Office Depot

1. I observed Office Depot which markets to adults ages 30-50, who work in an office, and those who own small businesses.

2. a. Before I walked into the store, I noticed that Office Depot is traditional business feel. There are no extravagant displays and they do not entice the consumer with their outward appearance. Office Depot is a plain brick building with sliding doors. Even the sign communicates consistency and professionalism; Office Depot is written in a bold text.

b. Once inside the store, the sounds were of displays of new technology and sales pitches by the associates roaming the store. There weren’t blasting the latest music, like a store that targets a teenager. It was still a professional feel.

c. I was rather not impressed with the display of the merchandise. There were no sales displays to intrigue the customer. The product had to create interest and the sales associates would sell the product. It resembled a warehouse feel, with parallel shelves and aisles and boxes of merchandise stacked under a display model. The merchandise was cluttered and mostly unorganized. This may be the result of the wide and deep selection that they offer.

d. The floors were unfinished cement and dirty. This added to the warehouse feel.

e. The signs were made of plain white paper and black text. Some sign were just taped to merchandise, while other signs were attached to the shelving units.

f. The cashier area was cluttered by impulse merchandise and old flyers and specials.

3. Office Depot tries to project the image of professionalism without wasting the customer’s time and money on gimmicks. They are straight forward with their merchandise and have a “warehouse” theme. They carry many products and therefore don’t feel the need to sell you something specific with outrageous displays. There aisles are consistently placed and not meant to attract the customer, only to hold the product. The building isn’t completely finished or carpeted like one would find at a Best Buy.

4. Almost all the merchandise had display models in which the customer could try out. The design did not lead you through the store as it does at say IKEA. If a customer was not looking for a specific product it would be hard to browse around the store because of its lack of focus.

5. I found it interesting that Office Depot could sell to a professional business base while maintaining a cluttered, “warehouse” feel design. The variety really sells this store because everything you need for business is in one place.

Retailing Question

According to the article, shoppers are influenced by the positioning of merchandise. How influential do you feel this is on the shopper’s willingness to buy? Can positioning really change the success of a business?

Laura's Question:

Do you believe that the mapping of a store has influence on your shopping habits? Or do you, the consumer, know what you are looking for and it is a mere matter of finding the item within the store? Is it moral to manipulate consumers by product placement, or effective marketing?

Paco's "butt-brush" theory is that a women's product that requires extensive examination should not be placed in a narrow aisle. Does this make sense? Clearance racks are often the most shopped region of the store. they are also usually crammed next to each other and often in shambles. But this goes against Paco's theory. Why do women still shop in clearance racks?

The mapping of a store does have an influence on purchasing. There are certain stores that I feel more comfortable in and I have more of a willingness to buy. If I am in a store that I am not used to or feel like I don’t fit in I will most likely leave the store as soon as possible. This fits in with Paco’s theory of time relating to purchasing - the less time I spend in a store, the less I am likely to buy. Also, I don’t seem to notice the items at the front of a store until I am leaving the store. This means that Paco was right in theorizing that there is a cool down for walking speeds.

Clearance racks pose a completely different issue. With clearance, there is a new incentive to buy: finding that perfect item for an extraordinary price. There is the hunt and the battle through the clearance racks. Since items are sold for less money, there is an excuse for messy racks and crowded spaces. It is a different kind of shopping, meaning there are a different set of rules.

Ezra's Question:

This article talks a lot about people's tendencies to touch, or pet articles of clothing before purchasing them, so therefore stores place items on tables to make this action easier. The author explains that this is because we tend to eat, and pick up food on tables, but why are these two actions related? When we sit down to eat, do we poke and prod our food before consuming in the same way we evaluate a shirt or pair of jeans for comfortability? What is it about touch that is so critical in our evaluation of a product?

I found this concept very interesting when I read the article. This is the way that my mom shops. To buy something she must be able to touch it. She will feel items that she is not going to buy, like when she is just walking through a store. I was always curious about this when I was younger, but now that I am a buyer I do the same thing. This does not have anything to do with the way we eat, as Paco believes. I think that we, as the consumer, need to make that first impression with the product, a connection to what we may own. It’s our way of sampling the product. Since the consumer doesn’t just look at the product, they wear it, touch it, live in it, they need to know what they are getting. And the retailer does a great job of letting the shopper feel out a product.

Pitiful Packaging

1. Packaging serves several purposes:

Protecting the product – Packages are necessary for fragile items that cannot be shipped, stored and displayed without proper protection.

Easy storage and distribution – It’s easier to store and distribute boxes than the actual product itself.

