipulate the audience into buying that specific product. When knowing how to induce tht specific demographic, one can be able to use that to their advantage to gain success.

Fashion Design by Sue Jenkyn Jones

1. Why is fashion so reflective, when it could be purely functional and behavioral? (Why do people feel an impulse to express and redefine themselves through their clothes?)

Fashion can be very reflective because clothes can clearly depict ones personality. From wearing a simple t-shirt to wearing designer jeans, clothing can significantly express a lot about someone. People through out time have chosen reflective fashion versus functional/behavioral fashion as early as the 16th century. During this era, it was very common for Elizabethan women to wear extremely uncomfortable iron corsets to flatten their bodies, given them a slimmer figure and an "ideal silhouette". Although wearing intensely heavy iron corsets were not the most enjoyable thing, they reflected class, status, but most importantly the fact that they were in vogue with the latest trends.
















2. Jones discusses the importance of time as it relates to fashion- why does fashion change and evolve, instead of remaining static and functional?

Fashion tends to change and evolve through time due to changes in pop culture. As pop culture progresses, many things develop creating new trends. Although this is true for the most part, sometimes fashion may actually just stay dormant due to the fact that it successfully met all the requirements, consumer needs, and most importantly the essence of timelessness. For example, a fashion trend that has clearly not faded throughout the years has to be Coco Chanel's "Little Black Dress" (LBD). Its arrival clearly revolutionized the fashion world by being very versatile and affordable. As this essential trend still remains ubiquitous, it has ultimately become an essential item for women to have in their closet.

3. Based on the reading, make a checklist of principles to consider when designing a garment.

• Aesthetics
• Quality
  
• Production
  
• Pricing
  
• Consumer
  

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"Taste for Makers" by Paul Graham

1. Identify the thesis statement of this essay.

"Instead of treating beauty as an airy abstraction, to be either blathered about or avoided depending on how one feels about airy abstractions, let's try considering it as a practical question: how do you make good stuff? "

2. Identify at least 3 points the author uses to support that thesis.

• Good design is timeless- Aiming at timelessness is a way to make yourself find the best answer: if you can imagine someone surpassing you, you should do it yourself.

• Good design solves the right problem- The typical stove has four burners arranged in square, and a dial to control each. How do you arrange the dials? The simplest answer is to put them in a row. But this is a simple answer to the wrong question. The dials are for humans to use, and if you put them in a row, the unlucky human will have to stop and think each time about which dial matches which burner.
  

• Good design is suggestive-Jane Austen's novels contain almost no description; instead of telling you how everything looks, she tells her story so well that you envision the scene for yourself.
  

3. If you were to write an essay on the same topic, but with an opposing argument, what would your thesis be?

Design doesn't entail multiple aspects to be considered a successful design.

Downtown Kalamazoo

1. Write a short evaluation of Downtown Kalamazoo's business area using specific examples from Friday's observations.

Downtown Kalamazoo had a wide variety of businesses that a attracted a pretty wide range of people. The Kalamazoo Mall Plaza is a perfect example. From yoga studios, hair salons, or jewelry store, the Kalamazoo Mall Plaza had a wide selection. Although there was a lot of variety throughout the plaza, one thing that the plaza lacked significantly were shoppers. Once we entered the plaza, the atmosphere was very vacant.

2. Give at least three recommendations to improve the downtown.

• Store displays- Some stores lacked the ability to display their name clearly; or just didn't have a name displayed outside

• One way streets- One way streets can turn out to be a hassle when finding parking, confusing for some people which could possibly affect people to shop downtown

• More recognizable businesses- A way downtown could significantly improve is by adding more recognizable stores to bring in more people. Once people are familiar with those types of stores, they will be more inclined to "shop around"
  

3. Select a brief passage from the article Robert Gibbs ("What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall" by Steven Lagerfield) or the reading on public spaces (from City by William Whyte) and relate it to Kalamazoo's downtown. Use specific observations from Kalamazoo to illustrate the point.

