1

Learning to

think bigger make betterThesis work of Tash Wong Class of 2013

Exhibition EditionMFA Interaction DesignSchool of Visual Arts

Contents

prefaCe to the exhibition edition

part 1: figuring it outEarly daysA more engaging home A personal light

part 2: it’s a gender thingGoing deeperMarginalized perspectivesGenerative applications of gender Testing the water Thinking big Bringing it back Interviews The quiz

The cards

Think Bigger Make Better Branding Wireframes

9

15

35

43

59

67

81

89

113

5

4

5

WelCome to the first edition of my proCess book. Like many creative endeavors, it’s not quite complete.

It’s missing a few formal elements, like references and

acknowledgements. Some of the images may not yet

have their color balanced, and there are still many bul-

let points to set.

What is here, however, are some of the major moments

of the last 12 months. My thesis process, meta roller-

coaster that it was, took me through a wide range of

ideas, conversations, prototypes, and emotions, many

of which find themselves in these pages. Together

they form something of a narrative, and hopefully a

peak into what took place in my head this year.

prefaCeto the Exhibition Edition

“”

The work I did is the work I know, and the work I do is the work I don’t know. That’s why I can’t tell you, I don’t know what I’m doing. And it’s the not knowing that makes it interesting.

– Philip Glass

Part 1

figuring it out

March 2012 – April 2012

early days

10

I’m working on a project for my Physical Computing

midterm, its called ‘tp minder’. Guri, Minnie, and I were

brainstorming for small problems to solve and focused

in on toilet paper notification. At the time, we though

this would be a fantastically fun and silly project - a

system that lets you know there’s no toilet paper in a

bathroom stall.

During our presentation the question was

asked, “Who’s suffered from this problem before - be-

ing stranded in a bathroom with no paper?”. 9 out of

the 10 women raised their hands. It was then I realized,

that this isn’t actually a small problem, but an indica-

tor of something much bigger.

It was then I realized, that this isn’t actually a small

problem, but an indicator of something much bigger.

Think about it - using the numbers in this unscientific

survey, roughly 90% of women in toilet paper using

countries have endured the uncomfortable embar-

rassment of this problem. Thats 140M people in the

US alone. Think thats not enough? Think of the time

it takes to check toilet paper levels of every single stall

of a movie theater or stadium bathroom.

Why hasn’t this problem been solved? My

guess is that the ‘problem solvers’ of our world have

been predominantly male for a long time. I’m not say-

ing they didn’t want to solve this problem, but more

that this slice of life isn’t lived by them. I’ve learned

from recent conversations that when a dude needs to

use toilet paper - he’s damn sure its there.

I’ve been thinking of our project as just

scratching the surface of something much bigger. We

live in a world dominated by products made through a

masculine view of the world. What happens if we look

through a feminine lens?

I have a feeling we’ll find more interesting

problems to solve than toilet paper dispensing.

3/5/2013

toilet paper problemsNew ideas in surprising places

tp minder indicated whether toilet paper levels were ‘low’ or ‘satisfactory’, helping people avoid uncomfortable situations.

An Arduino and flex sensor were used to detect toilet paper levels, communicating them to a servo motor outside the stall.

11

Strange as it sounds, this was a somewhat surprising

insight. At grad school we’re constantly surrounded

by concepting sessions, thesis ideas, and astounding

guest lectures; so much so that I tend to forget that

theres a lot of half-baked work out there.

The startup mania that happens at SXSW was

a rather amazing reminder of how many undercooked

or just downright creepy ideas become a reality. On

the first night, Prachi and I went to a few sites for

the Startup Crawl. We were excited to see new ideas

and speak to people about their startup experience,

but instead we found offices with beer pong, meeting

rooms named after sushi, and services that hold on

to your social network activity…for your employer.

Each to their own, but we didn’t find there was much

to construct conversation around. The abundance of

bad office furniture didn’t help either.

A couple of nights later, I had the opportunity

to meet a few new people over dinner. One person I

spoke to had launched a startup just the day before,

upon arrival to SXSW. He told me, proudly, about

how they’d conceived and built their service in a very

compressed time frame, I suspect without much user

testing and iteration or even testing if there was any

demand for the product in the first place.

The startup mania that happens at SXSW was a rather

amazing reminder of how many undercooked or just

downright creepy ideas become a reality.

Believe it or not, but I found this all really inspiring.

It gave me renewed faith in my work and my ideas.

Thanks to my time at SVAIXD, it seems obvious to me

that you must consider and design for the people at

the center of a product or service, and not for the sake

of building the product itself, but I realized that’s an

insight not everyone has.

3/23/2012

good ideas are not everyWhere“We’ve finished everything, except the design.“ - Overheard at SXSW

One of the startup offices we visited. The graph in the background tracks the sake bombs consumed in the space.

12

Down at SXSW, earlier this month, I had a few fantas-

tic conversations with women who work in the digi-

tal + creative industry. I spoke with them about their

work and how they got to where they are today. These

talks ended up going deeper into conversations about

what it feels like to be bold with your ideas. One of

them said, “For a while, I never really knew what ev-

eryone else was doing, but I assumed they did it better

than me.” This shot through me like a bolt and made

me instantly realize a couple of things:

1. I often make the same assumption.

2. I’m not alone.

This got me thinking about why I, and other women,

often undervalue their work. I know that this isn’t a

problem restricted to the female gender, but there is

something pervasive in our culture and that causes

more women than men to undervalue their work and

their opinions.

