Markets, Innovation & Design - Spring 2020

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  • ASSIGNMENTS
    • Individual Assignments
      • Breaking Norms
      • Mind Map – Marketing
      • Individual Presentation – Innovation
      • Mind Map – Innovation
      • Individual Presentation – Design
      • Mind Map – Design
      • Draft Mind Map – M+I+D
      • Room Creation
      • Tea Light
      • Unstructured Inspiration
      • Directed Inspiration
    • Team Assignments
      • Marketing Strategy Analysis
      • Marketing Strategy Analysis – Client
      • Post-It Challenge
      • Constraint Map
      • Converged Concept Board
      • Converged Site Prototype
      • Final Site
      • Final Site – Client Manual
      • TEAM 1
      • TEAM 2
      • TEAM 3
      • TEAM 4
      • TEAM 5
      • TEAM 6
      • TEAM 7
      • TEAM 8
  • Design Challenge
    • Constraint Map
    • Concept Board
    • Brainstorm
    • 3 Concepts
    • Prototype
    • Test & Iterate
    • Habits Reflection

3 Concepts

May 7, 2020 by Jabril Mohamed Leave a Comment

The sketching process was fun for me because I got to visualize the activities that I plan on engaging in while in quarantine. I separated them into health, productivity and entertainment as those are three subjects fitting to the actions listed.

Within the health sketch I first drew smile more because smiling is an action that requires minimal work with an outstanding impact. Sometimes all it takes a smile on your face to get you out of a bad mood and it can go a long way. I also sketched out getting sleep and eating healthy because those are two things I really want to see be prioritized moving forward. I also included running because that has been something that has helped me clear my mind and re-track my focus.

The productivity sketch helped me visualize activities that will be keep me engaged in my learning while also working on myself as a person and student. It’s important to dedicate time to finding ways to improve in areas because you see a bigger picture in who you are at that current state. Reading more books and listening to ted talks has been beneficial personally because I can extract the knowledge provided and find ways to apply it to my life situations.

The entertainment sketch is a very important aspect to consider while in quarantine because as humans we should be having fun and enjoying life because you never know what the future holds. Personally I wanted to re-channel my focus on things I didn’t get time to really care for during the school year and even pick up on old childhood activities like skateboarding.

3 Concepts

April 12, 2020 by aks020 Leave a Comment

The first of my concept designs is a grocery store delivery service. I think during this time there are a lot of people, especially of older age, that do not want to go to any public spaces like a grocery store. My design is very similar to the DoorDash or UberEats business model, except it would be much more strict on the deliverers. The drivers would be expected to clean their masks/gloves after every use as well as to wear clean clothing. If a driver fails to wear a mask/gloves, they will be banned from the app. My design’s function is to create a delivery app for groceries which it does so. In terms of reliability, the app is pretty contingent on supermarket cooperation in order to know which items are in stock and their prices. Another point of vulnerability is that there is no way to be sure that the deliverer washes their gloves/clothes/mask after every use. The app would be extremely easy to use as are other food delivery apps. I think the concept does reflect proficiency as the buyer is at much less risk of being infected.

The next concept designs are the hazmat suits. For my first design, it seems as though as long as Supreme puts their name brand on any clothing item, it will sell. People may buy fashionable Hazmat suits not so much to serve the function of germ protection, but to own an interesting artifact/conversation starter from this time period. I chose to create the mountains design to ease the tension of the implications/perceptions of wearing a hazmat suit. It also is suppose to reflect the theme of environment that I’ve discussed in the previous assignments: more people have been exposed to the natural world outside during this time period and pollution has decreased. One threat to these suits is that no one buys them because our situation doesn’t quite call for this extreme. However, they are creative and may change people’s perspectives on wearing a hazmat suit when in a public place.

The last design I created exhibited listing items on my Ebay through drop-shipping and reselling. I’m lucky that I already have a well established Ebay account to utilize and I might as well take advantage of this platform. In the past, the model/agenda that I’ve drawn has been effective but I’m unsure if the current state of the economy will affect this. There is very little risk with drop-shipping items as you only purchase the item once it is already bought from you. I think my access to an established platform along with the increase in online orders may work in my favor during this project.

3 Concepts

April 9, 2020 by Zack Yoelson-Angeline Leave a Comment

My first concept is a rough schedule I can follow every day. I realized it’s much easier to pass time when there’s some sort of routine to follow. I made sure to emphasize sleep, since that’s what allows me to be productive during the day. I made sure to also put the things I want to do after the things I have to do to encourage myself to be productive. Its a highly usable schedule due to its simplicity, and its also functional. The concept emphasizes getting into good habits that I can follow when we come back to campus and later in life as well.

My second concept is a list of pre-bedtime reminders I can put on my door. Sometimes when I’m in a rush to get to bed I’ll forget things like leaving my wallet and keys in the same place and feeding the cat a little more so he won’t wake me up in the middle of the night. This concept list can save me a lot of time to focus on my own my own physiological needs (through more sleep), as well as more time to work towards self-actualization. As my routine before bed changes, I can easily switch out sticky notes to reflect that.

My third concept is my envisioned setup for a work space which will further push me to be productive. Having a schedule is definitely useful, but if I don’t have a good place I can go work, it’s hard for me to stay on top of things. This design is definitely usable and functional as a diagram, but I’ll want to add more to the space later once I see how it actually looks. I want to try to spend at least three hours there a day being productive even once classes end. By modeling what I think want in the work space, I can get creative with how I lay out the items. I’ll also be able to make edits before putting the plan in motion.

3 Concepts

April 8, 2020 by Emily Chopoorian Leave a Comment

My first concept (numbered) is a money goal that I have set for myself. I was very sad that I had no income coming in since I was not allowed to leave the house for work. Instead I found several ways for myself to stay busy while still making money online. I plan to make at least 50 dollars each day using solely online platforms. The first platform I am using is a running app that pays you to take steps. I downloaded several of these apps so that for each day I could make 10,000 steps, the equivalent to 8 dollars. This would allow me to make almost 80 dollars each day with the number of apps I have downloaded. However, After the first day, I realized that with the work I have to do that this would be a little difficult. So I looked for more ideas. I began taking online surveys each day as well as selling my old clothing, technology, and textbooks online. Additionally, I decided to look for more influencer jobs, ideas to create a website or business, etc. All of these activities combined relate to the hierarchy of needs and the design hierarchy of needs as these activities are functional, reliable (thus far), usable, increase my proficiency, and finally allow for me to be more creative, finding new ways to make money or start a business. This will increase my self esteem bringing me closer to self-actualization.

My second concept has to do with communication. At the start of quarantine, I had not been communicating with family and friends that often. Now, we have scheduled weekly facetime or zoom calls to keep in touch. I did not think that this would affect me as much as it did. For myself, this satisfies my need for love and comfort. With this, I am better able to carry on to the next level on Maslow’s hierarchy: self-esteem. Additionally, increased communication with family and friends will ultimately lead me to creativity on the design hierarchy of needs as long as each weekly FaceTime call remains consistent. Talking with friends and family members can be great for creativity as we can learn from each other different ways to cope with COVID-19 and to keep ourselves busy and happy.

My third and final concept is the idea of list-making. My family and I have been making lists and hanging them on the side of the fridge. Our family members with take turns putting up ideas and we will all pick one together. For example: the movies we want to watch or what board game or meal we want. This accomplishes all levels of the design hierarchy of needs as well as up until self-esteem in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In the design hierarchy, this activity is functional, reliable, usable proficient (as it is better than anything we’ve tried before as a family), and fosters creativity. We have all been coming up with very creative ideas because it has become a kind of competition whose idea gets picked. The more creative or fun, the more likely we are to choose it. Additionally, on Maslow’s hierarchy, we are brought more love and self-esteem when we do these activities and when one of our ideas is picked. Overall, each of these activities have been bringing me closer to self actualization as well as allowing me to practice my creativity.

3 Concepts

April 3, 2020 by Lucia Singer Leave a Comment

My three sketches are all very different. My productivity sketch is kind of like a schedule. It shows the changes that I would like to make in my daily schedule to increase productivity. At first I show an alarm going ogg at 9:00am because I would ideally like to wake up and get my day started then. Then, I show myself eating breakfast and drinking coffee around 10am and then going to do homework after that. This is often what my schedule looks like, but just hours pushed back. With me starting my homework in the afternoon. Then I have an arrow pointing to an easel and a paintbrush because I would like to make it my daily schedule that after I complete my homework I can move on to personal activities. The image of painting material represents anything that I consider an activity for myself, not just art, including yoga, going on walks, etc.

