Annie Leonard - The Story of Stuff

Materials economy, it's all about being green and recycling. Doing our part in society to prevent any further pollution to the world, but how many of us actually do so? People may be aware of these problems but from the lack of knowledge, they are unable to act.


After watching Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff, a more important and critical issue is brought up that makes recycling look like a simple obstacle to hurdle over. The main problem is consumerism and society's subconscious push towards consumption. I buy energy saving light bulbs and do my part in recycling, so does a lot friends and family however like previously mentioned the main problem lies in consumption. Notice how I said "I buy energy saving light bulbs" ? Even recycling has been turned into a market of consumption. This vicious cycle tends to be fuelled by what Annie Leonard describes as 'perceived obsolescence' where trends control consumption. Theoretically: Once a trend appears we as consumers will flock towards it and succumb to the appeals of said trend, once a new trend appears the old is discarded and repeat.


Annie Leonard presents a linear idea that pretty much maximises the use of any resource from extraction right to disposal and recycling. Not to sound pessimistic but this is but a mere dream that is almost impossible to achieve. This conclusion is based on the fact that many products are made in ways that render them almost impossible to be recycled. What are we to do to keep this world from plummeting into a deep hole of consumption and irresponsible waste disposal?


From this video, it has shown me that we as designers must help prevent said problems. Society's push on consumption will never cease as almost every single business strives on the consumption of their product by us consumers, however we as designers can make a large difference by two ways. Firstly we must acknowledge and research resources that allow possible recycling and/or reuse. Secondly we must create products that would give the consumer a type of emotional attachment that will keep them from disposing the product.

Don Norman - Emotional Design

So I watched this talk given by Don Norman about emotion in design. Now you’re all probably thinking, what the hell is emotion in design? Fair enough, I had no idea either until this white-bearded old man explained it all in a humourous and entertaining manner. But who is Don Norman?

 Don Norman is a founder of the Cognitive Science Society and is an expert in… yep you guessed it (even if you didn’t its quite obvious) Cognitive design. He is widely considered as one of the first designers to incorporate cognitive science (emotional responses) to design.

“Is that a good way to play pingpong? No, But is it fun? Yes!”
“This is a car that has lots of faults, buy it anyway. It’s so much fun”
“That’s my new life, it’s all about fun!”

As you can see, Don likes fun. But what does this have to do with design? You’d think Don explains it all but he goes off in a further tangent about fear. He explains a reaction called ‘Depth first processing’ where we focus more when we’re either in fear, anxiety or even happiness. Ah… So this old man knows what he’s talking about and everything relates! Don then goes ahead and proves to us that with ‘Depth first processing’ we as humans are able to solve problems easier and be more creative.

“It turns out, when you’re anxious you squirt neural transmitters in the brain which focuses you, makes you depth first. And when you’re happy, what we call positive valence, you squirt dopamine into the prefrontal lobes… you’re more susceptible to interruption, you do out of the box thinking”

A quick summary: Being happy, fearful or anxious makes you more creative and focused. It’s as simple as that?

Well that’s what goes on the minds of designers, but not everyone is a designer so what about the consumer?

Don examines the 3 levels of emotion and design:
VisceralIs instinct, and how we instinctually react to certain aesthetic factors including, colour, choice of typography and shapes.
Behavioural
Is the factor of the design that gives the consumer control. User interfaces, controls and general interaction with the design is under behavioural design.
ReflectiveReflective design is about ego and about how the consumer wants to be seen while using, engaging or interacting with the design.

My personal opinon on this talk? Don Norman is an amazing designer and truly a genius in his realm of design. I’ve only just heard about him, watched and listened to his talk for the span of 12 minutes and already am I an avid believer of his work and theories. He presents ideas and theories that not only have I not heard of (in relation to design) but continually expands and inspires my design capabilities. I believe his theories could be applied to anything in life and not only design. When we’re happy, we are more creative and focused. Artists, writers, novelists, musicians whatever the occupation, as long as it involves problem solving and/or creativity, take into account Don Norman’s words.

Not only was his talk amazing, the way he presented it was interesting. He was very enthusiastic and eccentric about his work which was passed on to me, making me as enthusiastic and eccentric about design.

His 3 levels of emotional design is definitely something that I, myself cannot discard or ignore when it comes to future projects. Incoporating Don Norman’s theories, I believe, will improve my work and allow me to have a deeper understanding of design aswell as be able to analyse design in a more in-depth examination. Long story short, I am amazed at how this one man can broaden my mind so much, in a span of 12 minutes.

‘easy.

David Kelley - Human Centred Design

The year is 2002 where the phone tooth, wireless headset and colour therapy lamps (Really? Colour therapy lamps?) are the inventions of the year making headlines and reaching technological milestones. However in the city of Monterey a conference called TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) is in progress where the founder of IDEO gives a talk about how design’s direction has been shifted towards human behaviour and personality.

David Kelley presents a few projects that he believes are evidence of how design is becoming more “human centred”. Each project displays how each designer including David Kelley, created their project with a focus on human experience and interaction.

What interested me the most was the design of a Prada store. I believe the tags and scanning devices were novelty and unneccessary in their attempts to create a store with a cultural role. The liquid-crystal glass although not first used in the store, proves to be one the most innovative designs throughout the project. Bringing privacy control technology into retail removes a lot of factors that hinder the customer from enjoying their shopping experience whether it is walking in and out of the change rooms or questioning if each change room is occupied.

The focus on human experience is also clearly evident in the project of the Spyfish. The idea behind the project is to give the user a scuba diving experience without actually scuba diving. This device I believe, would be more suited towards research purposes rather than retail. Although I don’t think it was intentional, this design has shown me how each step is important in finding the most suitable conclusion in the design process…including marketing.

And finally, we have Approtec. This company/project gave me a really different perspective and insight on the importance and relevance Industrial Design has in the world. Approtec manufacture very basic products that allow Kenyans to grow crops in the off-season. In doing so this provides tens of thousands of Kenyans with new jobs, crops to grow and sell, and the best thing about it is that Approtec is a non-profit organisation. From designers creating basic tools, poorer countries like Kenya can now provide work and food.

I strongly suggest anyone to watch this video, not just designers. The video provides much insight into what, why and how designers are moving towards human centred designs and it presents a different perspective on the importance of Industrial Design.

‘easy.