Sheryl Sandberg hits on this point in her talk,

Why we have too few women leaders1. She references

a few studies that show how women systematically

underestimate their own abilities, and attribute their

success to external factors.

This is a problem, and not just for women, but

for everyone. As the old guard falls2 around us, being

able to see problems from as many angles as possible

is steadily becoming a necessity. You can’t disrupt in-

dustry3 from the inside, and in order to face the future

we need a more gender and ethnically diverse range

of problem solvers. More importantly, to get there, we

need as many people as possible to be confident with

their ideas, who understand and embrace the fact that

their experience in the world gives them a unique per-

spective.

So, where do we go from here? After chatting with

a few people about this issue, I’ve got a few starting

points:

• Know your worth, this means actually talking to

people about money

• Be vocal, blogging is really hard, but do it anyway

• Say no, to projects that don’t fit in the ‘feature list’

of your life

• Take the time, daily, to reflect positively on your

work

This is where I’m at, if you have anything to add, I’d

love to hear from you.

3/23/2013

elusive ConfidenCeFinding a voice

Sheryl Sandberg at TED.4

13

thesis fiCtionAs part of thesis preparation, I presented Diller + Scofidio’s Blur Building as if it was my own

May 2012 – November 2012

a more engaging home

16

[thesis prep] proposal feedback date: 4/23/2012 from: liz danzico

Tash,

Thanks for your thesis proposal. Below are thoughts on the proposal itself and suggestions on how to modify the proposal for the final version.

Please submit the final proposal directly to me on Tues-day, May 1, by the end of the day.

Thanks and looking forward to seeing this develop.

Liz

==

This is a terrific pursuit, one that is rich with possibilities. As an area to investigate, it’s both personal and prag-matic, progressive and has legacy. I have no doubt that you’ll raise the capital and take the summer to investigate Beam in in more detail.

I like your take on “new ways to solve old problems.” What is the old problem you’re posing here?  There is a tension in the proposal -- perhaps an intentional one -- between the “city of renters” and the city “for living.” Is there a connection between the transience of renters and the service of Beam? Is Beam about creating a space, or creating a space within a, or the, home?

Further, I like the specificity of your summer research pro-posal. Out of it, what do you wish to achieve? What are your research goals? What would constitute a successful summer? I’d like to see these incorporated in a modified proposal.

Some further texts to consider:

* Ascher, Kate: The Works: Anatomy of a City* Banham, Reyner: The Architecture of the Well-Tempered Environment* Botton, Alaine de: The Architecture of Happiness* Suchman, Lucy: Plans and Situated Actions* Whyte, Holly: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

Looking forward to seeing this develop over the summer.--Liz Danzico

ChairMFA in Interaction DesignSchool of VISUAL ARTSNew York City(212) 592-2702

http://interactiondesign.sva.edu/

thesis proposalMy first thesis stake in the ground, and some feedback from Liz Danzico

1717

Tash WongMFA in Interaction DesignThesis Proposal v25/1/2012

I’m incredibly interested in the global shift in perspective that appears to be taking place throughout the world. As the democ-ratization of communication allows for more voices to be heard, I believe that we will start to uncover new ways to solve old problems. From the shifts in the recording industry, to the changes in the formation of government policy, the tension between traditional structures and a new large and diverse set of voices is already beginning to alter the way we understand the world.

I see many parallels between this shift and one described by french sociologist, Henri Lefebvre. To briefl y summarize, Lefebvre understands space as a social production. He describes the environment created through the rise of Capitalism as abstract space, one that suppresses difference in local culture, history, and natural landscape while creating ‘spaces of modernity’ that are divided into grids of private property, market and labor. However, as the abstract mode of spatial production evolves, contradictions within it gives rise to a new differential or lived space, one that accentuates difference or peculiarities. I see the shift to the creation of communication platforms as product as a dramatic step in the emergence of differential space.

Here in NYC we all live under the auspices of abstract space. Manhattan is actually a grid, and much of the space in NYC is developed for speculative fi nancial gain. We are largely a city of renters, living in a developers dream. We live in spaces that were conceived and built for the purpose of generating money fi rst, and for living in second. The home, in NYC, is a site where the lived and the abstract are in constant tension with each other. This tension creates a rich place to explore examples ‘difference’ and potentially fi nd ways to help enrich the everyday experience of many. This is why I see the home as a key point of exploration.

Over the summer I will begin to explore the home through the lens of interaction design with Tom. We intend to turn our focus to the less tangible elements of lighting - the mood it creates, and understanding the various ways people use it - to help create more engaging spaces within the home. We will work together to develop a product called Beam. Beam is a lighting system that can be easily installed, and allows for lights to be controlled in a single place. Tom and I believe that more people should have access to better control over the lighting in their home, not just those willing to invest the time and money to install complex home automation systems.

