Firth post, reflection o project

In this entry I will be writing about whole project and what I would do if I would continue updating it regularly.

Before I started this project I didn’t really understood why we going to do it as blog and what benefits us will get from this. To understand what benefits of writing blog can be for me I just needed to try writing it, I would as well highly recommend to try the same too. First I started to do a bit research to understand what people can improve while writing and discussing about different subjects. When I started doing research I came a long different explanations why we should do it, some of them were information and just friendly advice and others was explaining clearly in details why we should do it.

If I would continue this blog and update it weekly, I would include more topics. For example I would include topics not just related on history and theories about design and users. I would as well include section to the blog with tips on sketching and how everyone who want to be designer or have designer drawing style could practice to achieve what they want to achieve.

I been suggested to use different platform for blogging, but if I would continue blog I would stick with same blogging platform, except there would be few improvement to the website. Mina improvements would be in how website look like, to make it easier to view information for viewers.

I liked this project a lot, I think it helped me to understand what I need to improve in myself and how I’m capable of. I was happy doing this blog and I hope many students in the future will be able to enjoy the same project as I did. This project was extremely helpful for motivating to express myself more on project that I use can.

Bibliography
Joshua Becker (c.2014) 15 Reasons I think You Should Blog [Online] Available from: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/15-reasons-i-think-you-should-blog/

Jodi Dean (2010) Blog Theory: Feedback and Capture in the Circuits of Drive. Cambrige, Polity Press

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Fourth post, design is global

In this entry I will be looking at how designing global affects development and marking of a product.

When designer or team of designers are designing product, they keep in mind that product will not just be sold in one country. Good scenario for this is IPhone, IPhone is designed in California, manufactured in China and sold wide.

When designing product or even just advert for different country to be used in which there is different culture, it’s needed to know how they would react to it. A good example is McDonald’s, every website in different language is suited for culture in which their restaurants are located. 

First I looked into McDonald’s website which is for United Kingdom;

 Second McDonald’s website which I decided to look at was for Germany:

Third website was for French users;

There is big difference between websites, layout of text and graphics and specially colors. Colours are so different, to suits visitors. Some cultures might prefer green over red, due to the meaning of colour in that country.  For example orange colour in Asia give positive, spiritually and physically enlightened felling’s while in United States orange is used for fast food restaurants, traffic delays and hazards (Mario, Jesús 2001).

When designing something to be used in different cultural environment, designer needs to understand culture much better and this can only be done through research. When designing product a lot of research should be done to ensure that product is designed well and will be accepted in different culture too. There a lot different resources anyone can obtain for learning differences in different cultures, one good website is “Geert-hofstede” (.The Hofstede Centre n.d.)

After research stage designer can start designing idea and then make prototypes which is as well important as research about different cultures. Prototypes could be given to people from different cultures to be tested to see how they interact with product. People from different cultures as well interact with products differently.

I found useful explanation of culture and how it interact with design;

In the image you can see that culture can be split into three layers which then can be associated with design features. This deiagram help to design product and not leave any cultural aspect out.

Bibliography

Fig. 1 McDonalds (c.2014) Print screen of McDonalds United Kingdom website. [Online image] Available from: http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome.html [Accessed 12/12/2014]

Fig. 2 McDonalds (c.2014) Print screen of McDonalds German website. [Online image] Available from: http://www.mcdonalds.de/ [Accessed 12/12/2014]

Fig. 3 McDonalds (c.2014) Print screen of McDonalds United Kingdom website. [Online image] Available from: https://www.mcdonalds.fr/ [Accessed 12/12/2014]

Fig. 4 Rung-Tai Lin (2007) Three layers of cultural objects in relation to design features. [Online image] Available from: http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/ijdesign/article/view/46/26

Mario De Bortoli, Jesús Maroto (2001) Context. Elicit 2001: Proceedings of the European Languages and the Implementation of Communication and Information Technologies (Elicit) conference, Vol. 1, pp. 4

The Hofstede Centre (n.d.) Homepage [Online] Available form http://geert-hofstede.com/index.php [Accessed 11/12/2014]

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Third topic, Niche marketing

In this post I will be discussing about business using Google Adsence program to help target niche market more accurate and better. I will as well be looking at adverts and how it is aimed at someone who might find it interesting.

