Markets, Innovation & Design - Spring 2020

Habit Reflection

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Going into this semester I thought I knew what MIDE was but I was very pleased to actually get to experience a MIDE class for the first time. Over the course we covered various habits that make up an innovative character. The two that stuck out to me were childs eye and embracing ambiguity.

These two habits stuck out to me for different reasons.
Childs Eye stook out to me because it has been something I had already noticed in my own life. Since I was young I have coached a lacrosse camp for kids ages five through fifteen. After camp I would babysat my younger cousins each day. This allowed for me to really get to see how children grapple with life. I was able to pick up on a child’s eye on my own so learning about how we as adults need to put in the extra attention to maintain a childs eye made a lot of sense to me. In particular, the walk around campus was an eye opening activity and I have tried to do similar activities with just myself more often. It showed me how we often go through the motions of life without picking up on little details or asking questions. Driving through my neighborhood with my little cousin means hundreds of “whys?” And “how come?” from the back seat. This class has shown me that so much good can come from questioning things, and we all need to work on restoring our childs eye. 

Embracing ambiguity also stood out to me. This was not because I had already thought about it like I had for Child’s Eye but because it was a new concept that I knew I should work on getting better at instituting in my own life. I find that in all my classes I want to know the rubric, the checklist, or the to do list. The design process has shown me that some unknown can lead to better outcomes. Ambiguity is still mildly uncomfortable for me and I think it will continue to be but my perspective on that uncomfortable feeling has changed. I have learned that facing ambiguity in a positive way can change the outcome and how I feel about it. Currently, we are all faced with a large amount of ambiguity as we are unsure of when our normal daily life will go back to normal. I have challenged myself to maintain a positive outlook on this situation so that my day to day life in quarantine will feel better. 

Overall, this course has made me think in new ways that I know I will carry with me beyond this course. I have already noticed myself bringing in tidbits of information into conversations with my friends and family. This not only makes me realize my interest in the topic but that it is also relevant and useful information.

Quarantine Journal Update

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After making a few minor changes to the design, using my journal for some time, and sharing it with others my perspective on this project changed. I sent out the email I attached above to over 20 of my friends. Within minutes, I began receiving emails back with things that stated, “LIZA, I LOVE THIS SM!!! So up my alley! Thanks for sharing, it puts a smile on my face” or “This is so cute!!!! I’m printing it out rn :)” and “OMG THIS IS SO CUTE !! I love you! I’m forwarding it to my mom”. I saw that the prototype I created, while functional and purposeful, was not actually the most meaningful part of this project. After seeing the responses of others it made me want to send it to more of my friends to hopefully brighten more peoples days. I think so often we get stuck to patterns. We tell ourselves that emails are formal and text messages are casual when in actuality who doesn’t love to get a fun email. Or we tell ourselves that people are busy and won’t be interested. At the end of the day, we all need a few extra smiles during this time and people are interested. So many families are hurting so much and in so many ways we aren’t in control of fixing that. This showed me that while what I might be in control of, sending an email out, might be small it can help those out. If we all take control of little things that can brighten peoples days hopefully we can make these next few months just a little better. Since this realization I made a family tree for each side of my family to give to my grandparents. It was nothing crazy but it was relaxing to get my fine point markers back out and do something fun and I also knew they would be excited to get something in their mailbox from a grandchild. While I will continue to use my journal and hope some of my friends do too, I hope I continue to search for other small gestures that might bring a smile to the faces of the people I care so much about.

