FINAL PICTURES OF LAMP!

LAMP process photos

EXTEND project, locations

Interviews (3 out of 10)

Interview Questions BDS Fall 2011

Interviewers- Sara V, Terra S, Ryan B

Participant info

Name: Gus Cobb Age: 19 Location: Dorm Stoops

Q1: How often do you use your lighter? (Daily)

- 10 to 15 a day

Q2: What is your main use?

- Cigarettes

Q3: What is your least favorite feature?

- Flimsy metal chamber, plastic button

Q4: What is your favorite feature?

- Adequate size of the flame

Q5: How much would you be willing to pay for a lighter?

- Around a dollar

Q6: What is the average life of your lighter?

- 3 weeks

Q7: What’s the youngest age someone should use a lighter? If parent, do you worry about safety?

- 7 and up

Q8: How do you feel about the shape and size? Comfortable?

- Perfect size and comfortable

Q9: From 1 to 10, how important are aesthetics?

- Zero

Q10: What is the most annoying function or issue you come across?

- Wind blowing out the flame

 

Interview Questions BDS Fall 2011

Interviewers- Sara V, Terra S, Ryan B

Participant info

Name: Jose Hernandez Age: 18 Location: Dorm Stoops

Q1: How often do you use your lighter? (Daily)

- Once a day

Q2: What is your main use?

- Cigarettes

Q3: What is your least favorite feature?

- Safety

Q4: What is your favorite feature?

- Easy to use, convenience

Q5: How much would you be willing to pay for a lighter?

- 1$

Q6: What is the average life of your lighter?

- 2 weeks

Q7: What’s the youngest age someone should use a lighter? If parent, do you worry about safety?

- 18

Q8: How do you feel about the shape and size? Comfortable?

- It’s perfect

Q9: From 1 to 10, how important are aesthetics?

- Doesn’t matter

Q10: What is the most annoying function or issue you come across?

- Wind blowing out the flame

Interview Questions BDS Fall 2011

Interviewers- Sara V, Terra S, Ryan B

Participant info

Name: Jill Age: 30 Location: Waxman

Q1: How often do you use your lighter? (Daily)

- Daily

Q2: What is your main use?

- Candles, Cigarettes, Fires

Q3: What is your least favorite feature?

- Top comes off to easily, flame can be uncontrollable

Q4: What is your favorite feature?

- None

Q5: How much would you be willing to pay for a lighter?

- 25 cents for a disposable

Q6: What is the average life of your lighter?

- 1 Month

Q7: What’s the youngest age someone should use a lighter? If parent, do you worry about safety?

- 12

Q8: How do you feel about the shape and size? Comfortable?

- Comfortable

Q9: From 1 to 10, how important are aesthetics?

- Brand is usual focus, known for reliability (bic)

Q10: What is the most annoying function or issue you come across?

- Falling apart and small flint limits use

 

Process for Lighter project (prototype)

IDEO response

IDEO Response.

IDEO is a company that designs numerous objects that people use daily. They use creative and innovative processes that stimulate the ideas and creativity of employees. Their process of creating, and even the way they decorate their workspace is changing the way 'work', and 'office space', is viewed.

IDEO utilizes techniques that push their ideas further than expected for commonly used and accepted items. They are given a typical, but improvable object, and told to do a complete redesign. They work in groups, and as a team where is no hierarchy. People are treated as equal and ideas are all viewed, respected, and considered. They push the employees to branch out and speak their minds; which unveils off the wall ideas that can be rationalized and used. Their technique of equality and freedom of expression brings forth innovative thoughts about their objects being redesigned.

Later in the process, they would have a group leader (chosen for his good leadership skills, not because of position or rank) organize the ideas and split the employees into groups. Each one of these smaller groups worked on specific aspects of the product, such as safety and convenience (of the shopping cart). After researching and analyzing their aspect of the design, each group would make a prototype. All of the prototypes were then analyzed and discussed, then the groups come back together as a whole to create a final prototype. This prototype is still raw, but it is functional and combines all of the aspects assigned to the smaller groups.

These processes can easily be incorporated into our small design groups. Their free flowing process of ideas, along with the interviews, and extensive research by people who know the object well are both aspects of IDEO that my design group will utilize during this project.

Lighter Project

Project One Scans

Objectified.

The video Objectified made many interesting points and was filled with creative thinking and evaluation of design as a whole. Most designs today are standardized for mass consumption; this means the designers really have to consider the range of people that will be buying an object and not necessarily the 'average consumer'. This is a different way of approaching the issue than most people would probably think to take. The video summed up this idea by stating that the middle [customers] will take care of itself, and just to understand the extremes.

One of the most impressive aspects of the video was the inside look at how much time the designers put into even the most simple objects. To create something truly unique and effective, every problem must be eliminated, and everything extra removed. Designs are most successful when they are understood by the consumer. So over complicated designs are not appealing. They should be functional, but everything extra should be taken away, while still remaining a positive visual aspect.

Objectified overall taught me how much of a balance designing really is. Designers have to improve upon objects that people wouldn't dream of changing because they are so used to using them the way they are.