What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall
By: Steven Lagerfield

"The mall is a machine for shopping. In contrast, the pieces of the downtown shopping machine lie about unassembled, and in all likelihood they will never be put together in the way that they can be in a mall, with its single corporate owner. Main Street will always retain a certain redeeming randomness. But if it does not learn the ways of the shopping mall, it will not retain much economic vitality. People who care about cities, Gibbs says, should be outraged that mom-and-pop shoe-store owners renting space in a mall or a strip center enjoy the benefits of the latest thinking in retailing, while those who open for business downtown get virtually no help at all."

Although the stores that are often found downtown are not necessarily well known, they obtain a "mystery" element that may draw a shopper into the store. It is pretty obvious that the downtown atmosphere in Kalamazoo doesn't compare to the typical "mall" atmosphere. It can be said that Kalamazoo offers a lot, yet it doesn't have as many shoppers as an average mall would.

1. To what extent do Whyte and Gibbs approach city design from different perspectives? Do you find one more convincing than the other?

In my opinion I find Whyte more convincing just because his methodology of the shopping experience seems to be more of a general concept, while Gibbs doesn't seem to focus so much on different aspects of the shopping experience that are necessary to evaluate.

2. What elements of an urban area are particularly attractive to you? What elements repel you?

Living in cities like San Francisco and Dallas, I certainly love the cities at night. Lightng definitely plays a huge role in big cities because there's a lot of tourism and people like to stroll downtown at night. Some elements that repel me have to be when it just gets too crowded because u draw more attention in where you're going and who your bumping into, than the stores and the environment surrounding you.

3. Egg Container Experience:

While working to design an egg container got a little bit frustrating at times. My partner and I had many good concepts but we didn't really know how to execute them. When we finally came up with a packaging, we tested it outside to see if it was actually going to work. Our packaging included a peanut butter jar (no peanut butter inside) and cotton webs that surrounded the egg inside protecting it from the fall. Once we tested it, it unfortunately didn't work as well as we thought. So we then created another design which included a beach ball, scarves, and the same peanut butter jar with the cotton webs surrounding the egg. My partner and I were convinced that our packaging was going to be a success, but it turned out not to be.

City

1. What do you feel were the author's key points in this chapter?

The author's key points were what the shopper truly wants when making making a trip in a city. It is mentioned in the reading how many believe that it is best to to have a very elaborate city scene, but shoppers actually want the opposite. The consumers want to be able to walk through the city without having any hassles walking on sidewalks that are necessarily not wide enough or with cracks. Whyte mentions the importance of how cities should should be structured and what is necessary for them to offer.At the end of the day consumers seek for practicality.

2. Compare Whyte's ideas on design to Norman's concepts that were studied earlier. What's similar? What's different?

Some concepts that both share are the reflective, behavioral, and visceral principles. While Norman spent more time highlighting each type of design, Whyte spends more time emphasizing the importance of behavioral design. While he also touches on the other forms of design he explains how behavioral design should be the primary factor. This makes sense because it always comes down to satisfying the consumer and their needs.

3. Create a checklist, based on Whyte's chapter, that would be used to analyze an urban area.

• Variety amongst stores
• Maneuver friendly
  
• Wide sidewalk
  
• Captivating store displays
• Street lighting (lamp posts)
  
• Store entrance design
• Trash cans
• Overall balance

"What Main Street Can Learn from the Mall"

1. List the criteria Robert Gibbs uses to evaluate a Main Street.

-Location
-Advertising
-Generators
-Smooth Navigation
-Visceral Appeal

2. Think critically of Gibbs' argument. Do you think "Main Street" should be a mall?

In my opinion Main Street shouldn't be a mall because it seems that consumers tend to prefer stores that are "power centers" due to their accessibility rather than stores located in malls. The fact that the consumer doesn't have to navigate through several stores to get what they want, seems less time consuming for shoppers. Even though I believe that Main Street shouldn't be a mall, I think that they should still posses "mall-like" qualities to attract customers. At the end of the day stores work to serve the customer needs and they should strive to make stores to satisfy customers' needs.

