Studying and Designing Technology for Domestic Life

Studying and Designing Technology for Domestic Life

Author: Tejinder K. Judge

Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann

Published: 2014-09-26

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 0128006145

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Conducting research and technology design for domestic life is by no means easy. Methods commonly used in the field of Human-Computer Interaction in settings like the workplace may not easily translate to the richness and complexity of domestic life. This book documents new ways in which researchers are studying domestic life, as well as designing and evaluating technology in the home. Each chapter is a candid discussion about methods that were successfully used for research studies with a focus on the challenges that the researchers faced and the best practices they learned. - Discover new research methods for exploring family life and evaluating and designing domestic technology. - Learn about the challenges in designing for and studying domestic life from experts in the field. - Read researchers' candid stories about what works and what does not work in practice. - More information available at the companion website: http://lessonsfromhome.org/


Smarter Homes

Smarter Homes

Author: Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino

Publisher: Apress

Published: 2018-07-15

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1484233638

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Over the past 100 years, the home has been a battleground for ideas of future living. Fueled by the electrification of cities, the move from the country to cities, post-war recovery and the development of the internet, the way we live at home (alone or with others) has changed beyond recognition. Science fiction writing, the entertainment industry, art, and modern interior design and architecture movements have also contributed to defining our aspirations around a future and now more present and possible ‘smart’ home. From the decade-old smart fridge that tells you if you have run out of milk to smart speakers that let you shop hands-free, some visions of the ‘smart’ home are yet to excite us while others are becoming a reality and will shape how we will live at home very soon. This book breaks down the historical, societal and political context for the changes in focus of that ‘smartness’ from affordability, efficiency, convenience to recently experimentation. These key points in time include: The development and marketing of electrical appliances in early 20th century War-time design the impact of military ergonomics Modernist interior design and building practices of the 1920s The space race and new materials of the post-war era Compact urban living in the 1960s & 70s Connected home entertainment in the 1980s-90s Phones and mobility in the 90s Smart energy & utilities in the early 2000s The internet-connected fridge in 2000 Remote care in a global world economy The sharing economy and new ways to shop at home Invisible ‘smart’ design in the home The second half of the book breaks down what current developments tell us about what our homes will look like in the next 10 years through the lens of spaces, services, appliances and behaviours in our homes. What You'll Learn Understand the historical context for current ‘smart home’ products Understand the social context of home product development Understand what in home technologies are being developed Understand what products are currently available Understand what behaviours are being constantly leveraged Understand how this may affect longer term market trends for consumer products Many new and innovative products are being developed in the consumer and industrial spaces with a copy-paste mindset based on following larger businesses such as Amazon, Google and Apple. Many opportunities in the homespace however will come from understanding the history and multiple players that have contributed to the development of the home in general. For everyone working in product design and development, in R&D or in trends research as well as for everyone interested in the IoT for the home, this book will be a valuable resource and an enjoyable read. This book will give product business owners ideas about what has been done before and and avenues for future development.


Life and Death Design

Life and Death Design

Author: Katie Swindler

Publisher: Rosenfeld Media

Published: 2022-01-11

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 193382008X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Emergencies—landing a malfunctioning plane, resuscitating a heart attack victim, or avoiding a head-on car crash—all require split-second decisions that can mean life or death. Fortunately, designers of life-saving products have leveraged research and brain science to help users reduce panic and harness their best instincts. Life and Death Design brings these techniques to everyday designers who want to help their users think clearly and act safely.


Simulation and Its Discontents

Simulation and Its Discontents

Author: Sherry Turkle

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2009-04-17

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0262012707

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How the simulation and visualization technologies so pervasive in science, engineering, and design have changed our way of seeing the world. Over the past twenty years, the technologies of simulation and visualization have changed our ways of looking at the world. In Simulation and Its Discontents, Sherry Turkle examines the now dominant medium of our working lives and finds that simulation has become its own sensibility. We hear it in Turkle's description of architecture students who no longer design with a pencil, of science and engineering students who admit that computer models seem more “real” than experiments in physical laboratories. Echoing architect Louis Kahn's famous question, “What does a brick want?”, Turkle asks, “What does simulation want?” Simulations want, even demand, immersion, and the benefits are clear. Architects create buildings unimaginable before virtual design; scientists determine the structure of molecules by manipulating them in virtual space; physicians practice anatomy on digitized humans. But immersed in simulation, we are vulnerable. There are losses as well as gains. Older scientists describe a younger generation as “drunk with code.” Young scientists, engineers, and designers, full citizens of the virtual, scramble to capture their mentors' tacit knowledge of buildings and bodies. From both sides of a generational divide, there is anxiety that in simulation, something important is slipping away. Turkle's examination of simulation over the past twenty years is followed by four in-depth investigations of contemporary simulation culture: space exploration, oceanography, architecture, and biology.


Designing Your Life

Designing Your Life

Author: Bill Burnett

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2016-09-20

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 110187533X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.


