Theres no turning back now. I'm in Mexico City and I'll I know so far is "el baño? " I'm getting there though. My only fear is that my inexperience in programming will force me to make compromises to my design. So far it hasn't been to bad, but I've got a ways to go. It's gunna be a crunch for the next week as I finish all my finals. Welp back to work.

html, css, mysql, php
Sounds hot doesn't it. Today I am going to learn how to program. I have a basic understanding of the concepts behind most programming, but actually typing out the code is a foreign language for me. I always said that the only way I would learn another language is if I moved there and had no choice. I guess thats sort of what I'm doing today. I've got 2 weeks left in the quarter and I have to get this done. At least I'm learning from the best.

After doing some basic paper wireframes (which are quick interface prototypes, focusing on the content of the screen rather than the visual style) I decided to put the designs in the computer. Here are a few of them. The next day or so I'll be refining them and then working with Jon to start the back-end (programming) aspect.

Eureka! I've got it!
{insert mental image of chap doing the running man here}
Heres the answer to my information conundrum. "My final deliverable will consist of a functional website and database that allows for the dynamic creation and management of safety signs for the various SCAD facilities."
Sounds good doesn't it. I'm gunna create a website where the Shop Managers/Monitors can create their own signs. That way if they get a new machine, rearrange, or whatever they have the resources to produce signs themselves.
Now I just have to make it happen :)

I'm stuck. This project has gotten me down. After seeing everybody's presentation, I sort of feel like we're all going to turn in the same thing. I think that is partly the nature of designing safety signs. It's a de-constructive process, all extraneous information and style has to be removed in the name of clarity.
I want to do something different. I'd rather do something totally off course and wrong, then a copy of what everybody else is doing.
I also think I need a digital piece in my portfolio. An interface or website of some-sort. The jobs that I'm looking at usually mention it.
So the question is, how can I turn this project into an interface design and still make it meet the project requirements and client's needs.
Conundrum.
I'll be thinking about this for a while.

Today I gave a presentation to our clients. I gave a very brief summary of the research phase and showed the direction in which I am headed. Here's the pdf for all those curious. Most of my slides are sparse because I like to use graphics to support, rather than drive my presentation.

A quick post to get everybody up to date. I had a busy weekend. A large part of it was spent creating ideation sketches for the sign project. After weeding through the variety of concepts, I think I've found a connecting string between some of my best ideas. My goal is to create some personas and run them through a scenario of my system. This will help me put all the pieces together and make it more coherent.

I also spent a large portion of my weekend working on my portfolio for professional practices class. I've made it getting past the initial feelings of creative suffocation from the assignment restrictions and I'm on to the excited and inspired part. I'll post the rough draft later this week. I am using Adobe InDesign to do the layout. I must say this program is beautiful. Considering the complexity and variety of uses and users, I stand in awe of your implementation Adobe. The snappiness, the interface, the thoughtful details, it may just be my most favoritest program, taking the title from the elegant yet sluggish Library.

This would not have been as funny a month ago.

from toothpase for dinner

All right, I'll admit it I was wrong. The research that the group did was amazing. Very thorough, detailed, and informative. Much better than mine. I felt lost in a sea of ambiguous qualitative data and had a hard time transposing it into something tangible to present. Everyone else did a good job of that.

Moving along, today in class we saw an incredible film made by Charles and Ray Eames who are some of the most influencial designers of the 20th century. For me, the most impressive part about the film was that it was made by designers, not filmmakers. Throughout their careers the Eames made many films on a variety of topics that they found interesting. That's inspiring. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting boxed into industrial design which can be frustrating because I have so many other interests.

Here are links to my research summary and my research presentation.

I spent about six hours at The Gulfstream Center for Design on Saturday. I was able to sit down and talk to Samantha and Steve for a bit. They're both "Shop Monitors" which I learned is different than a "Shop Manager." These are the students responsible for watching the model shop and the students working when Mark, the shop manager, is not there. I was also able to interview some students with less shop experience, those enrolled in Introduction to Industrial Design and Model Shop class.

Along with the interviews I did a lot of observing. I sat and watched, trying to find patterns or breakdowns in the system. I tried to record as much information as possible, the number of students in the shop at certain times, the number of desks in use in the bench room, which classes the students are working on, etc. This is where it gets a bit frustrating. It seems that more time I spend researching the shop, the more research I need to do. This project really should be a few quarters long. The first ten weeks spent just observing, seeing when the shop is busy and why it's busy and who's there. I'd like to do a full contextual inquiry, following a student working for a studio class. Finding out when in their design process they use the shop and what for.

