Designing beyond posters and toasters edited by Abhishu Roy

Designing Beyond Posters and Toasters Colloquium Paper By - Abhishu Roy (UG0901 Batch of 2009-2013)

1- Introduction As the name suggests this paper tries to underline the possibilities in terms of scope of work, responsibilities and skills needed by designers today. Along with what is missing out in the current design education. To work in areas beyond classical design scope of work i.e. product design, graphic design etc. The paper is majorly based on the empirical and qualitative research and observations done by me. Moreover, I got a chance to compile what I have learnt in four years of design college and different things which I thought I missed out in college which in some cases, were not taught in the present day design education system. Some of it is also what I picked up in due course of my education which I feel is important for a modern day designer to have or at least be aware of. I am making all this assumption majorly based on my experiences and also looking up to the work of many other fellow designers from around the world. I would mention few examples later to prove my assumptions. I have divided this paper in four major heads where I have taken examples from new and upcoming branches of design and my ideas on what I feel is lacking in present design education in order to accommodate the newer branches of design. -

Designing for social innovation New media and Interaction design Experimental design project What I expect from design education

Since my early days in the design college, I had major issues in understanding how the design education is segregated. May be the way I was taught or the way I was learning, the system came little too early, before the essence of design actually seeped into my system. Everyone has their own way of explaining what design means to them. However, I YOGA . Like yoga, it is not just a set of exercises, but a whole way of leading life. Similarly, when you are a designer you don stuff using computer and a few sketches; you look into it as a whole world or

what we call looking at the bigger picture. Well to be frank, till my 4th semester of college I could not behave in that fashion. Then eventually when I realised, I started to read lot more, tried to talk to more people about it, tried to see more work, basically trying to understand for myself what design is to me. By this time, I was also trying to figure out what should be my niche area in design, when I came across Interaction Design as a branch of advanced design. The urge was instigated within me to find out what exactly is this branch all about was due to a 2 weeks course module that we had in my 2 nd yr of college called cognitive ergonomics and interaction design, it was then I came across the international interaction designers annual conference 2011, my paper

Designing for Social Innovation

Social innovation is a term which was popularised early in the year 2000, which emerged majorly due to wide spread use of internet and initially conceived as a system which can help people in developing nations to nurture their innovative ideas or to start entrepreneurship using concepts of microcredit and open source materials. Akhtar Hameed Khan of Pakistan and Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh are among the prominent personalities who conceptualized such programs to help the underprivileged and social and economical development in their countries and other countries, through microcredit micro finance schemes, I assume the system works best for Islamic countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan as culturally they have a similar practice called Sadaqa Al- Fitar and Zakat where the individual is supposed to contribute a certain amount of food and wealth according to his income for the poor and underprivileged. So when a similar structured practice is introduced in the form of microcredit or finance there are high chances of such system to be successful in such countries than other. Many big companies are making millions based on this concepts, which was devised as system to help the underprivileged, has became the major means of business and was popularized as crowed sourcing and crowed funding. Few examples of crowed sourcing model based organisations include profit and non- profit organisations such as Wikipedia, Ubuntu, Behance , istock and many more. Similarly there are endless number of crowed funded companies which uses Muhammad Yunus microcredit structure to generate seed funds for their

Many these countries have laid out laws to prevent depletion of crowed funding. The system developed originally to help bottoms up development by innovation in the 3rd world nation have been depleted to make big fortunes by many but not every initiative is depleting the open ended system, there are many project which are actually helping to nurture innovation in the developing countries. What designers doing?? Well there are many social innovation projects initiated by designers or by a team where designers were involved and have helped to diversify the scope of work in such ventures beyond just open source or crowed sourcing funding type model. Some examples where the design thinking and the design sensibilities are used as tools are follows:

2.1 Frog design + UNICEF Frog Design and UNICEF share a common vision for the powerful role that mobile technologies play as an intervention in resource-constrained environments. They also understand that technology alone is not sufficient. These tools must be combined with a deep understanding of the human, social and cultural context and technology is to be designed and developed with an open collaboration model. Also the design should be scalable and flexible for various projects, pilot project. Project Masiluleke worked with several partners to create a combination of lowcost diagnostic technologies and mobile communication to address the increasing HIV epidemic in South Africa and has been later implemented in , a mobile health initiative to improve maternal and infant health and welfare in peri-urban Malawi and rural Zambia. The basic idea of this project was to tap on the wide spread mobile phone penetration in the area and use it as a recourse to provide precise and relevant and timely information reminders etc. to the stakeholders. In simple words, the system developed helps in sending relevant information through SMS over the cell phone to the stakeholders.