3. Make your own checklist to judge a Main Street. What things do you think are important?

The following qualities that I believe are essential to attract a wide variety of shoppers and thrive in a commercial environment include:

-Location
-Accessibility
-Lighting
-Uniqueness
-Resting Areas
-Tidiness
-Variety

Iconic Packaging

1. To what extent is packaging important in marketing a product? Give an example of how a package influenced your decision to buy (or not to buy) something.

In my opinion there are several products that packaging doesn't necessarily matter but it has definitely played a factor when buying the product. For example, I usually would buy the generic rectangular juicy fruit gum with the small packaging. Then when the "5" gum hit the market, I was more influenced to buy that type of gum due to their unique sleek design.

2. What other products have iconic packaging?

Other products that have iconic packaging are water bottles such as Smart Water and Fiji. Their unique packaging attracts more consumers than the ordinary bottles.

What usability issues exist for packaging? Give examples of particularly good or bad packaging from usability perspective.

An example of good packaging can be CD cases. They are small, practical and protect the product.

Retail Analysis

1.What store did you observe? Who do they market to?

The store that I observed was Hot Topic and they market to teenagers that enjoy rock/punk music, pop culture merchandise, and tend to be "emotional hardcore" or also know as emo.

2.Briefly describe the following:

• Appearance of store entrance (from outside)- Black and red, fence surrounds the entrance, "Hot Topic" sign is displayed on a sheet of rusty metal.
  
• Sounds (inside the store)- Screamo music is predominantly played in Hot Topic. The music that is played throughout the store can also be found in the store for sale.
  
• How the merchandise is displayed- The t-shirts are organized by being displayed on the walls in display frames to show customers the different merchandise that is carried. The customers can find the t-shirts that they are looking for under the adequate t-shirt display frame. Merchandise is laid out by theme such as Jack Skeleton, Twilight, Harry Potter, Transformers and Sanrio, making it easy for the customers to choose what they want quickly.
  
• Floors- The floors are made of cement supporting the hard rock/punk image.
  
• Signs- There weren't a lot of signs, but the only signs that were displayed throughout the store were big black signs promoting clearance items.
  
• Cashier area- The cashier area is a small section that is pushed to the far right side of the store. This section is very enclosed and small pins are placed on the counter in clear containers to attract shoppers with their bright colors and unique designs, perfect way to engage the customer into some impulse buying.
  

3.What image does this business try to project? Give specific examples of design element that reflect this image.

The image that the business is trying to portray is the rock/punk image by the music that is played throughout the store, the merchandise that is offered such as rock band t-shirts and other miscellaneous products such as chains, nail polish, and hair accessories.

4.How did customers interact with various elements of the store's design?

Customers interacted with the environment pretty well by easily identifying their destination due to how clearly the merchandise was arranged.

5.What did you find interesting about the design of the store?

Something that I found interesting about the store is how its very clean and organized even though one wouldn't really relate "cleanliness and organization" with the hard rock/punk image.

"The Science of Shopping"

1. What points from this article do you feel are most important?

Paco Underhill points out how retail stores and restaurants are placed in specific locations due to human behavior. He clearly explains this by giving the example of airports and the locations of stores and restaurants. I thought this was a very interesting because it makes sense and that method really attracts more customers.

2. How much do you personally feel you are influenced by a store's design?

It tends to vary by stores. If I already have something in mind, store design doesn't usually play a huge role. In other circumstances where I don't necessarily have something in specific, store design tends to influence me.

3. Make a checklist you could use to analyze a retail store like Paco Underhill does.

• What attracted to me to the store?
• Store layout- Is it convenient for me?
  
• Environment- Do I want to be in that store? Would I mind staying here for a couple of hours?
  
• Does the store meet my needs?