Through Beam I hope to achieve a number of goals:1. Test my working relationship with Tom without the framework of school.2. Understand how people use lighting throughout the home.3. Discover and test how we can use networked technologies to enable better lighting design.

We plan to create a 10 week framework, during which we will conduct 2 weeks sprints on particular aspects of Beam. We will publicly blog our process, work and research within a variety of spaces, and establish relationships with a number of advisors. At the end of the summer we intend to present our prototype and process to a number of fi rms in New York, London, and San Francisco. To fund our work we will raise $20k through a combination of Coastermatic sales, freelance work, and grants.

Summer readingThe Poetics of Space, Gaston BachelardShaping Things, Bruce SterlingHenri Lefebvre on Space: Architecture, Urban Research, and the Production of Theory, Lukasz StanekCinematic Storytelling, Jennifer Van SijllThe Practice of Everyday Life, Michel de Certeau

18

“Our job is to understand enough about tech-

nology, to see potential, and have enough empa-

thy for humans to see a need. Then have the de-

sign capabilities to bring these things together.”

- Amit Pitaru

This is how Amit describes what we do as Interaction

Designers. I think its the most concise definition I’ve

heard to date. For a while now, I’ve struggled with how

to explain what I do to friends and family, and am real-

ly glad to have something concrete to hold on to as we

begin the journey into thesis. As a second year student

in the MFA IXD program at SVA, thesis is my opportu-

nity to bring together the lessons learned over the last

year to create something that is uniquely mine, and

hopefully something that gives back to the Interac-

tion Design community at large.

Yesterday, our new department co-chair Amit

Pitaru hosted our first class. Having worked with Amit

over the last year, I’m incredibly excited to have him

guiding us through thesis. He spent the class giving

us a few ways to frame thesis, both in terms of how

to think about it and how to start staking our project

ideas. Here are some of my notes:

this year is about risk. When else will we ever have a year to immerse our-

selves into a topic with all the support of svaixd and

its friends?

thesis has 3 parts.Exploration: we’re wide eyed and open to possiblity,

unclouded by restraint and doubt.

Decision: when we draw the line and decide what to

make.

Execution: where we sprint into making mode and

don’t stop, or second guess, until we’re done.

thesis is about Creativity and Constraint. There are 2 kinds of constraints, internal and external.

Here are a few to think about:

What can I do that no one else can? or What

is it about the crazy sequence of events in my life that

makes me the only person who can do this project?

Where do I want to be after this? Who will I

talk to get there?

and most importantly, what story will I tell them?

What can I reasonably accomplish in the time

available? What do I want to learn?

What’s my goal, how will I affect interaction

design? What are the metrics of my project? Examples:

• Audience: everyone with a smartphone? or 12

people in Bushwick?

• Accessibility of the deliverable: a 1 off custom

made prototype? or a diy platform so everyone

can make their own?

Amit likened thesis to wandering into the forest and

coming out with some magical berries. Those berries

might be lethal, but if you went far enough, you’ll have

a really good story to tell about them.

I’ll be keeping this little parable in mind as I

start to flesh out a few of my ideas.

9/11/12

thesis time is hereA reflection on our first thesis class, hosted by Amit Pitaru

19

Last year I submitted a thesis proposal, and it was

all about a focus on the home. Over the summer that

intention grew into the phrase: “creating more engag-

ing experiences in the home”. Well intentioned, but

not particularly clear. To try to make some headway

into what this might mean for thesis, I did some deep

thinking this week. I teased out those original explora-

tions and decided that I’m not specifi cally interested

in the home, but I am interested making engaging ex-

periences for people. I’ve worked on a couple of proj-

ects, Beam and Coastermatic, that both ask the user to

actively participate in changing their space - whether

creating the right lighting, or selecting images to be

printed to coasters. What’s important to me about

both is the intention to create a product that people

engage with and get day to day value from.

So, my next question: how do we design for

this? How do we create something that makes a mean-

ingful change in someone’s life, to the point where

it contributes to their day to day? If we know more

about what makes something engaging, can we use

that knowledge as a starting point, rather than fi rst

making a product and hoping for the best?

As I asked myself this question, I recalled

then re-watched a talk I went to earlier this year, by

Dirk Knemeyer1. I found his presentation memorable

because of his Applied Empathy Framework. His po-

sition is that to design for people, we need to better

understand all facets of them, and going forward,

creating holistic experiences will become more and

more important. To help guide work in this realm, he

created the Applied Empathy Framework, and wrote

several articles about it for UX Matters in 2006. The

framework combines what he calls the ‘5 states of Be-

ing’ with ‘Dimensions of Human Behavior’ to start to

give us a structure to think through the products we

design in terms of how fulfi lling they are.

I fi nd his framework fascinating. It’s the fi rst I’ve seen

within our industry that considers a ‘user’ as a whole

person. It gives us a toolkit to work from by organizing

a potential experience into Physical, Analytical, and

Emotional elements.

