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September 27, 2007
Maeda and SHE
I have to say I'm not entirely convinced by Maeda's arguments. Since he starts and ends with remotes, let me address that topic. Although I feel that remotes for DVDs, TVs, Stereos and even VCRs have gotten out of hand (I have four remotes myself), I've never felt overwhelmed by their design. Now it is true that I'm the one in my family that everybody turned to when they wanted to figure out one of these devices. However, I never felt the pull of simplicity when it came to them. Often, I've felt, designers have over-simplicified some of these devices to the point where it is just as difficult to use them as when they were complex. Maeda does stress that designers need to be careful when it comes to simplification but I believe that it is more important to just design these devices better. The iPod, although simple in appearance, for me works well because it is designed well. Having more buttons wouldn't bother me but I don't mind that they aren't there on the iPod. Keeping the same amount of buttons on a DVD or TV remote would also work fine for me as long as those buttons were prioritized by importance and each important button was very easy to find. The key is to have the remote so accessible that its user doesn't need to look at it while using it. As for being heavier, I don't think that would mean anything to me. I would be more concerned with the remote's durability than how much it weighs.
Posted by Armin at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)
SHE
Maeda lays out a clear, if not somewhat simplistic treatise on the design of increasingly small but sophisticated technology, the core of which is Shrink / Hide / Embody. by and large i agree with his ideas and feel he does a good job of explaining how this should work. i would have liked to hear examples of how this approach could be applied to yet-to-be invented devices instead of just hearing about existing examples. how can this be improved? what are some examples of devices that do NOT embrace this approach? how will this approach evolve as devices get so small that a screen of any size becomes cumbersome? how do designers deal with putting ever more functionality into devices that are ever smaller? at a certain point it just becomes chaos, much like the bulky remote controls of the 90's....so how do we as designers logically layout a sophisticated amount of control to consumers who demand an ever decreasing amount of clutter? this problem is only going to get harder going forward, and while he does a good job of summing up the existing approach, i dont feel like we get a real clear picture of what is supposed to happen in the near future.
-mike
Posted by Mike at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2007
assignment 3
digital brushes used to create texture, nosie and dirt, hoping to mimic quality of old images and scattering of dirt and slight sense of movement or found objects
garden collage using two photos and multiple brushes, repetition in clouds and elements of grass
Posted by Addie at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
Reflections on Maeda
I found it amusing that the week after we were given the Maeda reading assignment, he spoke in Red's Applications class and mentioned that he's discarded the "Simplicity method". However I'll respond to the reading as it stands on its own, and not to his statements afterwards.
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I found the reading to be a bit rough to read, like Maeda had this idea that he used to guide him but didn't really know what to say about it, and he didn't really think his audience was bright enough to understand anyhow. And he has this "SHE" mnemonic thing going on which doesn't really seem to match with the concepts he's discussing. For me the reading was like trying to drive down the highway in second gear; he makes it where he's trying to go, but it's a somewhat slow and aggravating process getting there, and there's a lot of jerkiness.
I also disagree that Shrinking, Hiding and Embodying actually simplify. In fact, his writing indicate the converse; that it actually complicates things but he recommends using these methods to paint over complexity and make users more forgiving of their shortcomings (the "if you're not getting what you want, try lowering your expectations" method). Of course he tells us this with the line "...anything that can make the medicine of complexity go down easier is a form of simplicity, even when it's an act of deceit," but I feel that sentence is the heart of a total bait-and-switch -- and we don't get to it until we're already well into the reading, under the impression his writing is supposed to be about making things easier on the user.
I think the chapter would read better if he just came out and said, "make things cute and small and the buttons hard to find, but find ways to make people think they're expensive and that's the secret to clever design."