My second sketch is one to depict how I want to stay connected. I have a few different images to depict this. One is of my friends and I facetiming, which has had to become a more normal way for us all to communicate. Another image is my family and I sitting down at a table for a meal. My family has been having a lot more sit down meals that we have had in a while whether it be brunch or dinner. This is a great way for us to make sure that we are taking advantage of the new family time instead of spending the days in our own rooms or doing personal activities. Another image I have is two bikes together which represents ways that my friends and I can still interact in a safe way. My friends and I have been trying to find creative ways to spend time together and this includes bike rides and just walks where we are distant from each other. Finally, staying connected includes my pets. I have an image of walking my dog, because this is an activity that we both love and keeps us connected.

My third sketch is also a combination of images.This sketch is meant to have some visual representations of things that I can do during social distancing that helps surrounding communities. One image of a truck is meant to represent my helping of my mom. She is the director of outreach for a non-profit and during this crisis she is still working delivering supplies and foods to underprivileged areas. A way that I can help out is by going with her to work some days. Another image is medical masks. Due to the shortage of masks, many people are making home-made masks and I would love to help out in that way. I also put letters because there are many lonely elderly people right now who would love a note. I included an image of a care package because I know of organizations who are collecting them for those in the military with extended deployment. Finally, I included an image of a money sign because many organizations are taking donations right now to help out with the efforts of the crisis. 

3 Concepts

April 2, 2020 by Liza Heyl Leave a Comment

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.

3 concepts

April 2, 2020 by Matt Cervon Leave a Comment

I know I’m late with this post but I finally made it, it’s just been a really busy week. The first concept I want to start doing is writing down what kind of excercises I wanna do every week. It’s hard to be motivated when I wake up and don’t know what I’m gonna do that day and it gives me an excuse to slack off. If I write everything down I can write down what I owe and then every day I can do what I wrote down and finish when I finish what I wrote, not when I feel tired.

The second concept is starting my new job. I got a job with a small business that does odd jobs, and they are hiring college kids that are back from school early. I’ve been doing orientation stuff with them this week which is why I have been late on school work, but I’m eager to start working there because I need money and I need to get out, also it’s a good thing to do. One thing they’re doing now is delivering groceries to old people for free, but still paying employees, and I think that’s a great thing to do right now.

The third concept is to do things online with my friends. Since we can’t hang out in person really, some of my friends and I have been doing a lot of games online where we can hang out virtually and it’s almost like hanging out in real life, but it’s a great way to socialize and have fun with friends in these weird times. I also want to make sure that I don’t get too addicted to this, because I don’t feel good when I skip working out or push it off to play video games. I need to get the hard things done before I have fun because that makes it even more enjoyable, knowing that I accomplished something today.

3 Concepts

April 2, 2020 by Meg Coyle Leave a Comment

Throughout this time of isolation, I have decided to focus on my emotions more so than my actions. I feel that the entire world is feeling many mixed emotions of the uncertainty the world is facing at the moment. I believe that the world has been helping each-other feel united and understand that for once in a really long time, the world is collectively at a pause. Recently I have been reflecting on what actions bring out my greatest emotions. Through looking at these concepts that I could draw, I tried hard to reflect and challenge myself to do something other than the obvious. However, the reality is that my interactions are very limited to my constructed environment.

My first picture is a a visualization of a girl writing. I have always had a niche for writing short stories, poems, reflections, and journaling. As a writer, it is a relief to write, even if it never reaches an audience. I came to realization that I will never have this much down time again in my life, especially since I love to be constantly busy. I have decided a couple days ago to write a memoir on my life. A collection of short stories that I think are funny, sad, unique, and worth hearing. I have began to outline the layout of the novel and how I would put all the pieces together to bring a story together at the end that the reader didn’t realize throughout the book.

My second concept is running, the greatest blessing during such a time of isolation. The ability to run throughout different points of my town and neighboring towns has instilled so much inspiration within me. I have seen more people than ever before in there front yards, biking, playing basketball, reading on the front porch. Luckily, we have been lucky to have such beautiful weather. It allows me to physically explore and take note of my surroundings. This reminded me of the exercise when we all walked around campus alone, noticing things that we had never noticed.

My third drawing is plain and simple–laughter. Even seeing a drawing of laughing makes me smile. Laughter is a cure to this craziness that we are living in today. I can sense the fear in my peers and my family as we continue to hear negative news on channels. It is in times of fear and sadness that humanity finds ways to laugh to ease anxiety, stress. My family has been watching videos, movies, telling stories, and playing games that have brought out the best of our emotions.

3 Concepts

April 1, 2020 by ljm026 Leave a Comment

My first concept is to be more proactive rather than sitting inside all day which is an easy temptation. A very easy trap to fall into is watching TV but I want to be proactive by working out and reading. I hope to do things that will make me a better person physically and mentally. The parts of the hierarchy that this adheres to is reliability and proficiency. Having a schedule of when I can do certain things such as watch TV sets up restrictions for myself that I must adhere to. Having a plan of working out and reading will make it easier for me to be consistent with my plan. Having an actual idea of what I should be doing everyday will help guide me to being more active overall. Proficiency is also relevant because I am actively trying to better myself by being proactive.

A major roadblock that the Coronavirus has presented to everyone has been communicating with other people who we are separated from. Thankfully the technology available to us allows us to supplement social interactions with programs such as Zoom and FaceTime. Similar to Maslow’s hierarchy level of self esteem, Design hierarchy’s basic requirements relate to maintaining social interactions. Humans are social creatures and need to socialize in order to stay healthy using a video call is one way I plan on satisfying that need. It also lets us stay up to date with family and see how their health is.

One of the benefits of living at home with my family is the access I have to high quality, healthy food that I usually do not eat. At school I eat what my fraternity chef cooks for us and it usually includes some type of fried food which tastes good but is not healthy. Since I have been home I have been able to cook my own meals using high quality ingredients such as organic chicken, beef, and vegetables. Since I am preparing the food myself I also know what is going into my body so I am to control the levels of grease and unhealthy additives. The process of cooking my own food covers two tiers on the hierarchy of design: creativity and proficiency. Creativity is a major part of cooking and when I cook my own food I am able to experiment with recipes. Trying different recipes allows me to express my creativity in a way that I can test whether my creativity works (tastes good). Cooking healthier food also pertains to proficiency because my diet is making a better person than before. I feel much healthier and happy when I eat the “cleaner” food at home rather than the greasy food at school.

April 1, 2020 by Abby Hislop Leave a Comment

This assignment helped me further define what I’m going to do during this quarantine and how I’m going to do it

One of my solutions that I came up with during my brainstorm session was getting healthy by working out and eating better. On campus, it’s really difficult for me to establish any kind of routine for working out and making the right choices at the Bison. At home and my newfound free time, I’m deciding to make a physical weekly workout and meal plans on paper so I have a structure in place to keep myself focused and make a routine. This is aimed at the proficiency level of the Design Hierarchy of Needs because trying to get healthier is something I’ve attempted before, but I’ve never made an a physical, thought-out plan to achieve my health goals. This solution also taps into creativity because I plan to spice things up in my meals and workouts to keep things interesting for me and hopefully change my perception on what it means to get healthy.

My other solution that I came up with is staying connected to friends and family during this time. Of course I want to stay in touch with friends through zoom, and various social media outlets such as instagram, facebook, snapchat, and twitter, but I also want to find games in the App Store that allow for people to connect and play together from afar. This can be Words with Friends, Photo Roulette, or other games (I’m going to have to do some research) but I think it can be more fun to stay connected this way. Assuming that you have good wifi connection and friends who are willing to play these games/zoom/social media with you, this concept taps into all levels of the Design Hierarchy of Needs pretty much. These apps all function, they are reliable, easy to use, improve our efforts to communicate with one another, and is a creative solution to staying connected that can improve our experiences with friends.

My last concept is being productive, and the way I’m going to do that is to create a quiet space in my house for me to focus. Outlined in my sketch is what is going to be in my quiet space and what it requires. In the past at home, I’ve always done homework in the kitchen or around others, but I am finding that it isn’t working for me anymore and is hindering my productivity. I am going to put this space in my room, which is more secluded in my house, and hopefully this quiet space will help me focus and keep me more productive when it comes to my school work. This relates to proficiency because it is an improvement from what I was doing before when it came to studying at home.

https://mide300s20.courses.bucknell.edu/2020/04/01/39139/

3 Sketches- Faith

March 31, 2020 by Faith Reilly Leave a Comment

I enjoyed doing this exercise because it helped me further plan out my activities and visualize my goals during quarantine.

