COVERSTORY
Deborah Nas on Designing Things That Make Sense
INTERVIEW
Tina De Souter tells about book design
NOT YOU
Can AI increase social inequality? November 2021 № 78
A new academic year, a renewed bachelor programme, a new board. It sounds like a lot of new things, but for some it might feel more and more like old times. We love to see so many people back at ID, both new faces and old friends. It can be for a cup of tea, to meet new committees, or to just have a chat. When I see ever yone walking around I sometimes think how beautiful it is that we can exchange joy. The way ever yone’s emotions can influence each other. The many happy faces I have seen in this first month is something that will always stick with me. That brings me to this edition of Turn the Page. It is the last edition that the committee will publish and soon the new committee will take over. Hopefully you will take the time to sit down and relax. Take a moment for yourself, enjoy it! See you soon!
Chair of ID
Contents
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10
17 F EATURE
COV ERSTORY
One for the books
Makes sense, right?
R ECU R RI N G
BABE+
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24
SUSTA INABILIT Y
A social world designed by...?
I D PAG ES
Upcoming Events
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ID EXPO
30
Plastic Fantastic
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INTERVIEW
Design for Smiling
40 CO LU MN
Fünf Bierkästen, bitte
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46
N OT YOU
CO LU M N
A day in the life of a cup
AI and inequality
44 I D PAG ES
Back at ID again
F EATU RE
Here is more than meets the eye
36
FEAT URE
Prevent discrimination by design
50
RECURRING
Hutspot
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You know that bittersweet feeling at the end of a trip? I always feel sad to leave behind the place where I just made so many new memories. There was still so much left to do and see. I could have easily enjoyed myself for another week. On the other hand, there is nothing quite like the feeling of coming home and getting to sleep in my own bed again. What has me feeling bittersweet as well, is the fact that this is our last issue before the new committee takes over. It feels weird to put down this project that we have been working on for the past year. It allowed us to learn so much in so many ways. The theme of the 78th edition of Turn The Page is Make It Stick. In our Coverstory, innovation expert Deborah Nas explains how to make innovation stick. We interview artist and designer Streetartfrankey who tells all about creating memorable designs. Our ID Expo will make you think about our lasting impact.
Editorial
Besides, you might even spot some post-it notes throughout this issue, but beware for misleading information... Unfortunately, we do not stick around forever, and it is time for us to say our goodbyes. Hopefully some of our articles stuck with you and brought your Mind in Movement. We are sad to leave behind the Turn The Page committee. However, we are excited to become loyal Turn The Page readers once again! We look forward to see what the new committee comes up with and wish them good luck.
Liza Oomens Commissioner of Publicity, Interim Chair
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APPS
BOOKS
BLOGS EVENTS ALSMA AR INTELLIGENTER AI: Alsmaar intelligenter is a Dutch book about ar tificial intelligence. It is a comprehensive guide to understanding AI. Philosopher Stefan Buijsman highlights the benefits and challenges that come with ar tificial intelligence. A great way to learn more about AI after reading this issue’s Not You.
Ever heard of nephrology or gluteology? Me neither, until I discovered Ologies, a podcast in which American author and actress Alie Ward discusses unconventional research topics with in-field exper ts. My favourite episodes? In the episode Agnotology (ep. July ‘20), Alie dives into the concept of ‘Ignorance is Bliss’. Looking for something more tangible? The June 2021 episode on Phallology (Penises) might be the one for you.
) www.alieward.com/ologies
OLOGIES 6
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CAPS LOCK is a book that shows how currentday graphic design and capitalism are linked. This ver y visual reference work gives examples of how some designs suppor ts capitalism, but also examples to escape from it.
CAPS LOCK G AY M E N D R AW VA G I N A S What happens if you ask a gay man to draw a vagina? That is the question Keith Wilson and Shannon O’Malley wanted to find answers for. They have asked gay men all over the world to sit down and draw a vagina. Together they have filled 196 pages with the most beautiful, weird and surprising vaginas. They are, among other things, drawn as monsters, animals, flora & fauna and food. What about you? Gay or not, how would you draw a vagina?