9/16/12

thesis thinking Week 1Five Levels of Human Needs and Desires

EMOTIONAL

ANALYTICAL

PHYSICAL

ParticipationEngagementProductivityHappinessWell Being

Designing for theFive Levels of Human

Needs & Desires

Control

Recognition

Stimulation

Attention

Amusement

Contest

Recreation

Attraction

Congruence

Pleasure

Interest

Acceptance

Validation

Trust

Comfort

Challenge

Exertion

Determination

Understanding

Expression

Affection

Progress

Safety

Fitness

Belonging

Passion

Knowledge

Fulfillment

Growth

Joy

Health

Meaning

Satiation

Ecstasy

nvolutionstudiosVersion 1.0 7/15/2006

Designing for the Five Levels of Human Needs & Desires. Dirk Knemeyer, 20062

20

Back on Monday, Amit introduced us to all to a frame-

work to start thinking about our thesis. It kind of

looks like a donut with skewers in it. The idea is that

we all have a core interest that is unique to us. From

that core, there are 360+ possible directions you could

go with it. If your core was say, healthcare, one trajec-

tory could lead you to creating a documentary about

healthy food choices, and another could be figuring

out how to 3D print a replacement heart. Same core,

very different destinations.

With this approach, we can chart out possible

deliverables along a single trajectory. That way thesis

doesn’t have to be a giant scary thing, but a lot of small

steps that add up to a larger whole. Also, but having

this mapped out, if we run into trouble, it’s not so hard

to pivot slightly and keep going.

Amit also put a lot of emphasis on making. It’s

all very well to do research, in fact, its very important.

However, the research shouldn’t come at the expense

of actually making. Through making we can test our

ideas. He suggested that we make something each

week.

so, What is my Core? Despite last weeks post, I think my core is making

homes more human, and in the end I’ll be making

some kind of product (which is hopefully manufac-

tured, sustainably, in the USA).

I think the home needs to be more sympa-

thetic to human needs and desires, and I think we can

do this through smarter products. Here’s my rationale:

Living in NYC, I, like many others, rent. The apartment

I live in was built to generate income for its owners

first, and to house people second. This is how housing

is constructed in our present economic model, leaving

little room for things like ethnographic research, or

user testing. The result is that the design of my apart-

ment, the place I spend at least 1/3 of my time and

money on, doesn’t consider my identity or respond

to my physicality anywhere near as much as my $200

iPhone does.

I think the home needs to be more sympathetic to

human needs and desires, and I think we can do this

through smarter products.

As the pace of urbanization increases around

the world, more and more of us will be living in cities

and renting apartments. In order to keep cities habit-

able, I believe we will need to design spaces that care

about people living them. In the future, once we’re all

used to using our exquisitely designed devices, I can’t

imagine we’d demand anything less. Eventually, build-

ing materials and Architecture will catch up, but we’re

not quite there yet. In the mean time, I believe that

smarter products will bridge the gap, and I hope to

make at least one of them.

9/23/12

thesis thinking Week 2Defining a core and a trajectory

21

Exploring past projects using the core and trajectory model.

Whiteboard from a ‘genius brainstorm’ with Tom Harman Brainstorming adjacencies while listening to Kronos Quartet

22

23

October - November 2013

a personal light

24

Last week I wrote about my core - making the home

more sympathetic to those who live in it. Following

that, I felt like I was a lost in the forest. The home is

pretty broad, we do lots of things there. I’ve made lists

about various rooms, various functions, written lots of

random thoughts, and came up with a idea for creat-

ing a web/phone based maintenance system for older

buildings. Kind of interesting, but not really. I even

tracked back and charted out a few of my past proj-

ects. Through this exercise, I reaffirmed my interest in

this domain, but didn’t find much to push me forward.

(If you don’t mind some scrappy handwriting, you can

see that charthere.)

Then on Thursday, I had a chat with Amit. He

reintroduced me to the idea of lighting. The notion of

a lighting project has been floating around since last

December when Tom and I put together a pitch for

Beam, “The only light switch you’ll ever need”, for our

strategy final. The project came out of a desire to cre-

ate easily controllable lighting conditions in the home

and a vague understanding of how we could do it with

networked technology. Since then, some of technologi-

cal aspects of the project have been expressed in the

release of Belkin’s WeMo and a very successful Kick-

starter campaign by Lifx. These products, combined

with the success of Coastermatic (which was initially a

concept fo fund work on Beam), have pushed thoughts

of lighting to the back of my mind.

The Punchdrunk designers understand lighting as a

“sculptural” element, one that can “create drama in the

space even when there are no performers around”.

In the few days since my conversation with

Amit, lighting has begun to make sense again. While

the products I mentioned a moment ago tackle the

technological aspects of our intent with Beam, they

don’t capture the experiential. I want to help people

shape their spaces, and selective lighting can do just

that. This was proved to me, beyond a doubt, when I

attended Sleep No More on Saturday night. The event

is an experiential theater production by the UK based

group Punchdrunk, that transforms several levels of

a building in West Chelsea into a foreboding mix of

hotel and mental hospital. I found that the lighting,

or lack there of, made me much more aware of tex-

tures, smells and sound. The Punchdrunk designers

understand lighting as a “sculptural” element, one that

can “create drama in the space even when there are no

performers around”. Low lighting helps us focus our

attention, it slows us down. Now I’m beginning to feel

like I’ve found my way.

