The Art of Complex Problem Solving

I found this interesting graphic and wanted to share with you all. Hope you guys enjoy it and tell me what you think of it. Its a pretty complex diagram on how to solve problems. I thought it could be related back to how in design thinking there are many approaches.

http://www.idiagram.com/CP/cpprocess.html

Its sort of interactive so scroll your mouse over the pictures and read what pops up.

Design as Argument: Type Commands

We all use a variety of different software.  And I KNOW you have all tried typing a CAD or Rhino command into Illustrator.  Don’t lie- I know it is true and so do you.  We have discussed in class how we never really delved into what “could” be in the future, and one thing I have thought about (and wish I had a psychologist to help me do a study) is the use of type-based commands in all software.

Arguments for:  We want the quick and easy way to work fluidly between software.  Combining all software into one would be impossible, so we should standardize each one.  Typing commands into other software is embarrassing.  Icons are going crazy in all these software packages today- just give me what I want and make it easy- don’t depict it, do it!

Arguments against:  Standardizing software from different companies will never work.  People will forget the commands!  People can choose their software and solve issues on their own.

Issues/subissues/answers: The biggest issue I can think of is that we don’t know (or I don’t know) what the threshold is for memory.  We can handle the basic commands like trim, fillet, copy, etc, but can we handle EVERY tool in EVERY software like rubber stamp, burn, dodge, scissor, and eraser?  (Where is the physchologist to help me find this out?  How does cognition change from person to person?) There becomes a conflict between making a command for every tool and limiting the commands/tools.  We have all the tools designed for a reason, so why not keep them?  Those we DO have in multiple software, however, should be standardized.  Type commands in Rhino already have the ability to match those in CAD, but even “Paste in Place” is different between Illustrator and In-Design.  Why?  They are in the same adobe suite!  Synthesizing common commands should be a first priority in this initiative, and then doing a comprehensive study on the threshold of memory should be the next.

One issue with this threshold is that it will change from person to person, especially as age changes.  We are just learning all this software in school, so anything new will obviously be new to us, and we will work hard to pick it up.  We also pick things up rather quickly because we are used to new software of all kinds being release at such a rapid rate. How will this transition into the workplace?  Will it be done over time, or immediately? I suppose this is the problem with any new software, but it is particularly important here.  Possibly to aid in the transition, a plug-in can be added in either the new or old version to help those not accustomed to the type commands. That could help the threshold issue by allowing a “curve” to be added to any individual.  Of course, an index of commands would be necessary.

– Dan

Good or Bad Design?

I wanted to take a bit of a risk with my “large” design thinking activity.  First of all, I am going to combine it with a small. Second of all, I am going to take a twist/combine two of the ones from the list.  Just a warning.

I did a very extensive research into the weeHouse by Alchemy Architects.  They are pre-fabricated modules that are “designed” and then brought to a site, where the site work has already been done, and then the building is “buttoned up” before inspection.  I have attached the link (wee_designthinking) to a book that I created looking into this building from an objective standpoint.  It presents how a CLIENT designs the house given a bunch of options, and how the ARCHITECT addresses some key issues, such as siting the project (which is typically the most intelligent part of the design process on these houses).  In essence, I have combined the “real design history” and “imaginary design history” in a way because a lot is informed by reading the firm’s documents (both promotional and construction), reading other publications, and also from talking with the office directly.

As my “small” activity associated with this, I wanted to take what I learned from these houses and apply the “bad design” activity.  So here it goes!

These houses are extremely sustainable.  They are all exactly the same unit, but with each site comes new variables opportunities to make it site-specific and environmentally friendly!  Imagine putting one of these homes on campus, much like the SolarD house, where it can sustain itself.  We should plop it right by Walking to the Sky.  We can take one unit and place it underground.  The dirt is probably still loose from all the renovations they did there, and it will let the ground itself act as a thermal barrier for the home.  We can use another unit, turn it so it stands vertically, and use it as a stair shaft to get to the house below.  It will not only be a unique architectural statement, but also help to mimic the famous pole sculpture itself if done correctly!  If we want to be really adventurous, but highly useful, we can make a braced frame (attached to the vertical stair unit) cross Forbes, and place the house units on it, and then put another vertical unit on the opposite side, giving us the much-needed pedestrian bridge.  We all hate waiting at Forbes/Morewood to cross, any only a few are brave enough to play frogger further up Forbes to cross.  In addition, it would be best to use the most amazing materials possible for its construction.  While the set of “typical” materials is great, it would be FANTASTIC if we used so much glass that the walk across Forbes is like walking on air…and the steel moment frame.  The steel meeting glass would be an AMAZING detail, and we could use local materials to get it done.  However, because we are at CMU and like to utilize resources and strengths from all over the world, we should have it built at the Qatar campus and ship it over.  The transportation costs is NOTHING compared to what we will gain from having this structure built. This could be the most site-specific approach to using these houses at CMU and will be extremely beneficial.  Just the thought of all the site work that will need to be done is making me overjoyed!  But rather than do it for something useless like that statue, or for the plumbing, we can do it to gain a sustainable house, a pedestrian bridge, and a statement.  What more could you ask for? (aside for a non-preposition to end this post).