Posted by Timothy at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2007
Brushes Tutorial
Images from creating photoshop brushes
Posted by Hatti at 05:21 PM | Comments (0)
Micro/Macro Readings Review by Thomas
High density designs have their uses, but it isn't necessarily the best approach for every situation. There is definitely value in being able to minimize eye movement and visual memory when reading a visual display. This is especially true when one simultaneously needs a breadth and depth of information easily at hand. However there are many scenarios where the reader only needs a small set of data points at any one time. If the designer can instead narrow down to what data really needs to be seen, then a simpler display would be more efficient. Since we are able to use dynamic displays, such as changing the map magnification on a web browser, it is feasible to design a simpler display where only the necessary information and context is shown. This would be especially useful in today's technologically savvy society, where we are too busy browsing between a dozen screens across several devices.
Posted by Thomas at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
The disposiblity of simplicity
At some point a talented person becomes a brand, and once a brand often times their thought becomes product and product sells. This is a classic example of celebrity products (see anything recently launched by a rap star).
The trend of simplicity in design isn't a new concept. Scandinavians are renowned for it for centuries, yet we still seek a way to self manifest a minimal complexity in order to satisfying the maximum number of imposed constraints we create in a world filled with cognitive overloads of white noise and meaningless messages.
Perhaps looking for universal quantitative laws is unreasonable?
Maeda, much like Tufte preaches the same thesis, the foundation of simplicity is the key to build a strong design/UI/product/business/life. He carries the Zen like feng-shui trend even further but attempting to bring back normalcy to our uberconsumer culture by ironically having you buy more: his book.
Posted by Addie at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2007
fun with copic's
assignment 2 with vellum
Posted by Addie at 10:09 PM | Comments (0)
Maeda's Mishaps
This is probably my third read of maeda's thoughts on reduction, and upon each read, i find his prescriptive tone on the subject more and more like a recipe for chicken soup. Arguably, there is a tendency, especially in novice designers to flood the stage (be it a product, a page, a canvas..etc) with an inclusive compulsion to show everything and a fear of 'leaving things out.' However, shrinking-hiding-embodying all of our designs doesn't say much for consumer-driven/user-generated/conscience design. Perhaps it works well for the next ipod, the next imac, or the next (insert apple product here), but creating designs based upon these preconceived assumptions that we all want smaller/more complex/minimalistic devices seems to just perpetuate a current trend instead of allowing the next wave of aesthetic design to surge on in.
For the most part, I can see the validity in nearly every point that Maeda suggests, but most likely the presentation of them is where I run into problems. I don't think that reductive or simplistic design can adhere to a check list of dos an donts and voila! there you have it. I think that closer attention to the reception-side of the design may have been a bit more useful.
Posted by Hatti at 04:31 PM | Comments (0)
September 19, 2007
Micro/Macro Readings - Andy
The most striking thing to me about the reading from Tufte, was the notion that information doesn't need to be pared down. The notion that information can be presented in it's entirety is definitely contrary to my preconceived notions of "Good Design" or "Simple Design", but at the same time, it makes sense. It's easy to see how people can become overwhelmed by information when the information is presented as a shotgun blast of 1's and 0's (as in websites on the internet, which most people are intimidated by), rather than a scalable structure, as in the examples from the reading.
I think the most important concept that the reading helped me realize, is that our capacity to store and hold information grows exponentially faster than our capacity to intelligently display and organize said information. I think an excellent example of this is email. Some people get 100 emails a day, and only very recently have people started to recognize that its a completely different beast than actual mail. The cost of sending email is so much lower, that it necessarily comes in torrents rather than the trickle of physical mail. Google saw this, and realized that text searching filters (rather than a person), labels (rather than folders), and Artificial Intelligence spam detection filters are the right way to do it, and a gigantic pile of intimidating data, is the wrong way to do it.
Posted by Christopher at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
September 16, 2007
Micro/Macro Readings - Jiaxin (Jason)
I found a very interesting thing. It is a conceptual demo of a new way to surf the internet, using zooming to solve the navigation problems posed by our present system of links, tab, and other click-and-go-there interfaces, which is an interesting exploration of Micro/Macro visual information design.