10/1/2012

thesis thinking Week 3Choosing the trajectory of light

25

readingAbout the history of artificial light

brilliant: the evolution of artifiCial light Jane Brox

2011

disenChanted night: the industrialization of light in the nineteenth CenturyWolfgang Schivelbusch (Author),

Angela Davies (Translator)

1995

26

To get us into the spirit of making, Amit asked us all to

create something tangible for this week. In an attempt

to stop being so serious about thesis I decided to paint

some whales with light.

artifaCt 1Light Whales

Why?

1. Light is my area of focus.

2. Tom suggested that ‘painting’ with it would be

fun, and force me to learn a bit more about my

camera.

3. Whale oil lit the lamps of the Western world for

over a century.

10/4/12

27

on making, a response to artifaCt 1

Last week’s exercise of making something, anything,

just to get us into the spirit of making definitely hit is

mark with me. The light whales didn’t take me long,

but they pushed me into places I wasn’t comfortable

- namely, drawing and photography. The prospect of

the entire thing made me feel nervous, so I figured I

had to do it.

And it was FUN.

The process took an hour or so, which was much less

time then I usually spend on thesis related tasks. The

outcome: I ended up making these cool drawings that

conveyed my ideas, I enjoyed doing it, and a few other

people enjoyed them too.

On Monday, Amit asked us what part of our

first artifact we were going to keep, and what we’d

throw away. I’m going to move away from the whale

representations, but I’m keeping the simplicity, fun,

and delight that I experienced with the light paint-

ing. Lighting is an amazing part of our lives, and we’re

lucky enough to be able to take it for granted. As I

work through the rest of thesis, I want to be able to

keep that sense of wonder with me, and hopefully con-

vey it through my work.

10/4/2012

These light whales were made with a flashlight app, an iPhone, and a 6 second exposure on a Canon T2i.

28

“Because the candle, a company of the solitude, is

above all a company of solitary work. The candle does

not illuminate an empty room, it illuminates a book.”

- Bachelard

Over the last week I’ve been thinking a lot about the

history of light, and its place in our lives. I read Ja-

net Brox’s “Brilliant: The Evolution of Artifical Light”,

which gave me a fantastic overview of where light,

after dark, has come from since the beginnings of hu-

man civilization. After reading through the evolution

from tallow candles, whale oil, gas, kerosene, and final-

ly to electricity what sticks with me is the story of our

insatiable desire for a brighter and more stable light.

In the Western world, we’ve gone through a

multitude of extremes to extend the day. Ships of men

were sent to kill and extract oil from giant sea crea-

tures, gas made people crazy, and kerosene lanterns

caused thousands of deaths annually. Now, that’s all

well in the past. With electric lights, the most incon-

vineint thing I face is finding a spare bulb in the rare

event that one goes out. We’ve made massive gains in

productivity, but I’ve been thinking: what did we lose

with the electrical lighting? If a candle only lights a

book, then how has electricity changed our perception

of intimacy and space?

We’ve made massive gains in productivity, but I’ve been

thinking: what did we lose with the electrical lighting?

If a candle only lights a book, then how has electricity

changed our perception of intimacy and space?

To explore this idea, I’m working on a ‘personal light’.

It’s purpose is to provide just enough light to wander

to the bathroom or get a glass of water in the middle

of the night. The intention is to create a personal space

with light, one that’s sympathetic to a sleepy mental

state. The image above is from my first iteration.

10/14/2012

artifaCt 2A personal light

29

The first working circuit.Breaking down an led tea light. The cirucuit installed in the container

making a personal light

Figuring out the wiring an desired physical interaction.

Completed initial prototype. The button shown was to a reverse switch held down with the weight of a coaster.

The initial prototype was made from found materials in studio. This drawing represents those parts.

First prototype complete.

30

Tony has been hanging out at my place over the last

few days, he’s my East Village refugee. Over dinner last

night, he pointed out that I haven’t clearly explained

my rationale for the personal light. He wanted to know

why it’s important and what makes it more than just a

maker-y thing I decided to do. Our conversation made

me decide that I should actually write this down and

share it. Thanks Tony!

We live in a time and place where abundant artificial

light is fundamental part of our daily lives. At work

and at home, lights illuminate our surroundings,

helping us see so we can get things done. Our current

mode of lighting is powered through a complex grid

that delivers electricity to our homes, feeding our light

fixtures and power sockets.

Electric light is the product of a long evolution in

artificial light technology. Now over a century old, it

comes to us after candles, oil lanterns, gas lighting,

and arc lights. Throughout this evolution, our society

has shifted and changed in response to each period of

lighting. Each dominant mode of artificial light cre-

ated a particular framework for the economy, social

relationships, understandings of autonomy and con-

trol of one’s surrounds, and the relationship to work

and productivity.

Right now, electric lights provide the struc-

ture that we live within. As I mentioned before, our

homes are connected to a grid, which is outside of our

control (Hello Sandy!). Inside, the electrical wiring of

our homes leads to thinking about light in a particular

way - switches and ceiling lights. These overhead are

generally found in most rooms and hallways and have

2 modes - on or off.

