Human Centered Design: David Kelley

Human Centred Design featuring David Kelley shows significant fact about the inevitability of change towards design society. Design approach changed from focusing mainly on the product and technology in to putting humans as an anthropocentric inspiration in design. Hearing this matter made me more curious about the approach and innovative ideas that designers will come out with and commit in the future. Humans, being centred in design will make products more exciting that it will give the product a sense of personality and sensitivity which I think is crucial for the future design practice and in terms of connecting towards the end user.

Product presentation was put into motion animation which emphasizes more of that design and the interaction between the product and the user together with the old school 3D models and renderings. This is evident through the case studies that Kelley has presented. I guess that motion animation was booming during that time in David Kelley’s talk. However, a common practice in today’s society. The boutique of Prada New York for example, every product in the store contains an e-tag were customers and sale personnel can scan and see in every monitor screens how it looks on a human body in an automatic video clip. Moreover, there’s this fitting room door made out of liquid-crystal that becomes opaque at touch of a switch to hide the person trying out the clothes and another touch to make it transparent allows the others outside to view. Choosing the right materials, I think, can help designers express their self which sometimes makes an appeal to the human behaviour. This store is extremely advance, unique, and innovative in spite the time when it was constructed. Thus it uses that design perspective of putting human as a central inspiration fused with innovative technology.  

The installation at London Science Museum appeals to me like it’s a tribute about the interaction between human, environment and design. For example the interactive wall which is four stories tall was built to display up some of the feedbacks by those who had been to the museum. The fact that the design of this interactive wall is based on the London Subway system made it more special and “cool”. For the reason being that its expresses this idea of unity between the people who lives in London and the London Subway station which is put in a design perspective to come up with something different and innovative.

It is very significant to see a design that nurtures human perspective on how important natural element like water in our society. The creation of Greenwich Watercycle Pavilion by Kelly’s Team appeals to me as a dramatic achievement in design. Outside the pavilion, a waterfall like entrance that welcomes the visitors is designed to celebrate the recycling of water is conspicuously magnificent which gives you that sense of freshness and delicateness of our surrounding. In contrast, the inside of the Pavilion gives you that feeling of peacefulness with its quiet atmosphere where people can witness the recycling stages and apparatus used in an innovative way.

Human Centred Design video remarkably communicates the change in design approach along the years which is very inevitable. The most crucial learning for me in this video is being able to design a product and overseeing human being as the central inspiration. Yet, it is not impossible to integrate the essence of innovative technology and nature together with that of anthropocentric approach in design. 

http://ides1031.blogspot.com/2011/07/video-david-kelley-on-ted-human-centred.html

Don Norman: Emotional Design

People’s state of mind often functions subconsciously rather than consciously. Don Norman pointed this out very effectively with his own theory of emotion using human behavior in relation to designs and or situations. It is very interesting discovery that people see things and appreciate it without knowing its actual purpose. Sometimes, we just favor things for just for the sake of favoring it. For example, a branded trendy product appeal more to us than the anonymous ones. Thus, ‘pleasant things are more likely to work well’ which effectively proves Norman’s theory of behavior. There is nothing wrong with it however, seeing things consciously make us see transcendentally through that particular product in front of us. Meaning, we don't just compliment its aesthetics or the quality of the product but we also acknowledge its deeper context which for us designers I think is extremely crucial. It reminds me a bit of this poem called "Paris" by Ted Hughes a famous English poet that consciously appreciate France's signature landmarks and arts but at the same time acknowledging its deep history.

       In this video, Norman changed my perspective about anxiety. It is a crucial discovery for me that anxiety is now a behaviour that leads a person to become more focus to their next action. In comparison to ‘being happy’ we tend to act more loosely and brain is not as focus. I definitely agree in this point of view expressed by Norman for the reason being that I myself do experience it all the time from past, possibly in the present and definitely in future experience.

        I and probably everyone do think the same in terms of choosing to listen to that ‘another voice inside our heads’ rather than that of our intellectual side to make decisions and again, another subconscious action. This video made me think that designers should design things that they love so the world will love it too, that designers should experience fun while constructing their products so the world can have fun with it too and designers should learn to appreciate other’s design 'consciously' rather than 'subconsciously' so the world can learn to see things consciously through one’s design. In that way, we as designers can design things in accordance to the needs of the world and not just designing products because we like it ourselves. Don Norman’s video communicates his theory of emotion in relation to design very effectively which also delivers surprising lessons for all of us.