Christina Holman | Design Blog

The Last Day of Classes Today! I still am trying to grasp that my first semester of college is coming to an end; it has been a challenge but fun. That said, I will miss my EXTD 111 class and am looking forward to EXTD 160 next semester.  For the final project of this class, which is to be presented at the Engineering Exhibition today after class, my partner Gaby and I finished the CRI project we pursued. To recap, we took on the issue of attaching the pontoon to the rig and minimizing the trouble in putting on the far-end pontoon once the boat was in the water. We came up with the idea of a rotating mechanism that allows the pontoon to be flipped up or down as needed. Our final-final prototype is pictured left and you can read all about our design journey for the device HERE.   Through the many many brainstorming ideas we had, the multiple calculations done and draft prototypes, the work was all worth it and I am very proud of our prototype. We cannot wait to receive feedback from

For the second seminar from We-Lab this year, Professor Anita Shukla at the Center for Biomedical Engineering at Brown University presented on her work in biomaterial surfaces. As a person who does not follow biomedical engineering, I was enlightened by her talk and learned a lot about health issues and the need for biomaterial products. She received her BS from Carnegie Mellon in chemical/biomedical engineering and then went on to pursue a graduate degree -- actually two -- from MIT (MS in Chemical Eng. Practice and a PhD in ChemE). I was surprised to hear of her postdoc studies at Rice, as I haven't heard of many engineers and physicists discuss such opportunities. Her discussion of drug delivery methods and how it is still an interesting issue for health professionals as well as bleeding relief methods. I enjoyed the detail she had her explanation of her grad research in layer-by-layer films and sequential absorption mechanisms. How she went about the chemical combina

On October 23, Wellesley's Engineering Laboratory (We-Lab) hosted a talk by Sarah Reed, an employee of the consultant product design firm Farm, Inc. One of the things I enjoyed about her talk was that she brought a simple truth to light: you don't have to know you want to go into engineering to go into engineering . Set on becoming a math teacher, Reed graduated with a teaching degree and, quickly after she joined the workforce, decided that teaching was not what she wanted to do then. However, she did discover that she enjoyed woodwork and formed her own business, which gained a loyal customer basis. Hoping to expand it, Reed returned to graduate school in order gain the skills and certification needed for such manufacturing activities. At first she looked into industrial design  -- the study of how products are made and interact with people -- but such program require significant art background. That surprised me. Reed noted that engineers and industrial designers tend to

Prof. Banzaert introduced us last week to our new partnership with a community organization Community Rowing, Inc in Boston. The organization offers rowing lessons of all sorts but this year the EXTD 111 class will focus on its population of paraplegic and absent/reduced limb function rowers -- called adaptive rowing  or  para-rowing . Because of their inability to use particular muscles and rowing movements, the rowing equipment is adapted to their needs but there can be improvement. Differences between para-rowing equipment and the equipment used by those with full limb function can include chair support, the pontoons used for balance, a wider hull, restrained rowers, and straps for the torso. However, even with some aide from these changes, adaptive rowers have said to feel less support and independence in their activity. The challenge given to us is how to make their rowing experience more autonomous while safe. For example, rowers have commented that the ramp leading those

I received the book Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz this summer and, although I began reading it shortly after, I just finished the book. Schulz goes into the concept of error in much depth and really clarifies our current ideology and relationship with Error (capital "E" for the concept). Although not every example and description is applicable to my interests, I pinpointed several good points that carries over to product design and engineering processes: It is our nature to "theorize" about our world Product design is involved in developing that relationship between us and things/our environment. It is okay to say "I don't know;" in fact, it might be the best thing one can do to really learn and listen. "To err is human:" this is a permanent marriage; learn to live with mistakes. Schulz presents several compelling and insightful remarks on how we "err"and why we "err." She st

In the previous post, I critically analyzed the multi-function devices being used at Wellesley and one of the most popular noted issues with these machines is the existence of poor mapping in the touchscreen and the keypad. Hence, I decided that the prototype of choice would be a new interface for those features of the MFDs, helping students and faculty navigate them. In designing a new interface, I first thought about the many comments other students expressed to me. Also, while keeping those notes in mind, I went to the MFD in the Science Center and played with it some more, in order that I could have a more critical eye and notice the pros and the cons of the device. I also took measurements of the screen and keypad for future reference. The first thing I personally noticed was how cluttered the screen looks and the lack of "common sense" functions and terms. Then, I turned to the complimentary keypad: it is abnormally shaped and holds several buttons placed inconve