Deterring theft – Many packages have security sensors to protect against shop lifting. If a product wasn’t packaged, wouldn’t it be easier to steal?

Displaying the product – Barbie dolls would not look as cool if they were not displayed so well in their packages.

2. The articles suggest that packaging design is wasteful and not environmentally friendly. Many products have too much packaging resulting in waste. Plastic bags are not necessary when there are ways to reduce excess. Consumers can use reusable bags and producers can use more simplistic recyclable packaging. Producers can also start to utilize packaging that can be recycled immediately by the consumer, meaning it is something that the consumer can reuse for something else, like a sturdy container, not just something that has only one purpose. This would reduce trash. Germany’s plan creates a good incentive for producers to consider their packaging problems and might influence them to design more reusable packages.

Packaging

1. To what extent is packaging important in marketing a product? Give an example of how a package influenced your decision to buy (or not buy) something.

We buy based on the packaging. When we do not have any prior judgments about a product the only judgment we have the first impression, the packaging. The consumer notices a design that is unique, one that doesn’t fit in with the others. I buy makeup based on design. A makeup product has to jump out at me to be noticed and then I decide if it fits my needs. Makeup needs to grab the customer’s attention because there is so much competition in the makeup aisle.

2. What other products have iconic packaging?

Apple’s packaging is simple and clean. It is not flashy and obnoxious, just sophisticated. The consumer will recognize an apple product right away from the Apple symbol.

Gaming systems also use the same packaging design concept as Apple. They are sharp and sleek. Not only is the packaging designed, but the system has a package – the design of the game consol. The system is displayed and in the eye of the consumer all the time. The consumer must relate the size, shape and color of the consol immediately with the brand.

Expensive water bottles have iconic packaging. An Evian can be spotted from across the room. A Fiji water bottle has a design that is unique to the water bottle industry; the square design is something that was never utilized before this product. It is amazing that with so many water bottling companies, only a few are distinct from the classic design.

High end makeup has a specific iconic design that is associated with the product. I will not go through them all but some examples are Clinique, Chanel, Estee Lauder and MAC.

3. What usability issues exist for packaging? Give examples of particularly good or bad packaging from a usability perspective.

Bad examples of design packaging include toy packaging that can’t be opened even by an adult. Some things that have too much packaging – why so much paper, ties and plastic? There are jars that can’t be opened and bottles that prevent the product from coming out.

There are some packages that you want to keep after opening it because you like the package so much. This is a good design. Products such a shampoo have packaging that is used with the product, so there is no wasted material. Makeup has good packaging most of the time because the packaging is essential to the usability of the product.

websites that suck

1. How does the reading relate to the concept of user-focused design that we have discussed in class?

Webpages have to be constructed for the user, just like products have to be constructed for the consumer. The author himself had design issues. Many of the sites that the author uses as examples I have never heard of, therefore his points lacked evidence. As he mentioned, his page was really long, I scrolled through and wouldn’t have read it I didn’t have to.

2. What points do you feel are most important?

The goal of a website is to communicate information. There are three ways that the line of communication can be severed or there can be miscommunication. The author’s sixth point, navigational failure, can completely confuse a user. It is like driving on a highway with no signs: you know exactly where you want to go but you have no idea how to get there. I have experienced this while surfing the Kalamazoo website. I know the specific information I need, but I cannot find it and do not know how I got to it before, so I spend ten minutes looking for information and ten seconds reading it. When the user cannot even find the information, there is no way that it can be communicated. The user gives up and finds a better website. Similar to this is the second point, being able to figure out the goal of the website in four seconds. If the user does not know what the purpose of the website is, they probably do not care about it and will move on. If the user cannot figure the website out, then they will conclude that it is not intended for them. If a website has too much material, the tenth idea, like when the scroll bar is a millimeter long, then there is too much to communicate and therefore a lack of communication. Certain information needs to be emphasized or linked on different pages. The user will not read one long page, will not even want to skim one long document and will move on. Even if the information is great, the user will still not receive it.

3. Create your own list of important design factors for a webpage.

• Simple

• Organized
• Easily understood

LAYOUT:

All Pages:

• Name, motto, and logo with adequate description of function
• Colorful, intriguing images and text
• Search bar at top
• List of all topics in website displayed with categorized keywords

Categories for links on all pages:

• Home
• About us
• Contact information
• Location
• Other specialized links

Home Page:

• Recent news
• Overview of website
• Goals of website

BLOG

I was recently browsing my classmates’ blogs about our design intelligence class.

