Project Process/Group Dynamics

Activity

As studying designers, this activity was created in order to challenge our way finding skills using real world ideas. Throughout the course of the project we were challenged to progressively develop a way finding concept to solve a problem around campus. During the process of creating our concept, our team split up the tasks among each member.  The paths that we were assigned to create had to accurately lead an individual from Point A to Point B without being to overbearing to the user.

Project Summary 

This project was a great way to get our feet wet in the diverse field of design. The project challenged us as a team to put aside our differences and collaborate in order to come out with a unique, yet sincere way finding concept. In the beginning we tried to brainstorm without individually coming up with ideas. That seemed to be less productive for our team, so we decided to divide and conquer. When we split up to individual brainstorm, we were able to come back the next day and accomplish much more than before. From there it was pretty much smooth sailing. Overall, this was a good project. It challenged me as a designer, and opened my eyes to new fields of design.   

Solution Ideas 

When our group first began the process work, we all decided to sleep on our ideas and then come back to class with them sketched up. This helped our brainstorming because we had an array of concepts to choose from. After we had our ideas sketched up, we decided to sleep on it again and repeat the procedure. Doing this allowed us to come up with a solid final project that consisted of mixed and matched concepts from each group member.

Team 

Evan Brown

Alex Tatro

Maggie Marrone

Zachary Hill

Beau Weber

Our team had good chemistry. Other than expected minor disagreements, we ran into hardly any problems. We worked efficiently in accomplishing our individual tasks, and worked well together when we collaborated as a group. 

Verplank

This article is full of interesting information regarding new fields of design. It is very interesting how Verplank was able to engage an audience using his impressive techniques combining drawings with words. Throughout the article Verplank provides the reader with several techniques that he has gathered throughout the years. He first mentions the “how do you..?” questions that each interactive designer should be asked: “How do you do?”, “How do you feel?”, “How do you know?”.  Then he moves on to the “Interaction Design Paradigms”: Intelligence, Tool, Media, Life, and Vehicle, Fashion.  Following that Verplank describes his Interaction Design process: Motivation-errors of ideas, Meaning-metaphors and scenarios, Modes-models and tasks, Mapping-displays and controls. In the end of the article Verplank Supplies the reader with the Process Example (“A haptic Pager”)- Error and Idea, Metaphor and Scenario,, Model and Task, Display and Control.  All in all, Verplank is well known for the connections that he has made with various different people of different backgrounds.