I suppose that's the nature of Interaction Design research though. This is where we diverge from the scientific method. We don't work in a vacuum with controlled variables. We need to be quick and agile, twisting and bending our methods of understanding to fit the time and budget constraints. I just wish I would have planned out my research better, focusing on what would produce the most valuable data. I feel as if I've done a lot of preparation and now I'm ready to dig in deep. Perhaps I can continue my research onto this next week. Maybe I should just see what everybody else got in there research. Together we may have something of value.

For now I am going to try to synthesize what I have into a handout and presentation for tomorrow. I'll post links to those when I finish them.

Just wanted to check in and let you know what I've been up to today. Originally I had planned to spend the day observing students using the shop, but alas I forgot to put in my contacts so that I could wear safety glasses so that I could be in the shop legally. So instead I decided to do some interviews with students in the building. The questions I asked focused mainly on their experience working in the shop and their feelings towards it. I got some responses I wasn't expecting as well as a lot of typical designer bull, which I was expecting. I also had a quick chat with Dennis, the maintenance person assigned to our building. He definitely has a different perspective than anyone else in the building.

Tomorrow I plan on wearing the proper safety equipment and hanging out in the shop for the most of the day. I hope to speak with the shop managers and get their take on the situation. I plan on using all this information to create some sort of cultural model, that allows me to synthesize the heirarchy of power, the motivations of the users and how the current space influences these.

I must say it was interesting to spend a good amount of time at Gulfstream. Normally I come for class and leave. Only returning when I have to. This project is giving me the opportunity to just chill at the building and soak in the environment, as well as get to know some people better. I like it.
Stay tuned.

"Using a user-centered, iterative design process, create a signange system to convey the proper and safe usage of the equipment in the Industrial Design machine shop and adjacent facilities."

Sounds exciting doesn't it?...Alright! You got me! I am very excited about this project, but the more times I explain this newest assignment to my peers the more I realize how unexciting it sounds. I'm usually met with a blank face, "Uhh....signs....safety...uhhh..cool." It is cool! I promise! I've been doing some thinking about why, and here's what I've got so far:

1. The current system sucks.
I can, from experience, tell you how disoriented, uncoordinated, frightened, and down right unintelligent I feel when trying to get things done in the shop. Often, when first receiving assignments, it takes me a while to get excited about it, because it takes time to put yourself in the users shoes and feel empathy for their situation. In this case, the user IS like me. (Well one of them is.)

2. It's not about making a product sexy, desirable, fashionable, etc.
I am much more motivated by projects that I feel actually improve life (or prolong it in this case) than ones that just help guys get chicks.

2b. This sort of goes with above, but this project isn't really about designing a physical project. It's a system, understanding the current system and trying to figure out the best way to change it. That sounds like a lot more fun than looking at color forecasts.

Now on to the assignment. Johnny is a tricky one. He says the deliverables are signs, but come on J, one click of my mouse and I could have a box of OSHA compliant signs here tomorrow. Stick em up, done and done. Therefore I want to focus on the culture of the shop. Who's using the shop, why are they, when are they, how do they, why do we need signs, etc. The value of this project is researching the culture that we've created at Gulfstream and understanding why people don't wear safety glasses and clean up their crap. And then how do we make them want to? Sounds hard, sounds fun.

Speaking of understanding, I just wanted to mention my reason for banishing myself from the rest of the class on research. First of I've had bad experience delegating work. When I took the Human/Computer Interaction class my group decided it would be more efficient if we divided up the work. Although this was easier and faster I didn't learn half of what I should have. I learn best from experiencing, therefore I need to experience as much as I can. Screw efficiency, this is college, we're not charging by the hour here, we're paying by the hour. The more time I spend on work the greater the value. Second I feel like when work is divided up, often quality is too. The responsibility is no longer on an individual to do great work, it's on the group. I think it's human nature to pass the blame, and group work can feed that. I'm not saying I don't like to work in groups, I've had a few experiences where the team came together and created something better than it's parts. More often, everybody feels the slack of the group work and works half as hard as normal. This is as much my fault as anybody else in my groups. Plus when I work alone I don't have to argue with Daniel about the powerpoint background. haha.