First I read Brandon’s blog. He wrote about the design of common everyday objects in his dorm room. This relates to the book we read earlier, The Design of Everyday Things. It is interesting that after studying design in class, we so readily analyze our possessions.

I then read Naufal’s blog. He discussed the design of new products and technological advances. He mentions the iPhone, which I don’t really know much about and it was interesting to read his analysis. Naufal also wrote about the design of a camera, which was the subject of my design analysis paper.

Finally I read Laura’s blog because it was another obscure connection to the design world similar to my post about marketing. Laura wrote about merchandising. I have learned a little about merchandising while studying marketing. In DECA, I competed in the Apparel and Accessories Event which has a merchandizing aspect. Design is necessary in merchandising to persuade the customer.

Marketing!!

Making a good design is only half the battle. For a design to impact society, it needs to be marketed. Without solid knowledge of the product, customers cannot utilize the product to its full potential. There are four principles of marketing: product, price, place, promotion. The product deals with the design. This is what I have learned about in class. Price is the value that the product is exchanged for. Without a proper price, the design will never reach its target market. Place refers to the distribution of the product. The chain of distribution follows this order: manufacturer, (agent), wholesaler, retailer, consumer. The promotional mix is advertising, sales promotion, publicity, and personal selling. All these together display the design of the product and inform the consumer about the product. This is just a sneak peek into the world of marketing, there is much more out there!

peer blogs

I recently read some blogs of my classmates in design intelligence. i first read laura's blog.

She read the article, "All About Yves," which is about the design industry and how companies value design. i was attracted to the article because laura mentions apple, a company that we have talked a lot about in class. Also, the article was from the magazine Fast Company, a magazine that i am familiar with from my marketing class. This article was very relevant to our design intelligence class because it deals with concepts that are new to our discussions.

I then read Robert's blog.

he also chose an article from Fast Company. His article, "how to design the perfect product," fits in perfectly with our discussions. this article fits in well with the book we read, the design of everyday things by donald norman. they have the same principle, analyzes design and finding perfection.

Pushing the Boundaries of Design - BusinessWeek

I recently read this article from the June 12, 2007 issue of BusinessWeek titled, "Pushing the Boundaries of Design." This article is very fitting of our class because it looks at the basics of design and how design has changed over the years. I found the first paragraph very interesting because it was able to grab my attention.

"The Frisbee. The escalator. Reinforced concrete. These very different inventions share one thing in common: They weren't invented exactly—each was borrowed from an unrelated field. The flying toy was inspired by the metal pie tins of the Frisbie Baking Company that college students of yore tossed for fun. The escalator was originally conceived as a Coney Island amusement ride. And reinforced concrete was first patented in 1848 by a French gardener trying to develop a better flowerpot."

not only did this article do its job by grabbing my attention - one example of good design - it also mentions aspects of design that we have not discussed in class. this is the idea that design can come from an origin that is not obvious and not suspected. Not all design needs to be planned precisely.

"A good manual for a complex product should usually include at least FIVE distinct sections: Reference Guide, Tutorial, Learning/Understanding, Cookbook/Recipe, and Start Here. The single biggest problem with most bad less than stellar manuals is that they're usually only reference. But even with the best index on the planet, a reference guide suffers from one huge mother-of-an-assumption: that the user knows exactly what to look up!

A reference guide, no matte@��
�����<���y correct and concise and clear and all those other referencey goodness attributes, does virtually NOTHING to get me out of "P" mode if I don't even know what (or even that) I should be looking up."

This passage is from the essay by Kathy Sierra titled: How to get users to RTFM.

this passage was particularly interesting to me since i often find myself in this scenario:

i have some information i wish to find, a term i need to look up, a process i need to do, or a burning question. naturally, i go to the index, a place locate the information i seek. all of a sudden its like i am in a snow storm - my keywords that i thought were perfect are failing me. the information cannot be found because the index is lacking detail, specifics or there is just a lack of index. i am out of keywords, and out of patience for this guide. so i scan the material, maybe its a manual, of course that takes an hour because it is 5,284 pages long. i learn a lot of other interesting things but i never find what i am looking for and the manual has failed me. but i feel that i have failed me because i am so frustrated.

design requires mapping and usability. the design of many references fail by the standards of Kathy Sierra, Donald Norman and the user. indexes and manuals are designed just like products, they complement the product and are part of the package. manuals are an extension of customer service, it is the company's first contact with the consumer. when the manual's design fails, the product also fails because the consumer can not use it properly.

good product!

i have found a product that i feel is successfully designed. The design of nail polish is simple and has stood the test of time. over many decades of use, this design proves to be uncomplicated and user-friendly.