"Biggest Mistakes in Web Design 1995-2015"

1. How does this reading relate to the concept of user-focused design that we have discussed in class?

This reading relates to the many discussions we've had in class by incorporating many key details of design. Throughout the article, Flanders stresses that one should give high priority to the consumer. This idea remains to be consistent in our class discussions, because we mostly discuss how the product is designed to serve the consumer's needs. Other concepts that are also reflected in the reading are the three main concepts of design such as visceral, behavioral, and reflective design.

2. What points do you feel are most important?

• Heroin appeal
• Conveys a clear message
  
• Contrast
• Reasons why the consumer seeks a webpage:

"They want/need information
They want/need to make a purchase / donation
They want/need to be entertained
They want/need to be part of a community"

3. Create your own list of important design factors for a webpage.

• Catchy- Attracts a wide variety of audience
• Identifiable- It is clear what the webpage is marketing/announcing
  
• Content- Webpage should include useful information for the consumer rather than extraneous information
  
• Simplicity- Allows consumer to feel comfortable while using the page and not overwhelmed (user friendly)
  

Know It All: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?

1. What do you think are the author's main points in this article?

1. Acccesibility
   
2. Accuracy
   

A main point that is discussed in the article is accessibility. Well's main motif in starting Wikipedia was presenting the opportunity for everyone to access some sort of encyclopedia source with great ease. Another point that is emphasized throughout the article is accuracy. Even though Wikipedia revolutionized the web back in 2001, many still debate how accurate the search engine truly is due to its quick editing process.

2. An important part of credible writing is selecting good supporting evidence. Select a passage from this article that illustrates the effective use of supporting detail. Explain why you think it is particularly effective.

"Wale's most radical contribution may be not to have made information free but- in his own alma-matricidal way-to have invented a system that does not favor the Ph.D. over the well read fifteen-year-old. "To me, the key thing is getting it right,"Wales has said of Wikipedia's contributors. "I don't care if they're a high school kid or a Harvard professor." At the beginning, there were no formal rules, though Sanger eventually posted a set of guidelines on the site."

This passage describes how due to the accessibility to a wide range of audience and editing options, it conflicts with the website's accuracy. With thousands of posts daily, Wikipedia fails to be a legitimate source due to the availability of adding and changing information. This passage also reflects the true intentions of developing a program such as Wikipedia so anyone can feel free to access it and "does not favor the Ph.D. over the well read fifteen-year-old." This is a pivotal point because that's how Wikipedia differs from other dependable sources online.

3. Throughout the article, the author compares Wikipedia to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, but not specifically on design. How would you compare the two encyclopedias from a design perspective?

From visiting both websites, the Encyclopedia Brittanica website is more inviting and more intriguing than the plain simple Wikipedia page. In contrast from Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Brittanica offers a great visceral appeal and more of a professional outlook with its visual headlines. On the other hand, Wikipedia's simplicity, is a very important factor because it maybe less overwhelming to some and has a pretty straight forward search engine. The fact that the page offers a great variety in language options, definitely helps people facilitate a search in their language of choice.

1. What do you think are the author's three most important points?

• Content- The presentation's content has to be intriguing for the audience and provide useful information
  
• Outlining- Outline serves as a guide for creating and developing a great presentation
  
• Confidence- If there's lack of confidence, the audience might not necessarily grasp the concept that the presenter is trying to convey
  

2. How might you apply this advice to your own presentation?

This advice can be applied to my own presentation by keeping all the tips in mind. Each tip is a reminder of the things that I should consider such as developing an essential outline that will make the brainstorming process easier. The tips also provide an idea of what things I should stay away from, like making a presentation excessively long or not including enough information.

3. What do you think presentation preparation has in common with product design?

Presentation preparation and product design both share the necessity to draw the audience's attention and to keep them engage. They also share the outlining process which helps the presentation or the product progress from its early developing stages.

4. Some areas of design that I would like to explore include:

-interior design
-web design
-textile design

Emotional Design (cont'd)

1. Select a brief passage from Chapter Three Emotional Design by Donald Norman and post it on your blog. Explain why you thought it was interesting.

