Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Save a Tree….Write a Blog

Posted in Design, Events, Personal, Random, Research, Technology, Uncategorized on 10/09/2008 03:29 pm by uxmelina

One large part of University that I don’t agreed with: Exams.

My main beef is due to the fact that they are really unlike anything you will ever do in the real world. I know I have only worked in “the real world” to a total of 2 years, but at each job, I have yet to EVER be placed in a traditional exam situation. Please comment if you have ever been stuck in a room with 100+ people, all solving the exact same problem, without the aid of a calculator, a textbook or the internet and told not to talk or make any noise, and doing it all in an extreme time crunch. It’s just not realist. I have thought up a few solutions, but that’s not the point to this post.

On Monday I did something more ridiculous then writing exams. I handed in my proposal for my design plan. This 20 page report detailed everything my partner and I will do to complete our 8 month project (I will post details on it soon). The funny part comes with HOW I handed it in.

Try to follow this,

The prof who was marking us (our awesome supervisor) was at a conference, to ensure we had it completed on time, she was emailed a copy. Then according to course requirements, 2 copies were left in her mailbox. This was so she could read, mark and return one copy to us and kept the 2nd copy for future reference. Now a 3rd hard copy was given to the prof running the course so he could also make sure everyone’s projects were approximately similar (since we all have different supervisors).

So, 60 pages of printing, 3 cover pages, 3 backing pages, 3 bindings and one email later we handed in our report. A report that will be read by exactly 2 people (until I post it on this blog). Does anyone else see the problem with this? Actually some people do, I read another blog about this a few weeks ago, but can’t seem to find the link.

Imagine if instead of hard copies the report was posted on website. Each prof (and anyone else) could give their feedback in the form of comments. Students would have a higher sense of accountability since the viewing audience would be higher. If the report was any good, other people could learn from it. Students wouldn’t spend all morning in printing labs and a few less trees would die. The report, in all it’s glory, could be accessible from anywhere. New media (like videos and links) could be added to actually enhance the report. Referencing would be so much easier and so much more accurate and verifiable. The list of benefits goes on and on.

Their are some drawbacks that need to be worked out. Sometimes inline comments are nice on reports and that’s not really supported with traditional comments. Also, I don’t really know how many profs would want to read hours and hours of reports online, some user research is required there.

How does this relate to design? Earlier in the term, when I was trying to think up something fun to research and redesign, a friend of mine (who is actually redesigning a tattoo gun) said to me “think of something that hasn’t changed for many years”. Likely, due to new improvements in technology, their is something that can be improved and enhanced that hasn’t been designed, exams and report submissions both fall into this category. This reminded me of the idea about TV viewing (a task that has reminded pretty static since its inception) and realized that it would be a fun topic to explore.

Please comment if you have used an alternative method to submit reports that is more efficient then my adventure on Monday. I am using Google sites for 2 of my courses as a method of content submission, but only in addition to, traditional methods. Also, our school has an online course distribution tool that allows us to submit electronic copies of papers, but is not used by all profs. So their has been some movement in the right direction.

Reflecting on Silicon Valley: Sandals, People, Goals, Cars…

Posted in Personal, Uncategorized on 09/20/2008 12:46 am by uxmelina

I’ve now been back in Ontario for a few weeks, getting settled in school and missing the bay area. My friends keep asking “how was Palo Alto?” to which I quickly reply “Love”. Here is what I have learned from a summer in Silicon Valley, where the culture is likely unparalleled to anywhere else in the world.

Balance life and work…with sandals: I was likely at my office longer than an other coop job I have ever held, but the casual nature, even having small things (like wearing sandals instead of heals) didn’t make it seem like work. It was just fun, designing, researching doing everything I did at less casual companies, but enjoying it a little bit more because of the small things. Now, I understand wearing sandals to work isn’t going to fly if you’re an investment banker on Wall street, but whatever you do and wherever you do it, find your “sandals”. We often feel like we need to take a class, or go to the gym to be “balanced” when simple things can also have a huge impact.

Learn something new everyday….from someone new: I picked up and moved out there, without knowing anyone. I quickly learned the area is basically full of engineers, and everyone you meet is very intelligent. It was so great meeting new people, and learning about the work they have done, because it was usually related to my field. However, don’t think you need to be surrounded by people in your field to learn something new. Everyone you meet, regardless of the field they work in, knows something you don’t. Have you met someone new today?

Internal motivation is better than external: Property is expensive, much more expensive than in Waterloo or even Toronto, it gets worst if you want to live in San Fransisco. I quickly realized that my goal to buy a cute place shortly after graduating might have to put on hold (though it’s still not impossible, but that’s a whole other conversation). This made me aware that the goals we set for ourselfs can really be motivated by external expectations or circumstance and should be intrinsically motivated for ultimate success and happiness. Look at your goals for the next year, 5 years, 10 years, you might realize that it’s not something you really want/need at all and you can invest more resources into accomplishing other goals that are more personally satisfying.

A 20-something can drive a Lamborghini and only have t-shirts in his/her wardrobe: This one is more of a fun fact, their were a lot of nice cars there, cars you don’t expect to see parked at the grocery store. The message: Never stop innovating, it can, and does pay off!