The 11th Hour

The human’s capacity to survive is solely based on our intellect however it is our intellect which has created a culture which has detached us from nature. This statement is rather contradicting for humans ARE a part of nature. The need for oil is repressing the general population from being fully aware of the consequences of what they are contributing to – global warming. I can’t believe how hard it is to persuade people to do the right thing. It is a common sight to see litter floating around any corner of any street. It’s unbelievable how people cannot make the linkages. It was said that an individual can be intellectual however on the other hand people are stupid. This reflects the 11^th Hour’s perception of people.

“Corporations are the weapons of mass destruction” was a statement which hit hard for I had never thought about it that way. Consumerism IS destroying the planet and consumerism is a product of corporations therefore individuals must stand together as people and as people we must turn the hierarchy which holds corporations at the top upside down in order to save the human population. As mentioned earlier it is our INTELLECT which helps us survive, not our dumb witted sheepish behaviours of being sugar coated by corporations’ prime time advertisements. If nature were an economy it would generate $35 trillion worth of in one year, which is a staggering amount. Green power MUST be the source of a new economy.

As industrial designers we must live up to our new role as “culture generators”. We must create a new culture of environmentalism where people ARE aware their actions relative to global warming, and the “waste making system” must be reverted to a “cradle-cradle” system. We must make products last emotionally and discard consumerism.

Charette - Group Design + Refection

The child's toys attachment allow the kids to play with this chair and around it as if it safely without disturbing adults at dinner. While playing it can integrate into their learning through spelling and interaction improving mental awareness. As the child grows it will remember fond times it has spent with its parents setting up the blocks before dinners hence ill create emotional attachments. In the future the blocks can be removed, and the chair can be used normally. If even after growing up the child will be still attached to it, they'll keep it for they're own kids to use and play with.

Polyurethane Foam found in puzzle mats that are an ideal material for it is flexible enough to slot onto the chair. It's also soft soft so:

-it won't hurt children

-won't hurt adults if stepped on

-strong enough to last being continually handled by kids

Reflection

This task has revealed that it is indeed possible to make all products have a longer life if done correctly. The idea to integrate a new design into an existing one successfully will be challenging however rewarding. It would be much easier if a product were to last on its own without having accessories to go along with it, however it would benefit the products life cycle. Contrary to this is that new tooling systems must be made for the accessories and more logistics must be considered which in turn might even cancel out the fact the original product's life has been extended.

The group collaborative session, I believe was very constructive for it seemed as if it were a scaled down professional design studio. It gave a better atmosphere than working on a project alone.

If I were to design a chair from scratch the most important thing i believe is to know what customers what in their chairs and what they dislike. From this we can derive solutions for these problems and from hence forth a design procedure of ergonomics, market research and further developing can take place.

F

Charette - Concepts

Psycho-Socio - Attachment

This is a design which will allow the users bottom to gradually create a personal engraving into the silicon clip-on cushion. This will generate emotion for it is an original grooving of the user.

Physio-Attachment

This back and shoulder support is designed to slip on the back of the Stefan chair to provide protection from its hard and harsh surface.

Problem Resolution 1

Create a more flowing, curved design. It would be 3 components which will be slotted and screwed.

Problem Resolution 2

Create a main slot for simpler home assembly. It would be slotted then screwed together.

"OBJECTIFIED" Reflection

“Objectified” has revealed to me as a designer the importance of designing products which will allow users to deeply connect to the products they buy through “emotional energy” as mentioned by Chris Bangle. This connection will in turn create layers of meaning within that product whether it may be culturally, personally or socially. Hence sentimental value of the design will increase over time and it will become part of the user, reinforcing their perception of themselves, truly reflecting who they are.

Contrary to the previous ideology, many of today’s current products lifecycles are one of superficial ignorance. Products are ever growingly becoming thoughtless and are creating more and more waste in landfills for they are constantly being replaced. As designers we must be able to minimise waste by reducing/removing unnecessary components. Using APPLE as an example they have reduced the iMAC’s components vastly i.e the keyboards extruded frame provides multi functions such as mounting and stabilising. This is a key issue in evoking sustainability in any designer’s mind.

As designers we must our designs must be “beautiful, innovative, useful, understandable, honest, unobstructive, long-lived, consistent in every detail, environmentally friendly and simple to be a GOOD design. Through these different aspects we can allow users to pour their emotion into the design in their own way as mentioned earlier. We [designers] must “know people more than they know themselves” in order to achieve successful designs. If products make people think “of course it’s meant to be this way” it will help the product “STAND AGAINST TIME”.

Designers are now perceived as “culture generators” so it is our responsibility to provide for a better future for humanity. The “true value” of design is to “SURVIVE” and in order to do so we must provide designs which will allow users to deeply connect with products so they do NOT wish to dump them and hold onto them and cherish them.

Ecological Footprint

I think I need to reduce the size of my footprint.