Why This Worked or Dint Work -

Frog Design had an approach where they tried getting relevant understanding to the society local culture and tradition of the area. Frog Design had the technical knowhow of the mobile technology, its potential and limitations.

They collaborated with the right people in the right time.

What do I learn? -

Blindly following a trend like a template, like in this case, mobile marketing is not sufficient. It has to be in context to people and society. Technology is a major resource. Right technology at the right time and place is required.

2.2 DREAM:IN + IDIOM, Bangalore IDIOM, Bangalore gave me the first industrial experience where I got a chance to work with their social innovation project called Dream:In. The concept came about through a fairly simple interaction, one of the founders drivers mother one day was talking to the founder, sharing her dream how she wanted to have a big weeding for her son but she dint have the money and bank loan was a complicated process. What started as an exercise to find what people are dreaming about. When analysed, we found interesting commonality depending on a localised problem or an issue. It was tried to be solved by brainstorming together with the people and the experts taking the dreams as cues to create a system or a practice to address those pain points. Looking at the potential, it was developed further where potential entrepreneurial dreams by the youth of a certain area was collected, analyzed and given a proper vision and business plan which could be taken up by the youth or youths of that area on a cooperative basis for a bottoms up development of the area based around localized resource, culture and society. It was taken even ahead by providing seed funds and an incubation system till a business was in a state where it could grow on itself. Though the system is not working very successfully in India but its running very successfully in USA, Brazil and China.

Why This Worked or Dint Work -

It does not work very successfully in India mainly because it is a system for a bottoms up development through entrepreneurship among the rural and semi- urban community. In case of India, this section of people are traditionally agrarian so find entrepreneurship difficult to comprehend or practice.

In case of China, USA and Brazil people are generally very open to entrepreneurship due to its cultural and social baggage that they have unlike India.

What do I learn? -

Even the smallest and the most mundane observation can have great potential. I ob of a designer to observe and understand the potential. A good design team can make the most complex of ideas communicate very rapidly and easily to everyone around.

Interaction design

One of the most sort after, group of designers. They are the guys who bridge the gap between the form and the function in true sense of it. This branch of design is comparatively very new as less as 20 years old but it shares the common anchor points as any other classical design branches: -

Usable Desirable Affordable for the right people Appropriately complex Appropriately styled Transparent in function and use Appropriately adaptable, extensible, malleable

Overall, have

activity, result.

The scope of work here in this case has developed over the time with development of computers, and it is one of the most rapidly developing areas in design unlike many other design disciplines. It has lot of scope for experimentation and creativity. I strongly believe that interaction design has always been there only it got defined very recently. Long ago when the early man invented tools they refined the shape and form of it for better grip, enhanced, functionality etc. What they did we now call them by names like product design, ergonomics and interaction design. Though the designers who work in this branch have to be little different than their classical counterparts, they have to be very up-to-date with technology along

with a very strong understanding of user. Here, user refers to human society, culture, tradition and most importantly human behavior. And obviously, with all other core design skills like drawing sense of color, form, layout etc. The interaction design is roughly based around things user experience goal and usability goal, which is roughly two very complimenting features. Like the website of your computer screens is essentially user experience and the layout and how convenient it is to use is the usability, there are lot of overlapping grey areas so

The application of this design discipline is too diverse and expending to be listed down but one of the most popular are designing for web that includes websites, web applications and apps for tablets, smart phones and pc etc.

3.1 www.myownbike.de This is very interesting piece of interaction design; it takes e-commerce on to whole different level.

Fig 1.1 Screen shot of the configrator at http://www.myownbike.de

What is interesting to notice here is how an almost extinct craft of making bicycle by hand and customising it to once specification is being given a fresh life with

this website. The business is based out of Germany and the bicycle is also a German invention so they take pride in it. The business specialises in manufacturing single gear custom bicycle. Traditionally, people went to their local bicycle store and got it made up to their specifications. Slowly due to industrialization, even this became industrialized and mass manufactured bicycles started to take over the market. The proprietors of this small bicycle shop in D端sseldorf, Germany wanted to provide an edge to his brand so he wanted to take this traditional local shop experience online as a means to expand his business and additional values as well. The studio that developed this website Dietaikonauten based out in Berlin, understood very well what was the pain point for their client and also very well understood the cultural and traditional history associated with the product in the area. Taking the aspect of customising a bicycle for the user not only revived the old practice by putting the old wine in the new bottle but also since the product was developed as a web based project, it increased the outreach of the client in terms of geography .