Prototype: Quarantine Journal

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HEYL-MIDE-PrototypeDownload

For my prototype I designed a journal that people (my friends/family/classmates) can print out and keep on their bedside table. Each morning when they wake up, they can take the journal out and write what they are grateful for, people they will call, things they need to get done etc. After talking to so many of my friends about how they feel “bleh” and unproductive I thought this journal could meet a need of our “consumers” or my friends. Although I have never been much of a journalist myself, I thought this was the perfect time to start. It was still comfortable for me since it was similar enough to my typical “to do” list but still uncomfortable enough for me to feel like I was trying something new. I thought this would be a positive way for people to start their mornings when it is so easy to get down with everything happening in the world. As I made this and named it “Quarantine Time” I struggled with the idea of handling how seriously this is impacting some people’s lives. I wanted the design and lay out to respect that but also be uplifting. I think the title is something I will continue to consider and might change moving forward. Although this is such a serious time, I also wanted the journal to bring light into my own and others lives. 

In terms of design I knew I wanted to start from scratch and come up with my own layout. Fortunately, I was able to use my concept board for a lot of my inspiration. I wanted to mimic the relaxing/outdoor vibe with this journal since so many of us feel so pent up indoors. In terms of functionality I was hoping people would be able to print this out, two per page, double sided and then staple or hole punch the sides together. Although most people have a printer at home, ink is hard to come by, so I decided to make the background white, and use as little color on the pages as I could. Since things are not easily shipped and store fronts are not open, products such as journals are not readily available. Hopefully this journal will help me feel more positive/ productive over the next few months and can help a few others out as well.

3 Concepts

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As I started this sketching stage, I started by going through little phrases in my mind. I then wrote out the word and then doodled around the word. After I wrote the word I started to think about the reading and began to question if I was following the true sketch stage. Then I remembered something said in  ‘Stage 4: Exploration / Refinement’ & ‘Stage 5: Definition / Modeling’ from The Design Process, by Karl Aspelund. Karl stated,  “Sketching is a dialogue between you, the design, and your audience”. I began to realize that this was a way for me to communicate my ideas and spark doodling. 

My first idea was the outline of a little journal page. I was thinking about making something that could be filled out by anyone each day of quarantine to remind us of what we have to be grateful for but also be a motivator. Although this one does have a lot of words, it was a mental outline of the ideas that I had kept up in my head. It felt good to get them out of my head and onto paper and it made me think through things as I drew it out. Some portions I thought I no longer needed and others were thought of in the moment of the sketch. 

My next idea, “Lift others up”, was to help me think of ways that I can help others during this stressful time. Since I know that I feel much better if I know I was able to help someone else out, I thought this would be a good way for me to give back but also think about how I could also feel more purposeful in quarantine. 

Lastly, “Go green drop the screen”, was a variation of doodles of all the screens I constantly view and all the green spaces I want to see more of. As my dog is getting older and making it around the same neighborhood loop is becoming more difficult for him, I want to find ways in which I can spend more time with him. I realize that I usually wouldn’t be home with home since I would be at school and want to make the most of our walks and hikes while I am home.

Brainstorming

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I think quarantine is such an interesting time in our lives as it has so many conflicting and confusing emotions. Everytime I work on this project I start to view quarantine as an opportunity to do things I usually wouldn’t or couldn’t. As soon as I am not working on this though, I find it too easy to constantly check the news to see if there are updates, or get down about the situation. I think the fact that coming up with so many ideas was not nearly as difficult as originally thought, shows how if we find a way to keep our perspective in a goal orientated positive mindset we could accomplish so much over the next few weeks. The things I decided to highlight are all things that I think will lead me to feeling my best and continuing to try to stay in that positive mindset. I think it is important that these are things that are sustainable and will help us strive to stay in the positive mindset. For me, many of these things are ways in which I can uplift other people or share something with others. While we are changing the way we share things with others, we can still find ways to do that.

Concept Board

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I began this concept board with the intention of creating a feeling. I started to develop that theme by choosing a color scheme. My original thought was blue, whites, bright, and relaxing. After I thought about blue, I started to think that this was too “down” and depressing and decided to do something a little brighter: green. Once the theme was decided I then decided to look for a few quotes since I thought the language would help me decide on images that reflected those feelings and ideas.