So as a sign of goodwill to all my fellow information architects, here are the pictures I took yesterday. Feel free to do what you want with them.

Alright, the concept map is done and done. I also spoke with the printer I'll be using. I don't know if I mentioned it, but these diagrams are going to be around 2' X 4'. This is also what makes it difficult about trying to show the whole thing, while still being able to read all the text. I just shrunk it down, you can see it here. If you really want to see it bigger, leave a comment and I'll post a big one. Now I just need to digitize my process flow diagram and I'm done. I'm looking forward to finishing this project.

I'm in the thick of it now. Thought I'd give you a sneak peak on my progress. Here's a snapshot. I'm still working on the overall composition and trying to figure out how to balance out the words/pictures. Definitely some large chunks that still need to be filled in, but like I said, "gettin' there."

We're getting down to the wire here folks. This baseball project is due, finished and completed, on Monday. The weekend is pretty much shot, because I have to have it to the printers in time for them to print it. Basically today is the day I have to get this thing near complete so that I can have it in class tomorrow for some feedback....sighhh... Dang this sucks, these are the kind of nightmares I have.
It's my own fault. I got caught up in the visual style way to early. I've been wasting my time looking for nice clip art and beautiful fonts, researching inspiration from handwritten documents of the 1800's, which is what I wanted mine too look like. This was a mistake, because I neglected the actual content of the piece. I should have spent my time thinking of an innovative way to teach this information instead of trying to make it look pretty.
Well, lesson learned, time to move on. Deadlines have always been great inspiration for me, so we'll see how I do this time.
Look for a post later on tonight with my progress.

Well, it's official. I've let this blog snowball. I waited to long between posts, and now there's just too much to say. So instead of a big update, heres a short list of the things that have happened since the last update; all the Apple stuff (iPod shuffle, Mac mini, iWork, iLife), Design Charette 05, Reverend King's B-Day and of course some great lectures and book readings. Since I don't have the desire to type out the details of these things, you should just talk to me about them. I'll be at Mellow Mushroom tonight celebrating Hillary's day of birth, then over to the Jinx for a much needed 80s night. Or just give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you.

(By the way I'm still working on my concept map of baseball and should be posting a preliminary version this weekend.)

Here's my rough draft for my narrative essay. I really tried to convey the competition, historical and emotional aspects of baseball in this, since the rest of the assignment will be mainly the logistics. Please post editorial comments and suggestions.

Kevin Millar approaches home plate, the white polyester uniform stretching to contain his biceps as he takes quick swipes at the air. A bat made of ash gripped in his hands as natural as John Henry’s hammer. Millar stops just outside the batters box making eye contact with Mariano Rivera as he tightens his batting gloves. Rivera stands 60 feet away on the raised pitcher’s mound in the middle of the baseball diamond. He turns the baseball over in his right hand, feeling it’s smooth white leather and the red stitching snaking its way across it. Inhaling deeply, Riveria contemplates the importance of the following pitches. Three strikes, game over. We can be done with these nine innings, done with this game, done with this series and back on a plane headed for New York with the pennant, in one strikeout. He exhales slowly, letting Fenway Park and the screaming Boston fans blur and focuses solely on his teammate behind home plate, Jorge Posada. Pasada stretches his left hand, feeling the worn leather of the mitt gripping tighter around it. The lucky mitt, the mitt that caught the final strike last year, sending Boston home and us to the World Series. The pain in his legs from crouching for four hours is pushed out of his mind as he watches Riveria. The weight of the game resting on that grey Yankees jersey.

Millar steps into the batter’s box infront of Pasada. Tapping the plate with his bat before raising it to his shoulder. His cleats wiggling deeper into the dirt as his body sways with fervor. Rivera’s grip on the ball tightens as he reads the signal from between Pasada’s legs. Two fingers, fastball. Rivera begins his windup slowly, like a freight train. He brings his hands to his face, gaining momentum as his left leg raises. He accelerates, vaulting forward, the ball comes speeding from his fingertips.

Millar’s unblinking eyes follow the ball from Rivera’s hand. In a fraction of a second the ball is within Millar’s reach. He has already begun to shift the bat from his shoulder, the power within his trained arms exploding as he steps forward with his left foot. His shoulders rotate, pushing the bat from behind him. The motion is fluid, practiced, like a machine revolving and pivoting on an assembly line. His calculations were right on, the ball collides with the tree at its apex. Millar hears the crack of the ball against his bat, but the power of his swing isn’t lessoned as he follows through. Without watching the ball, Millar flicks his wrist, sending the bat bouncing back towards the Boston dugout. He leaps forward, claiming the steps to first base.

