BTMW Time Motion Communication
Posts tagged Brian
Laws of Simplicity: Life Reading Response
Brian
Life:
At the closing of the book, Maeda brings up a point about technology that I have also noticed - that sometimes it can be counterproductive, and a disabler. As much as new technology strives to make things simple, they also invent new ways of doing something that may or may not be easier than the previous method. For instance in TMC, roughing out an information architecture for Moxie is very important, and being a design student our first inclination is to open Illustrator and go to work, however, cracking open a sketchbook and putting pencil (and eraser) to paper is much more efficient for this process. The moral is that technology is not the end-all method for doing something the right way.
We sometimes forget that the most simple way of doing something sometimes does not involve a computer, or an iPhone, or any other digital device. As a designer I think that this observation is very important in the creative process, so that we constantly are working with ideas that are relevant and efficient and are not dependent on one particular delivery / type of media.
Laws of Simplicity: Ch. 9 + 10 / Keys 1, 2, & 3 Reading Response
Brian:
(entrance to W+K Portland- 100,000+ thumbtacks)
Ch. 9, Failure
In this short chapter, Maeda speaks on the possibility of failure. Sometimes, no matter what you do to prevent it, failure will happen, and that is okay. There is a lot to be said about failing, as well as a lot to learn. Many people are very concerned about competition, being the best and looking the best, ripping styles and copying ideas, and by doing so they don’t learn a thing at all. Letting yourself go through with an idea that may fail is in essence venturing into uncharted personal territories, where you have no personal experience to rely on. This forces you to learn and take note, and overall, this experience forces you to try new things. They may not turn out to be the best, and that’s okay, because that’s not what we’re here for.
Ch. 10, The One / Keys 1, 2, 3
Maeda highlights key points in his book and brings to light a few real world examples where complexity and simplicity are used hand-in-hand to provide a better experience and end result for the people. Google seems to be doing this the best, as their method of “remote computing” is taking off, with Docs, Wave, Voice, and Mail. The idea that you can access any of your documents, and discussions, or any email from any computer in the world, is more powerful than any top of the line computer out. The idea of storing data “far far away” is more than likely something we will be seeing a lot more of in the future as personal computers and programs become increasingly more bloated.
The power of open source is also another great example Maeda speaks upon. “Openness simplifies complexity” - the idea of open source / open knowledge is extremely powerful, where now there are an unlimited amount of users contributing to the solution to a problem, as opposed to a closed-source select few. With platforms like Linux, and interaction such as API’s, designers and developers are now creating completely custom experiences utilizing frameworks of larger, stable, tried-and-true technologies. The ‘collective mind’ mentality of this movement is definitely a powerful thing.
Laws of Simplicity: Ch. 7 + 8 Reading Response
Brian:
Ch. 7, Emotion:
Here John Maeda speaks about simplicity, and how for the most part, simplicity can be considered ugly, in the sense that it shows no warmth or emotion. For the most part, simplicity brings emotionless design, where things have been stripped of anything extra, exposing the cut-and-dry most efficient way of displaying the object. This often makes for a very cold experience for the user, and if it is a product, the need to accessorize it. There is a universal human need to better express emotion, which is sometimes forgotten about with great design.
This chapter is especially meaningful to our group as we are dealing with something that is very emotional and important, and it most certainly requires the need to show emotion, and to have a sense of comfort. As Maeda states, “The true challenge is achieving comfort.”
Ch. 8, Trust:
Trust is something that does not come easy or quick. It’s something that acquires over time and in increments. Trust is the quality of leaning back and enjoying something for what it is, and it is important for us in this project, especially with the topic of health, to pay close attention in creating something that the audience can trust. “We can only truly relax when we trust that we’re in the finest hands and are treated with the best intentions” speaks volumes to us as a group in this project. While having complex visualizations is a very important aspect, I feel that gaining the trust of the user is just as valuable.
With the acquisition of trust also come power. Once you’ve gained the trust of someone, you possess a power of persuasion. This is also an important aspect when creating an experience, and as a group through our design and development, we have to make sure that power is balanced equally between the user and the experience. We want the user to feel as though they are in the right hands, and at the same time that they do have a say in what they are submitting to.