Once selecting my quotes I started to think through idea’s of things that I want to be incorporated into my quarantine time. I wanted the image to reflect these ideas and concepts but not actually show a person doing them. I was sure that there would not be any faces on the concept board as there was something creepy about that to me (aside from the baby). I tried to balance the composition by making some images larger than others, and putting bolder colors in separate areas. The layering was meant to create a sense of change and evolution. The thing that bothered me with my concept board was there was no outrageous, unique idea on there. I think as I move through this process I will do my best to push myself to think outside even the concept board. In terms of the actual content of my board, I tried to chose things that were realistic for me to do over the next few months but also things I don’t think I do of enough yet.

Constraint Map COVID-19

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The corona virus has shaken the world and has touched the lives of nearly everyone on this earth in some form or another. While this virus started as a far away problem in China, it has become a personal problem for most. Unfortunately for most learning about corona has not been difficult as it is in the backgrounds of most homes. Whether it be ABC News, Fox news, or CBS, we all seem to be constantly waiting around to stay up to date but also with the lingering hope that they will share positive news. The news being our main source of information fosters infatuation and stress but also informs the public. I started this assignment by trying to mimic the production, end user, and Designer structure. After working my way through my thoughts I came to the conclusion that in this scenario those titles are less fitting and decided to make my four main criteria, government, resources, money and health. COVID-19 has caused constraints in each of these areas in more ways than we even know yet as it is ongoing.

As I was researching prior pandemics I was met with an interesting realization. In so many ways we have come so far from these historical pandemics that occurred decades ago but in many ways we haven’t moved an inch. For instance, the 1918 Influenza, “The Spanish Flu”, was the most deadly pandemic and swept through complete towns and cities. Given the time period and lack of technological advancements, their reactions were the best they could have had for the time. However, when Bucknell decided to close school I immediately began to say how more should have been done earlier and that it should have never gotten to this point. While I realize the difficulty in controlling a virus of this sort I couldn’t believe that with so many advancements in technology we are still so far from even beginning to control the virus. In many ways I hope that a positive that can come from this are strides in this field to avoid this from occurring again. I also think we as a country need to realize our potential when we work together for a common goal. 

Social distancing has been difficult on everyone but it is something we are all doing in hopes that it will squash the virus more quickly. “Everyone” is unfortunately the wrong term as many young adults believe they are immune and therefore are not social distancing. While it is disheartening to see those peoples selfish actions, the positive ways that people have come together have been far more impactful. As my constraint map shows, people are losing their jobs, brick and mortar shops are going out of business, people can’t find basic needs like food and shelter because they can’t pay the bills without work, peoples mental health is degrading from the isolation and people’s physical health is obviously tremendously impacted by the virus. To each of these negative things, people have come back in positive ways. Businesses are going out of their way to switch over production to make ventilators, people are spreading happiness on social media, food banks are getting huge donations and so on. It is in these moments that I think we all need to pay careful attention and remember how much can be accomplished if we act together even when we have so many constraints on us. 

Inspiration Post

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 For my inspiration post this week, I decided to turn all of my lights off in my room. Open the window, lay on my futon, and do work. I never let myself sit. Just sit and do work. I quickly realized how much more relaxed I was without the lights on. I wasn’t looking around at my room or the other work I had to do. It was just me, my writing assignment on my laptop and the dark. I think when I am usually doing work in my room I am constantly thinking about whats next. I either see something that distracts me, or I decide to clean my room, or go see who is next door. Through the simple act of turning off all the lights, I realized how much more focused I was. I continued to write my assignment and come up with ideas. 

Allowing myself to focus on one thing is difficult for me but I realized that this inspiration technique is something I can do to help me focus. Not only did it help me focus and create new ideas, but it also really helped me relax. Even though I was doing work, I felt at peace with the work. I was actually alone and enjoying myself as I wrote my assignment. I think this is something I will begin practicing more.