The ball, reeling from the collision, sails over the diamond formed by the four bases, and heads for left field. Hideki Matsui, who had been watching Rivera’s windup and anticipated the balls path, has already started to move. His feet seem to gently tickle the grass as he scurries across it. His eyes locked onto the white sphere hurling toward him.

Millar rounds first base, only now looking up to see the ball soaring towards the stands. The crowd is on its feet; Matsui hears nothing but the ball slicing the cool night air. He’s at the wall. It’s falling, the ball’s coming down. This is his chance. Matsui climbs into the air, pushing off the wall with his right hand, stretching with his left. Extending each finger in his glove to the point of pain. He closes his eyes. Millar stabs second with his foot, slowing. As Matsui begins to descend he feels a tug at his wrist. With a smile he snaps his glove closed and falls back to earth. Millar stops. The crowd goes quiet. Matsui thrusts the white trophy skyward. The grey jerseys on the field seem to be sucked together as the center of the Milky Way shifts from the sun to Matsui. The crowd is still, a quiet pond peppered with the twitchings of a few New York water bugs. Quickly, the stands drain, leaving only the Yankee fans writhing and reeling. For them the night has just begun.

On Wednesday Jon gave another lecture covering the specifics of the narrative essay, an overview of concepts maps and process flow diagrams. My brain felt like it just polished off a giant "billy" at Moes and was gunna need a few days to digest. Also on Wednesday, the class did an exercise to understand the narrative essay. We had to write a short description of the room we were sitting in using the literary elements; plot, character, setting, climax and ending. It was surprisingly enjoyable. It was the first time I actually had fun writing a short essay. I think this has some to do with my growing admiration for all things educational, but mainly it was the perspective in which the writing was viewed. It was a design problem. We had to craft a solution that described the room in detail so the listener was able to understand the situation, and rather than using the typical design tools of renderings or model building, we were sketching with words. (Wow, that sounds cheesy.) But really I felt the same creativity and freedom writing that paper that I do when given a design brief. This weekend I will be designing another essay, this one on baseball. I'm not sure if I mentioned, but the goal of the "Baseball Deconstructed" assignment is to describe the game of baseball (rules, game-play, emotions) so that someone who has no experience with it, can comprehend the game. So to that end, the essay portion will be very descriptive and try to express baseball inn a way the other maps and diagrams cannot.

I should also mention that we did a short exercise experimenting with process flow diagrams in class. This is a flow chart that starts at the beginning of a task or occurrence, finishes at the end and takes in to account anything that could happen in between. (The little pic at the top is me working on a process flow diagram.) It sounds like a daunting task, and it is, but when you start to break down the process of something, the patterns and structure of it becomes apparent. This is a technique many people use when writing software. I always cringe at the thought of programming, but this exercise helped me see that it really is just another problem that requires creativity and inspiration to solve.

Man are there a lot of books about baseball. A quick search on Amazon showed 6,516 and on my trip to the local library I found 1,301 staring me in the face. Surprisingly, very few of them actually delt with the game's rules or the logistics of playing, most were historical or contained stories surrounding the sport. This reiterated what I had mentioned before, the game of baseball is more than just a game. I'm still not sure how this emotional side will be conveyed in the assignment, although I have a feeling it will become apparent when completing the first part of the project, the written narrative. We began work on this yesterday by creating a large list of all the words we associate with baseball. Our homework was to define these terms and rank them in order of importance. Luckily I was able to find "Baseball for Dummies" and as well as a nice fat "Encyclopedia of Baseball" that contains a glossary of terms. I'll continue to post as progress continues on it. (As a side note, I think my Anthropology teacher is Indiana Jones. He spends his free time excavating fossils and treasure hunting. It is his first quarter here at SCAD and he comes from a university in Florida bearing a Ph.D. This anthropology class is the most academic course I've ever taken and couldn't come at a better time, as I can finally appreciate that sort of thing. His lecture tonight was a brief overview of anthropology and I was happy to hear him explain what an ethnography was, realizing its similarity to our contextual inquiries and its relevance to design.)