Tom:
LAW 7 Emotion
Meada poses the other side to simplicity, the side that non-designers and modernists see. Simplicity tends to have a rather cold emotion to it’s presence. His analogy about designers simplifying an object to it’s core compared to a sheep that has been fleeced strikes the question: is simplicity the cause for making objects so cold? We as consumers feel the need to decorate and accessorize our “naked” electronics with a sense of human warmth as Maeda puts it. Modernism was the design movement responsible for the rejection of the unnecessary decor of objects, leaving them emotionless and cold to some. Great design should produce clear messages while also taking comfort into consideration.
LAW 8 Trust
Trust plays a major role into our concept of creating an application that will guide the patient back to health and educating them along the way, all while making them feel comfortable in it’s “hands.” We only truly relax when we know we are in the best hands possible, and that knowledge is key to trusting technology. The more faith our users of our application have in it, the more they will continue to use it. The more our system knows our patients, the less they have to think.
Laws of Simplicity: Ch. 5 + 6 Reading Response
Brian:
Ch. 5, Difference:
This chapter, Maeda touches on differences. Differences between visuals, audio, and touch, and explains that the reason why we feel a particular way about something is contributed by it’s difference from other similar things. We have learned how to appreciate something better when we can compare it to something else. It is a fundamental aspect of awareness; seeing the difference in things and making a choice based on what we feel.
There is a clear economic benefit to adopting a strategy on simplicity. In a world of complexity, simplicity offers an easy and less complicated solution. However, without the presence of complexity, simplicity would not be as soothing. Without one, you definitely cannot have the other.
Ch. 6, Context:
The context of items and their surroundings are just as important as the focus on the item itself. Realizing an object or entity’s context helps to understand the actual object in question. Here Maeda makes an analogy to a light bulb vs. laser beam. While a laser beam is focused with great precision, it leaves its surroundings completely in the dark. A light bulb illuminates it’s surroundings, while still shining a focus on it’s main target. I think this is important to keep in mind once pushing on in this semester as to not lose focus of our context, as it will allow us to get more complex with our visualizations, and we can rely on our context to simplify things.
John Maeda also speaks about the use of white space, and as a designer this use of white space is more than likely intentional. A banker or writer may see white space as something that is incomplete, or unused. However, as a designer, the use of white space is a tool in that it funnels the audience into a specific area without actually telling them where to look. When there is less we appreciate everything much more. White space allows the foreground to stand out from the background.
The last part of this chapter struck a chord and makes complete sense to me. While complexity implies the feeling of being lost, not knowing what to make of this complicated object, simplicity implies the feeling of being found. What is most important, though, is finding the tradeoff between being completely lost and completely found, without influencing the audience to the point where the true value of the experience has vanished. The user must explore on their own, but that’s not to say there can’t be supplementary assistance along the way.
Tom:
LAW 5 Differences
Chapter five discusses the ways complexity and simplicity need one another in order for us to recognize them all together. The idea that we would never know what was simple if all we knew was complex creates a relationship between the two that must met. Maeda speaks of a rhythm that exisits between simplicity and complexity, and refers to two paintings, one being an all black canvas and the other - a Jackson Pollock interpretation. Both express complex and simple emotions however, if they were combined, the variety would keep our attention prolonged through the rhythm of their differences.
LAW 6 Context
Maeda brings up a good point about focusing on the “nothing” as a designer. What may seem to be most important might shadow over everything else surrounding it. He made a great analogy of a light bulb acting as an illuminator for everything around itself, verses a laser beam which only enhances one single point. It brings up the same ideas of lateral thinking, one will more likely strike oil by drilling several holes laterally rather than drilling one all the way down (thank you Douglas Higgins).
The end of the chapter touches base on keeping it familiar without getting boring, and maintaining the unknown without getting lost. We as designers are in tune to simplicity, using this in large amounts can create a feeling of being too lost. Balancing complexity and simplicity to create what Maeda states as being “comfortably lost” is the key to developing that rhythm mentioned in chapter 5.