I think, for a visual information design, the amount of information should be balanced with the system's navigation ability. Sometimes, I feel trapped in mass information on the internet, site by site, page by page, tag by tag, link to link. I could not navigate easily or get a macroview. There is some tools like Google helping us, but not enough. In my mind, there should be something like an operating system for internet.
For the Zooming example, if it can automatically generate detail along each "link" while zooming in, that's a clean way to provide information, and you can always sort of see the related micro/macro information at the same time to some level.
Posted by Armin at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2007
Micro/Macro Readings by Tymm (Timothy)
I'm also using Armin's login since my login was denied.
I found this reading very interesting on a number of points. The mention of visual memory being very limited very much struck me (especially as I do not consider myself to be a very visual person, and have often considered lack of short-term visual memory to somehow be tied to more personal limitations). From my experience, however, the difficulties in processing information that can arise from this come largely from large immediate shifts in scale, e.g. with many online mapping programs the shift from one scale to another can often disrupt the recognition of how information provided at one scale connects to information provided at another scale (e.g. shifting from a view of an entire city to a neighborhood scale, it can be difficult to tell how the neighborhood fits into the city as a whole, how to navigate through the city to arrive at the neighborhood, how to travel from one neighborhood to another). I would suggest, however, that allowing a smooth transition from one scale to another, at the users control (realtime scaling) can overcome this limitation and avoid difficulties in shifting between scales; if a user/consumer is able to follow a continuous mental thread in shifting between scales, and can navigate up and down the macro/micro scale, the shift becomes much easier and the information is easier to process.
As far as his discussion of good communication not being a function of simplicity, I would agree strongly in the general case -- thinking especially of the "engine trouble" light that has plagued so many recent cheaper automobiles as opposed to gauges and indicators that provide much more information and are much better at communicating the seriousness and type of problem a car might be experiencing. I would however suggest that clutter in the name of sharing all information that may possibly be desired can be just as serious of a design issue -- in my experience, excessively complex displays of information often lead to "mental shutdown" and users ignoring (or even simply being unable to find) important information (I've had this in several cases over the past few years with newer microwave control panels -- and I consider myself to be very good with understanding technical interfaces quickly).
Regarding Tufte's assertion that simplicity can lead to a level of mistrust, I would agree with this statement in many cases -- but I'd like to add that I think this is linked to the idea of control. By limiting what information a viewer has available, a designer/author is also limiting their choices, limiting their focus, and ultimately potentially influencing decisions made by the reader/consumer. If the designer/author has not somehow already gained the trust of the reader/consumer, it makes sense that this could create a sense of distrust in the information being presented.
In general, I think when presenting information it is important to anticipate what information a reader/consumer will want access to and try to find a way to present as much of that information as possible without creating an excessively difficult to navigate display.
As a sidenote, I did very much appreciate his lunar phase example; I think it very concisely and cleanly presents the phases of the moon, and I find it very aesthetically pleasing as well -- however I would claim that this example is as much art as science; one cannot just follow simple rules to always create something as usable and pleasing.
Posted by Armin at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2007
Tufte..
I disagree with Tufte's belief that one cannot be overloaded with information. It happens everyday. People tell me constantly outside of the city they could never live here because the information everywhere, the noise and people is 'just too much'.
Less is more. People in the country are measured to be generally much happier then people in cities with more stimulus. Technology today affects our life in vast ways and interrupts so many aspects of our lives in negative ways; from cell phone calls at 2am to FAA flight computers breaking down and leaving us for hours in airports.
We have the ability to choose and censor what information we consume, but how often do we do that?
I can't help but wonder if Tufte truly believes in his thesis statement how he would feel about giving out his cellphone number to hundreds of people then being forced to keep it on all day and night.