The Devious Side of Design

"To the practitioner of human centered design, serving customers means relieving them of frustration, of confusion, of a sense of helplessness. Make them feel in control and empowered. To the clever salesperson, just the reverse is true. If people don't really know what they want, then what is the best way to satisfy their needs? In the case of human centered design, it is to provide them with the tools to explore by themselves, to try this and that, to empower themselves to success. To the sales staff, this is an opportunity to present themselves as rescuers "in shining armor," ready to offer assistance, to provide just the answer customers will be led to believe they had been seeking."

I chose this passage because it explored the type of role sales staff bring to the table and the significance of having a type of guidance when buying the ideal product. It also reflects the motivation one has when in search of a product when they know little about it.

2. Norman uses the terms Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, Reflective Design. Do these categories seem useful to you? Would other names or phrase make the categories clearer?

These categories definitely seem useful to me because they help the product evolve effectively when all of the components are present. In my opinion, each name is pretty much straight forward and truly emulates its purpose. Of course I'm pretty sure there are several names out there that can replace these categories, but these names work perfectly fine.

3. How could a designer decide if Visceral Design, Behavioral Design, or Reflective Design is more important for a particular product? Are some types of products more visceral, behavioral, or reflective?

A designer should base their decision of design depending on the type of product that is being introduced. There are definitely different variety of products that exceed a certain category. For example, napkins have more of a "behavioral" design than a "visceral" design.

Emotional Design

1. What do you feel were the author's key points in this chapter?

In the chapter Emotional Design, Norman focuses on three pivotal points which include: visceral design, behavioral design and reflective design. We explore a side of design where our main focus is our instincts towards the product.

• Visceral Design- mainly evoked by initial reactions
• Behavioral Design- appearances take a back seat, mainly focused on performance
• Reflective Design- referring to its efficiency and the meaning of the product's use

2. How does this chapter compare to the earlier writing (The Design of Everyday Things) by the same author?

Emotional Design shared many similar factors with the previous book, The Design of Everyday Things by expressing some of the same general concepts such as audience appeal. As I read this chapter, I felt as if the key points in this section were much more detailed, and concepts were explored more thoroughly. Focusing more in the connection between the consumer and the product, we learn what the consumer experiences when in contact with the product and the effects.

3. Give examples from your own experience, of 1) something that succeeds as Visceral Design, 2) something that succeeds as Behavioral Design, and 3) a Reflective Design success? What do you think makes each thing successful?

Visceral Design

Behavioral Design

Reflective Design

1. USB Drive- When I first came across this product, I was absolutely amazed with the design. I had never seen anything like it and was completely thrilled to own it. Its unique design immediately caught my attention, and I wasn't too concerned with its actual capacity which should've been my main priority.

2. College Planner- When it comes to being organized, I really don't worry too much about how my planner looks like. As long as it has a calendar and space for me to write my homework, then it works for me. That's why I didn't think twice when buying the generic student planner at the bookstore.

3. iPod Case- My iPod case is definitely successful in having a reflective design. Not only does my case protect my iPod, but it also reflects my personality. It would've been pretty easy just to buy a regular black case, but I was convinced that the floral case accentuated my prized possession.

1. Select a brief passage from Chapter One of The Design of Everyday Things (Donald Norman) and post it on your blog. Explain why you thought it was interesting.

"Whenever the number of possible actions exceeds the number of controls, there is apt to be difficult. The telephone system has twenty- four functions, yet only fifteen controls- none of them labeled for specific action. In contrast, the trip computer for the car performs seventeen functions with fourteen controls. With minor exceptions, there is one control for each function. In fact, the controls with more than one function are indeed harder to remember to remember and to use. When the number of controls equals the number of functions, each control can be specialized, each can be labeled. The possible functions are visible, for each corresponds with a control. If the user forgets the functions, the controls serve as reminders."