Will:
Law 5 / Differences
John Maeda touches base on how complexity and simplicity counterbalance each other. Among all of the business cards he has received over the years he speaks of a specific card that he received from a designer named Mori Hiroaki. Even though the card has no setemental value to him he has kept this card over all the others because it is completely different from anything hes seen. Nothing he has seen has the same size proportion or characteristics.
This is a great example to explain how simplicity and complexity help counterbalance each other, even in a marketing world. Certain people prefer certain object for their simplicity or complexity. For instance, my father like to use a Macbook Pro as his leisure computer. He typically uses this for checking e-mail, listening to music, and watching movies. However, when he is doing something work related he cannot use anything else except for a PC. He says that the functions he uses on a PC does not compare to a Mac, which is completely understandable.
Law 6 / Context
In the first part of the chapter, Maeda discusses the difference of “focus” and “narrowness”. Like his laser and lightbulb comparison, designers need to include the details that are left in the shadows of what might seem the most important thing. Such as influences in design. In a personal perspective, surrounding influences are a big part of my design. The outcome of my design all depends on my current mood, music selection, and my ratio of up and down time.
Maeda discusses the use of white space and its importance. White space is a necessity in good design. Have a balance of white space and content on a page will help guide the viewer through the design. In the same way it could invite chaos, the way white space is used could support an idea of the design. We use white space for the same reason we keep our personal spaces clean, it morally keeps in higher spirits and puts in a better mood.
Towards the end of the chapter, Maeda speaks of the feeling of complexity and simplicity (relating complexity to the feeling of being lost and simplicity to the feeling of being found). This could be related to how Moxie is set up. Within the complexity of all the different sections of the proposed application, it is simplified with the hub which makes it easier to navigate through the complexity. One thing that pops in my head not mentioned by Maeda is splitting up the complexity into various sections making it simlistic.
Laws of Simplicity: Ch. 3 + 4 Reading Response
Tom:
We view time as an obstacle in our way to achieving what we want, when we want it. Businesses see time as a constraint that can be cut to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. To cope with the waiting process, knowing how much time is left or has passed is a much more comfortable way to wait. We do this by shrinking time constraints and masking the appearance of time, such as the standard progress bar our computer products grace us with to ensure something is happening, and it will be done in a specific time. “Knowledge is comfort and comfort lies at the heart of simplicity” Knowing how much longer in the quickest way possible provides us with comfort.
Difficult tasks come off easier when they are on a “need-to-know” timeframe. Learning works best when, there is a desire to learn. The more difficult something is to learn, and the more we want to understand it, the more motivated we become. Once we understand the basics, repetition drives simplicity, complexity compliments simplicity but doesn’t consume it, inspiration kick starts the learning process, and more repetition instills it.
Will:
Time is an emergent concept that arises secondary to the presence of motion and forces. Whether it is updating an iPod or taking the bus to work, were always waiting for completion. Even tracking a package whether if it were sent or being received by the recipient. In general, everyone likes to have control of their time. In some cases, such as the post office, it seems like it takes forever to get through the line in mid-afternoon. This can be caused by many things such as the environment; post offices are usually host an environment that isn’t welcoming for lengthy visits. Most of us like to get in and get out as fast as possible.
Waiting time = opportunity time
opportunitiy time = lost time to do valuable work & use creativity to put into value
Brian:
Time is one of the most important elements in the simplification process. In our daily lives we are constantly waiting for things. Waiting in line, in traffic, waiting for a call, etc. Anything to do to improve the waiting process will generate a better and more liked experience for the user. As Maeda explains, even the illusion of saving time is also key. If something appears to save time, the experience seems shorter, more tolerable, and simpler.
The desire to learn provides the best learning experience possible. It’s the drive to attain a specific knowledge that aids in a thorough learning process. Inspiration, as Maeda states, is the ultimate catalyst for learning. He takes a very Taoist approach in saying “internal motivation trumps external reward”, which I completely agree with. Obtaining knowledge is far greater than an external reward, and actually, the knowledge obtained represents the recognition of progress, which is infact a reward itself.
