DirtMat Prototype #1

DUMBO Arts Under The Bridge Festival

http://www.dumboartscenter.org/festival.html

Door/Dirt Mat

Door/Dirt Mat: it will analyze the dirt content of any shoe placed on top of it. Then evaluated by the owner-specified criteria for cleanliness and the person will be allowed to enter the door or not (will be asked to clean his shoes).
That new idea combine in an interesting way all our 3 objects: it's cleans, opens a door, and related to shoes...

Redesign of Everyday Objects

After my napkin observation the redesign project takes it next level:
group project: combining qualities from each object and creating a completely new one.

the group and the objects:
Uros - Shoe sling
Michael - Penni
Ira - Napkin

we made list of qualities:
1. soft
2. cleans
3. hard
4. small
5. long
6. environment friendly
7. strong
8. useful

we tried to find a good combination for those qualities in one object, which was a really big challenge.
we tried to combine all 3 objects in one or to combine their uses: our first idea was a slingshot that will combine all 3 objects. it will pull out the key and the napkin will come out to... it was a the first idea, we tried to develop it more but eventually we found a different solution.

What do Prototypes Prototype?

What do Prototypes Prototype?
Stephanie Houde and Charles Hill
Apple Computer, Inc.
Cupertino, CA, USA

some notes about:
- prototypes provide the mean for examining design problems and evaluating solutions.

A model of what prototypes prototype:
- "Role": refers to questions about the function that an artifact serves in user's life - the way in which it's useful to them.
- "Look and Feel": denotes questions about the concrete sensory experience of using an artifact - what the user looks at, feels and hears while using it.
- "Implementation": refers to questions about the techniques and components through which an artifact performs its function.

- Integration prototypes: are built to represent the complete user experience of an artifact. Such prototypes bring together the artifact's intended design in terms of role, look and feel, and implementation.

Interaction Relabelling and Extreme Characters:

Interaction Relabelling and Extreme Characters:
Methods for Exploring Aesthetic Interactions (J.P. Djajadiningrat, W.W. Gaver, J.W.Frens)

The main question about this article for me: Is an Extreme Characters is really a practical product design test?
They are so many vary extreme characters that it is impossible to take everybody into a count.
But in the other hand, maybe after testing extreme characters needs it will be easier to define the extreme needs and to customize them to the main stream needs.

some history...

http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-history-napkins-729.html
There is a whole history about napkins, besides it's usability it has an important cultural and social symbolic.

15. Soft but not big enough to be a blanket or a pillow.

- Thank you Dino for napkin observation modeling!

13. No taste.
14. Can hold light pressure.

10. Thin enough to breath or see thru.
11. Big enough to cover human face or head.
12. Without any cultural attributes.

8. It soft and pleasant for touch.
9. Mops up liquids.

6. Can be used for different purposes.
7. Adjusts to any use and any position.

5. The natural color of this napkin fits in different environments.

some notes about the napkin observation:

1. It's environment friendly object.
2. Good choice of size, not to big or small.
3. Very compact object, easy to storage.
4. An elastic material.

I've spent the weekend with some of those amazing napkins, I was observing the napkin, testing different uses, situations, positions, angles...

Recycled Napkin

I've decided to observe a Recycled Napkin, which is a very well designed object.

This is my own first blog EVER!