Why This Worked or Dint Work -

This works absolutely fine as the users wanted this kind of service as many other services which were based locally have taken to websites like grocery, pharmacy etc. The way the system is designed gives complete freedom to the user to take their decisions and also makes the ordering system flexible and fast. It takes a very local business to world market which means more revenue for the client.

What do I learn? -

Web presence diversifies the scope in terms of user base, in return increases the revenue. A smartly designed web app can also streamline the workflow of a traditionally long and time taking process. Importance of harmony in understanding of feasible technology with various factors of society and human behaviour.

3.2 Coca-Cola Interactive Vending Machines This is one amazing example of interaction design beyond computer tablet and smartphones. It used cutting edge technology and principals of aggumented reality. This was made possible by CocaCola, one of the world's biggest multinational companies, to push for better relations between India and Pakistan with a new advertising film. Coca-Cola installed high-tech vending machines in two popular shopping malls in Lahore and New Delhi. Basically the system comprises of to 2 life size touch screens attached to HD cameras one placed inside a mall in Lahore, Pakistan and the other in a mall in New Delhi, India both connected to each other via high speed internet. The while mall goers in Lahore were asked to meet someone from India. The interface asks the people standing in front of the screens to do simple activities like touch each by putting their hands on the screens, trace certain drawings together, do a small dance or simply wave their hands to each other. This is an amazing user interaction design, the core of the whole activity was passive advertisement of the coca cola company and there flagship product coke. It engaged people who were not very different from each other in terms of culture, tradition, clothes etc. so it was not very alien for the shoppers to interact with the other person standing in front of the screen. The activities being asked to be done by the user were also not very alien involving gestures which were popular and common in both the countries while greeting someone familiar like waving the hand etc.

Fig 1.2 Screen shot of the of the peoples reaction in front of the machine.

Why This Worked or Dint Work -

This works very effectively because the target users are of similar to each other in there of their culture, tradition etc The initiative by an agency which both the communities trust. The physical tasks involved are very familiar for both the people.

What do I learn? -

Interaction design can be more than just web/Smartphone applications. The cutting edge ideas like augmented reality used in sci-fi can be now be used for a more engaging user experience. Common human behaviour should also be taken into consideration for a more immersing user experience.

Experimental Design Projects

Many wonderful design ideas, concepts and trends in the history have come about due to experimentation. When I think of all the revolutionary products, a logo or any other end product of a design discipline, I stop at one single conclusion which we says . was an experiment to move away from the classical style then practiced by most of the designers, creating an iconic visual which is one of the major goal behind any logo design project. The iconic bent tube chair of the Bauhaus was experimentation with the material and its property, now considered as an excellent piece of design. The core of any experiment is curiosity and as the saying goes fits perfectly well when we sit down and think rationally. In the case of a designer, the essence of being a designer is such that attributes like curiosity, experimentation, innovation gels perfectly well. The designer of yester years whom we consider legends today or super heroes, were the people who experimented intensively and created new design movements or at least initiated it. Andy Warhol, who is solely held responsible for the initiation of the pop culture, but when I look at his work, can be easily put into the category of experimentation. He experimented with new technology like silkscreen printing which gave his work the iconic style. His work is similar to any other artist, as

what he was drawing was simply what he was looking all around him. Vincent Van Gogh saw a starry night and he painted it experimenting with the medium, so did Andy Warhole. Rest followed the tried and tested methods and style for a sure short success and are less remembered but that does not mean what they are doing is less as doing that also requires lot of potential. , this sort of remarkable experimental design work keep happening all the time so much that some time we even fail to realise that they are an experimental work which has found its potential in the market. Facebook, google, itunes are the few examples which were started as experiments at a very small scale and have gradually found its potential and are very successful commercially now. An interesting point to be underlined here is most of these have developed around one common thing that is computer as this one invention has opened so many options of experiments around it making the possibilities almost endless.