My first sketch was of my list of daily activities that I have to complete by the time I wake up to when I go to bed. I originally created a list that I would try to complete before I went to bed. Although I would find myself skipping things I didn’t want to do. I would then get to around 10 at night and realize I didn’t have enough time or energy to complete my activities. Therefore, this helped me realize that I should number the list that way I could not move onto the next until I finished them in order. This held me more accountable for my actions and helped me with time management. This relates to Stage four of Exploration/Refinement because this helped me with the observing and testing part of my exploration. If I had not done this, I probably would not have come to the conclusion that I needed to number my activities and use sticky notes to peel away the activities as I complete them.


This second sketch is of my phone screen time since being in quarantine. I am really upset that I have let my phone consume this many hours of my life. At school, my screen time was about 2 hours a day, and I felt like that was still a lot. I spend the most amount of my time on social media and communication applications. I find myself getting stuck in an endless loop of TikToks and Instagram Live feeds and not even realizing that I have been on my phone for 30 minutes. I am going to download an app that my brother told me about that locks you out of certain apps once you hit a certain time limit. I know that this will be difficult at first, but will help me be much more productive during these less scheduled times. I will put more time into myself, my family, and building new skills. This relates to my Hierarchy of Needs because I need to make sure that I am focusing more on my Self Actualization, Self Esteem, and Safety.

My final sketch is my guitar that I just recieved today from Amazon. Although I had written that I wanted to reteach myself the piano, I decided that a guitar is more practical and the guitar is more mobile than a piano (I can take my guitar more places). I devoted about 2 hours to my guitar today with youtube tutorials and practice. I have to admit that the guitar is much more difficult than I remember. One of my flaws is that I tend to get frustrated when I am not naturally great at something. Although I do not usually give up, I really enjoy things more when I am really good at them. I am devoting myself one month to the guitar and if I am still really struggling then I might give it a break and try another skill. I am setting this goal for myself because I know that it will help me keep good morale and focus. This relates to both pyramids because it involves both my self-esteem and my creativity. I hope that I can make progress and stick with it! I am currently working on learning Bubble Toes by Jack Johnson.

3 concepts

March 31, 2020 by Nikki Bott Leave a Comment

“The language of your sketches does not have to be the language of fine art”. I think this quote from the reading is really important when it comes to sketching in the design process. A sketch does not need to be something you spend forever on to look amazing, it really just needs to effectively communicate information and the point you are trying to get across. I am definitely a perfectionist and not the best at drawing, so I tried to abide by this rule set in the reading that my drawings did not need to be perfect they just need to convey my message.

This first drawing is supposed to convey the concept that we all have a lot going on right now, and that it is very important to have a point in our day where we can pause for a little while and evaluate our mental well being. I think if people implement a “mind pause” at some point in their day to reflect on how they are doing it would benefit everyone a lot. I think that this concept definitely satisfies up to the proficiency need in the Design Hierarchy of Needs because it would definitely improve the user experience by those who participate. I think that an area I could refine is the next level which is Creativity. I must think of a way to make the “mind pause” different than anything that has been done before. I think some ways to do this would be to come up with a step by step list that could be shared via social media. People are definitely familiar with the idea of taking a pause, but it might be a more creativity concept to give them the step by step on how this do this exactly.
This second drawing is supposed to convey the idea that social distancing can seem a little bit like you are a prisoner in your own house, and that it is important to stay connected with loved ones in order to make it seem less like you are being locked away from these people. There are so many different ways to stay connected with people from texting to different video chat platforms. I think that stay connected during this time is extremely important cause when social distancing, this is one of the main things that you miss out on. I also think the concept satisfies up to the proficiency level, because people are stay connected to their loved ones are most likely much happier during this time. I think a way to make this more creative could be to come up with different activities that can be done over a video chat. Whether this is a dinner party, to a group arts an crafts activity, giving people options for things they can do while staying connected could be very useful. Perhaps another level that could be refined is usability, because for some people these technologies are a little difficult to figure out. Making sure that video call platforms are as straight forward as possible is very important so that everyone is able to figure them out and use them.
The last concept is using social media as a way to keep people positive, share healthy lifestyle decisions, and just to vent about what they are feeling. Social media is a great way to communicate information to both people you know and people you don’t know. It is a great way to form a sense of community especially during a time like this. News can be very negative, so sharing positive things are what people are doing during social distancing can give other people ideas as well as just overall spread good vibes. I think that the areas this concept can be refined are proficiency and creativity. For proficiency, sharing things and reading things on social media may not necessarily make someone feel better. The things that are being shared and viewed have to be positive or uplifting in some way in order to improve people’s quality of life. I think in order to do this, sets of hashtags could be implemented so people can be sure that their information is being shared with people who want to see positive posts during this time. I think this connects to the creativity aspect as well. People are already posting on social media about what is going on, but creating a strictly positive stream of posts is a creative way to keep the moral up during this time.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Natalie Ring Leave a Comment

Staying connected with friends is really important to me during this quarantine, which is why it was the first concept I want to sketch. Socializing fulfills the need for love on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for me, so I wanted to ensure that I had many ways to stay connected. I started my sketch by making a list of ways that I could stay connected, then drew some of the apps, like Instagram and Snapchat, that I could use to keep in touch with people. I then drew my phone because it is a reliable way to talk to my friends and family, which makes it vital to this concept. Zoom especially is a new, innovative way to stay in touch that I had not had experience with before this situation, so I was sue to include it in the sketch.

The second concept that I wanted to try and design a plan for was walking my dog everyday. I knew what I needed so I started with a list of those items at the bottom of the page, as a set of parameters to work with. Then I wanted to focus on the proficiency layer of the pyramid of needs, to try and create a route for me and my dog to walk that had been better than past routes we had done. I decided to make it 1.5 miles, as I didn’t want to go to far since my dog is lazy. I went on google maps and sketched out a triangle of roads that start and end at my house and are vaguely around 1.5 mile long. I finished the sketch by drawing me and my dog walking in order to visualize the concept. This concept is important to me because it fulfills the need for physical activity that I am struggling to get while quarantined in my house and it lets me spend time with my dog, which is one of my favorite things to do.

When I was trying to come up with a place I could paint within the coming weeks, I tried to focus on functionality, which is obviously the most basic thing needed when designing. I was trying to recreate the painting tableau I had had at school in the art barn, but I was lacking some resources, like a large easel or a wall I could nail a still life to. This meant that the set up would not be better than the one I had at school, but I tried to come up with creative and innovative ways to make it. I plan on covering the base table in plastic garbage bags, which would make it resistant to oil paint and to cover the side table I have with wax paper, which would create a makeshift paint easel that emulates the glass one I had at school. I made a list of things needed on the side of the drawing, which included things like good ventilation, due to the oil paint, and a nearby window for natural light. I am trying to fulfill Maslow’s need for self-actualization in the coming weeks by doing art so it is important that my painting set up is made carefully and thoughtfully, or else it will be hard to work with it.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Claudia Glasgow Leave a Comment

  • http://vm.tiktok.com/G768rf/

For my sketches, I made a Tik Tok as I am not the best at free hand drawing and spend most of my time on that app anyway these days. It is inspired by a popular trend where people rank things on the app, such as top three best tv shows from our childhood, etc. My three main ideas were productivity, self-care, and communication.

In order to become more productive, I created a schedule that I have to stick to. It is very difficult to get work done at home, especially after spending the past two years working only at school, leaving home a “safe place” from assignments. In order to get myself back in the grove, I created a schedule that includes waking up before 10am and logging on to Zoom once a day, whether that be just to chat with some teammates or discuss a reading with classmates, it keeps me on track. Productivity probably falls under self-actualization as I am safe and healthy at home, but I feel like I need too learn and complete assignments in order to be fulfilled. My creation of a schedule makes me more proficient than before and more reliable.

In order to improve my self-care, I have been cleaning my room and going for walks outside once a day. Cleaning my room allows me to remove the junk from my mind and start anew. My daily walks allow me to be alone with my thoughts and exposed to some inspiration during quarantine. I feel self care falls under self-esteem in the hierarchy of needs as one caring for themselves improves how they feel about themselves. My walks and cleaning definitely inspire creativity as my self care allows my mind to wander and come up with new crazy ideas.

