INFO 440: Lecture 2 Oct 5, 2004
Notes By: Prins, Egaas, Fortier in spirit

// What is Design \\

What is Design?
    - Elegance and solving problems
    - Conscious effort to impose meaningful order
    - It's tough!

So, what is design? (Papanek)
    - "The Planning And patterning Of any act  Towards A desired, 
Foreseeable End"
    - The conscious effort to impose meaningful order
    - Active design: Sorting pennies, baking a pie, cleaning your desk

What is design?
    - How about just the part where you imagine then figure out the details behind something
    - Imagine = Creativity
    - Figure out = Leg and brain work
    - Something = A Web information System

Where is Papanek coming from? 
    - What's his beef?
        anti-conformity
        grey areas
    - What's his angle?
    - What's his background?
    - Who is he?
        * Design guru // he has the right to speak

What is the function complex?
    - 6 aspects of function that interconnect and thought of when designing something
    - Different people like to focus on different things
    - Function = What it does (for us)
    - Complex != complicated
    - Complex = a grouping of aspects
    - When you talk about the function of something, you are talking about:
        * Its use (Use)
        * The needs it meets (needs) **USER CENTERED ASPECT**
        * The methods you use to create it (methods)
        * Its looks and feels (aesthetics) **GRAPHIC DESIGN ASPECT**
        * Your goal for it (telesis) **THE TAGLINE**
        * What else it brings to mind (associations)

What do associations have to do with design?
    - Want the associations from inside of the viewer to be displayed on the page

What is elegance and what does it have to do with design?
    - Elegance is making the complex simple
    - Example: Shell, Seagull, Joshua Tree, iPod

What is the essential thing that designers do?
    - Solve Problems
    - See problems
    - Discover problems
    - Kinds of problems
        * Puzzles (goal is to solve it; there is a solution)
        * Normal Problems (problems that people in many disciplines confront, e.g how to build a house)
        * Wicked Problems (has no solution; what do you exactly do)

What does Papanek think conformity and creativity have to do with each other?
    - They pull at each other in opposite directions
    - This causes blocks
    - Conformity with no Creativity (Military)
    - Conformity with no Conformity (Jackson Polluck)
    - Conformity with Conformity (Margrit)
    - Creativity to a new Conformity (amazon.com--set the tone)

What are blocks?
    - Barriers between you and being innovative
    - Barriers to creativity
    - Perceptual blocks
        * This and this (colors are different, cap letter and not)
    - Cultural blocks
        * Art vs. erotica vs. porn
    - Associational blocks
        * What does an image do? (Why would you "poke" an image on the web?)
            > images (art) was not touchable before 
    - Emotional blocks
        * Michael Moore cannot sell me an iPod

How does the "Arcturus" method attempt to get around blocks?
    - See yourself as an "other"
    - Notice assumptions and biases
    - Look at the "facts"
    - Look Outward
    - Practice user centered design!!
    
// Strategic vs. Tactical Design \\

What is design?
    - The part where you imagine then figure out the details behind something
    - Imagine = Creativity
    - Figure out = Leg and brain work
    - Something = A Web information System

Why would you do design?
    - Because you can’t stand not to!
        * You are tortured by your art
    - Because it amuses you
        * It's kinda fun
        * It's a hobby
    - Because you are paid to!!!

Because you are paid to...
    - Paid to what?
        * Create designs
        * Carry through on other people’s designs
    - No salary = creativity and no conformity
    - Low salary = conformity and no creativity
    - High salary = conformity and creativity
    - Legend = creativity to a new conformity!

Strategy and tactics
    - Strategy
        * In general: A plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal. 
        * In orgs: What you intend to do to reach the org’s goals
    - Tactics
        * In general: A procedure to achieve an end, an aim, or a goal. 
        * In orgs: The specific actions you take to accomplish a strategy

Strategic Design
    - You are being paid to make information systems that move the organization toward its goals
        * Creatively with conformity
        * or better creatively to a new conformity

Tactical Design
    - You are being paid to create information systems within strategy that others have formed.
        * Conformity with no creativity and you get to keep you job
        * Creatively with conformity and you lead in your job
        * Creatively to a new conformity and you get to do strategic design.