Project Three: project construction

Pictures from the assembly stage for prototype model letters.

Project three: What language looks like

For project three, our group chose the word "displace" which is defined as follows:

dis·place/disˈplās/

Verb:	Take over the place, position, or role of (someone or something). Cause (something) to move from its proper or usual place.
Synonyms:	remove - shift - move - supersede - replace - dislocate

Project Two: final

Our final Make It Better product was a solidly constructed fly swatter with a comfort grip handle, a solid plastic shaft, and a smooth head. We added a metal frame that folds the head into a scoop to provide a clean fly disposal. 

The project was influential in helping me to understand the issues, difficulties, and
focus that goes into object design. What appears to be a poor design may in fact be
simply ineffectual, not designed to its potential. It is much easier to find the problems
with a design than it is to find ways of fixing the issues. Our group worked well together
in our decision making to determine what the focus of our new design should
be and everyone did their part in bring the project to a completion. Several times
during the project, I found myself unclear on what was expected of me and my group
for each classtime, a confusion shared by my group. However, I am satisfied in our
ability to overcome difficulty and determine what was expected of us.

Elisabeth Barnes

Examples from BDS 103

As we continue moving further in BDS 103, Drawing for Design, I am finding the different aspects of design drawing to be continually more interesting. The past two weeks have introduced the concept of orthogonal drawings, those that show a plan or different design aspects of an object such as a side or a cross-section.

 The plan, elevation (side), and cross-section of a water globe. The slight pencil lines show the relation of one view to the next.

















The plan and three elevation views of a book.

The plan and two elevations of an iPhone.

The plan and two elevations of a stapler.

Interviews round two

Once our initial prototype was complete, our group conducted another series of interviews, this time to determine what people liked or disliked about the improved design.

Interview One;

1: What is your impression of the design?

A: Definitely an improvement, more attractive and interesting.

2: Do you think this design is an improvement of the original?

A: Yes, especially with the addition of the scoop.

3: What is the best aspect of the new design?

A: The added scoop for disposal.

4: Is there an aspect that may need to be improved?

A: Perhaps the design could be safer, particularly if children will be using it.

Interview Two;

1: What is your impression of the design?

A: It is better

2: Do you think this design is an improvement of the original?

A: Yes, definitely. The appearance of the design is a significant improvement.

3: What is the best aspect of the new design?

A: Definitely the scoop

4: Is there an aspect that may need to be improved?

A: Perhaps if the shaft were made from Plexiglas, or a stronger material.

Interview Three;

1: What is your impression of the design?

A: Very nice

2: Do you think this design is an improvement of the original?

A: Yes

3: What is the best aspect of the new design?

A: The handle is more comfortable and makes gripping the fly swatter much easier.

4: Is there an aspect that may need to be improved?

A: The head of the fly swatter should have holes for an aerodynamic advantage.

Interview Four;

1: What is your impression of the design?

A: It looks better than most fly swatters

2: Do you think this design is an improvement of the original?

A: Yes, especially when it is compared to a normal fly swatter

3: What is the best aspect of the new design?

A: The scoop is the definite advantage

4: Is there an aspect that may need to be improved?

A: Maybe there should be holes in the top.

Interview Five;

1: What is your impression of the design?

A: The design is geared toward comfort

2: Do you think this design is an improvement of the original?

A: Yes

3: What is the best aspect of the new design?

A: The addition of the scoop makes the design much more multi-functional

4: Is there an aspect that may need to be improved?

A: The slits in the head

 From our interviews, we determined that the scoop and the more aesthetic aspects were what people considered to be the best additions to the new design. From this point, we focused on making the design more attractive by reducing the size of the scoop and more functional in it's performance. 

Elisabeth Barnes