Rules for whimsical and delicate: Form of two squares is the basis, this angle is repeated, no 90degree angles
Rules for fierce and dynamic: diagonal direction, 0.25 inch distance between forms
Rules for safe and efficient: 0.25 inch between forms, all forms are oriented on the vertical
Fierce and dynamic:
Attack
Eagle
Wind
Political movement
Passion
Rainstorm
Black
Red
Power
Nature
Whimsical and Delicate:
Clown
Confusion
Social relations
Children
Non-mainstream
Provocative
Puppy
Youth
Trusting
Contrast
Safe and Efficient:
Incumbents
Risk-averse
Bauhaus
Architecture
Germany
Economics
Withdraw money
Public transportation
Schools
Strict order
Typical associations: Nasty, smelly, disgusting, profusion
Manipulation: I wanted to change the associations you normally have with trash bags by giving them a different form and creating a dress out of it. My unexpected object is hence a dress out of trash bags. However, if we think about the materials most clothes nowadays are made of, it comes back to chemical fibers comparable to plastic instead of natural fibers like cotton. Those clothes made out of chemical fibers are often cheaper in price, but also entail disadvantages. Plastic is not air-permeable which has the consequence that people wearing it sweat and the humidity cannot leak. The process of creating the dress was not easy as the plastic bags were really thing and difficult to arrange in the way I wanted it to be.
New associations: Nice, valuable, fancy, unique
Who is your product made for?
We decided to focus on international students who are coming to Berkeley for a semester abroad and are looking for housing.
What’s the existing problem? What’s the need of the user?
They are looking for housing from their home and need to rent a place to live without being able to visit the apartment or meet the landlord. These users need to be able to trust that they are getting a good place with a reliable landlord.
How does your design solve for it?
Our design emphasizes trust while also trying to create an enjoyable experience for the user that gives them a sense of place and community. We do this by showing the user’s connections to the landlord or former tenants as well as to people who live nearby.
Walk us through the design flow
Screen 1: The left side of the screen shows the listing of available accommodations available for rent. This listing would be ordered by proximity from the “area of focus”. And one of the touch points would be a sliding scale to increase or decrease the search radius that increases or decreases the results.
Screen 2: Circles indicate housing options and show the number of connections you have to the landlord, former tenants, or the area. The larger circles signify more connections.
Screen 3: The user can click on one of the options to expand the connections and see the paths through which they are connected.
Screen 4: This is a detail screen of one listing which the user can save or reject by swiping. Reviews from people in the user’s network about the apartment or landlord would also show here.
How do you want users to feel when they use your product?
We want users to feel excited about the place they are moving to and feel confident that they will be arriving somewhere that they will want to live and that will match their expectations based on the online listing. Our primary goal is to instill trust while also creating an enjoyable and welcoming experience for the user.
Food, I tried:
1. Vinegar
2. Lemon
3. Chocolate
Prior Associations:
1. Sour, acid, erosive, salad, wine, balsamic, raspberry, chips
2. Fresh, sour, summer, Tequila, juicy, lemonade, fruit salad, healthy, tea, garden
3. Sweet, soft, tasty, smelting, tender, unhealthy, ice cream, children
New Associations:
1. Sweet, juicy, summer, tasty, soft, fresh
2. Sweet, tasty, sugary, sweets, summer, fruits, happiness
3. Tedious, stale, medicine, unbearable,
I was really looking forward to this workshop and was curious about whether I would really taste a difference, and if yes, how I would experience it. Shortly before taking the berry, I became nervous and excited how the effect would impact my perceptions. As a result, I was very cautious when tasting the different food. I realized that my perceptions and associations regarding the food have changed dramatically after I had tried the berry. Normally before I bite in a lemon, I hesitate and shiver slightly. The sweet and juicy taste that I experienced while eating the lemon completely surprised me. And with the change in taste, my associations changed from sour to sweet and sugary. My attitudes for example towards lemons would change if this effect would stay over time. I would eat them without any hesitation and would enjoy them as much as I normally enjoy oranges. However, my perception of surprise and enthusiasm would change with frequency towards habitualness.
I love watches – not just for their purpose of pointing out the time, but even more in their role as a fashion item. A watch is a great combination of usage and aesthetics in one object. It basically exists since hundreds of years and still today it has its reserved place at the wrist of millions of people. The complexity and beauty of watches fascinates me.
I bought this particular watch during my semester abroad in Los Angeles some years ago. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of one of the best times I had in my live and brings back all those amazing memories.
I think it would be valuable for people to take a closer look at things and try to see below the surface. Owing to the large bulk of objects, people, and thoughts which surround us constantly, we are unable to perceive all aspects and settle for a superficial understanding. However, this makes us susceptible to delusions of different kinds, be it advertisements or radical, political beliefs.
Of course, such a close analysis is not pursuable for every single object, idea or person we face or meet. Hence, we need to select cautiously when it is necessary to look at the world in such a depth. I think, for instance, we need to take a closer look before we judge people based on their first appearance. Besides, we need to analyze objects and needs in detail when we develop new products or services.
For me the meaning of the object changed a little bit. By analyzing and drawing the watch in detail I became aware of all the associations that I link to it. While those associations existed already before, they have been more unconsciously.