Posted by Addie at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
September 12, 2007
Micro/Macro Readings
To me, the Constantine Andersons Rockefeller Center is a beautiful piece of art. When I first saw the image I felt as though I was standing in a 3D environment. Although I have never been to the Rockefeller Center it gave me a feeling that I am one with the location. The way he describes over 1600 buildings, stores and parks along with over 600 street names is phenomenal. As Armin mentioned earlier, the map reminded him of Sim City. To me, it reminded me of the latest version of GTA (Grand Theft Auto) where the environment is modeled on New York City. In the game the level of detail is so high that when the players enter some of the buildings, the interior is an exact replica of the existing building. It never fails to amaze me that with macro and micro levels of detail, the artist can mentally relocate the viewer to the location of the artist’s choice.
The point where it says that “high density design allows viewers to select, narrate, to recast and personalize data for their own use” really struck me hard. I believe that every person should have their own point of view, without which the world will be a monotonous place to live in. I strongly feel that ideas and views should not be pushed onto viewers but it should come to them in their own way after viewing a piece of art. At the end of the experience the viewer should be content with the fact that they have got what they wanted to get out of the experience. I also believe there are some instances where data thin displays are a boon to viewers. As the saying goes “curiosity and suspicion kills the human mind”, but to me curiosity and suspicion instigates imagination. If curiosity killed the cat, only satisfaction could bring it back.
Posted by Sanjay at 11:41 PM | Comments (0)
Micro/Macro Readings Review by Thomas
I'm using Armin's login, since my own login was denied. Sorry Armin!
High density designs have their uses, but it isn't necessarily the best approach for every situation. There is definitely value in being able to minimize eye movement and visual memory when reading a visual display. This is especially true when one simultaneously needs a breadth and depth of information easily at hand. However there are many scenarios where the reader only needs a small set of data points at any one time. If the designer can instead narrow down to what data really needs to be seen, then a simpler display would be more efficient. Since we are able to use dynamic displays, such as changing the map magnification on a web browser, it is feasible to design a simpler display where only the necessary information and context is shown. This would be especially useful in today's technologically savvy society, where we are too busy browsing between a dozen screens across several devices.
Posted by Armin at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
Micro/Macro Readings and Creative Writing
What resonates for me in Tufte's chapter is his treatment of simplicity. For years I've been advised to keep things simple, and I've worked on the basis that simplicity works in tandem with clarity. My studies in creative writing in particular have reinforced this: focus on a few concrete images, use fewer adjectives, show through actions, and say only what you need to say. I've been quite content working this way; it's provided challenges and direction alike.
Tufte's assertion that simplicity is an "aesthetic preference...not a guide to clarity" made me stop for a minute. Then I returned to the beginning of the text and read, "to clarify, add detail." In my mind I divorced clarity from simplicity and thought, what does simplicity mean, anyway? In the context of creative writing, it always comes with footnotes. An example that applies to poetry is layering: a poem should be capable of being read on multiple levels. This is comparable to micro/macro design. On a macro scale, the poem's structure is visible. It has a surface as well as contextual reading. On the micro scale, readers can come into the poem for personal readings of a stanza, image, cluster of words...
Posted by Dominique at 05:04 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2007
Micro/Macro Readings
At first glance, Anderson's projection of Rockefeller Center reminded of a game I've enjoyed for years, SimCity. In that game, the player can build a city from scratch and then look at it from different views at both the micro and macro levels. One can watch individual people walk down the street and then zoom out and look at the entire city from an aerial perspective. I've always found this combination of views very interesting. At a distance, a real city indeed looks like one large organism but upon closer inspection one can see all the individual buildings, streets, cars, people and more.
I agree with Tuft's assertion that one cannot be overloaded with information. I've always believed that more is better. I don't believe that less is more. Our technology today can allow us to perceive more information no matter its density. Just like in SimCity, we can zoom in close to see and watch each individual speck of information and then zoom out to see everything at once. I enjoy having this freedom.
Posted by Armin at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)