) www.shannonomalley.com Did the inter view with a ballroom per former in our previous edition make you want to see more? This is your chance! This autumn, Kunsthal Rot terdam celebrates ballroom culture with their exhibition Deep in Vogue, curated by Amber Vineyard, Mother of the Dutch ballroom scene. Photography, video installations and fashion items show the power and community of ballroom and give context to where this subculture came from. The exhibition can be seen in Kunsthal Rot terdam from September 18th, 2021, until July 9th, 2022.
) www.kunsthal.nl
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The website of Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute is a lexicon of visual trends from the last 60 years. With an enormous collection of examples and styles, like ‘Neoliberal Vector Minimalism’, ‘Pacific Punk Wave’ or ‘Cyberbougie’, it is great to wander around in.
) cari.institute/aesthetics
CARI FOOD HUGGERS Ever yone knows that awkward moment where you have to decide what to do with half a tomato because the stupid recipe you followed only required, well, half a tomato. Do you wrap it in plastic? Maybe you have one of those loosely fit ting plastic bowl covers that kind of work? Face it, it ruins a wholesome cooking experience. That is until you meet Food Huggers. These covers fit your cut fruits and vegetables more snugly than skinny jeans after Christmas. They even have one for avocados!
Sarah Urist Green travelled to speak to a diverse range of ar tists. From them she received 50 exercises, ideas and directions to expand your world. In this stor y, you amongst others will make up imaginar y friends, construct a landscape and become someone else (or at least tr y to), based on your own experiences. You receive help with new insights, techniques and inspiration from ar t histor y. This book is for both experienced and novice ar tists. Do you dare to take the journey of creation?
YOU ARE AN ARTIST 8
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SOCIAL Have you ever wondered why seeing someone cr y in a film can make you tear up too? Ever heard of mirror neurons? Why does rejection feel so bad? In Social, professor Mat thew D. Lieberman dives into the human brain with us to find out why humans are wired to connect!
This book writ ten by Marian Geense will take you back to 1956, where eight young females run their lives in a way that was only reser ved for men. Marian Geense studied Civil Engineering at the TU Delft and that inspired her to write about these women in a man’s world.
E I G H T WO M E N IN A MAN’S WO RLD Do you have a clut tered mind? Or do you struggle get ting things done? Then the organizational app Asana is your saviour. Asana helps you to organise your tasks and keep track of your progress on different topics. Check it out to see if it works for you!
) asana.com )
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COVERSTO RY
I n n ova t io D e b o ra n e x p e r t h Design Nas on ing Thi ngs That M ake Se nse 10
November 2021 | turn the page
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“When it comes to new technologies, not everybody is equally enthusiastic”, says professor and innovator expert Deborah Nas. We sat down with her and discussed how to make innovations stick. text by Eva Le Navenec and Frank van Beek | layout by Eva Le Navenec | special thanks to Deborah Nas Having studied Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) at the TU Delft, Deborah Nas co-founded a strategic innovation agency that focuses on the innovation’s fuzzy front end. Currently, she has a broad portfolio of activities. Deborah is a consultant, a supervisory board member, and a public speaker on innovation and technology. Moreover, she is a professor of Strategic Design for Technology-based Innovation at the faculty of IDE. “I focus on strategic questions around applying new technologies, and I have a special interest in technology adoption and resistance against technology.” This interest sparked the creation of her first book, ‘Design Things That Make Sense’. You wrote your book using your knowledge and personal experience. How would you describe the end result? “The book is a very hands-on tool to help designers and students create better tech products. Tech products are products that depend on technologies for their core functionality. If you look at tech products, many of them simply do not make sense to consumers. Technology is utilised to create lots of features that people do not really need nor value.” To help innovators focus on customer needs, Deborah defined 37 design strategies. According to Deborah, there are two critical success factors for designing great tech products. The first is offering strong product benefits. The other is minimizing possible resistance against technological features in your product. Resistance is
COVE RSTORY