With increasing number of internet users like you and me, different business started putting their adverts online too and not just in the billboards, newspapers or billboards. Internet became very popular advertising place, because it allows to target specific niche market more accurate and easier. By targeting specific niche market it makes their sale of that products probability to increase much more than just advertising product on billboard where most people walking past will not even need it.

A good example of niche adverts is Google program called AdWords, business can join program to help place adverts in certain web pages for certain type of viewers to see. Website owners also would have to joint this program to allow adverts to be placed on their website. If the internet user is usually visiting websites related to their interest, for example mobile phones. User decides to visit different website related to different hobby or interest, website will be showing adverts related to what websites user visits the most. This is done through tracking their Google account, if they have one. If user doesn't have account, Google scans web pages of website in which advert is placed and tries to match adverts to the keywords of website. 

A good example of Google AdWords adverts is usually found on forums. Let’s say forum is related to woodworking, advert in that forum will most likely will be displayed related to wood working. If user was browsing through different websites, for example websites related to smartphones the advert in wood working forum will be about phones instead of woodworking.

To find out if this really works, I did experiment. I was visiting few different websites and looking to buy Iphone and then decided to visit Wood working forum in which there are Google Adwords adverts. Advert in the bottom of website, displayed advert relating phones. After browsing different websites related to wood working tools, came back to the same forum which is called UK Workshop to find adverts are mixed. Most of the adverts are about wood working tools, but still there is small amount of adverts about buying phones.

When we look at adverts, for example wood working tool advert which was on the right side of the website. We can see that advert is aimed at someone who is interested into buying tools. Adverts, has logo at the top, picture in the middle with text “Lower Prices on all Scrollsaws!” which makes advert to be click on more appealing. At lower section of advert, there is button which would navigate user to different website to buy the tool. At the bottom of advert there is slogan “A tradition of quality…” which would make user think that brand “HEGNER” is traditional brand and was established a long time ago.

When looking at phone advert, we can see that advert was designed towards people who would be looking for phones as I did in this experiment. Advert shows what most appealing, pictures of phones is so straight away without clicking on advert I can see how phone looks like. Next to phone picture there is name of the phone and memory capacity, bellow this I can see price.

BibliographyFig. 2 Buy mobiles (n.d.) Advert of mobile phones from buymobiles.net website [Online image] Taken from: http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums [Accessed 11/12/2014]

Fig. 1 Hegner (n.d.)  Advert of Hegner wood working machine [Online image] Taken from: http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/ [Accessed 11/12/2014] Read More

Second topic, impact of gender on design practice

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

In this post I will be discussing how gender impacts design practice. How gender influence aesthetic features of product and marketing decisions. 

In figure 1 we can see Dyson DC56H model developed by Dyson before DC58 in figure 2. Dyson decided to change few details in DC58 model, but the most noticeable change is cyclone redesign. Dyson decided to include more cyclones as well make them smaller, which as well gives more feminine feel. When looking and comparing both products, its clear that Dyson decided to make DC58 more elegant and more feminine. Other people might argue this is due to increased number of cyclones. In my opinion Dyson just decided to add feminine feel to product, because they know most majority of users are females. DC56H has masculine shape , all shapes compliment each other and make overal design look firm and strong. It looks like in DC58, Dyson decided to include aesthetic features to make product look more appealing to woman too as too man. When looking and comparing both products we can see that nothing much changed except cyclone design.

When looking and comparing both products, we can see

major redesign done by Dyson for cyclones and joining like between handle and dust tank. Joining line redesigned comparing to Dyson DC56H, its thinner and more elegant. While looking at Dyson DC56H, its easy to imagine that its more like holding something heavier and more masculine. 

When looking at adverts, specificity videos used on internet or television. There are many different adverts which might offend females or males. A good example of advert which might offend females is Dr. Pepper advert, about new diet coke which is only for men (The Highlight Reel ! 2011). The video montaged by Dr. Pepper to attract attention of man rather than woman, because diet coke marketed towards men. 

A good example of advert which is less sexiest and targeted towards woman is advert of diet Coca Cola (v CJ c 2009). In advert its shown how woman pinches mens lower part of back side and how its fun to see men confused. The best advert which is not sexiest and aimed towards men and woman is by Coca Cola (alitwotimes 2009). In advert it shown how people enjoy Coca Cola, both females and males. 