Inspiration Week 3

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This week I decided to go to the makerspace and paint. I’ve always loved art and I took art classes all four years of high school. My first semester at Bucknell I took an art class and every once in a while my friend and I would go to the maker space activities.  Since then I haven’t done much art at all. While I usually tend to like three dimensional art, I also really like mindless painting. Once I got there I decided what I was going to paint a simple canvas. Since I wanted the painting to be more mindless and less detailed I decided to do a sunset. As I sat there I realized how focused I was able to be on the painting. I wasn’t worried about what other work I had to do that afternoon or what time it was. I was finally fully consumed by something I enjoy and find relaxing. 

After realizing how focused I was on the painting I began to question if it was actually leading me to inspiration. At first, I thought I was too focused and therefore unable to let my mind wander and be inspired. I then realized that even though my mind was focused I was still thinking. I think more than anything this exercise was a reset button for me which allowed me to destress and open up my mind to more inspiration. In general, I think art is a huge form of inspiration for me and I do not do it enough.

Inspiration Week 2

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This week I decided to foster some new inspiration by combining two things that I really enjoy, talking and nature. I asked one of my friends to get sandwiches and bring them to a spot near the river. We drove to Jersey Mikes, ordered two subs and then began discussing possible outdoor places to sit that might have a nice view. I decided to just drive around while we discussed and in the midst of that we drove by a few benches. My friend suggested that we just pull over to eat there. I liked the spontaneity of the location and agreed. As we sat I explained the premise of the project and why it is actually beneficial. My friend and I’s conversation spiraled into a very interesting discussion or the many elements of this class in comparison to other majors. 

While it is not unusual for my friends and I to grab lunch together it is somewhat unusual for us to go out of our way to find a spot outside, of campus to just sit. I think this inspiration activity was beneficial because it is a realistic activity that I can start to do more. I also liked how this inspiration incorporated other people because I think we often think that we need to be alone in order to actually think”.

Inspiration- Week 1

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When we use the word “Inspiration” we often think of someTHING that gave us that inspiration. This assignment gave us the task of finding inspiration. As I brainstormed for this activity I found myself finding things that inspired me instead of times where I can help ignite inspiration. Eventually I settled on one thing that has always been an outlet for me. Ever since I could start driving I have loved the feelings of just going for a drive. Something about the fresh air and clear roads is so freeing. A purposeless drive that simply lets your brain work through whatever it is thinking.

 On Monday afternoon I volunteered at ElmCroft, a local nursing home. I find that whenever I leave volunteering I have a mixed bag of emotions. Gratitude, happiness, sorrow, appreciation. I thought that this would be the perfect time to look for inspiration. I was already in my head thinking deeply and I knew if I went on a drive my brain would continue to do so. I decided to take some back roads but I had no goal for a final destination. At first I was too focused on the assignment and the pressure I felt to come up with new ideas. After I “gave up” I realized my brain was thinking of things on its own. I started to hone in on these ideas and think more freely. Going on drives has always been a place where I find myself coming up with new ideas, remembering things I’ve forgotten, or working through problems. I’ve come to realize that I can intentionally plan on going on drives to lead my mind to wander.

Name and Faces

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As we age our ability to make connections heightens and yet classroom environments typically become less supportive of forming new relationships. One thing that is often overlooked but can make a huge difference in the environment is knowing peoples names. Referring to each other by name creates a more comfortable environment that promotes people sharing in class. For instance, MGMT 101 forces students to memorize their classmates names and faces as students are quizzed on them. This means that by the third time the class meets they are familiar with the name of each one of their classmates and already have a higher sense of community than most classes ever reach. Something as easy as spending some time to consciously absorb peoples names when they say them can make a huge difference In the community of the class and therefore how much people are able to take away from the class. If people are more willing to share then the class will become more engaging therefore benefiting each of us. While it is easy to start a comment by saying, “similarly to what she said” or “I agree with what he said”, I will make the conscious effort to call each of my classmates by their name.