Sorry this is coming up so late. I have been busy packing and doing family things.
Now to the questions:
Design contributes to my life in so many ways, since I will always be a consumer. I know how to examine products by the way they were manufactured and how they were designed. Also, I understand that companies will not change the way that a product works unless there is a constant complaint apparent to them.
For any First Year student, I advise you to learn your limits, being inside of class and outside of class. To be successful, there must be a real understanding of oneself. I have had it easy for this semester, so it was not as bad to adapt to college as another First Year student might admit. With that being said, I will have to adapt to the workload for the second quarter, which I am well and ready for.
For students in this seminar, I would just advise you to be vocal and outspoken, since we usually just do discussions. Try to get your voice out in the discussion early, you will stand out more. Also, read the whole article and understand what is going on. There have been one or two times where I did not understand what the article was talking about, so I had to sit through the discussion and not say as many points. One last important thing, subscribe to the class blog or bookmark the class link. When it is time to come up with paper topics, it is good to have that available so that you can see what other people are doing.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Chapter 9 on Time
An increase in the availability of non-alcoholic activities should decrease the influence of peer pressure in terms of under-aged drinking.
The constraints that I plan to address in this analysis in this paper are that the problem of under-aged drinking is rather a social issue than one for the institution. The trigger point that is most important consist of the fact that Kalamazoo College's brand reflects diversity, which should be true with recreation.
Five class readings that I could apply to my topic would be: The Principles of Marketing, The Third Place, The Experience Architect, The City, and The Ten Biggest Mistakes from Websites
The Principles of Marketing: The article speaks of branding, which is important to Kalamazoo College. One focal point of Kalamazoo as a school is diversity. There should be activities that coincide with the need for diversity.
The Third Place: For many, the weekend is a time to relax, and forget about the work and problems. There is a need for a third place for the weekend, and if there is only one option for a Third Place, then students in opposition of it will have nowhere to go.
The City: The article talks about how the City needs to be a urban place, where people can hang out and relax. The school should promote off-campus activities so that we can break the "K bubble".
Ten Mistakes...: Even though the website speaks of other websites' mistakes, the same applies to schools. The school should be user-friendly.
"There has been a change in residential habitats too that keeps people away from downtown areas. When fewer people live and congregate downtown, crime increases because there are no 'eyes on the street', as the writer and activist Jane Jacobs wrote... The town benefits from students spending money there; the college benefits from the resources and amenities provided by the towns."
There can be a potential decrease in crime if students were to travel off-campus together in order to create a feeling of security. Also, from the discussions in class, we spoke about how the town does not accommodate to the school, yet there was no talk about how the school accommodating the town.
The constraints that I plan to address in this analysis in this paper are that the problem of under-aged drinking is rather a social issue than one for the institution. The trigger point that is most important consist of the fact that Kalamazoo College's brand reflects diversity, which should be true with recreation.
Five class readings that I could apply to my topic would be: The Principles of Marketing, The Third Place, The Experience Architect, The City, and The Ten Biggest Mistakes from Websites
The Principles of Marketing: The article speaks of branding, which is important to Kalamazoo College. One focal point of Kalamazoo as a school is diversity. There should be activities that coincide with the need for diversity.
The Third Place: For many, the weekend is a time to relax, and forget about the work and problems. There is a need for a third place for the weekend, and if there is only one option for a Third Place, then students in opposition of it will have nowhere to go.
The City: The article talks about how the City needs to be a urban place, where people can hang out and relax. The school should promote off-campus activities so that we can break the "K bubble".
Ten Mistakes...: Even though the website speaks of other websites' mistakes, the same applies to schools. The school should be user-friendly.
"There has been a change in residential habitats too that keeps people away from downtown areas. When fewer people live and congregate downtown, crime increases because there are no 'eyes on the street', as the writer and activist Jane Jacobs wrote... The town benefits from students spending money there; the college benefits from the resources and amenities provided by the towns."
There can be a potential decrease in crime if students were to travel off-campus together in order to create a feeling of security. Also, from the discussions in class, we spoke about how the town does not accommodate to the school, yet there was no talk about how the school accommodating the town.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Trow Lounge
The area that I observed was at Kalamazoo College, in the Trowbridge Hall lounge(s) on the first floor. Its purpose is for residents and students alike to lounge around in a social setting or even study together. I made my observations on Sunday from 8:45 to 9:30. This is usually a heavy studying time since classes are on the next day.
The Trowbridge lounges give a homely feel, with the dim lighting and rocking chairs. One of the most prominent features of the lounges are the numerous rocking chairs in each lounge. There are four in the main lounge, eight in the piano area, and two each in the respective lounges. The availability is crucial for the lounges since students are allowed to walk in and out. There is a variety of seating options, with rocking chairs, table chairs, and sofas. During the observation, there were four people inside of the main lounge, two people at the table, one person on the couch, and one playing the piano. As time progressed, three people left, and three others actually came in to replenish the room. There was one other person inside one of the side lounges. In each of the lounges, there is wooden floor panels. The steps that lead into the main lounge look like they are made of marble. The sound level differed as time went on. When I first walked in, I could hear the piano being played softly. After, I was able to hear the two students discuss their studies. After, there were visitors that came to greet their friend and then left. Later on, the group of three students conversed at high volume. I would guess that the building of the room would need wood, metal, marble, concrete, and electrical wiring.
This area projects the image of being inviting and open to the residents. It is a social gathering area where people can hang out. Even people can play the piano if bored. In the surroundings, the people usually speak with "inside" voices so that they do not interrupt other people studying. In non-studying instances, people speak normally, or gather around the piano.The most interesting fact about this place that although there are numerous lights, they are all low voltage, so that it keeps the dimmed atmosphere.
