DESIGN FOR THE REAL WORLD
As a designer, when we enrich the lives of modern materials and design, such as a variety of high-end automobiles, computer products and digital products, such as the Internet, unfortunately, there are many areas have been designed ignored, such as in remote areas School teaching aids design, children left behind life items, rural production tools, water system design in arid areas, poor areas of medical equipment, supplies and other blind people, therefore, a designer how to make their design services to vulnerable groups to better reflect the design of ethics, ethics advocates that designers design should take social responsibility and sustainable development, should be designed not just to get the specific business interests, the design should be concerned about neglected minority.
Every time I see the design on some designer magazine advocated "design is good business" and other similar declaration when, feels indescribably unhappy, but he is impossible to escape the circle of life and work in this system next, only to something in my heart, sometimes people still need a little ideals, idealism could bring the most simple pleasure for us.
In writing his thesis recently collected to this information, here to share with you, looking forward to the most realistic design for the most real world.
The truth is, it does not require safety and design engineers. If still no action is a crime - because there are enough facts show that our actions will be able to cause change, accidents will be reduced, the highway will not have to slaughter ...... action time.- Robert • F Kennedy.
After leaving school, I first do a job is to design a desktop radio. This is a general shroud design: housing design electronic machinery. This is my first time, I hope the last time, exposure to this appearance of design, style design or a design shaping. That radio is one of the portable radio on the desktop market is the first post-war rise. Although I work part-time in school, I still feel there is no certainty, been made this a huge hit home work, especially when I think of my design is a unique radio product when the new company. One night, my employer, Mr. G took me to his apartment balcony overlooking Central Park. He asked me if I have been aware of the responsibility for his design of the radio.
Because I think this question is asked is not reliable, so they began to talk about the big market standard "beauty" and "customer satisfaction" to the topic. He interrupted me. "Yes, of course, you're all right," he continued, "but your responsibility than those who are big." Then, he published a pass of his own (to Dali said, including designers) to him shareholders, especially for his workers in charge of cliches:
"You're standing on the perspective of our workers to think about the responsibility of your radio bear it. In order to produce, we built a factory in Long Island, hired about 600 new workers. The workers from many states, Georgia, Kentucky , Alabama, Indiana, who moved to the roots is almost here and they will sell their original homes, and then came here to buy a new one. They will be here to build a community of their own and their children also pulled out from the old school, tucked it away in another school in their new piece of land for their new needs, a variety of new supermarkets, pharmacies and service stations will be opened. Now, imagine Radio sold within a year, we had to put them quit they would not be able to pay the rent, can not buy a car before rolling it up, shops and banks had closed;... the house is again out to sell Their children also need to change schools unless their father found a new job. troublesome thing too much, which I did not when it comes to those shareholders yet. Everything is because you make a design error. It is your responsibility lies, I'm sure the school never taught you these! "
Since young, and frankly, I was overawed. Mr. G that closed, narrow market dialectic system, all of the claims are justified. After so many years, from a higher position to look back, I must admit that the design to be placed on the market on his way responsible for the product design. But the idea is still too narrow. Designer's responsibility must go far beyond these ideas. Before he began to design a very long time, his social and moral judgments must work, because he must make a judgment, a priori judgment that people let him design or re-design of the product is not entirely worthy of his do it. In other words, his design is not standing on this side of social benefits.
Food, shelter and clothing: It is often said that we human necessities. As society increasingly sophisticated complex, we are on this list, plus the tools and machines, because they enable us to produce the other three. However, human beings have more than food, shelter and clothing basic needs. For thousands of years, we naturally breathe the fresh air, drinking pure water, but now this picture has been changed drastically. Despite the air, rivers and lakes polluted reasons are complex, but generally, industrial design and industry itself clearly bear some responsibility for the status quo.
America's image in the eyes of foreigners often movie creation. That is, some people prefer to believe their fairy tale world, everywhere like Cinderella "Andy Hardy • college" and "rain" sort of thing, it is more straightforward than the plot and the stars and subconsciously moved our foreign friends. It conveys an idealized environment, one was a variety of new gadgets fingertips decorate the environment.
In the 1980s, we export a variety of products and new stuff. As we believe that we are happy to be free of the other part of the world will be intensified colonial culture and technology, we are busy with the export environment and "lifestyle", 1982 Nigeria again watch "I Love Lucy" reruns or Look at Indonesia, "the gates of hell 2" for any people have not a dime a dozen.
