carrienehlsenmirabella

[carrienehlsenmirabella]

Week 2 – Design Thinking

After reading “Design Thinking” in the Harvard Business Review, how would you define design?

I would define it as an evolving process. There is no way for someone to design a prototype from scratch that is perfect. Design is not a one time, one step process. Design is cyclical process of Idea, build, test, implement, and refine then repeat. Once the cyclical process has ran its course and you are satisfied with the output the design process will move in to a more maintenance process until new advancement kick it back in to a redesign process.

Can you give me a few examples (cited) of design thinking in products you use? Expand on what you found to be the most significant concept from this weeks reading.

One product I use every single day is my Apple Family Sharing program (Apple). I am a single mom of 3 kids. Their Dad and I have 50/50 custody and the kids float back and forth between our houses. My oldest 2 are teenagers with their own phones. I am able to control what they can access online from their phone with the parental settings. We have a family calendar where all of their orthodontist appointments or important events are posted. We have one streaming platforming that we are all able to share. With iPhone upgrades we get new features in our family plan. Now my kids have access to our family icloud and we can share photos and other files. The family sharing has also evolved into a better parental control program. I can lock their phone access at a certain time at night so they can’t use it. However, I can now add emergency contacts so the phone isn’t rendered useless in an emergency. Now of these features were available in the original iPhone. These have come out as the design process continued and tested with technology advancements.

Another item I use everyday is my Sealy Ease adjustable bed base(bed). When we bought our new bed we opted for the adjustable base because we both have back issues. 30 years ago you could get your standard boxspring and mattress or a water bed. If you had back issues you could purchase a wedge pillow that would help prop you up. Problem was those pillows come in a one size for all and not all people are the same. It also did nothing for your feet. A waterbed clearly stated its flaw in the name. Having the adjustable bed frame allows us to put the bed in any position which reduces back pain. One feature that has come along way through the design process is Zero G bed setting. This is an auto setting that adjusts your head and feet to the most optimal position for sleep.

I think one of the more significant pieces I took out of it is; Design is not a step in the process. It is the process. You should look at design as a never ending process. Procedural steps or physical instrumentation should always be designed to fit the needs of the user. If you don’t know what their needs are, you create a prototype and test it. Then redesign the prototype to adjust for the users needs. Thats how you use design thinking.

Cited source

Apple-https://www.apple.com/family-sharing/

Bed-https://www.steinhafels.com/merchandise/product/details/sealy-ease-horizontally-split-california-king-adjustable-base-977206420

[carrienehlsenmirabella]

Week 1 – About me

Tell us all a little about yourself. Why did you take this class and what is your interest in design?

My name is Carrie Nehlsen Mirabella and I am 40 years old. I am a single mom of 3 kids. They are 14, 12, and 8. I have a full time job as an IS manager for a Hospital Lab in Madison, WI. On a personal note. I have the job I really want to retire on. I really don’t need this degree. However, I have a learning disability and I am raising 2 kids who are on the autism spectrum. I want to show them that their mom pushed through adversity and finished. Even if it took me 20 years. I want them to know there’s no time limit on their dreams.

I took this class because it met one of the requirements for my IST degree. However, I really enjoy design and was excited to see a class like this in my requirements. I am completely function over form. It needs to serve my space but I still try to tie in aesthetics.

For example, my work email is very organized. I get over a hundred emails a day. I have to have my emails in conversation threads so I can keep better track of my projects. I have folders designated for individual projects with their unique number assigned to a rule so all messages for the project go to that folder. I have help desk tickets to another folder and Alerts to another. This helps me take quick inventory of my day. This type of design doesn’t work for everyone but it helps me. This goes for my home too. I need to be able to take a quick inventory and designing my spaces to be functional help me do that.

Do you have any relevant experience? What inspires you? Have you recently purchased any items where design was a deciding factor over a competitor?

I have no experience outside of what I have done in my personal life. A recent purchase I made was my first house. The reason we chose our house was because of the shape of the house. My partner and I decided to blend our families and buy a house together. We have 4 cats, 2 dogs, and 3 kids all together. We have a senior cat that doesn’t like other cats besides one that we rescued as a runt 6 week kitten. We have 2 other cats that won’t leave our bedroom. To have a space for all of the humans and animals; we found a 130 year old farm house with a north and south wing. The north wing is a 2nd floor 1 bedroom/full bathroom. The south wing is a 2nd floor that has 2 bedrooms and a mini loft with a closet. This is the kids wing. The kids have 2 cats in their wing. The north wing is the master bedroom where the other 2 cats live. They will never meet the senior cat. This has allowed us to blend our family and keep our animals. Everyone has their personal space. Our house also has no functional basement, just a cellar that stores our water heater and furnace. Having the very separate living spaces was worth the sacrifice of a basement. We love our animals and it works great for my family.