The Trowbridge lounges give a homely feel, with the dim lighting and rocking chairs. One of the most prominent features of the lounges are the numerous rocking chairs in each lounge. There are four in the main lounge, eight in the piano area, and two each in the respective lounges. The availability is crucial for the lounges since students are allowed to walk in and out. There is a variety of seating options, with rocking chairs, table chairs, and sofas. During the observation, there were four people inside of the main lounge, two people at the table, one person on the couch, and one playing the piano. As time progressed, three people left, and three others actually came in to replenish the room. There was one other person inside one of the side lounges. In each of the lounges, there is wooden floor panels. The steps that lead into the main lounge look like they are made of marble. The sound level differed as time went on. When I first walked in, I could hear the piano being played softly. After, I was able to hear the two students discuss their studies. After, there were visitors that came to greet their friend and then left. Later on, the group of three students conversed at high volume. I would guess that the building of the room would need wood, metal, marble, concrete, and electrical wiring.
This area projects the image of being inviting and open to the residents. It is a social gathering area where people can hang out. Even people can play the piano if bored. In the surroundings, the people usually speak with "inside" voices so that they do not interrupt other people studying. In non-studying instances, people speak normally, or gather around the piano.The most interesting fact about this place that although there are numerous lights, they are all low voltage, so that it keeps the dimmed atmosphere.
Principles of Marketing
According to the chapter, design affects marketing in many ways. The marketing of a product is dependent on the design. The product has to be able to live up to its marketing scheme. For example, a product that is marketed as "high-tech" cannot only have two functions on it, since it will be promoted to a group that is capable of handling the technology. I feel that the choice of including or excluding product mix is the most important element in terms of marketing. Companies that only sell one type of product are able to focus on that one and create a specific marketing scheme. As time goes on and the popularity of a company rises, they have to find an innovation, which is where the new products come in, introducing a new consumer group to the rest of the products. One company that does a good job of this would be Dominos. They are known for the pizzas, but with the introduction of the oven-baked subs, they were able to attract a new crowd of people. The people that go to Domino's for the pizza are now able to get a variety of things, which can boast up the number of orders.
The discussion of branding is similar to Tom Kelley's design of experience because both depend on innovation. The experience architect has to figure out how to make sure that their product, whether it be a restaurant, space, or electronic, memorable. Marketing directors have the same job when promoting their product. They need to associate their product with something positive, so that consumers will be able to benefit from it.
Kalamazoo College is branded as the small liberal arts school of the city. It is the opposite to Western Michigan University, which is the typical big party school. In order to fight against it, the party scene must be toned down, to keep the prestige. Also, the school is promoted as a strong study abroad school, so it must continue to add in study abroad programs and encourage students to join in them.
The discussion of branding is similar to Tom Kelley's design of experience because both depend on innovation. The experience architect has to figure out how to make sure that their product, whether it be a restaurant, space, or electronic, memorable. Marketing directors have the same job when promoting their product. They need to associate their product with something positive, so that consumers will be able to benefit from it.
Kalamazoo College is branded as the small liberal arts school of the city. It is the opposite to Western Michigan University, which is the typical big party school. In order to fight against it, the party scene must be toned down, to keep the prestige. Also, the school is promoted as a strong study abroad school, so it must continue to add in study abroad programs and encourage students to join in them.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Proposal
My idea is actually split between three topics: Social Cliques, First-Year Experience, and the Health Center
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
How Did Reflective Turn Into Reflexive in Conversation
The main points of the article are numerous in terms how what a good experience architect. The name is self-explanatory, for the fact that this job entails of creating a lasting encounter for the consumer, whether it is with products, building, or events. The experience architect must make sure that the experiences are memorable in a positive way, so that the consumer would want to attend again. Also, another point was that the experience architect should always give something special to the customer, so that it will lead to good karma. They must be able to find an experience out of everything, where they can turn everything into extraordinary feats. One example of the experience architect performing a good job would be the anti-freeze story, where the customer was able to say time and effort would premixed antifreeze. With this, architects are able to profit off of the experience. Another point that Kelley makes is about the trigger points for experience architects. There must be one or two essential elements that make up the experience. Kelley also advices that companies "mix-it-up" in terms of products to make the experience stand out more.
The design of products are very similar to the design of experiences. Experience architects and designers both have to answer the question of what about this item will make it stand out in consumers minds, whether it be an innovation or an improvement on an existing project. Although customers look for the behavioral aspect, the most powerful aspect in terms of sales would be the reflective. If the designer spent extra time in making the product extraordinary, the customer would want to spend the extra money for it.
For a community building activity would have to be a party at the end of the quarter for the First Year students in order to celebrate the successful finish of the first college quarter in Kalamazoo College. The party would entail of dance music and strobe lights, to further the experience of fun. Also, the money would be spent on food and drinks, just in case the students do not like the party and would rather sit on the side and eat.
The design of products are very similar to the design of experiences. Experience architects and designers both have to answer the question of what about this item will make it stand out in consumers minds, whether it be an innovation or an improvement on an existing project. Although customers look for the behavioral aspect, the most powerful aspect in terms of sales would be the reflective. If the designer spent extra time in making the product extraordinary, the customer would want to spend the extra money for it.
For a community building activity would have to be a party at the end of the quarter for the First Year students in order to celebrate the successful finish of the first college quarter in Kalamazoo College. The party would entail of dance music and strobe lights, to further the experience of fun. Also, the money would be spent on food and drinks, just in case the students do not like the party and would rather sit on the side and eat.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
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