Univeral Design Reading Response

It's essential and admirable that the design profession is venturing into the realm of universal design. There is an assumption that design and utility are independent of each other, but a unison of the two will be the driving force in making disabilities an asset more than an inconvenience, and even beautiful. Making the designs unique and allowing people to express themselves through their handicap can get rid of the image of the necessity of an object. Making the mechanisms appear as more of an extension of personality rather than a crutch can help redefine how people are viewed by the general public, and can help aid the social evolution into a more accepting and encompassing culture.

Group Project Final Poster

This is the final poster of the product our group designed for the convenient and secure transportation of beverages on campus.

Group Project Ideation Sketches

Design objective: The secure and convenient transportation of beverages on campus.

Parallel Universe Response

The idea of capturing the misuse of objects in our environment is very intriguing and can provide valuable insight for designers. However, I feel that the specific people discussed in the article are trying to read a little bit too into what people adapt subconsciously. Yes, the material properties of something play a factor in why people misuse them, but I don't believe that people always actively think about what they're using and why. A lot of behavior is environment and opportunity. On the other hand, I think it is valuable for designers to see how people adapt or misuse objects because it opens up opportunities and different ways to innovate with a give object or properties of an object. I believe it just reinforces user centered design that is intuitive, because people are going to use an object based on their intuition whether or not the object was actually designed for the purpose.

Technical Drawing of Final Bag Sketch

Bag Sketches - Process of Refining Ideation 50-10-5-2-1

PD 199_ Research and Observation

Design Objective

My design objective for this project is to design a bag that utilizes sustainable materials and provides an appropriate organizational system. While maintaining a practical design, it should also be aesthetically pleasing with modern appeal.