I absolutely LOVE this book I'm reading/studying with some colleagues for our book discussion group. I wrote about it before--its called A WHOLE NEW MIND (its the one about how "right brained" and creative people will rule the future). I dont agree with all of his points, but many are fascinating. And I've been integrating into my own classes at school--particularly my creative writing seminar. He makes this point that, since we live in such a monetarily wealthy world, we really arent "wanting" for anything materialistic (he's talking about the "big" countries like China, US, India, etc...I'm sure he has no clue what happens in Chad or Belize or something) and that everything has essentially been "invented" by left-brained people. What is left to do, he argues, in order to survive in our capitalistically driven world, is create better DESIGN. Take music for example--modes in which we can listen to it change every day. First there were records. Then 8-tracks. Cassettes followed. Everyone thought CDs were the wave of the future, but they were to surely be replaced by "mini-discs." I polled my class the other day to see how many of them had a "discman." No one raised their hands, but they were all sure to hold up their MP3 players. The music doesnt change....the design does.
How did I integrate it into creative writing? Daniel Pink, the author, argues that there will finally BE these jobs for creative people (vs math, computer, or science people) in our right brained world. I asked my class: Just how many things in our left-brained world are VERY poorly designed? What could be improved upon? What NEEDS to be invented? What followed was awesome discussion, and I'm looking forward to continuing tomorrow. I started them off with some good examples of really poorly designed things. Consider:
-Traffic Rotaries: Virtual death traps. Live in Mass? Try merging into one of Augusta's new "three lane" ones.
-Barnes and Noble Parking Lot: You have to live near Disgusta, Maine to understand this one. The parking lot was seemingly designed by either a crack-baby, or a drunk frat guy POSING as an architect. It makes no sense. Lots of parking lots lack clear signs, lanes, etc.
-Basic Roads: How come the Romans designed roads that are still in tact today--THOUSANDS of years later--yet, each year, I sit in one-lane traffic while fat men fix the streets of my surrounding towns
-Newspapers: Think about it. J'ever try to read one of these things while eating at a table? They're extremely unwieldy, they fold in upon themselves, and they take up tons of room. The Boston Herald must have had some right brainers working in that office...it reads and folds like any regular old magazine.
-Presidential Election Ballots: Did you ever see these ridiculous labyrinths? Its no wonder all the retired Goldstein's, Freeman's, and Horowitz's living in Del Boca Vista had so much trouble voting. Can you imagine how American and world history would have been altered IF a right brained, creative artist was in the room when the Florida election committee designed their ridiculous ballots....and all the people who wanted to vote for Gore didnt mistakenly vote for Bush--just because they didnt understand the ballot. Look it up on line under Google images sometime. You'll see just how poorly designed this was....
NOW....examine the wonderfully designed items of this world--things that not only perform a FUNCTION, but also are aesthetically and emotionally pleasing....
-Cast Iron Skillets
-iPods
-Credit Card Art: This is a brilliant right-brained tactic. Dumb college kids (like myself when I feel for this) dont understand things like variable interest rates, percentages, etc. They like appearance. So, when I got my first credit card (a simple aqua-blue MBNA card, unadorned, with no picture on it), guess how fast I got rid of it when I got an offer from Capital One to choose from any 5 famous paintings to be superimposed on the card? I got a beautiful credit card embossed with the image of "Starry Night;"the tactic was so well designed that I almost didnt even notice the 21% interest rate on my purchases....To a lot of people, a credit card is a credit card...its free money, so what's the difference, right? Well, according to right brained people, a lot!
Its all about design. Help me and my class out....what, in today's world, is POORLY designed and needs to be improved upon? How would you do it?
9 comments:
I think gas stations are poorly designed. You can enter them from either side, so you inevitably have two cars facing each other at the pump. Then you have to back up to leave the station rather than just being able to pull through.
Also vacuums. If you get a canister, the hose will reach under beds, etc... but it's annoying to have to pull it around. If you get an upright, it doesn't lay flat to get under your furniture. Although they do have that Rumba (or whatever it's called) that just moves by itself around your house, but that's kind of creepy.
I'm not sure how I would improve these things. I guess I'll leave that to the right-brained people.
At the grocery store, in the area that you'd face while waiting in line at the register, they often have items you need but that weren't on your list and that you only think of while waiting in line... Things like shovels, road salt, umbrellas, etc. You can't leave the line to go and grab the items, so it's really too late. Boo.
Hi Jared! And Amanda and Callum and Thomas P. Cat! ♥ I love you! Also, I am trying to send Callum a Christmas present (I promise it's not a chin) and I just wanted to make sure you were still at the same address as last year?
(Sorry for the totally OT comment, but my e-mails to Amanda's old address bounce back and my subtle efforts and getting her new address have failed! :) )
Love, *Andrea
Hi *Andrea! It is so great to hear from you - yea for the blog! You can email me at: amanda@springpond.net
What is your email address?
I'm sorry to say that Thomas P has passed on. He was a sick kitty but he brought us a lot of happiness.
Yes - our address is the same as last year. Thank you for thinking of Callum and us!
Love you too!
I think they should update tolet paper. That design has'nt changed in 100 years. Why don't they combine tolet paper wit wet wipes. You would have a self contained roll that is wet, serve two purposes at one time.
more reason why ortiz needs his own blog....
I don't think as many things were poorly designed when they were designed as people think. It's more so that things' usages (and not to mention people's needs) have changed over time and also that people (or companies, or our government or whomever) aren't always looking to pay for something that serves all the purposes that each and every person are looking for it to serve. If you're looking to blame someone/thing, blame Value Engineering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_engineering).
The keyboard on a typewriter originally had a different layout, but it was so efficient that the hammers would jam because people typed so fast. Keyboards, ever since, have been designed to slow the typist down. Computers have solved half of this problem, now we can fix the other half.
WIN! I just e-mailed you from starhawk33@aol.com ::love::
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