The newly established MFDs are intended to comprise scanning, printing and copying abilities in one device, but recently there has been mixed emotions on their efficiency. To evaluate interactions with the MFDs, it is important to use the  Seven Stages of Action  in Norman's Design of Everyday Things : For example.... Forming the goal -- To print document I sent from computer Forming the intention  -- I will approach MFD and initiate the printing. Specifying an action  -- Log-in to account; find the queued document and "release;" and log-out Perceiving the state of the world  -- Screen change signifies I have "logged in"or have hit a button. There are 3 main buttons on the side panel and paper settings on the first screen. First screen is for "copy" and I need to "print." Interpreting the state of the world  -- "Job list" does not show my titled document so this is not where I should be. "Check job" is my current

Donald Norman again has impressed me with his thorough understanding of design as an individual consumer and as the teacher. The Design of Everyday Things (DOET) is increasingly becoming a self-guide -- rather a self-help book -- for me. Whereas in Chapter 1 he stresses the importance of attributing failures to the design of the product and not ourselves and introduced some design principals, Chapter 2 delves deeper into the thinking processes necessary to develop a quality-designed product.  One of the central themes I enjoy in Norman's book is how he addresses the psychology  behind "human error" and "product error." Not only does he use specific examples of minuscule errors in product design (e.g. threading film into a projector) and major errors (e.g. the failure of all three plane engines during a flight), Norman actually utilizes psychology terminology and explanations. For instance, he describes the phenomenon of learned helplessness and taught help

This week Prof. Banzaert introduced us to the wonderful world of  REVERSE ENGINEERING , where one builds "down" rather than "up" to understand the product. I disassembled two brands of milk frothers, IKEA (Top, A) and Bodum (Bottom, B), but, before then, I first evaluated how well each brand functions and interacts with the consumer. IKEA BODUM - Supposed to take 15-20s; took 31s - Supposed to take 25-30s; took 50s - No instructions - Includes instructions - Visual feedback - Visual feedback; poor mapping - General "affordances," i.e. where to hold, switch on/off - General "affordances," i.e. where to hold, switch on/off - Aesthetic appeal; professional and sleek - Quieter, smoother and quicker performance As a consumer who has no experience with making artistic coffee creations, I personally would not recognize the difference between the almost $3 and $20 models. However, if a consumer is heavily

Again, welcome to my design blog! To read a little more about who I am and my goals, check out About Me . Here is a brief summary: I am a first year at Wellesley College I hope to become an engineer and pursue my interest in energy development I am also interested in economics and want to learn how to apply energy technology to economic systems I am still learning about myself... Two central goals I have for this class is 1) to enhance my creativity as an engineer and 2) to gain a better understanding of my engineer style. Whereas the latter will become clearer over time, I have already started to resolve the former through my exploration of the VHS tape VHS Tape Being the nostalgic person I am, I constantly find myself watching classic musicals and black-and-white films. In doing so, I have gained an appreciation for the revolution that the invention of film caused and has led to in the modern era. VHS and cassette tapes radically changed the social interactions betwe

When Prof. Banzaert said that people live by this book, I thought I might like this book. No, I love it, and Donald Norman is a genius. A single man has encompassed every frustration and emotion I have had towards terribly designed products. Unlike those that continually attribute their failures with mechanics to their own inaptitude, I have always been the first to shout at an object and detail every aspect that is "wrong" about it.  Who made  you?... This is so non-user-friendly -- and just crazy... What person thought to put the buttons here? ... Even the instructions are terrible! However, Norman goes beyond just simple frustration and opens the reader to the technical details of product design. He placed words to why I thought a product is badly designed: now I can look for "feedback" and "mapping" in a design as well as conscientiously see how my brain identifies "affordance." Moreover, I really enjoyed how he uses many real-life exampl