In order to maintain communication in quarantine, I frequently FaceTime our Zoom with my friends. I am constantly texting or snap chatting my friends, seeing their faces and pictures of their lives which makes me feel part of their everyday routine even hundreds of miles away. Communication falls under the love section in the hierarchy of needs because being around people and talking to others makes me feel special and loved. While I miss seeing my friends in person, virtually connecting with them is the next big thing. Communication inspires both creativity and reliability as discussions with my friends both give me a different viewpoint and force me to be more productive in my life.

3 “sketches”

March 31, 2020 by Emily Goldman Leave a Comment

In the Stage 4 reading, the idea of sketching and the judgment of the drawings that comes with it was discussed. As a student that enjoys art and would possibly like to pursue the field in some form in the future, there is a pressure to always produce high quality content. Sometimes my focus on making the project, piece, or assignment look as high quality as I want it takes away from my actual idea forming. For this sketch, I am touching on the Creativity layer of the pyramid and only focusing on the idea and not the skill level of the drawing. I wanted to draw simply whatever came to mind at that moment, but also make sure I was not stressing to perfect the image. I decided to use a stick figure for simplicity. I also use oil pastels as my medium since they inherently go out of the lines with smudging. I found this sketch to be the most liberating and freeing for me when looking back at the three. 

This sketch was inspired by me cleaning my room of fashion and art magazines. I felt inspired to deep clean my room since I am staying home for a long period of time and my room has become a multipurpose space where I do homework, unwind, and sleep. While flipping through these magazines there were certain images that evoke strong emotions for me. Many of these images were from a magazine discussing food and how it is sold in America. The photos featured the juxtaposing stills of grocery stores, some real and some staged. All of the staged images were the empty stores. Seeing the images of empty grocery stores left an ominous and strange feeling in me. Being able to hold the image and not see it on a screen made it seem even more real. Most of all, comparing these images to what is happening around the world today made me feel the most unsettled. I decided to clip out some of these pictures and also clip other images that remind of things I can still do. I chose a shoe for walking, a woman riding a bike, and a plate of food for practicing cooking at home. I wanted to bring these images together as a form of reflection on what makes me feel unsettled and what makes me feel grounded.

On the base of the design hierarchy of needs pyramids are the more practical elements of design: functionality, reliability, and usability. For this sketch I attempted to employ these aspects of design needs. About a week ago, I saw on my Bucknell email I was given access to a free download of Adobe Photoshop from Bucknell. I had always wanted to learn how to use Photoshop and be able to incorporate it into my MIDE degree. Not only had I never had the time to learn how to use the program, but I also did not want to pay for the program if I didn’t know how much use I would get out of it. Since I do want to go into a degree with graphics, art, and design, I want to be confident using Photoshop. So I decided I would try to play with the program and see what happens for the use of skills in functionality, reliability, and usability. My goal is to become proficient in using Photoshop before the school year starts for the fall. 

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Allie Kotowitz Leave a Comment

My first sketch represents a new routine that I will attempt to follow daily. It has been difficult for me to motivate myself to complete my work on time and be productive. I have found myself constantly on my phone or watching Netflix instead of exercising or finishing my homework. I created this new schedule and routine to organize my day and efficiently use my time. This schedule and new daily routine satisfies different levels of the pyramid. My schedule is functional as these are all activities I am able and willing to complete throughout the day. The reliability aspect is reliant on the user in this design, meaning I am responsible for using and following this schedule. Usability is present in this design, as it is easy to understand and follow. There is a high level of proficiency as it allows me, the user, to create a more active and productive lifestyle. There is a creativity present in this design in regards to the way I organized my day, however, there is a lack of creativity in regard to the activities I hope to accomplish.

My second sketch represents the different forms of communication that can be used to contact various people. The image on the left is the display of a cell phone with different apps that can be used for communication. The image on the right is a laptop computer with the application Zoom on the screen. These are electronics and apps that I have been using and plan to continue using to communicate with my friends and family. On the phone, I added both social media apps and communication apps, such as email and facetime. On the computer, I focused on Zoom because I have used that platform on my computer and it is a different way to communicate with friends, family, classmates, and professors. In regard to the designer hierarchy of needs, this sketch includes functionality, usability, and creativity. The reliability factor is based on my interest and willingness to speak and communicate with my friends and family in my free time. This did not include proficiency, as I was already using these platforms as a way to stay in contact with people beyond my immediate family. 

My third sketch represents an example or outline of a “To-Do” board that I could create to keep myself organized and on task. I split my board into five sections: homework, self-care reminders, 30-day workout challenge, applications, and organization. For each of these sections, I was interested in posting a sticky note with each subsection, so for example, I would put four sticky notes under the homework section. My only concern is that this board will not be eco-friendly if I am constantly removing and adding new sticky notes; this is a part of the design that needs to be developed. This contains multiple aspects of the designer hierarchy of needs, such as functionality, usability, proficiency, and creativity. This design will allow me to remain organized and feel accomplished after being productive. I have used other “To-Do” lists, however, I find myself ignoring them after using them for a long period of time, so I thought using a large board will be helpful in that regard.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Olivia DeNicola Leave a Comment

The first concept I sketched out was self-care. In my sketches, I developed how I personally believe I can take care of myself during quarantine – something I pretty much never have time to do. From exercising, hydrating, and cooking for myself, to building time in each day to relax through meditation, watching Netflix, sleeping, or a few other activities. I combined a few brainstorming ideas in this concept I developed, even bringing in journaling to self-care. I typically never even have a moment to relax or exercise at school, let alone to sit down and write about what I’m thinking or feeling. During this time, through self-care, I believe it can improve my mental health and overall well-being. The functionality of this concept is relatively self-explanatory and easy to acquire. In terms of reliability and usability the same goes – the ability to accomplish these things is straightforward and simple, especially with the amount of time on our hands right now. The entire idea is focused on bettering myself, through creative ways I typically don’t have time to explore.

The second concept I sketched and developed was connection. I have so much time now to build stronger connections with my family – who I don’t get to see that often while being at school – as well as my pets. I have depicted this through family game nights with our favorite family game of scrabble, as well as taking my dogs on walks. This concept also encompasses connecting online with friends, to keep somewhat of a normal feeling during social distancing. I was thinking of this through FaceTime or Zoom, which is what I sketched out. This activity requires I think a little bit more effort, in terms of bringing my family together as well as bringing my friends together. I have organized friend-group get togethers such as happy hours on Zoom, and you’d be surprised how many people claim to be busy but are simply in their home. Therefore, it is all about not only my organization of people but also the cooperation on their end too (reliability), in order to further develop the concept of connecting.

The final concept I developed was productivity, but more specifically beading. I mentioned this idea in my brainstorming concepts, as well as concept board. I have always loved making jewelry with beads, and I even have my own company which I typically only operate in the summer. In my sketching, however, I have developed a plan as to how I can restart with the time I have on my hands. It begins with making necklaces or bracelets , or taking custom orders from individuals, photographing them, then posting on Instagram in order to sell, and finally mailing to customers. I think I can really use this time to improve the business and put focus on it in order to better it. The functionality is simple as I have so many beads already. Reliability and Usability require motivation on my end. I hope I can get this accomplished to better myself, maybe make a little profit and be productive in a seemingly overwhelming amount of time I have on my hands, and do something I love and enjoy too!

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Jane Meng Leave a Comment

When sketching out my three main concepts, I didn’t make floor plans or actually create specific daily schedules. Instead, I drew out all the things I wanted to accomplish within my three main concepts. I’m a visual learner, and I also love using symbols and small sketches to represent my ideas. I drew multiple items in relation to “Creativity and Leisure,” and the drawings are similar to one’s I’d put on a Mind Map. I really want to begin painting, listen to more music, go outside more, practice sewing and embroidery, and watch the Netflix series “Tiger King,” so I drew the things I think of in relation to those activities. I also drew an open book with different book titles in it– those books are some of the ones I want to read during my time at home. I took up a good amount of space drawing out my creativity and leisure activities, simply because I think most of my time at home will be spent doing those things.

I drew some images related to my school work and time management next. Proficiency and reliability are the two main things I want to work on within this concept. My goal is to wake up around 9:30-10am every morning, and unfortunately I haven’t been doing so most days. Having a good sleep schedule and feeling energized every day is important for me to be able to concentrate on my work, as well as have enough time during the day to complete it. Coffee is obviously a very important part of my day, so I included it in this section because it helps me focus and it’s a big part of my everyday routine. I also want to begin creating daily To-Do lists. I personally think daily tasks are easier to accomplish, especially during these next few weeks or even months, as the future is so unpredictable so it’s important to just take things day by day. Hopefully, I’ll be able to consistently make these lists and fulfill them.