I chose this passage because it reflected an aspect of design that I originally didn't consider. The fact that Norman expresses the significance of having a designated control for a specific action, truly anticipates how the consumer will interact with the product. As mentioned earlier, if a product exceeds the number of controls, it is most likely that it will be very challenging for the consumer. In order for a product to be successful, it has to possess the quality of accesibility. The everyday day consumer essentially seeks a product that obtains an easy approach and evades strenous thinking. By having a specific button controlling an individual action, makes things much more simple and it is one less thing that the consumer has to worry about.

2. Norman's book was first published in 1988 and it still influences designers today. Why do you think this book continues to be influential 20 years later?

I believe this book continues to be influential now in modern times due to the general concepts that are expressed throughout the book. The concepts that are being presented are reasonable and explore multiple phases of the designing world. From evaluating every intricate angle of the design in its early stages, to anticipating any complications, the detailed explanations help demonstrate the essence of a design that is assembled and sought to be improved.

3. Based on this chapter, what factors would you include on a checklist for evaluating the design of a product?

From learning this past week of new components to consider, there are several new factors that I would include on a checklist when evaluating the design of a product. I would start off my check list with the key essentials such as visibility, mapping, conceptual model, and affordance. Something that I would incorporate to that checklist has to be designated controls for every possible action. This really helps the consumer in accessing the product without any difficulty of remembering controls with multiple actions.

The Design of Everyday Things

1. What do you feel were the author's key points in this chapter?

I feel that the author's key points in this chapter were the importance of visibility, mapping, affordances and the conceptual model. Throughout the reading, Norman stresses how viable these components are and how difficult it can be to oprerate a product when some of these features are absent.

• Visibility- Without having a clear view of the product and its features, this can cause a lot of confusion. The product wouldn't necessarily serve its purpose if the user doesn't know how to fully operate the product.


• Mapping- If a product doesn't have an easy-to-understand relationship with the way it needs to be conducted and the final outcome, the product pretty much would be useless.

• Affordances- Reffering to how the product is supposed to be used and the commands it can "afford" to do.


• Conceptual Map- This plays a pivotal role because it helps visualize how the product will respond when in use.

2. Think of a specific object that you have had difficulty using. How did design contribute to make it difficult to use? Does the usability problem arise from one of the principles that Norman discusses here?

An object that I've had extreme difficulty using, has to be my Blackberry phone. It has been little over two months and I'm still learning how to use all its features. The design somewhat contributes to why it has been difficult to use. Although most of the buttons are labeled, the majority of them have multiple functions. My phone exceeds the number of controls, making it difficult to accomplish little tasks such as going to my inbox.

3. How did the designers of the iPod address the principles that Norman discusses here?

The designers of the iPod address the principles that Norman discussed by explaining the elaborate process that they had to undergo in order to make it serve its purpose. Several components are shared, such as the importance of visibility and the conceptual map. Without these two important components, the iPod wouldn't be as succesful.

1. What elements of the design process does this article illustrate?
Some elements that are included in the design process that are illustrated in this article is the visual appeal, and the early stages of the product.
2. What factors would you use to evaluate a "perfect thing"?
Factors that are important to consider when evaluating a perfect thing include: the practicality of the product, how the consumer can benefit from the product rather than others in the market, and the public appeal.
3. Whether you own an iPod or not, you probably have some opinions of this product. What do you feel are its strengths and weaknesses?
Being an iPod owner for around two years now, I definitely have some opinions regarding the revolutionary media player. It has made music browsing way easier, but most importanly the capacity it holds its very convenient.

My name is Mayra Salcido and I'm from Oakland, California. After living in California for twelve great years, I moved to Texas which I spent five years living there. Living in two completely different states has definitely made me fully appreciate my surroundings, but most importantly it has made me more of an open minded person. I'm usually trying to try new things in order to expand my horizons. I love visiting new places and learning new things. As I start this seminar, I'm excited to learn the different aspects of design and the intricate phases products undergo in reaching the ideal design.