Part 1 – What does this object mean to you?
The object that I chose was a Cal mug that I bought on the first week I got to berkeley. It was one of the few things that I bought for my dorm. Because drinking water is an very important activity of our daily life, one of the meanings which this mug provide is an essential equipment that allow me to drink water in my room. Also, because I bought the mug when I first got to berkeley, this mug also stands for the starting of my new life at Berkeley. Moreover, because of the Cal logo on the mug, it also reminds me of the moment when I officially becomes a member of the Cal community.
Part 2 (Please see the attachment.)
Part 3
1. What if we looked at all objects,people,thoughts, and things in the world this way?
If we see the world in the formal steps approach (i.e. Scientific/Formal/Respresentative/Interpretative) we will find out that a lot of the objects has the same origin of forms. Moreover, it is also really interesting to see how individuals create different interpretations based on the same forms and these interpretations provide different meanings to different individuals or even to the same individual. For example, a circle could has different interpretations in our world such as a ring, a sun,etc. Also, a ring could have different meanings to different individuals. Some people think it mean commitment, some think it stands for love or romance.
2. When would we need to look at the world this way?
The formal steps approach of examining the things could come in handy when we would like to find out what emotional reactions are attached to particular items in our world. As a designer, we can use this approach to can help us to understand what a particular item means to people and how might we incorporate these meanings to our design in order to achieve our goals.
3. Has the meaning of this object changed?
Yes, the meaning of this object had changed or augmented to me after this exercise. Prior to this exercise, this mug means a daily essential container, a symbol of my new life at Berkeley and a symbol of my membership of the Cal community. After breaking the mug in different forms and different interpretations, this mug means more than these three things. It also reminds me of family, fun, and harmony, etc.