My last section is about communication and family, which satisfies “love” on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Being away from school and my friends is definitely one of the hardest parts about being home, therefore it’s super important to not lose touch with any of them. I’ve been really good about texting my friends and facetiming them, and I even find it more motivating to complete homework assignments or study for quizzes and tests when I’m working with them on the phone. My best friend from home and I don’t really talk that much when we’re away at school, as she goes to the University of Vermont and it’s pretty difficult to keep track of each other’s lives the same way we used to. But since we’re both home, we’ve started talking again like we used to in high school as if nothing’s changed, and that’s one of the small things that make extremely happy and comfortable despite the state our world is in. I also want to spend more time with my parents, as I’m an only child and I can’t even imagine how lonely they are as empty-nesters. It’s really nice being able to eat all three meals with my parents, hang out, and watch TV with them, as normally when I’m home for breaks my dad is at work during the day and I don’t really get to be with both my parents at the same time. 

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Lindsey Knutzen Leave a Comment

My first sketch is of me teaching myself guitar. I made a sketch of the outline of a guitar and included the names of artists whose songs I want to learn. I kept in mind that these artists make music in different genres so I can be broad in my learning. I had fun with this sketch when I wrote out all of the chords that I already know. It made me feel proud. However, I also wrote that I need to work on my strumming techniques to actually play songs that sound good. Relearning the guitar falls under proficiency in the designer’s hierarchy of needs because I already know how to play but I am improving my current skills.

My second sketch was about my daily to do lists. Rather than make an example of a to do list that gets repetitive, I included more guidelines on what I want the to do list to cover. I want it to encompass my whole day rather than just mornings or nights. Also, I want to include a mix of healthy activities, school work, self care, and entertainment with friends. Sometimes I get bored of to do lists because I am not excited with what is on them. Instead, by including a mix of activities that I must do in order, it will motivate me to accomplish everything. I believe this falls under the reliability category on the designer’s hierarchy of needs because sticking to a to do list will ensure that I have consistent performance every day.

My last sketch was a little bit harder to conceptualize for me. I didn’t want to pressure of doing everything perfect every day to get to my head and discourage me from trying new routines. Rather than be upset with myself for not finishing a daily to do list, I want to be proud of what I did accomplish that day. Also, working out at home has proven to be difficult because it is easy to just give up and go back to being lazy in my house. Rather than letting a difficult workout that I might not be able to complete get to my head, I want to finish as much of it as I can and be happy I got myself moving that day. It is easy to beat yourself up for not doing everything exactly right, so I want to give myself encouragement for giving new things my best effort even if I do not succeed. This falls under the creativity category for the designer’s hierarchy of needs because this is an innovative way to look at what success and failure look like to me.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Erin Mooney Leave a Comment


My first drawing is a journal with a day’s plan, followed by thoughts and feelings towards that day. I thought of a planner as a solution to dealing with mental health during this time because it allows me to take control of my immediate life with so many outside occurrences that are completely out of my hands. Additionally, the reflective component allows me to stay in touch with how I am feeling and truly be in touch with my mental state. This fits the hierarchy of design needs as a planner/journal is a very functional item in itself. Even outside of quarantine, planning out my day is always helpful in making ensuring that I am staying active and motivated. The reliability of this is completely in the hands of the person themselves, in this case, me. It is up to me if I want to routinely plan the days ahead, if I do so, this solution will be completely consistent. The usability of this design is very important, especially in a time of isolation, as over time I will feel the need to use this as a release for my thoughts and feelings along with a sense of organization in my life. With a schedule or journal, the limits are in my own hands. The proficiency in which I better my daily routine and the extent of which I reflect on it are entirely up to me. There is endless room to improve this solution and to be creative with it, it is entirely up to the user themself. I can keep my schedule straight forward or come up with fun and new activities for me to do each day.

My next drawing is a picture of myself on a walk outside. Though I did not have any specific trail or path in mind, it is clear that I am completely surrounded by nature. This idea is more broad than others, as it is entirely up to me what I do outside and if I even go. Going outside is meant to allow me to truly enjoy the time away from the rest of the world and avoid being cooped up in the house which could negatively impact mental health. Being outside does have the functional solution to this problem of feeling entirely closed off and stuck in quarantine. Reliability and usability are quite self-explanatory as going outside can mean something just as simple as taking a walk down the street which most people can do. One of the only true variables is the weather which might affect these components. Proficiency and creativity are up to me, or the person going outside during quarantine. For me specifically, I can better my time outside by coming up with new things to do: ride a bike, walk my dog, go for a run. This allows me to be creative as well as I can dive into my child’s eye and think of ways to entertain myself outside that I normally wouldn’t, for example, testing out my old basketball skills.

The last drawing can relate to the previous drawing of going outside as this is one of the many things one can do when they unplug. For me personally, I need to unplug at times throughout quarantine as seeing the negativity in the media can really impact my mental health. Assuming that one has access to activities that don’t require technology (reading a book, playing a board game, doing a puzzle, drawing, painting), all aspects on the hierarchy of design needs are present. Creativity is the most relevant component with this sketch as in this day and age, most people rarely find themselves needing to entertain themselves outside of a computer or phone. This allows me to get into a different mental space, one in which I am not constantly connected to the world around me, and do something that I never would have brought myself to do prior to COVID-19. 


3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Carly Binday Leave a Comment

For my first sketch, I attempted to visualize my idea of setting up a space to paint/draw. I plan to create this space at the desk in my bedroom. Currently, my desk is largely unused. I never do my homework at my desk and I cannot see myself ever doing it there in the future; I tend to get distracted doing work in my room at all. Because of this, my desk is more of a place where I do my makeup and house a lot of clutter in my room. I think that transforming my desk into a place to do art would make it become a place in my room that I will actually use. In my sketch, I kept my makeup/mirror at my desk, but replaced all of my clutter with art supplies. I already have art supplies from high school that are still good to use, and I also recently bought a lot of new art supplies on Amazon. These supplies are currently in a drawer in my kitchen, where they are often forgotten about. However, I think that organizing them in my desk and creating somewhat of an art studio with them will make me want to use them more. Before coming to Bucknell, I used to frequently make art in my free time. However, I almost never do this while at school. I think that being home, and in quarantine, would be a great time to reclaim this hobby because it is an activity that I really enjoy. In the Design Hierarchy of Needs, I think that this design can satisfy functionality, reliability, and usability. It will be functional enough that it is a large enough space to create art on, reliable enough that it is consistently a good place to create various types of art, and usable to the point where my desk storage is easy to navigate.

Another sketch that I made relates to my idea of waking up earlier. During this extended period of time of me being home, I would really like to begin to wake up earlier in the morning so that I can achieve more in a day and be overall more productive. Currently, I have been waking up right before I have class on Zoom. However, this schedule does not allow for me to have productive free time until the late afternoon/early night. I feel like most days, I waste time by lounging around too much and spending my other time doing schoolwork. I also have not been taking very good care of my health, and continuously fail to get into a routine where I make time for myself to get physical activity. In my sketch, I attempted to visualize a productive new plan for my mornings. This would start with me waking up around 7am. I usually have class at around 9:30, so this would give me enough time to allow for me to do several activities. Ideally, I would start my morning with eating a healthy breakfast. Both at school and at home, I rarely eat breakfast. This is for various reasons but mostly because I often feel like I do not have time. I think that blocking out a time for me to eat breakfast would be a really good start to my day and would also boost my productivity levels. After breakfast, I would like to walk by dog or workout (or both). Before gyms and other workout class studios were closed due to Coronavirus, I frequently started my mornings at home by taking an early morning Soulcycle class. This always made me feel really energized for the day and provided me with a great workout. I think that working out at home in the mornings would make me feel the same way. Additionally, I think that walking my dog in the morning would be a great chance to get outside and get me moving for the day. In the Design Hierarchy of Needs, I think that this design satisfies functionality, reliability, usability, and proficiency. My plan is realistic enough that it is functional, reliable and usable since it includes activities I can easily always do at home, and proficient since it is a lot better than the morning routine that I have been practicing. 