Designers - Planners for almost all products and tools bear some responsibility and, therefore, we should be committed to the environment in the wrong bear some responsibility. He should not only be responsible for the poor design, but also for not fulfilling responsibilities in charge: abandoned due responsibility, did not play to his creativity and responsible: "did not participate" or "muddle through" is also responsible.
If we put a triangle seen as design issues, we would be very easy to see that industry and its designers to focus on only a small portion of that triangle top, but ignored the real needs.
Let us take as an example the computer. Whether it is in the relationship between work and work from home on business-related and personal issues related to, or in the digital processing program, information storage and restoration, etc., is introduced into the office and home computer gave exchange mechanism with to a number of important changes: in fact, in the past three or four years, it has changed people's lives in many ways. Whether at home or in the office, designers computerized their work has become a very common thing. Many computers are home, there are still some small computer is ready for the office, they have to play games and other electronic entertainment function of the project. The rest, whether or not they equipped with disk drives, disk or magnetic cartridge storage, looks like similar. Manufacturers and designers have begun to try to improve the keyboard and display of the terminal, however, these attempts at the most, but is hard on the surface of the problem. They are dealing with is the shell, and is also altered the way the keyboard buttons. However, in order to truly understand the computer and word processing software problems, whether manufacturers or designers were required to inspect some of the deeper issues associated with the application of this tool:
1. For the keyboard arrangement of various letters, numbers, symbols and commands are not based on the daily application and comfortable to the hand? (As we will see below, the typewriter keyboard design from the perspective of ergonomics to see is a failure of)
2. green letters on a black screen is not very comfortable, if it causes eyestrain, and not easy to identify? Commodore and Osborne calls through their visual terminal provides amber on a black screen. For a $ 3,000 computer, it should no longer spend $ 30.50 at most, will be able to "arbitrary" selection of background colors and numbers and letters.
3. For most people who use the computer, the characters on the screen size is appropriate? Obviously, various font should be easy to do and should be able to add content.
4. Are memories should think of ways to protect your computer, in order to avoid losses due to power outages, electromagnetic explosion brought about? Many people use word processing software in the city where they had problems when circuit Diuguo full PhD thesis, bibliography or part of a book. One more equipment and more can not spend $ 40, but still not a conventional setting.
5. The monitor's angle appears to be not just? Whether it can be regulated (manual) to fit the Sanjiao glasses with bifocal or people?
6. Organized in such a way the various command functions will not be used directly by the two groups are not careful missed it: those dealing with numbers, as well as those who use word processing?
7. Keyboard - or place the keyboard plane - whether because of people's different body and decreased or increased, even some lay people in a wheelchair do? Such adjustments are mechanical in nature, rather than braille or pressure; they execute them spend much money, but hardly out what is wrong.
8. Chair user is able to easily adjust up and down?
9. A computer disk handling guidelines and structure, discs and recording devices are easy to understand?
10. To what extent users are forced to make his (her) own adaptation of the machine, rather than the so-called "user friendly," or, given it has a smooth surface, fast speed and "lenient" mean?
All the above problems are not gossip, but we can continue to add other content. • Dr. Robert Frank of New York's Mount hard of hospital for a three-year study, he found that many people with visual fatigue, retinal detachment, Optical Illusion disease, headaches, back pain and lumbar disc herniation people at work are often using video display terminals and home computers ("Vientiane", October 18, 1983). These people can not forgive a lack of presence of innovative design, the reason is the presence of the PC market is highly competitive. Although the 10 questions posed above improvements in the retail market should mean $ 400 (roughly speaking that is a half of the retail price of individual text software to insure or so), but in fact can not spend $ 200 for mass production, However, rough and uncivilized market strategy, especially Americans called free enterprise system requiring companies to find the hands of the shareholders of the financial statements must be justice in each of the 90 will reflect the growth in profit, therefore, market competition hustle hampered design improvement and upgrading.
As a designer, my view is that the office must be based on the actual situation and the family, who features and ease of use to do it. Disposal of industrial enterprises and designers have not let them draw our huge base of that triangle as an object considered.
We are just labels for a moment. We have "design issues" into a "national." To some extent, when we talk about remote areas, so look at it at a glance. If we let the whole triangle representatives include South America and the American center of the country, including almost all of the region, we see a tendency of its purpose. Almost all of these areas of wealth are concentrated in a small part of the "absent landlords' hands. Many of these people have never been to South America, but they were effective but then the "Administration" and development. Designed as a small circle of luxury, this small group includes all countries of technical, financial and cultural "elite." The total "mainland" Native Americans more than ninety percent of the population neither of production nor a bed to sleep, they are no schools and no hospitals, they even smell never seen floating out from the designer's workshop atmosphere. It is this large group of poor people deprived but represents our base of this triangle. If I say it really shows the same situation in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, it is estimated that few people would disagree.