When creating adverts business knew more or less what reaction will be of viewers and they decided to do such adverts on purpose. For example, Dr. Pepper decided to advertise diet coke with slogan "Just for men". Dr. Pepper knew that females might get offended and it might be good for Dr. Pepper. Females who hate advert might go and buy it, just to prove that Dr. Pepper coke is not just for men.

By looking and comparing these three adverts its visible how they designed for specific gender or for both genders. In Dr. Pepper diet advert shown what most males like to watch. In advert for Diet Coca Cola main actor is woman who enjoys life inside house and outside with smile. In third video people enjoy their time with Coca Cola sign which represents bottle of Coca Cola.

Bibliography

Figure 1. Dyson (n.d) White Dyson DC56H. [Online image] Available from: http://www.dyson.co.uk/vacuum-cleaners/handheld/dc56h/dc56h.aspx [Accessed 28/13/2014]

Figure 2. Dyson (n.d) Grey with purple Dyson DC58. [Online image] Available from: http://www.dyson.co.uk/vacuum-cleaners/handheld/dc58/dc58-animal-complete.aspx [Accessed 28/13/2014]

The Highlight Reel ! (2011) Dr. Pepper 10 Commercial. [Online film] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c4iaetOC54 [Acessed 28/07/13]

v CJ c (2009) Diet Coke Advert - Coca Cola Commercial Alphabeat. [Online film] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d__vYP6srFI [Accessed 28/11/2014] 

alitwotimes (2009) Living with Coke ad 2009. [Online film] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvPTT-m5w1I [Accessed 28/11/2014] Read More

First topic, reducing environment impact on manufacture and use of skateboards

Click on image to enlarge

Image by Abiholt via designabi.

When mentioned about skateboards many of us think just about use of skateboard. We also need need to think about; from where materials sourced, how they extracted for manufacture. This important, because it effect our environment. 

 I will explain what users and manufacturers could be doing to reduce environment impact. I will be discussing different strategies and materials bellow. To find more information about classic skateboard which as well known as generic, you can watch this Youtube video.

As you can see in whole system system map bellow:

Click on image to enlarge

We can see that after use skateboards end up in landfill but, yet some parts could upcycled or downcycled. Parts such as bearings which made out of steel and might as well contain nylon. Trucks of skateboards as well could recycled, because they made out of aluminium. Different nuts and bolts could upcycled or downcycled too, because they  made out of low grade steel in most cases. 

Usually users throw away skateboard and recyclable parts to landfill, because its easiest thing to do. To motivate users of skateboards recycle like me and maybe even you. Retailers could follow scheme developed by company called Satori Wheels. Satori Wheels developed  scheme called "ReLife". User bring their skateboard wheels to retailers which take part in this scheme and gets their wheels renewed. They use old wheels as core for new wheels so there is less impact on environment rather than manufacturing new wheels. Manufacturer make wheels out of polyurethane which is expensive and hard to recycle.

Materials causing less environment impact are available for skateboards components which are rarely used. For wheels instead of polyurethane, manufactures could use soy. Company called "Sector 9" is selling soy wheels for few years now and have great feedback about their product. For more information about Sector 9 soy wheels you can read newsletter by Biobased Solutions.

For grip tape manufacturer use five main materials, which are; paper, silicon carbide or aluminium oxide, acrylic resin, PVC film sheet and adhesive film. To replace grip tape which is hard to recycle due to adhesive,  users could be using different grip tape. For example users could be using grip tape made out of hemp which would help to reduce carbon footprint. Company called "Ramshackel" is already selling kit for making your own hemp skateboard grip tape. To get better understanding of how make your own grip tape with their kit, look at this video

.

Manufacturers could produce boards from different materials, instead of using adhesive and wood. Boards with adhesive and wood can only downcycled into particle board. Company called "Bureo" had kickstarter project. In this proejct which they were collecting money for manufacturing boards from nets which are not in use anymore.


Conclusion is that everything is already available to us and we can reduce carbon footprint. Different materials are available to which can used for skateboards but they might be more expensive. This is good investment, because its towards less polluted environment and better lives for us all.

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About blog

This blog is part of an assessment for the DESP2075 Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Culture module at De Montfort University, Leicester.

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