generally due to the drawbacks of new technologies and the change they enforce. “If your concept makes use of technology to combine benefits that were difficult to unite before, you are on to something”, says Deborah. “Tesla is a good example: they combine sustainability, performance, and future-proof in their value proposition. Besides choosing the key benefits wisely, it works to include many other benefits. Do not talk about them too much, though, as this will muddle your positioning. Incorporating them in your product design leads to a better user experience and, therefore, happier users. In this respect, Tesla is a rare case: they include 17 of 24 design strategies to strengthen benefits and 12 of 13 design strategies to mitigate resistance. I have not seen any other case like this.” To further explain the importance of her design strategies, Deborah first describes the implications of using Agile Innovation methods like Scrum or Lean Startup in product innovation. These methods are based on iteratively performed short cycles of designing. This helps the team to continuously adapt and change the plans, achieving flexibility and cost-efficiency. She stresses that, despite the upsides of Agile Innovation methods, user-centred innovation is lacking in Agile Innovation teams. Part of the problem is that agile teams often skip consumer research, assuming that consumers do not know what they want. “This is a misconception. Sometimes people cannot express what they want, but they do experience problems and have needs. As a designer, you observe, test, and probe to connect the dots and find that hidden opportunity.” “Most of the start-up teams do not have a designer on board; they are primarily techies. When they do have a designer on board, it is often an inexperienced one. The result is that they immediately start building a product and need many iterations to find the right product-market fit. Most start-ups run out of money before ever finding product-market fit and die in vain.” 1
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For whom specifically did you write the book? Is it more useful for professional designers or for students? “The book is for all innovators involved in designing and developing tech products, many of whom are not trained as designers. Designers are innovators, but most innovators are not designers. This book offers a practical methodology to insert design thinking into agile innovation processes.” The design strategies are also helpful for students to fast track their design projects, according to Deborah. For experienced designers, the book serves more as a reference guide, and it can help start-up founders get to product-market fit faster. Product owners, product managers, and innovation managers can utilize this book to help their teams become better innovators. Let us discuss credibility for a moment. How did you come up with these strategies? “It took me a few years. I thought it would be easier, to be honest.” Deborah started off with diving deeply into literature, but that was not enough. Apart from papers often being narrowly focused, many also proved to be outdated, she states. “Research done on the adoption of smart products twenty years ago was done in a very different context than the one we find ourselves in today. New technological innovations trigger new forms of resistance. For example, twenty years ago, people were much less worried about privacy.”
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That is why Deborah decided to add case studies to her research. “I analysed many products and tried to deconstruct their success or failure. I found small pieces of the puzzle everywhere.” Based on her 25-years of experience and her findings from literature and case studies, she defined 37 design strategies. In the last two years of the research, she teamed up with Anna Filippi, a recently graduated IDE strategic product designer who worked with Deborah on this book one day per week while working at a design agency the other days of the week. In a series of workshops, they iterated the strategies together with other innovations experts. “We approached it as a design project, and—pointing at the book—this is the result.” Privacy is an interesting point of discussion. How should we deal with privacy in technology-based innovations? “That is always a bit of a struggle; ideally, you would want to go for ‘Privacy by Design’, in which you follow seven principles to make sure that data cannot be traced back to an individual. However, if you want to provide the benefit of personalized services, you need to link data to individual users.” Deborah explains that thinking about seemingly opposing values in an early stage, and coming up with solutions to accommodate them all, is crucial for designing great tech products. To aid this process, each design strategy in her book is supported by tactics and examples to help innovators understand their options. For example, by storing and processing data locally, you can achieve data privacy and achieve personalization. 1
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COVE RSTORY
“If your concept makes use of technology to combine benefits that were difficult to unite before, you are on to something.”
