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