MAT 594 wk 3 Design Process


2004W 1.22.2004		MAT 594 Visual Design through Algorithms George Legrady The Design Process A systematic problem-solving strategy, with criteria and constraints, used to develop many possible solutions to solve a problem or satisfy human needs and wants and to winnow (narrow) down the possible solutions to one final choice.
Sequence of Steps (water fall process)		- Ideation/brainstorm - identify possible solution - prototype/model - finalize design (outside evaluators at every step)
My experience		- Ideation/brainstorm - identify possible solution (start somewhere) - Research while doing (see who else has addressed the topic and how) - begin prototype/model - return to brainstorm, research, possible solution - produce prototype/model - return to research, possible solution - final design is always a "work-in-progress"

		Conceptual Blockbusting (James Adams)
Have playful rules		- Consider a problem from unexpected perspectives - Take an existing thing, define its components - rearrange them in unusual ways to arrive at a new thing - Some methods: - Modify elements, magnifiy, exaggerate, subtract, - condense, understate, rearrange components, - transpose, reverse opposites, backwards, inside/out, - substitute, combine, blend, distort - assemble together components that do not normally go together - Think of errors are resources

		Tips from IDEO Corporation: Brainstorm, prototype, storytelling
Sharpen the focus		Good brainstorming sessions get off to a better start if you have a well-articulated description of the problem at the right level of specificity. For example, a topic like "spill-proof coffee cup lids" is too narrow a description and already presumes you know the answer. A better, more open-ended topic would be "helping bike commuters to drink coffee without spilling it or burning their tongues." The best topic statements focus outward on a specific customer need or service enhancement, such as "how can we accelerate the time-to-first-result for customers searching via dial-up modem?" rather than inward on some organizational goal, such as "How can we build a better search engine than Company Y?"
Number your ideas		Numbering the ideas that bubble up in a brainstorming session helps in two ways. First, it's a tool to motivate the participants before and during the session or to gauge the fluency of a completed brainstorm. Second, it's a great way to jump back and forth from idea to idea without losing track of where you are.
Build and jump		High-energy brainstormers tend to follow a series of steep power curves, in which momentum builds slowly, then intensely, then starts to plateau. In the coffee-drinking-while-bicycling example, a good "building" suggestion to keep up the momentum might be: "Shock absorbers are a great idea; now what are some other ways to reduce spillage when the bicycle hits a bump?"
The space remembers		Spatial memory is a powerful tool. Have the facilitator write the flow of ideas down in a medium visible to the whole group. IDEO has had great success with extremely low-tech tools like Sharpie markers, giant Post-its for the wall, and rolls of old-fashioned butcher-shop paper on the tables and walls. You may find there's a certain synergy in physically moving around the room writing down and sketching the ideas. When you return to the spot on the wall where an idea was captured, spatial memory will help you recapture the mindset you had when the idea first emerged.
Stretch your mental muscles		Doing mental warm-up exercises will make your brainstormers more productive, especially if the group doesn't brainstorm frequently or when the group seems distracted by outside issues. One type of warm-up is a fast-paced word game used to clear the mind and get the team into a more outgoing mode. Another is to do content-related homework. Yet another is to bring show-and-tell items to help you visualize the wide variety of options and materials that could be applied to the session's topic
Get physical		Good brainstorms are extremely visual. They include sketching, mind mapping, diagrams, and stick figures. But they also extend to bringing in competitive products and elegant solutions from other fields, having materials on hand to build crude models of a concept, and even "bodystorming," in which people act out current behavior and usage patterns to see how they might be altered.

URL References		Hiroshi Ishii, Tangible Bits Christian Moeller Aegis Architecture Metal Skin Block Jam Sony assembling cubes Circle Clock