Unfortunately, this chart also applies to our own country. Our in-house cities and villages, the school system more than ninety percent of aids we use in our hospitals, doctors' offices, diagnostic facilities, tools, etc., are designed ignored. Although in these areas, the new design will appear sporadically, but is often a result of a breakthrough study, rather than a genuine need for a real reaction. Here, we have to work designer services assigned to those at the top of the triangle.
But we changed the label again. Now we call it the "World." Many people in this world do not benefit from the designer, the authenticity of this issue can have doubt?
Our innovative spirit is where to go out? This is not a make our lives in the attempt to take away all the fun. After all, would like to spend money on "adult toy" people should get it in a rich society is a legitimate right. In 1983 the United States, virtually no specialized for the household production of radios. Some of them are assembled in the United States, but part is from Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong. Up to 3, within five years, they will come from China, Indonesia or those of the Central American countries where we have not won on the. Sony, Hitachi, Panasonic, Aiwa replacement quickly. They produce more than 120 models of desktop radio, the difference comes from their use, differences in appearance and a particular use. This situation will soon in the recorder, the TV and camera body appears. This is not to say that companies sell each product must be of good quality. After all, as many booksellers that, despite their best sales to incredible burden in the incorporation of garbage, but every year they also managed to publish some valuable books.
Those designers (problems, national or world) would like to make a point score in the entire triangle often find themselves are said to be designed for a few people. This allegation is completely false. This reflects the misunderstandings and misconceptions in professional operation, the nature of these misconceptions must be tested.
Let us assume that an industrial designer or a complete design agency whose scope of work in the framework of human needs complete chapter and other chapters, as outlined in. So, mission work and what constitutes it? It includes a variety for preschool, nursery, kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school, college, graduate and post-doctoral research projects and various designs. There will be some special areas designed for the educational facilities, these areas include adult education, knowledge, and skills training for the mentally disabled, underprivileged and disabled, as well as special language education, vocational re-education, rehabilitation mortal, and mental illness. In addition, around the people to start new skills education should be given their living environment revolutionized: from slums, ethnic enclave, in poor rural areas to the cities; from Australia's indigenous people to technological society; from Earth into space; quiet countryside from England to the Arctic cold of life.
We assume that the agency engaged in design work should include medical diagnostic instruments, designed hospital equipment, dental instruments, surgical instruments, inventions and improvements, including a psychiatric hospital design equipment, instruments and equipment, including obstetrics and gynecology equipment as well as the ophthalmologist preparation of diagnostic and training equipment, and so on. Its work ranges from household thermometer can read better solution to some special devices, such as pacemakers, heart-reading devices, artificial organs, transplant organs, and he will have a simple design for the blind reader, improved stethoscope, analyzers and hearing aids. And updating of a daily pill dispensing apparatus.
The mechanism should also be designed so that their attention to domestic, industrial and transport and other areas related to safety devices, and these devices should not give the rivers, lakes and oceans, the atmosphere caused by chemical and thermal pollution. 75% of the world's people living in poverty, hunger, these people obviously need our design agency set aside in its schedule more time to give these people with attention. However, not only the world's developed and emerging countries need special assistance, such special needs around our homes everywhere. Kentucky and Virginia just west of black miners various occupational lung disease, but one of the most unusual, many of which are available through the re-design of the equipment to be avoided.
These devices are generally engaged in research interrelated, but it temporarily with sophisticated means, but people who engage in high-level research projects often suffer from not being rational design of equipment. From radar telescope to simple chemical experiment beaker, designs far behind. Old people and what kind of design? Pregnant women and fat people need what kind of design? Those who feel the world is what needs to be alienated from society and feel lonely young man? Road transport and what kind of design? (American cars is indeed the most effective killing machine, with it, the machine gun on nothing)
It is not designed for a few people? The problem is that all of us at a certain point of life is like a child, we all need education throughout life, almost all of us are experiencing youth, middle age and old age. We need help and advice teachers, doctors, dentists and hospitals. All of us belong to groups with special needs. All of us need to migrate, communication, products, tools, shelter and clothing. We must have clean water and air. As a species, we need to explore the challenges, promises and extensive knowledge of space.
