Design „for me“

I think to be a good designer is the first step to understanding ourselves towards understanding others. 

Who am I?

What are my strengths and weaknesses? Do I know my needs and values? That’s why we did a personality test to find out. Afterwards we were asked to select one feature in which we reached an extremely high or low score. I chose fairness. In the following we built mind maps in groups of two to brainstorm.

As a small homework, we were asked to think about our topic and how we could improve it in a week. When I thought about it, many things came to mind. I have designed a small guide in postcard size. I also created a presentation with my improvements. (Includes my own photographs.) 

Even small changes can make a difference. You just must carry them outwards.

Design „for you“

Next up, we searched for one person we are close to. We had to take 12-15 photos of the home the person lives in. It was important that the person did not take any posed photos. In the best case it should have been detail shots. I chose a good friend of mine. Her name is Katja. I made an appointment with her via Zoom. In preparation, I decided on the semi-structured version of an interview.

She sent me pictures of her home and workplace. (To protect her privacy, she asked me not to publish it.) Of course, there was more to see in the pictures. You could read a lot from it. For example, that they have two cats. That they are currently renovating their apartment. During the interview, she was even still sorting out. About Katja. She is a power woman, mother of two children, manager of the family and works full-time.

The next time we discussed the photos in teams and searched for the key problem this person has. In my case, the problem was not immediately visible. From the interview I found out that one reason for the renovation was the return of her daughter from Canada. So they had to redesign the distribution of space. A move was out of the question and so we have already found a good solution in the interview. To find an approach to a possible problem, my questions went deeper. She told me how she feels mentally and physically and how she recognizes negative signs through her life experience at an early stage. And how it best acts in moments of crisis. I was also able to find out that she is doing a lot. She likes to ride a bike and do a lot with friends. She likes to ride a bike and go out with friends. We have been planning to meet again for a long time, but their schedule is very full. Her everyday life was generally very overloaded. The move. Her son had become more affectionate due to the absence of his sister and needed more attention. At the same time, she does not want to neglect her marriage.

After an interview i got to know that she knows about the possible problem, but it is quite easy to ignore it. I must function so that everyone is well and everyday life continues.

We should also show potential opportunities. 

I thought of three simple ways to do something for myself. You can see it as a small mantra or as a guide, in postcard size.

I worked with the same creative means. The figure is modeled after her. The cats are your favorites and part of your life. The Venn diagram should visually illustrate the second step better. I've worked with colors because they're their favorites.

The result is three steps to a better life.

Design „for we“

In this assignment, “Design for we”, I chose a group of people who are indirectly connected to me. Their problem is that they can’t talk about their feelings. Talking about feelings and emotions is not easy for anyone, especially your own. Through my research, I found out that there really are people with emotional blindness.

With the help of the Idea Supplier (my modified version of Prof. Lecuna’s the Idea Arc) the problem was solved by an app. The name of the app is Feel Well.

Design „for them“

In this task, I focused on blind people. Remarkable people who master their everyday lives perfectly. Due to the little time, I could not observe many blind people. So, I watched interviews with and from blind people. Particularly interesting here was a post where a blind man was interviewed. The post was called ASK A BLIND MAN - Jonas on beauty and dreams without pictures. 

When he was asked what you want from people who are not blind, I decided to focus on non-blind people.

My grandma was blind. I grew up with it and got used to the special way of dealing with it. To my regret not always from the easiest side. My idea was to make a platform. To raise awareness of dealing with the blind people. A kind of guide. This should not be about paternalism or that you must pack blind people in cotton wool.

Decision

Now it was time to decide. I used the method Two by Two Matrix for this. Through feedback and discussions, I decided to continue working on the “Project” Feel Glass.

Portfolio Piece

Even though I wasn’t directly affected. I took the subject very personally. Many people find it hard to talk about their feelings and emotions. Professional and quick help by medical advice is not always guaranteed. Through the Feel glasses I want to offer a fast, uncomplicated and modern solution. Below you can see my presentation of the status quo and my result.

I used a 3D Programm to design the glass. (Similar to Rhino) 

The material for illustration is wood. The frame is made of copper.

I also developed a prototype for an app. On the one hand, you can make the right settings for the glasses and the artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the data is stored there, which can be accessed at any time. In addition, the user can continue practicing without glasses to recognize feelings and emotions. At the same time, the app offers medical support. You can write to a doctor at any time and let him know about learning successes.

Feel Glass

The Feel Glass. It is a handy device.

Feel App

Link to the App: https://xd.adobe.com/view/ef6c3994-e907-4254-a646-15edfa1e7a18-ba3f/

Conclusion

I learned a lot in this class. Methods, visualizations, approaches, points of view etc. which will definitely help me with the process for future designs. I also learned a lot about myself and the way how design works for me.