What does this light do for us? It illuminates a

room as we use it. When switched on, it’s brightness al-

lows and encourages us to see everything in the space,

it nudges us to finish whatever task is at hand. When

personal light, explained

31

it’s off, the room is no longer in a state to do anything

(except perhaps sleeping). This is obvious to many, but

if we think about light as an affordance - an indicator

of the intended use of a space - these binary states

speak to a limited understanding of how rooms in our

homes can be used. The ceiling light says a room is to

be used at a fixed level, or not at all.

This is an insensitive approach to our living

spaces - human beings do not live in a binary fashion.

Our homes shelter us whilst we are being productive,

when we are relaxing, while we sleep, and everything

in between. I believe we can make our spaces more

sympathetic, more sensitive to the human condition,

by examining our relationship with light.

The ‘personal light’ project that I’ve been

working on is the first embodiment of this line of

thought. This light speaks to a number of issues I’ve

been thinking about:

1. Autonomy. This light is for an individual. It

is not fixed to a room or a grid. It is designed to

create an intimate space that moves with you.

2. Productivity. Unlike most lights, this one is

not about being awake and working. It acknowl-

edges the drowsy, dreamy state of mind of the

night time.

3. History. I believe that we can look back to

previous modes of lighting to find new ways to

incorporate it into our lives. The inspiration for

this light comes from a Gaston Bachelard quote

about the candle (see below).

4. Awareness. I hope that this light helps to cre-

ate an awareness of how lighting affects our state

of mind. It can show people how jarring standard

lights can be, and hopefully open the door to new

ideas and questions around place of lighting in

our homes.

“Because the candle, a company of the solitude, is

above all a company of solitary work. The candle does

not illuminate an empty room, it illuminates a book.”

- Bachelard

11/02/12A personal light in action, flip over to turn on.

We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.

– Margaret Mead“ ”

Part 2

it’s a gender thing

November 2012

going deeper

36

a pivotal readWomen Don’t Ask

Women don’t ask: the high Cost of avoiding negotiation--and positive strategies for ChangeLinda Babcock, Sara Laschever

2003

speaking notes date: 12/17/2013

- Examination of how modern Western culture discour-ages women from pursuing their ambitions.- This is a complex issue that is not for women to ‘fix’ themselves- But for our culture as a whole to learn to address- Example: - baked into our lives from birth

- discuss social + economic costs- and propose several solutions for seeking change

Through reading the book I - better understand systems that effect me + friends- think systems can be understood and measured- can be changed

37

speaking notes date: 12/17/2013

Deliotte case study, example of cultural change- low female partner and retention rate- $13M cost

- task force- interviews, gender stereotype workshops - 5000 employees

- women weren’t leaving for kids, but culture- 80h

- improvements based on insights

- better worklife for everyone- saved $250M

Case study of gender based systemiC Change

38

class concern date: 11/14/2012 to: amit pitaru

Hi Amit,

There was a particular situation that happened a few weeks ago that I'd like to have a conversation around. It's a little bit uncomfortable, but given our academic con-text I feel like this is the place to try out uncomfortable conversation. Lately, I've been thinking + reading a lot about the ways women are discouraged from more actively par-ticipating in their lives and how to change this. My inter-est stems from both the quiet nature of my classmates (which has changed substantially with the new structure of thesis class), and also concerns about my personal + professional development. The other day, a particular event jumped into my head when reading about studies that show how women who do voice concerns are often coddled, ignored, or punished in some way - whether consciously or not - by their peers + superiors, adding to a cycle of discouragement. A few weeks ago Tom and Tony spoke with you about the format of our class. The next time we had Thesis, you made it clear that you were happy about the conversation you had with both Tom and Tony, and their engagement with the operations of the course, imple-menting much of their feedback. The success of this in-teraction led the 2 of them to then approach Ian with similar concerns. Again, their input prompted Ian to make changes similar to those that have been implemented our Thesis class. The result of this has been fantastic, all members of our class are now much much more en-gaged with giving feedback, leading to more productive critiques and better work all round.

While all of this is fantastic, getting us all to clos-er to our common goal - more engagement + better work, I can't help but recall that before Tom and Tony spoke with you, you and I had a meeting. We mostly spoke about my thesis, but I too brought up concerns I had with the format of the class, and suggested things that were quite similar to what Tom and Tony brought up only moments later (the 3 of us had been emailing about our concerns + possible solutions over the prev week). Yet, you didn't refer to the our conversation while commending Tom + Tony in class. I'm about 100% sure that you didn't consciously leave me out when praising the other 2 for their input, but this is the part I want to have a conversation around. As awkward as it is for me to admit - while these events en-couraged Tom + Tony to discuss concerns with Ian, they led me to choose not to take part in that conversation because I was afraid that I'd somehow derail the situation. I don't mean to accuse you of ignoring my con-cerns, nor am I looking for praise, but I think that creat-ing space to discuss messages that are sent with each interaction is an important one. Given the gender bal-ance of our program, and of the field most of us will go in to, I'm concerned that our department doesn't currently do enough to help us become aware of and ask difficult questions of the institutions that we operate within. I'm really interested to hear what you think and hope your preparations for Japan are going well,

tash

an unComfortable emailThe turning point in shifting my thesis focus was choosing to address an potential oversight in class

39

re: class concern date: 11/15/2012 to: amit pitaru

Hi Amit,

Thanks for your thoughtful response! Don’t worry about saying anything about me in the next class, it’s fine - I just wanted to have the opportunity to express my thoughts on the situation. It would be great to chat quickly though, I’m starting to have second thoughts about thesis all round that would be good to talk to you about.