My last sketch relates to my plan to clear out my closet/ donate clothes. Especially after moving all of my clothes that I brought to school back into my closet at home, I have noticed that there is essentially no empty space in my closet at all. And, my closet is also a lot less organized than I would like it to be. I know that I have a lot of clothes, and this is mostly because I enjoy fashion and shopping. However, I also know that there is a large portion of clothes in my closet that I do not wear at all anymore. Because of this, in my sketch, I attempted to come up with a plan of how to get rid of unnecessary clothes and also reorganize my closet. I plan to do this by initially taking all of the clothes in my closet and putting them into one of three categories: clothes I want to keep, clothes I want to donate, and clothes that I do not want but are worth enough that I can sell them on Poshmark. I think that this is a great first step to getting rid of a lot of clutter in my closet. Also, donating and selling clothes could offer benefits to others as well. For rearranging my closet, I have come up with a plan that would separate my clothes more logically and neatly than where they are now. In the Design Hierarchy of Needs, I think that this design satisfies functionality, reliability, usability, and proficiency. The closet itself is already functional, the organization system that I have created will be reliable enough that I will continue it and usable enough that it will be able to successfully hold my clothes how I want it to. Also, the design is proficient because it is a lot better than the organization system and overflow of clothes that is currently in my closet.

3 concepts

March 31, 2020 by Elana Smith Leave a Comment

For my first sketch I decided to make a mock schedule for my week days. I have been struggling to get my work done at home efficiently and I think if I had more structure in my day I would assist me in being more productive. Because a lot of my classes have either done without the scheduled class time or chosen to reduce the time spent “in class” and made a more asynchronous schedule I have a very minimal schedule to my day which has left me unmotivated. I hope by sticking to my own schedule I will be more focused on my school work and feel more productive during the day. Last week, I did not follow a strict schedule and found myself sleeping half my day away and falling behind on homework, therefore I plan to wake up at 9AM – 9:30AM in order to optimize the time I have to work on school work. Because I plan to wake up early I need to plan to go to bed earlier than I have in the past in order to still get eight hours of sleep. In my schedule I have built in time in order to satisfy other goals that I set. For example, during my freetime I plan to spend that time with family, connecting with friends, doing puzzles, listening to music, or participating in other creative activities. By following a schedule I feel that I am satisfying many of the concepts in the hierarchy of designer needs such as functionality, reliability, and proficiency. 

For my second sketch, I combined a few of my solutions from the brainstorm. The first step was to pick a place that I would designate as my workspace. I choose my work space to be my desk in my room. This is the most optimal place in my house to do my work because I will not have to adjust my space according to my family member’s needs. In my workspace I encorporated ideas that would keep me organized in order to be productive. I first started out by making the calendar on the white board I have hanging near my desk. On the calendar I added all my hw and due dates for my homeworks and projects coming up. Since coming home I have been struggling to keep up on my planner. I think that this calendar will keep me better organized because I will be able to see all my assignments that are coming up at once and better plan what I want to get done for the day. I also included a note on my wall that says stay positive so that I will be constantly reminded when I look up from doing my homework. Lastly, I have set up a notepad for me to write my to do list and goals for the day. This will help me to stay on task and focused. Having the ability to check off boxes when I have completed tasks will make me feel more productive and give me motivation to continue working hard. This meets almost all of the designers hierarchy of needs. The redesign of my desk provides me with the basic requirements I need in order to get my work done, a table, chair, and school supplies. Because my desk is out of the way of my family it is reliable and consistent. Unless I decide to change it, it will always be how I left it and provides me with a sense of normalcy when I am doing my work. The redesign of my desk will hopefully assist me in being on top of my work and provide me with a better way of doing my work than I have previously. It will hopefully help me focus and work to my maximum ability as if I were in the library at school. Lastly, I have surrounded my desk with some pictures and nik naks  in order to provide me with a sense of fun while I do my work. This meets the creativity aspect of the hierarchy of needs because I have placed things in a way that provides me with the feeling that I want while I do my work. 

For my last sketch I have created a list of people that I would like to stay in contact with during this time. This list consists of many different people that I have met through all different stages of my life and provides me with a rough outline of who I feel it is important to reach out to. Staying in touch with friends and family is an extremely important way of getting social interactions during this time where we are all isolated from being inside our homes. Although there is not much going on in people’s lives right now, I think it is important to try to talk about things other than coronavirus. This virus can be overwhelming to some by keeping them inside, out of a job, lonely, or scared about the future and I think that many people need a break from talking about it. I plan to schedule times where my friends and I can watch movies together over facetime, play games or even just hang out. This will also help me achieve some of my other solutions such as staying positive and having fun. This solution satisfied the creativity and usability aspect of the designer hierarchy of needs. In order to stay in communication people need to be innovative and find different ways to participate in activities together and share time. 

3 Concepts – Productivity, Family, Cooking

March 31, 2020 by Amisha Chhetri Leave a Comment

Productivity
Productivity
Family Time
Cooking Schedule

While making my concept map, I realized that being home was making me really unproductive. So, I thought about what I was doing at school that I wasn’t doing at home. Then, I remembered that Google Calendar was my life when I was at Bucknell. I would put not only my meetings and classes in my calendar, but also when I was planning on going to lunch, dinner, etc. It made me so much more productive, knowing what I was going to do every minute of my day. So, I thought doing the same at home would bring back the feeling of being at school and make me more productive. In my Google Calendar above, the blue events are my meetings or zoom classes that I need to attend. The orange events are my deadlines: homeworks, project, labs, etc. Lastly, the yellow events are how I would like to spend each day. Every Saturday, I will have a time set (5pm – 6pm) to make the schedule for the next week. Some of the events might be repeated every week, whereas some won’t be. I’ve also included events in the calendar from my other 2 concepts. In addition, I will also use Wunderlist to keep track of what I need to do. In the Design Hierarchy of Needs, this concept fulfills both the functionality and the reliability aspects since I will be updating the schedule weekly.

In this time of chaos, I’m fortunate enough to be with my family. Therefore, I’ve decided to make the most out of it. To do so, I’ve made a weekly family time schedule. Every Sunday, we will have a board game night. This can be anything from Chess to Catan. To start off, next week will be Clue. Every Monday, my family will come together to make dinner. The requirement for this dinner will be that it has to be a meal that we’ve never cooked at home before. We will have Tuesday night Trivias. Every week, there will be a new theme. For example, music, math, history, geography, sports, etc. On Wednesdays, we will have movie nights. Thursdays are for Card Games. Fridays, we get competitive. Lastly, I decided that too much family time can also create lots of tension. Therefore, to balance it out, on Saturdays, all of us will separate out to Zoom our friends and catch up with them. In addition, I’ve also added an “ideas” part to throw any ideas we might have for next week’s family activities. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the family activities fulfill physiological needs, love and safety. We all need to spend time with the people we love in the safety of our homes. In the Design Hierarchy of Needs, I believe that it fulfills all of the requirements. The ideas part helps us become more creative and innovate games and activities. Having a family activities plan is better than not having one and it also keeps us motivated to keep doing this every week.

I’ve always had a passion for cooking and baking. However, I’ve never really had the time nor motivation to keep up with it, until now. Above you can see a cook/bake weekly menu. Sundays and Wednesdays will be my off days. Mondays, I will have a midday baking session, which I will start with something simple, Chocolate Chip Cookies. On Tuesdays, I will make lunch for me and my family. Thursdays, I will make dinner. Fridays will be my dessert days. Lastly, to add in a hint healthy aspect, on Saturdays, I will make healthy breakfasts. I hope that doing this every week will create a habit for me, so that when I go back to school in the fall, I will cook at least in the weekends. This fulfills the reliability aspect of the Design Hierarchy of Needs. Overall, this touches upon all of the aspects: creativity, proficiency, usability, reliability and functionality. In addition, it fulfills the self-actualization and the self-esteem part. This will be very therapeutic and beneficial for me.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Rowan Beiter Leave a Comment

The first of my three ideas was to make a scrapbook of the quarantine and COVID-19 pandemic experience. This particular idea is interesting to me for a variety of reasons, but especially for the idea of documentation. This idea originally came from the category of “Environment Around You” when I was thinking about the fact that this is a really defining moment in all of our lives, but because of the fact that everything is online now, we may not have real documentation of what it was like to live during this time come to a couple of decades. We always talk about how the internet is forever, but its really only that the internet is only alive for as long as the internet is being used. Weirdly enough I was drawn back to the 8th grade reading The Diary of Anne Frank and wondering whether there would be any sort of firsthand knowledge of the lived experience of the COVID-19 pandemic come 2070, or 2100. This idea for me includes the needs of functionality, it documents information and experiences about the pandemic and the lived experiences of others, usability, being able to pass on the information and act as a firsthand document from the time period, and creativity. There’s also an element of communication involved in the actual process of gathering the information since I would be calling friends and family for stories about what they doing, which would force me to stay in contact with people something I have a hard time doing.