4.1 Free Time Dispensing Machines Sometimes experimental projects to do with design can also be around something non-tangible. On a more philosophical level, free time vending machine was an experimental project conducted by Larry Cheng, a designer at IDEO. They wanted to see how people will receive a machine that dispenses 10 minutes free time coupons in the fast moving city like San Francisco were everyone seems to be in a hurry on the road, in the metros and everywhere. The design team of IDEO took their idea out in a busy train to do a small research. They had a simple vending machine which gave the passengers an orange printed ticket with 10mins free time written on it and it was totally up to them how to used it. The idea was to see how people respond when something non tangible is presented in a tangible form, somewhat like selling fresh air packaged in a tin

can.

Fig 1.3 a snap from the experiment

Fig 1.4 a snap from the experiment

The 10 minutes machine distributed approximately 600 minutes of free time in 10 minutes ee Time to Real Time multiplier). Reactions they received were mixed, ranging from excitement to confusion (in many cases), curiosity, suspicion, and in at least one case, borderline hostility. Among the many ways passengers plan to use their free time, favourites included . Encouragingly, the notion of sharing and re-gifting seemed to be popular as well. The Free Time went viral as once a few passengers in a compartment had taken t resist the opportunity to take one. In some compartments, people nearly lined up for tickets, in others, they were turned down cold. Many a times, passengers who had previously declined changed their minds after enough of their neighbours had taken up Free Time.

What do I learn? -

It is interesting to observe how people respond to something which they always knew about but were puzzled when they were confronted with it. In an alien situation, how humans rely extensively on others experience and behave accordingly.

What I Expect From Design Education thesis is completely based on the empirical research done by me

Considering all case studies I have presented before and my experience of studying in a design college for four years, I feel there is a very strong disconnection between what is being taught in a design school and where the design is moving in reality or so called industry. What is taught as skill set is truly very essential but sketching, drawing, colour theory and layouting is not all that is needed by a designer student going out in the industry for internship or to work after graduation, something more than that is needed. cannot be instigated in a student on their own or through few specifically designed course modules. I feel

like learning how to ride a bicycle, you need to practice it few months rigorously and then you can never forget it, same is for design thinking and design sensibilities. It needs a longer intensive practice rather than just few weeks, once you go through it you will remember all through your life. Today, Design Colleges expect a student to develop it gradually. The system was fine few years back when the technology was not changing so rapidly and life in general moved slowly. So a designer could take their own sweet time like a whisky in a wooden casket to mature. Even after graduate they had to learn on their own. But now everything happens very rapidly and we have to catch up with that pace. One of the key pain points of all the interns and new graduates in general is to keep up with the speed at their work place. 7 days modules of understanding human behaviour, society, history and physiology are just not enough. The learning has to be spread out on a rolling basis and over all the projects and should be a key aspect of the evaluation system. User centric design is becoming a very crucial factor day by day as the products and services we are using are becoming more and more personalised and as the scope of work of designing is diversifying beyond the classical streams of graphics and products as interaction design, space design, social innovation design, business design etc. A designers understanding of the user is the most sought after skill required these days along with the classical skills. To join a design school is not an alternative or escape from science or academics. Design require an academic as well as a scientific approach more in terms of the dedication needed to understand, analyze and create a solution. This helps a designer to think two steps before and after the actual situation which in turn helps him to see the complete picture. Emphasis should be laid upon projects in colleges which deal with something which is beyond the classical design streams, more on a conceptual level or from upcoming spheres of design where designer s understandings are used as tool to solve problems. Beyond just making pretty looking stuffs, the key thought to inculcate here is good design is not always a good looking design . I can say very confidently that Design education is the only education system which is accommodative. It is very open to changes and it has been evolving over the time as well. Adding of computer to the main stream design education was one such big change. The few changes I have mentioned are already in the threshold and needs the change as the fresh batch of young designers are being challenged by all of the new and ever evolving spheres of design. To cope up with

this, more and more people are applying for a post graduation education to get the so called specialization but at the core of it, it just gives few more additional years to the student to get the essence of design to soak in well. As I always believe design is not a profession, it is a way of life. A person is born as a designer, who gets refined and polished in a design school.

References

https://medium.com/education-today/fa908cd11

http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/is_it_time_to_rethink_the_tshaped_designer17426.asp

http://designthinking.ideo.com/p=175

http://www.frogdesign.com/servicesexpertise/social-innovation.html

http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/mobile-mandate-unicefand-frogtogether-at-last.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_innovation