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Innovator’s Oath I COMMIT TO DESIGNING TECH PRODUCTS THAT MAKE SENSE TO ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED. In doing so, I will:
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TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
1 for my creations and
BE OPEN TO FEEDBACK and criticism, especially from
BE ACCOUNTABLE
TECHNOLOGY CRITICS
FOR THEIR EFFECTS
CRITICALLY ASSESS
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whether or not technology is the best way to address the challenge at hand
CREATE, BUILD ON, AND MAKE USE OF OPEN SOURCE
4 SPEAK UP if others are acting contrary
TECHNOLOGY as much as possible
TO THIS TECH OATH
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DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER to prevent unintended consequences FROM SCALING MY PRODUCT sign here:
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STRIVE TO CREATE A POSITIVE IMPACT
NEVER PURSUE BUSINESS GOALS at the expense of PEOPLE SOCIETY, OR OUR PLANET
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turn the page | November 2021
Other ways to achieve data privacy is by using tactics such as ‘collect less data,’ ‘make data end-to-end encrypted,’ or ‘offer consumers detailed control over data sharing’. The latter is one of the tactics Apple uses. They offer their users quite a detailed level of which data can be shared with whom. In reality, though, most consumers do not make use of the opportunity to change these settings. Only consumers with a strong concern for privacy make an effort. “In design, you’re continuously making trade-offs; offering a detailed level of control often lowers ease of use. It is up to designers to find the right balance by deciding what they find important from an ethical stance and then weighing this against desired functionality, ease of use, and commercial interests.”
“Of course, you can use the design strategies to design a product that sells better, aiming to sell as many products as possible to the same consumer, but obviously you should not”. Deborah added the Tech Innovator’s Oath at the beginning of the book to make readers aware of their responsibility. “As a designer, you shape the world around you. You need to take responsibility for your creations and their effects. Unfortunately, tech products often have unintended side effects, so we have to think things through from the very beginning.”
You have described powerful and effective strategies to design things that consumers love. However, innovators might use these design strategies to simply sell more products and stimulate consumerism. What is your view on this? “As designers, we have the responsibility to consider our impact on the world. IDE students should already think about this and ask themselves questions like ‘What type of impact do I want to make?’ ‘What is my ethical stance on consumerism?’ I’m convinced that if you use the design strategies with the right mindset, you’ll design products that people will use for a long time. Today, it happens way too often that you buy a product and, after starting to use it, you discover that it is just a shitty product. It turns out to be very user-unfriendly or does not do what you thought it would do. As a result, you quickly replace it with another product. If we design better products, we waste fewer resources and get happier and more loyal customers that use their products for longer.”
) www.designthatmakessense.com
Want to sign the oath? Or any questions about the book? Take a look at Deborah’s website.
Being close to Christmas, we have a special last question. What is one of the products that is on your Christmas list? “I just pre-ordered one! They are headphones with woven-in neuro-sensors that measure your brain signals, to be released in May 2022. When you are listening to music while working, they will give insight into your concentration level and recommend when to take a break. When we link these headphones to the design strategies, we see that they use the design strategy ‘unlock new value’. They will give me insights into the types of music that help me concentrate, when I am the most productive, and how to improve productivity.” 3
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What do one pony, two doner kebab grills and three corgis have in common? What sounds like the beginning of a dad joke, actually reveals our peculiar cultural stance on alcohol. by Frank van Beek
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COLUM N
Fünf Bierkästen, bitte To counter Covid-regulation fatigue in the early months of 2021, the Berlin public transport company BVG started a rather atypical campaign. They used objects or animals as a reminder of social distance policies. Stickers with phrases such as "1.5 meters = 1 pony" or "1.5 meters = 2 doner kebab grills" started popping up around public transport stations. Having recently moved to Berlin, one of them stood out to me in particular. One that reminded me of more than one health crisis: "1.5 meters = 5 crates of beer". An easily imaginable yet ironic comparison. Something specifically designed to keep us safe, social distancing, is illustrated by arguably one of the most harmful drugs out there. In a way it is a stereotypical example of the toxic mindset we have towards the drinking culture. When ordering a soft drink at a bar, chances are you have heard someone say: "Ah do not be so dull, order a beer!" or "Come on ... have some fun! Get yourself a proper drink." Culturally, alcohol has become an integral element of our social activities. In part, this is due to the rich history that alcohol has in cultures worldwide. Its roots can be traced back to 7000 BC and over the centuries people started using it in rituals, medicine and on long sea journeys. Alcohol has become a form of escapism, used to release stress after a long working day or relieve the pain of attending a family members’ birthday party.