My second idea was to create “COVID-19 The Musical” with my family. Throughout this whole quarantine, I’ve been going a little bit insane. Constantly being in the house with no escape and no outlet is a lot for me and for my entire family. For me this idea was one where we could work together as a family, satisfying the need for love as it encourages working together and communicating, and spend a couple of weeks, if not months, doing something a bit random, but a lot of fun. In terms of keeping my family from getting bored and murdering one another for small annoyances, it satisfies the need of functionality, and it would encourage creativity and thinking outside of the box in a time where it feels like we’re all trapped in one. It would also force us to continually be working on something rather than simply giving up when we’re bored or don’t want to work anymore by pushing us towards an end goal. This idea of consistently working, and consistently working at the same level of quality, would also encourage cooperation and thus cut down on any sort of in-fighting that may occur in my 5-person household.

My third idea was to set up a 24-hour film event with my friends and I. I would contact a series of friends and family and we would agree upon a 24-hour period where we would have to write a script and film and edit a movie. This falls under the “Connection to Others” category of my brainstorming exercise, since it would require contact to and from others as well as cooperation over large distances. Again, for me, this idea satisfies love, functionality, and creativity since we’d be working together to come up with an end product that we could then show our friends and family and have a lot of fun doing in the process. It would force us to think about logistic concerns and technological concerns to allow us to film in different locations without being together, but overall I think that it could be a really fun experience and a great way to stay in contact with people.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Alana Bortman Leave a Comment


My first sketch models the concept of self-care. Self-care is so important especially during this time, and in order to succeed with school work, we first need to be in a solid mental state and not stressed out. I’ve included some activities that I know I enjoy and that work to de-stress and improve my mood and wellbeing as a whole. I’ve sketched taking a bath, using the new bath bombs and salts that I’ve picked up for the purpose of taking more special and quality baths, reading new books and starting new book series (I love reading and it always puts me in a good mood), and working out or doing yoga on the yoga mat. A change from usual is that I would be working out in my room, which I have cleared a space for, but for some workouts, I could follow along with online workouts, workout with my mom, or just do my own thing. I tried to sketch these different activities as being balanced- one for the mind, one for the body, and one for a “reset”/reflection/relaxation. The bubble bath connects to proficiency, as it specifically improves my previous shower experiences at college, and is better than my normal baths at home with the addition of the new and fun bath products I will be incorporating. This is also functional- it will serve what it was meant to do- care for my wellbeing through doing these activities. These are also reliable activities because they will always be options, I will be able to read books, the weights will always be the same weight options, etc. Usability and Creativity is also linked here since our own selves are not constants, I will be able to make adjustments as needed to each of these activities to make them fit to my needs, for example I can pick out a different book that I feel is what I need at the moment. I can take things in creative directions with workouts such as doing new ones, doing them with friends through facetime, online ones, or with my mom. This also pairs nicely with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, since it works towards self-actualization at the top and self-care is a part of the process.

My second sketch models the concept of quality time with family (pictured) and friends. Human connection is really important, and I’ve noticed that my family doesn’t often get together as much now because everyone is working and we can’t go out to places on the weekends so everyone kind of does their own thing. But, I want us to spend time together, and to solve this issue of everyone being busy or not knowing what to do, I want to plan family movie nights, or set aside some time after work or on weekends to play a game with everyone. And depending on what we feel like doing, this is extremely adaptable. Staying connected with friends through technology is also really important because, unlike my family, although we can’t physically be within 6 feet of one another or see each other as much, it is easier to find times to connect compared with my family who work late into the evening. Also by trying to make the little things happen like all eating dinner at the same time can make a difference. To make things more reliable, we could incorporate these activities into a schedule, roll a dice for a day, or make a calendar to plan out activities ahead of time so we can plan for those in our schedule. At the base of it though, is that we are all making an effort and know of possible options.

My third sketch models the concept of self-development, which includes learning and productivity for myself. There is a range of activities pictured, such as learning online by using new programs like adobe, cooking in the kitchen and trying new recipes, redecorating my room, trying to keep real plants alive for once instead of fake ones, making craft projects such as making photo displays, journaling, and writing. There is a lot of potential for proficiency and creativity in this sketch in particular, and again it connects with both hierarchy of needs.

3 concepts

March 31, 2020 by Caitlin Tucker Leave a Comment

The first sketch on top is a mock-up of a daily schedule that I am trying to set for myself. I very much like structure and organization as it personally helps me be most productive and keep myself sane. In times like these, it has been hard to keep myself motivated when there is no set schedule, so creating one myself can help keep me focused. In terms of hierarchy of needs, I think that the schedule meets the functionality, the basic requirements of what a schedule is supposed to do, and also it personally fulfills a safety need for order and time management.

The second sketch which I then did another iteration of digitally, is a quarantine 30-day fun challenge. I like doing thirty-day challenges as they give me small goals to achieve which boosts my confidence and happiness when I do achieve them. During these times, with so much more free time than a school, it can be hard to know what to do or just fall into the trap of watching tv. I wanted to make it a little more exciting and do some of the things that I like to do or have always wanted to do more of but never had the time. Some things include getting back into learning the guitar and french lessons on Duolingo, baking more, or movie nights with my family. I think that this meets the usability need as it is pretty self-explanatory and anyone can adapt it to include their own interests. It also meets proficiency as having things already planned out to do will help life be a little better than before as it will keep people from getting bored.

My final sketch is some ways that I can hang out with friends during these times. The first is to go on walks (preferably by the water) and stay at least 6 feet apart, the second is to have a movie night together but from our own homes through Netflix party, and the third is to meet up at a place and sit in our the trunks of our cars (or on top) and talk to each other in order to stay 6 feet away. I think that this can help meet the love need for human connection. I hope to be able to do all of these three things or combine them in some way to perform throughout the rest of these crazy times.

3 Concepts

March 31, 2020 by Natalie Notz Leave a Comment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MzkaiBlk5c&feature=youtu.be

Self-care is something that I really want to strive for while in quarantine. Due to the fast pace of college life, it’s hard to really take time for yourself. Now that I have plenty of time on my hands this is something that I can finally work on. I can visualize this concept by hitting all five sections of the pyramid. First for self-care you need to start with the basics, like simple workouts,  eat healthier and get more sleep. The next step is to continue this trend to make it a habit. Once you get the hang of it you can better yourself and the basic things you started with by being more creative about their approach. For example with exercising, you can try new workout plans and/or longer repetitions. Now that I’m in the second week practicing this concept I can already tell I am more relaxed and happy. 

With productivity. I can really only see this concept going up to the fourth level of the hierarchy.  First, you want to settle yourself and get comfortable with a plan, then you want to make a habit to ensure your productivity lasts. The more you practice productivity the more you can tweak it to become more efficient. For me, I really want to stay on top of things since we are now in remote learning. In order to make sure I do things in a productive manner, I have made a calendar with a schedule from start to finish so I can keep track of assignments. My day consists of waking up around 10, getting breakfast, going for a run, lunch, then school work, dinner, and finally a family activity to end then night. This concept has already been changing my work ethic, I’m curious to see how it will progress in the weeks to come. I hope that somehow I can find innovation within the pursuing weeks while practicing productivity. 

For my third concept, I really wanted to focus on building a better relationship with my family. Over the past couple of years, everyone seemed to distance themselves with other obligations, leaving little time for family bonding. Now that we are all stuck together we have to relearn how to live with each other and be creative with ways to make us get along. This concept will definitely have to use all five layers in order to ensure that we don’t want to kill each other by the end of the month (this is just facetious). So far my family has been doing an activity every night after dinner, in order to spice things up, we rotate who gets to pick the activity. So far we have played a lot of card games, seen a lot of movies, etc… I know that we will get tired of those games soon so we will have to be more creative to keep everyone entertained.