 

Extended Design Analysis

I decided to compile my final studio project from starting analysis to final design, and then comment on the stages of design. The project lasted about 2/3 of the semester and needed to include a multitude of program and more site conditions.

Kuntz Large Analysis

Desk Design Requirements

For my final small exercise I decided to analyze something I interact with every day, a desk. I found it interesting that the one of the most impacting variables is the cost. Not that I was surprised by money impacting a commonly sold item, but the span of its reach. Appearance was affected by all but two variables as well or appearance affected the other variables. Size relates to weight but there is a seperate catagory of desk size which could be different from the total desk size. Size can relate to the ability for the desk to adjust, but it could be the legs that adjust or the table size. I think that when designing the desk a designer focuses on a single initial aspect; table size, amount of storage, movability, storability, useability. Then from these the design funnels until it hits the other aspects of the design.

~Kevin

Designers and Books

A useful website for all who may be searching for something to read, over the break or next year: http://www.designersandbooks.com/.  A site of books recommended by designers and architects from around the globe. You see who recommends what; you can look up books by subject, etc. It’s a who’s who of designers… Dolores Hayden has criticized it for being to object-fixated, but that’s our culture today.

Design Requirements Analysis: Flooring

Since just about everyone seems to have done one of these, I thought I’d try it out.  This method seems to be very effective for quantifying information in order to represent comparisons quickly. However, I would question it’s accuracy for actually using it to design. Complex relationships between the factors of decisions can, indeed, be represented by boolean values if we abstract them to such, but that does not mean that that boolean value is equivalent to the relationship it represents. How could it be?

Then again, maybe the helpfulness of this method is not in the result, but in the thought that goes into it. It doesn’t make that much difference if I decide that the relationship between warmth and social precedence is a 1 or a 0, the important thing is that I’ve considered that relationship, and that my analysis of of that relationship will play a part in my decision about flooring.

 

On the Spot Designing

This is for Dan Burdzy and my exercise.

Out of the Box

For this exercise I decided to try and find the other uses for a brick. To get started I began thinking about what I would think of the object if I had never seen one before. The exercise prompt mentions using the holes in a brick as places for things to grow in. Thats a great idea, but why just store things on an outdoor level. I could put it on my desk and use it as a combination paperweight/pencil holder. If the brick was less rugged(dirty looking) could they be stacked to store water or other liquids.  Keeping in mind the holes in the brick what if they were stacked on edge and the holes were used as apertures. The regular spacing and sizing could have multiple different lighting conditions.

Brick as a Weapon

What about a brick being used in things besides as a building unit. A brick could be a thrown, could be a more dangerous version of football. Just like jai alai using an acrylic ball. It could be a weapon, either held or thrown. How about a nut cracker. Seems like a lot of uses for a blunt object and smashing things with it.

If we look at less violent and force-driven uses of the brick we open up a whole world of artistic possibilities. As a unit the brick is modular and can be positioned in many ways, so a brick may be best used as a part of a whole. Shifting the orientation of the brick could be a method of creating with it. Stacking or arraying. The list can go on and on. This is only a small step in the direction of how an item can be used in different ways. After doing some research on the subject of object analysis, a method that I find works is doing it in four steps.

Step 1: Empty the mind of ideas

Step 2: Group items into Common themes

Step 3: Consider object Properties

Step 4: Force Connections

From this a considerable amount of uses can be easily discovered and may lead to some very interesting ideas.

~Kevin

Design Process (long term): a concept for a time management tool

During this fall semester I did a project whose main goal was to create a product capable to help academic people manage efficiently their time.

To better understand the problem, it was necessary to do some literature review. The articles analyzed allowed me to discover some trends that have been observed regarding time management subject.

During the research process, it was also important to interview people and observe them by doing Contextual Inquiry. The goal was to find out how people manage their time, especially those with multitasking (personal and professionally speaking),

All data collected was summarized in several models, which were important to generate the affinity diagram. This last one shows that people talked manly about 4 subjects: Calendar, E-mail and Requests, Rules and Strategies, Tasks and Prioritization. Each one has insights, breakdowns and some ideas that users think it would help their daily life.

After, I looked at similar products in the market to learn from their strengths and weaknesses. Since the focus of this product was mainly on Calendars, Tasks and Notes, I selected products that covered these features.

Gathering all these results, I envisioned an application mobile (time management happens everywhere, in any context), flexible (people want to have their own strategies and rules), simple (people do not want to waste time managing their time) and ubiquitous (people want it to be synchronizable with different tools). This vision was the basis for drawing a low-fidelity prototype, which has simply three main areas: Calendars, Tasks and Notes. This is synchronized not only with electronic tools, but also with physical artifacts. Admitting that people are always going to use post-its, paper notebooks and paper sheets, this application provides the capability of taking pictures (or record a video/audio) and adding them as events, tasks or notes.

After the paper prototype created, was time to test it with users. Think Aloud sessions were conducted, which is a low cost and quick method that allowed users doing a quick exploration of the ideas presented, as a way to understand how usable it was.

The scope of the project ended with Think Aloud session. However, there were many insights that should be considered in the future solution. For example, some problems were caused because users’ behaviors and thoughts were based on other applications they already use. There are different approaches to resolve this specific “problem”, but it has to be tested in an iterative process.