I’ll be in the studio, most likely in the south classroom.

thanks,tash

re: class concern date: 11/15/2012 to: tash wong

Hey Tash,

Thanks for bringing this up - I’m very sorry to hear about the way you feel. As an immigrant who experienced a thing or two on his way to citizenship, I can personally relate to the overall sentiment of your email. My wife had an even harder time as an immigrant, and I’ll never forget that. I sat down to think and try to recall the conversa-tions I had that day. I remember having a serious talk with you about thesis, and a serious talk with Tom and Tony about the class format. I don’t doubt you also brought up the issue, but it seems that my mind played a trick and I chose to attribute one topic per conversation. You got me thinking - If it was Tom who came in to talk with me first, and then you and Tony came to talk about the class format, would I have left Tom out? Considering how swamped and exhausted I was during that period, I think I would have forgotten Tom just the same. I also thought about the great respect I have for you and your work (as I expressed over the past year both to you and others), and I just don’t feel that gender contributed to my absent mindedness. As I care deeply about issues of inequality, it’s hard to find myself on the other end of this conversation. The bottom line is that I’m deeply sorry - it pains me on a personal level to think you’ve felt this way for the past weeks. You should have received the same recognition and praise as Tom and Tony. I’ll be sure to set the record straight during next class!

Respectfully,Amit

40

750 words entry date: 2/19/2013

What need to write about is my thesis shift. what where when why how? i need to put something down so i have a base to speak to people from. I already know i want to speak with liz, karen, and carla about this. i'm also wary of doing something that is 'feminist' and therefore excluded from mainstream conversation. So where does this come from? Where was I and where am i going? A -> C = B. A. I've been working on lights. Thinking about how we can improve our living spaces by paying more attention and being sensitive to the lighting around us. I find this question pretty interesting, but after building my little light, I've found my attention on it waning. I've made something that's fun to play with, but I'm not sure how much practical use it has, and have found that the next steps for it are mostly hardware based. Do I want to spend the next couple of weeks sourcing a specific shade of led and figuring out how to get my tilt switch to hesitate? I would if I felt keenly that it would get me to the next level, trouble is, I'm not sure what that is. Is making a low light enough? focus!whats important here, a blow by blow? or concepts? Since long before I started my masters, I've been interested in gender studies. Primarily the question - how is my experience of the world influenced due to my gender? How am I advantaged, how am I disadvantaged? How much of this do I have control over? how much am I trying to fit myself into an unwelcoming paradigm? These questions have followed me throughout my personal + professional development. Feminism in ar-chitectural space has always been fascinating to me - this concept of 'the other'. In between schools, I read a bunch of bell hooks and delved into psychology a bit more. Now that I'm back at school, I'm becoming aware of how these ideas have influenced my perspective. Lately, I've been frustrated with my ability to ask questions. Here, the ma-jority of questions are asked by male voices, and I find it frustrating to try and counter. My anxiety of representing my entire sex ends up getting the better of me, and I be-come mute. I'm aware I'm not the only one this happens to.

Because of this, I looked out for some new material to read, and came across Women Don't Ask, which is about... Feminist principles ask us to look outside of our day to day to discover new ways of seeing. By be-ing empathic towards other peoples experiences, we can design for them. Also, being that most stuff has been de-signed from a male lens, there's probably a lot that can be improved in the world. Case in point, tp minder. Last year I wrote about a little mid-term project we did for physical computing. It was a little system that let you know the toilet paper levels were in a stall you were about to enter - either satisfactory or low. When we presented this idea to the class, it got a good round of giggles, but upon further ex-amination we found that this is a prevalent problem that could be fixed with good design. Rather than focusing the burden of problem on the user (what? you don't check?), we make it a part of the space. Anyway, boys don't get this because when they need toilet paper, they're a little more deliberate about it.

wow, this feels so obvious now. If we look at our world

through a feminist lens, and recognize the systems of

oppression that surround us, we can design solutions

for them.

Where is this going? I want to focus the rest of the time I have for thesis on understanding ways we can apply feminist thinking to interaction design. What do i mean by feminist thinking? I mean gaining a critical understanding of the environments that we work within, listening to all participants, and decoding stereotypes to create a better experience for all. According to bell hooks, feminism is a move-ment to end sexism, exploitation, and oppression. If we can get past our biases and acknowledge what is going on around us, it opens the door to a number of design opportunities. wow, this feels so obvious now. If we look at our world through a feminist lens, and recognize the systems of oppression that surround us, we can design solutions for them. I'm aware that this is a huge problem, which will

41

I’m changing the focus of my thesis. I’ve been think-

ing about this for a week now, and it feels right. Previ-

ously, I was working with the topic of light. My ap-

proach was to question our current assumptions of

how artificial light operates and its place in our lives,

then find space for new design opportunities within

the domain. While this has been incredibly interesting

- I’ve learned a lot about the history of light, and built

a delightful lamp - I’ve figured out that the lighting

part isn’t want’s interesting to me, it’s the approach. How can we question current assumptions

about our environment to find new perspectives and

new opportunities for design?