The Laws of Simplicity

The Laws of Simplicity

Author: John Maeda

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2006-07-07

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 0262260956

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Ten laws of simplicity for business, technology, and design that teach us how to need less but get more. Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design—guidelines for needing less and actually getting more. Maeda—a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer—explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on. Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: Accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products—how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful."


Mismatch

Mismatch

Author: Kat Holmes

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2018-10-16

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0262038889

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How inclusive methods can build elegant design solutions that work for all. Sometimes designed objects reject their users: a computer mouse that doesn't work for left-handed people, for example, or a touchscreen payment system that only works for people who read English phrases, have 20/20 vision, and use a credit card. Something as simple as color choices can render a product unusable for millions. These mismatches are the building blocks of exclusion. In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion, and how design can also remedy exclusion. Inclusive design methods—designing objects with rather than for excluded users—can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all. Holmes tells stories of pioneers of inclusive design, many of whom were drawn to work on inclusion because of their own experiences of exclusion. A gamer and designer who depends on voice recognition shows Holmes his “Wall of Exclusion,” which displays dozens of game controllers that require two hands to operate; an architect shares her firsthand knowledge of how design can fail communities, gleaned from growing up in Detroit's housing projects; an astronomer who began to lose her eyesight adapts a technique called “sonification” so she can “listen” to the stars. Designing for inclusion is not a feel-good sideline. Holmes shows how inclusion can be a source of innovation and growth, especially for digital technologies. It can be a catalyst for creativity and a boost for the bottom line as a customer base expands. And each time we remedy a mismatched interaction, we create an opportunity for more people to contribute to society in meaningful ways.


Reimagining Design

Reimagining Design

Author: Kevin G. Bethune

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2024-02-06

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 026254847X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity: lessons from a Black professional’s journey through corporate America. Design offers so much more than an aesthetically pleasing logo or banner, a beautification add-on after the heavy lifting. In Reimagining Design, Kevin Bethune shows how design provides a unique angle on problem-solving—how it can be leveraged strategically to cultivate innovation and anchor multidisciplinary teamwork. As he does so, he describes his journey as a Black professional through corporate America, revealing the power of transformative design, multidisciplinary leaps, and diversity. Bethune, who began as an engineer at Westinghouse, moved on to Nike (where he designed Air Jordans), and now works as a sought-after consultant on design and innovation, shows how design can transform both individual lives and organizations. In Bethune’s account, diversity, equity, and inclusion emerge as a recurring theme. He shows how, as we leverage design for innovation, we also need to consider the broader ecological implications of our decisions and acknowledge the threads of systemic injustice in order to realize positive change. His book is for anyone who has felt like the “other”—and also for allies who want to encourage anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-ageist behaviors in the workplace. Design transformation takes leadership—leaders who do not act as gatekeepers but, with agility and nimbleness, build teams that mirror the marketplace. Design in harmony with other disciplines can be incredibly powerful; multidisciplinary team collaboration is the foundation of future innovation. With insight and compassion, Bethune provides a framework for bringing this about.


Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School

Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School

Author: Alison Hardy

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-10-01

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1000179761

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School is a core text for all those training to teach design and technology in the secondary school. It helps you develop subject knowledge, acquire a deeper understanding of the role, purpose and potential of design and technology within the secondary curriculum, and provides the practical skills needed to plan, teach and evaluate stimulating and creative lessons. This fully updated fourth edition includes information on all areas of design and technology, and on new subject requirements relating to exam qualifications. It includes three new chapters on the role of critiquing in design and technology education, transitions after secondary design and technology, and using and producing design and technology education research. Designed to be read as a course or dipped into for support and advice, it covers: Each area of design and technology: materials, textiles, electronics and food Integrating new curriculum topics, such as emerging technologies, into your teaching Developing areas of subject knowledge Health and safety Planning lessons Organising and managing the classroom Teaching wider issues through design and technology Assessment issues Your own professional development. Bringing together insights from current educational theory and the best contemporary classroom teaching and learning, this book will prove an invaluable resource for students on all training routes – as well as their mentors – who aspire to become effective, reflective design and technology teachers.


Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School

Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School

Author: Gwyneth Owen-Jackson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-05-15

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 131766499X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Learning to Teach Design and Technology in the Secondary School is established as a core text for all those training to teach Design and Technology in the secondary school. It helps you develop subject knowledge, acquire a deeper understanding of the role, purpose and potential of Design and Technology within the secondary curriculum, and provides the practical skills needed to plan, teach and evaluate stimulating and creative lessons. This third edition has been fully updated in light of the latest curriculum, policy and theory, as well as exciting changes in the field of design and technology. Designed to be read as a course or dipped into to for support and advice, it covers: Developing areas of subject knowledge Health and safety Planning lessons Organising and managing the classroom Teaching and learning with digital technologies Teaching wider issues through design and technology Assessment issues Your own professional development. Bringing together insights from current educational theory and the best contemporary classroom teaching and learning, this book will prove an invaluable resource for all student and newly qualified teachers – as well as their mentors - who aspire to become effective, reflective teachers.