Firstly, everything necessary for using nail polish is contained in one product. the polish, the container, and the brush are nicely arranged and very usable.

constraints are used in this product's design. there is no way of losing the brush because it is attached to the lid of the bottle. it is impossible for someone to store the container without the lid and the brush.

this product somewhat provides mapping and feedback. the brush is the right size for the nail, mapping and constraints.

nail polish is knowledge that is in the head and not in the world, so the user must know the basics.

ALARM CLOCKS

alarm clocks are probably the most difficult product to deal with and yet crucial to my life. if alarm clocks are so necessary, then why is their design so complicated and not user-friendly?

it seems that when i buy a new alarm clock it takes a while for me to get used to it, like a month or so. in that month i am making critical mistakes, like not knowing how long the snooze is, or that i accidentally turned it off, or that i sent the alarm for p.m. instead of a.m.

one design flaw is the buttons on a alarm clock: they all seem to be the same size and shape and most of them do several functions. with mapping, the clock would be so much more useful. also, the buttons that seem to be the vital are located on the side of the clock, hidden from the user. these buttons are the volume for the alarm, and the type of alarm.

originally, alarm clocks had one function: to wake up the user and a specified time. now, they have too many functions for one to even utilize. clocks change colors, play the radio and mp3's, display the date, and have multiple alarms. what happens when the wrong alarm is turned on? speaking of alarms, new clocks now have the power to have separate alarms for different days of the week. i would find this very useful if i knew how to do it.

feedback is the most important part of the alarm clock. say you've set the correct time, and the correct alarm time, but you don't know if the alarm is turned on? how would you test it? you could wake until the alarm time and see if it works, but then it could be too late.

constraints could be used to prevent common mistakes, such as setting the wrong a.m. or p.m. for the clock or the alarm, or turning off the alarm when the snooze was intended. i don't know how these constraints would work, but it would definitely improve the design.

sadly, i bought an alarm clock for school and now i don't even use it. i find it so much easier just to use my cell phone as my alarm clock.

EGG

Over the weekend, my friend laura and i decided that we would build and container that would protect our egg, robert, from from the (almost) deadly fall from Dewing hall.

First, we brainstormed possible ideas for the egg protection. we decided to make a structure that had many protective layers. We originally wanted to make a gel encasing around the egg but then decided that cotton balls would be better. following the cotton balls was a plastic cup, this provided the sturdiness needed for support of the egg. then there was a soft layer of plastic bags, surrounded by a cardboard kleenex box. the kleenex box was placed in a bigger box filled with newspaper to reduce the force of the impact. finally, our design was complete.

now, we tested our design. in our first attempt the egg was dropped from the second story of dewing hall and onto grass and dirt. it survived! then we took a risk and tested our design by dropping onto cement instead of grass. our design was successful yet again! then we tested the protection with just the kleenex box, plastic bags, cup and cotton balls as protection. our design was effective in protecting the egg!

sadly, then our egg took one for the team.... the cup and cotton balls were just not enough to save our friend. spencer threw our egg with the minimal protection and then we learned the limits of our experiment.

the design of everyday things, chapter 2

today i was reading the design of everyday things by donald a. norman. i found this book very interesting when i read the first chapter, although i wasn't as impressed when i read the second chapter. i was having a hard time relating the second chapter, "the psychology of everyday actions," to what i had read previously. i did in fact, finally find something on the last page of the chapter that interested me.

the chart titled, "2.7: using the seven stages to ask design questions," reads:

"how easily can one:
determine the function of the device?
tell what actions are possible?
determine mapping from intention to physical movement?
perform the action?
tell if the system is in desired state?
determine mapping from system state to interpretation?
tell what state the system is in?" (53)

Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books. 1988.

this checklist sums up the book. if a designer took these questions into serious consideration then there would be less bad designs in the world today. this assessment is the backbone of a great design. this could also be used as a questionnaire for consumer testing. these questions would give wonderful feedback to improve the product exactly where it is necessary. this was also interesting because i love organization and checklists.

hi, my name is kelsey. i'm a freshman at K this year and i'm taking the freshman seminar design intelligence. i'm really excited about the class! i love to analyze design. i have a strong background in marketing so i've been thinking a lot about the class from a marketing perspective. i'm also taking microecon, so it relates in a business aspect. i'm glad i get to gripe about products that are sub-par, because i love thinking about the solutions. i think that the book is interesting and has good examples to support of the author's beliefs.

later!