    3 Concepts

    March 30, 2020 by Hannah Moriarty Leave a Comment

    The first sketch I did followed my concept of creating a daily schedule and writing out my daily feelings, thoughts and plans in order to stay organized. Being organized, especially with online classes, will help me to have a clearer mind and be able to know what I need to do for the day and what I would like to accomplish with my time. I have found that it is especially hard to be motivated during this time because I have no routine or set schedule to abide by, which I rely on while at school on campus. Writing out my goals or plans for the day have helped me tremendously to find structure to my day and to be motivated to get work done. Not even solely with schoolwork, it is easy to become lazy and push things off to another day because the days during this quarantine seem to be endless. Staying on top of what I have to do and what I want to do for the week and for each specific day has helped and will help to keep me organized mentally and physically. With the hierarchy of designer needs, I think all but creativity are represented in this concept of following a daily routine and writing it out. It covers functionality, reliability, usability and proficiency.

    Another sketch I did was of my bedroom, including my closet and any other forms of organization within my room. I have been spending most of my time in my room, whether doing home workouts or my homework. I think having and working in an environment that promotes positivity and gives a good energy is essential for getting work done and staying out of a lull or a rut, which can easily happen in this time. It is hard for me to work and focus in a messy or cluttered environment, so this will help enhance my online class experience and my meditation, yoga or workout classes. This also includes staying on top of my schoolwork in an organized manner, which can be difficult when everything is on my computer. I have been trying to organize folders on my computer for classes that do not have a website or an easy platform. Also, I am moving in a few months after the pandemic cools down, so I will want to ensure that I’m organized now so I can keep track of boxes and items I’d like to transfer to my new house and keep up my same routine there. In speaking towards the hierarchy of designer needs, I think this covers reliability, usability, proficiency, and creativity.

    I struggled with my last sketch because it is more of a broad idea rather than a physical concept. I wanted to cover my ideas for self care and exploring new ways of self care including meditation and yoga. In order to express my ideas, I decided to just draw out small sketches somewhat unrelated to each other, but all related to the bigger theme and idea I was trying to portray. I felt as though this concept was much broader than my other ones, so I had a lot of smaller details that went into it. I used sticky notes to write out some different ideas I thought would work with this. In doing this activity, I ended up straying further away from just meditation and yoga, and I explored different methods of self care that I know are popular or I thought I could try. Specifically, I went into broader ideas such as practicing breathing exercises and getting sunshine. With the hierarchy of designer needs, I think it satisfies the all of the designer needs of functionality, reliability, usability, proficiency, and creativity.

    3 Concepts

    March 30, 2020 by Abby Harris Leave a Comment

    The first concept that I sketched was my idea to make a daily routine and schedule. Following a schedule is very necessary for me currently because none of my classes are regular sessions on Zoom, therefore I need structure in my daily life. If I had the choice and no commitments, I would sleep until noon everyday. However, because that is not productive, I planned in my schedule to wake up at 10 am every morning. I will then eat breakfast, be active by either working out at home or walking around my neighborhood. I will then do some homework and eat lunch. Following lunch I will take a break and either watch television, be creative, or hang out with my family. Following my “chill” time, I will do some more studying before dinner and bed. By sticking to a daily routine, I am satisfying a lot of the components in the hierarchy of needs, especially physiological needs and safety, with the ultimate goal of achieving self-actualization or becoming my most productive self that I can be. As for the hierarchy of design needs, the schedule satisfies the needs of reliability, usability, and proficiency.

    My second sketch of a solution was distancing myself from elders. I specifically depicted distancing myself from my grandmother who lives in Durham, North Carolina while I live in Atlantic Beach, NC approximately 3 hours away. Normally when I am home, my family visits my grandmother often either to go out to eat or to visit her at her home just to spend time with her. It is especially difficult to distance myself from my grandmother because she lives alone and is lonely and just as bored as the rest of us. However, we both understand the importance of keeping our distance so that we can both remain healthy and safe. I am also distancing myself from other elders by primarily staying in my house and limiting my time in public spaces. I think it is very beneficial that many grocery stores have allotted an hour in the morning for just senior citizens to shop as to limit their exposure to the greater public. As for the hierarchy of needs, I think that distancing from elders primarily depicts the need for safety. It also satisfies the needs of reliability in the design hierarchy of needs.

    My last sketch is representative of my solution of keeping in contact with my friends and family. I used different social media apps such as FaceTime, messages, instagram, telephone, email, snapchat, group me, twitter, and facebook as those are the most common forms on communication. I have been practicing this solution often as I have been FaceTiming daily friends who I am not able to see due to the Coronavirus. I think that staying in touch with friends and family during this time is especially important because it is easy to feel lonely and isolated when we are stuck inside all day and permitted from interacting with people. This solution can also work with one of my other solutions of promoting positivity. When communicating with friends and family it is best to remain positive and talk about things besides the global pandemic and the potential repercussions of the virus. This solution of staying in contact with friends and family most emulates the need of love and belonging and the need for esteem. The need for love and belonging emphasizes friendships and sense of connection while esteem emphasizes the strength that we need to have at the difficult time. In the design hierarchy of needs, this solution satisfies the needs of usability and creativity as friends and family will need to get creative in remaining in contact.

    3 Concepts

    March 30, 2020 by Tarrin Earle Leave a Comment

      The first concept I sketched out was the idea for my home work space. I am the type of person who needs to be in a place of comfort and organization to thrive with little to no sound around me, that helps keep me focused and relaxed. I wanted to sketch a space that would encompass those three things in order to try to get the best and most productive work out of me. I used my bedroom as the location for this because it is upstairs away from where my parents are working during the day, and out of the sound range of my baby nephew when it is time for him to take a nap or he gets fussy, as his room is down the hall. It also has a window so I can have sunlight in my room or air if I need it, as I don’t like to work in places where I can’t see what’s happening outside my bubble. My bed has really no function to the room but I can’t move it as I still sleep there at night. I would love to turn my night stand into my supply drawer where I store my books for classes, computer, pencils, scissors, paper, etc… whatever I need for class since I have nothing in my drawers at the moment anyway. I would want to pull the two bean bag chairs up from my basement to my room to help give that comfort aspect and feel to the room, along with the yoga mat. The TV could be of use too, and these three things will bring a great aura to the room as well as good uses for breaks so I don’t get overworked. I would pull an unused desk up from our storage space and place it across the desk in my room to provide two different work areas, one for my management courses (MIDE 300 and MGMT 203) and one for elective courses (PHIL 256 and BIO 121). Looking at the heirarchy of designer needs, my room would check all the boxes. For functionality purposes I made sure that my design was a place that could be easy to get my work done in. It’s pretty reliable because the only things that could be changed are through me, and provides me the comfort I need. The space is very easy to use, there’s no jumping over things or having a hard time finding something, everything is designed for my type of work. It is profienct in the sense that no other in my house would offer the comfort, organization, and peace and quiet I need to work to my maximum ability, and creative in the way I placed certain areas to give the space the feel I want.

      The next thing I sketched was the design of my in home gym. I felt as though sketching it on paper wouldn’t do justice to some of the unorthodox ways I’m using things in my basement, for example my table and ottoman as different benches for different workouts. Also the things such as the stationary bike or little wood boxes provide great ways to get creative with different workouts. I leaned on the designers hierarchy of needs in constructing how I wanted to preliminary place things and how I could best use this space. Function was easy because it is a big enough space to do all the things required of me to get better. However usability and reliability are a challenge because I have to see if I get too hot in my basement or if the “benches” give out with too much weight, or will my rug soak in and retain that sweaty smell? I tried to pick the best possible options for those scenarios not to occur. As for proficiency and creativity, this is the best and only option in my household to workout in so I have to make due, and it’s definitely thinking outside the box with some of the different things that aren’t traditional to a workout.

      The last virtual sketch was of how I plan to spend time outside to not go stir crazy in my own house and practice safe habits with the virus. As you can see from the video I have sketched out certain activities I could do in different spaces around my house and neighborhood, with location or activity subject to change. Each and every one of them follows safe habits to help try to stop this virus, but I feel strongly that it is very important to ones mental health and overall happiness to get outside and be productive. Functionally all these activities are safe ways to get outside and explore. Looking at reliability and usability, each activity is dependent on what you can and how you enjoy it, so I just picked things I know how to and will make me happy to do and motivated to get outside. It is proficient in the sense that it is better and healthier for you then sitting inside and watching Netflix all day, and creative in the way I use space. For example using my cul de sac to walk with my friends at a safe distance or my driveway to talk. Also using my backyard as a chipping green is an innovative way to do something I love without going to a golf course. Again, I don’t do well drawing my designs so this was the best way I could communicate it.

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