Another factor contributing to our normalized toxic view on alcohol consumption is something researchers call the Imitation Effect. Experiments have shown that, even in situations without any form of peer pressure, we tend to copy other people's drinking behaviour. It shows how deep alcohol is embedded in our culture. Adding to this is the evolutionary drive to be part of a group. The feeling of belonging to a group releases dopamine in the same brain area that is affected by alcohol. The result of this? Participating in the drinking culture will be extra pleasurable. This effect is also reversible, when someone does not want to participate in the 'fun' of sharing a beer you feel rejected. So, the next time you have the urge to question why someone does not drink alcohol at a social gathering, take a moment to think. Do you really want to maintain the toxic relation we have with alcohol? It may result in a potentially valuable realisation now that bars have reopened, without us having to keep five beer crates of distance. 3
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As Industrial Designers, we think a lot about the value that products can have in our lives. But what do our products think of us, and the way we treat them? by Liza Oomens “This morning I was rudely awakened by the freezing cold hands of my human. She snatched me from the comfort of my shelf and put me down rather harshly next to the kettle. Someone was clearly not having a good day... As we waited for the water to boil, I caught a glimpse of my chipped edge reflected in the kettle’s shiny surface. I am not a vain cup, but that scar does give me some extra character. My human impatiently grabbed the kettle before its blue light had even gone off. She added a tea bag of the black tea that always stains my glaze while she poured in the water. Tea stains never are a good look, I would really prefer it if she used less unflattering tea. Okay, okay, she is not always an inconsiderate and clumsy person. She is actually quite sweet sometimes, which is why I put up with her. She was feeling especially cold this morning I suppose, because she clutched me with both hands and even held me to her neck. She sat like that for a long time. Eventually, she got up again, put me in the sink and let out a big sigh. I wish I could hear what she was thinking sometimes.” 3
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H UTSPOT
November July 2021 | turn the page
H U TS P OT Modern technology is developing so rapidly nowadays that almost everything seems possible when it comes to the creation of products. As almost everything around us is industrially made, a growing interest in craftsmanship has aroused among designers. In this Hutspot, we will show you how designers are introducing the comeback of crafts, in which traditional knowledge is linked to modern technology. by Julie Leclercq
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Claudy Jongstra
Claudy Jongstra’s magical designs are created using the ancient craft technique of wool felting. Her artworks emerge from a completely sustainable process, consisting of a botanical garden with plants especially suited for textile dyeing and a herd of rare indigenous sheep. As she actively seeks to change the local landscape from mono-cultural production to a more diverse, inclusive and ecologically equitable model, her environment changes with her.
COLOFON
Of ficial body of ID Volume 22 / Issue 78 November 2021 Turn The page is issued four times a year. Contac t ID study association Landbergstraat 15 2628 CE Delf t
De Intuïtiefabriek
To De Intuïtiefabriek designing is all about craftsmanship, the actual making of things and the touch and feel of materials. The design studio, based in Amsterdam, works within different design fields and with different techniques and materials (from glassblowing to porcelain slipping). Their design vision is based on an intuitive way of working and the creation of pure and elegant designs that radiate the love they are created with.
+31 (0)15 2783012 www.studieverenigingid.nl Comments, questions, compliments and remarks can be sent to: turnthepage-svid@tudelf t.nl Issues 7500 Copies Press Opmeer papier pixels projec ten T TP Thanks Taylor Blades, Henk Jan Oudenampsen, Deborah Nas, Tina de Sauter, Meike Huisman, and Frank de Ruwe. Subscription/adver tisement Members of ID receive Turn The Page free of charge. A yearly subscription costs €9,50 (4 issues). Want a subscription or publish an advert? Please contact turnthepage-svid@tudelft.nl
Studio Mixtura
Design alchemist Daria Biryukova is fascinated by experimenting with waste and secondary raw materials. She is looking for solutions that can be sustainable, smart and fit for everyday use. By thoroughly researching questions like why certain materials are used for products and how they are treated, she searches for ways to give the used materials a new and useful appearance. The resulting designs include waste glaze, coffee clay and circular ceramics.
Copyright The committee has strived to own the copyrights of the included texts and images. However, if you believe you own the rights to a piece that has been used, we request you to contact us. Nothing from this issue can be reproduced. The committee claims the right to shorten, alter or refuse submitted pieces. The Communication department of the IDE faculty and the Alumni Association have contributed to this Turn The Page.
I may be said to build castles in the air, yet we have seen such schemes succesful when the projector is constant....