Ludology

Then we moved on to game design, where we learned about a new term called Ludology, which is the study of games, the act of playing them, and the players and cultures that surround them. We also talked about how games with an one-dimensional surface can be transformed into three-dimension by aligning parts in a specific way and adding music.

Communication and Interaction

We discussed the distinction between communication and interaction. Communication is the urge to communicate, whereas interaction is a subset of communication and serves as a link between humans and technology. For example, if the Delhi government wanted to introduce a new bus, the communication designer would choose the colour, typeface, and layout. One can buy a ticket with your debit/credit card if the bus has technology that eliminates the need for a conductor. An interaction designer is responsible for determining how humans will respond to this machine.

New fields in design

In the previous 5 to 6 years, there has been a creation of new jobs in the field of design which include-

1. Visual designer
2. UX designer
3. UI designer
4. Conversation Designer
5. Conversation bot Designer

Design Advices

We were told that design thinking is the same regardless of design discipline; only the application changes. Sir even advised us not to get too hung up on technology because it is constantly changing and will continue to do so.
We talked about how apps are gradually replacing technology. For example, when we buy air conditioners these days, there is an app that can be downloaded to the phone and used to manage the air conditioner, making the AC remote obsolete.

Google smart classes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-qjhU6PB5U

After that, we saw a Google advertisement for smart classes. The advertisement highlights the technology’s functionality. The entire ad shows us the product’s interface and experience without really showing us the product.

Apple Home Pod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70P7-pkyP4Q

We also watched an ad for Apple Home Pod in which the device is presented for only 2 to 3 seconds and the rest of the ad concentrates on her imagination and capacity to reinvent her area in order to have fun and de-stress.

Assignment

We can see from these two adverts, that the buyer is more interested in the experience that is offered than the technology.

We have been compelled to stay at home due to the epidemic, limiting our interaction with the outside world. We all miss being able to go out and enjoy ourselves after over 1.5 years. So, with the help of a projection lamp, I intended to mimic the sense of going out.

As a result, this lamp, which is voice activated will almost make you feel like you have been transported. You just have to tell the lamp a mood or setting you want and it will project it for you, giving you the sensation of that experience. For example, if you miss going to parties, you can tell it to play the disco mode, which will create that atmosphere with the help of various lights, allowing you to enjoy party life even at home. It can also project the live weather of a place throughout the day. This lamp can be connected to your Echo, Home pod or Google Home to provide spatial audio. For example, if you choose the rainy night option, your Echo, Homepod or Google Home will play the sound of rain to simulate rain. While sitting at home, this product may provide you with a range of experiences. Break the monotony, with a projection lamp.

We then moved on to discussing how we engage with various places and objects in our homes. We may interact with the refrigerator more than we do with the washing machine, for example.

Interface and Interaction

Because of technology or lighting, we may choose to sit in a specific area of our home. This alters the room’s interface and interaction. The set up is the interface, and the interaction is the experience of using it. For instance, there is a television, a couch, and a table; the way We place the television, whether in front of or alongside the couch, is interface, and the experience of sitting there and using the space is interaction.

Tangible and Intangible experiences

After that, we talked about tangible and intangible experiences. A tangible experience is one we can demonstrate to someone by scent, touch, sight, or sound. Anything intangible is something that can’t be seen with the five senses.

Ted talk by Hasan Elahi

We saw a Ted talk by Hasan Elahi, an artist who was questioned by the FBI several times about 9/11. This encounter inspired him to document every event of his life and put it on the internet for everybody to see. Because he made his data public, it lost its value to a government agency like the FBI. Such thorough and easily accessible information can be useful in both positive and terrible circumstances. For example, if a developer in a student-friendly city receives data on students and their lives, he or she can develop a service that helps students improve their lives. However, this information can be utilized to create personalized targeted attacks. For example, if we search for a specific shoe on a fashion website, the shoe would appear on every site we visit, thereby compelling us to purchase it.

Assignment

Following that, we were given the task of mapping out how much we spend and where in our homes.

For a better class interaction and understanding, we began our second interaction design session by downloading Google Reactions. We discussed how emojis have made social interaction even more convenient.

Basic Necessities during COVID-19

We then moved forward with talking about the basic requirements for covid-19, which included:

1. Food
2. Shelter
3. Electricity
4. Marks and sanitizers
5. Internet

We came to the conclusion that basic necessities can differ for different people. As a result, designers approach customers who are middle-class or bourgeois (a french word meaning a member of the middle class ). They are the ones that need a good design. A good design means nothing to a poor individual. Food is more important to them.

Human Efficiency

Then we were asked, “What happens when people start riding bicycles?” The reason is that it improves human efficiency. It also expands their work prospects by allowing them to travel farther and save time.

From there, we discussed all of the devices that help humans be more efficient, such as:

1. Calendar
2. Clock
3. Shoes
4. Face masks
5. Mobile Phones
6. A pair of scissors
7. Batteries for portable devices
8. Two sided t-shirts
9. Spectacles

Anecdotes

Following our discussion of efficiency, we moved on to anecdotes.
Anecdotes are brief accounts of a specific incident or occurrence, especially one that is interesting or amusing. Alternatively, a brief, obscure historical or biographical account. (Personal information)
A designer must be anecdotal in order to create something. To make life easier, design revolves around human-centric aspects. As a result, anecdotal interactions and principles of empathy are used in interaction design. It closely examines your behaviour in order to gain a deeper understanding of you. Amazon, for example, creates a list based on your previous searches.

Assignment

Following this assignment, we were given the task of creating an anecdotal map of our home.

Interaction is nothing but a reaction to something.

Following the discussion, we were shown a ppt about the history of design and design schools, which included two well-known schools: Bauhaus and Ulm School of Design. The two design schools are credited with establishing today’s design schools. We also spoke about design and design schools in India, starting with Nehruvian’s vision and the Indian Report all the way up to the founding of the National Institute of Design in September 1961.

Lastly, we learned about Dieter Rams, a German industrial designer, and his ten design principles, which included:

1. Good design is innovative: New technical advancements are constantly opening up new possibilities for original designs. However, imaginative design evolves in tandem with technological advancements and can never be considered end in itself
2. Good design makes a product useful: Not only is the product functional, but it is also psychologically and aesthetically pleasing. Good design emphasises a product’s utility while ignoring something that could distract from it.
3. Good design is aesthetic: Since goods are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being, the aesthetic quality of a product is critical to its usefulness.

Only well executed objects can be beautiful.

4. Good design makes a product understandable: A good product clarifies product’s structure. It makes the product clearly express its function by making the use of the user’s intuition. Its self-explanatory.

5. Good design is unobtrusive: Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools which are neither decorative objects nor works of art. They should be neutral and restained to leave room for user’s self- expression. Like TV’s, Air conditioners etc

6. Good design is honest: A good design doesn't make the product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It doesn’t attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

7. Good design is long lasting: It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years-even in today’s throwaway society.

8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail: Nothing must be artitray or left to chance. care and accuracy in design process show respect towards the consumer.

9. Good design is environmentally friendly: Design makes important contribution to preservation of environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

10. Good design is as little design as possible: Less but better- because a good design concentrates on essential aspects and products aren’t burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.

These design principles are very useful and I’ll try and keep them in mind while studying design.