I recently went back and read through a

few blog posts from last school year and proved to

myself that this is something I’ve been musing over

for a while. One project in particular unexpectedly

opened me up this as a new line of thought. Back

then I said, ”I’ve been thinking of our project as just

scratching the surface of something much bigger. We

live in a world dominated by products made through

a masculine view of the world. What happens if we

look through a feminine lens? I have a feeling we’ll find

more interesting problems to solve than toilet paper

dispensing.” (yes, that project was about toilet paper)

I know that my desire to uncover new per-

spectives comes from an understanding of how my

gender affects my experience of the world. I’m aware

that my perspective, as a woman of mixed race, is rare

within the field of interaction design and entrepre-

neurialism. I’m also aware that as a woman of mixed

race I face challenges that my white male counterparts

don’t. This has been an ongoing a source of great anxi-

ety and frustration in my life. To work through it, I’ve

spent a lot of time reading feminist and post-colonial

theory to gain a better understanding of how broad

power structures work against people like me, as well

as participate in activism to raise awareness around

issues such as genital diversity.

Since beginning my masters, my focus in this

area has become more localized. Instead of concen-

trating on how these social structures affect people

around me, I’ve become acutely aware of the impact

they have on me from day to day. There are biases

embedded in my environment, in the people I interact

with, as well as in my own head. To gain more insight

into this I recently read Women Don’t Ask. Instead of

being about ways women can ‘fix’ themselves to over-

come anxieties, the book is an examination of how our

culture strongly discourages women from being asser-

tive on their own behalf. The authors, Linda Babcock

& Sara Laschever, systematically deconstruct various

layers of our cultural experience to uncover the ways

that gender stereotypes are perpetuated, and suggest

that by understanding where these stereotypes come

from we can work to counteract them.

This book, paired with the recent article by

Sara Wachter-Boettcher, have inspired me to think

about my experience through the lens of interac-

tion design and shift the course of my thesis. If we

can study and understand the oppressive biases built

into the systems around us, then how can we take

that knowledge and iterate our way to new and bet-

ter systems? By becoming aware of the water we’re

swimming in we can actively construct systems that

encourage participation, expose us to new ways of see-

ing, and open up a whole lot of new opportunity.

11/22/2012

neW perspeCtivesOfficially introducing my new thesis direction

November 2013 - January 2013

marginalized perspeCtives

44

This weekend I embarked on a thesis retreat with

about half of my class. Friday afternoon, we packed

up Min’s car and headed upstate to a house (pictured

above) that was just outside of Hudson, NY. Once

there, we proceeded to eat, drink, read, talk, and play

for the next 48 hours. It was fantastic!

Surprisingly, we all managed to get some solid

work done on thesis. Something about the country air

+ no internet really makes you focus. I got through a

lot of reading, and figured out my next line of inquiry.

Last week, I discovered that the term ‘Femi-

nist HCI’ exists and was coined 2 years ago by Shaowen

Bardzell. In the same year, there was also a workshop

and a special edition of Interacting with Computers

in the same vein - both organized by Bardzell and

Elizabeth Churchill. Unfortunately, since I go to design

school, pulling these ‘science’ papers isn’t quite as easy

as I expected. I’m working on it though. (Hit me up if

you have a login toScience Direct.)

Fortunately, the extended abstract from the

workshop is online. Thursday afternoon, as my mac

n cheese was in the oven, I combed through the ab-

stract’s references and downloaded a few papers to

read over the weekend. Though I read through 7 or

so, these 3 really stood out:

thesis retreatA weeken in Hudson with 5 classmates and no wifi

45

sugared puppy-dog tales, elizabeth ChurChill (Interactions, 2010 - pay wall)

realizing our messy future, WoodroW WinChester(Interactions, 2010 - pay wall)

A response to Churchill’s piece, Winchester brings in

his experience working on HIV interventions and dis-

cusses the need for design lenses.

made in patriarChy, Cheryl buCkley  (MIT Press, 1986)

Buckely’s excellent piece examines the pariarchal con-

text within which design history frames female inter-

action with design as practitioners, theorists, consum-

ers, historians, and as objects of representation.

Overall, I was struck by how eloquently others have

said what I was trying to say in my last blog post. Es-

sentially, they all very strongly make the case to bring

a critical perspective to design.

Churchill’s article sums it up best: ‘Designers

are not passive bystanders in the production, repro-

duction, reinforcing, or challenging of cultural values.

We actively create artifacts and experiences. We de-

sign products with implicit or explicit assumptions

about how products will be used and by whom. We

mentally simulate the product user who is part of an

imagined story of the product in use—these imagi-

nary people are drawn from our everyday lives and

usually have a gender, perhaps a shape, size, age and

ethnicity. Thus we embed imagined, gendered others

into our designs, inadvertently reproducing cultural

norms because they seem so “natural.” And so in a

chain of reification and reproduction, products are

wired in subtle ways that reflect and reinforce exist-

ing cultural assumptions.’1

She goes on to illustrate where these assump-

tions have caused serious problems in the design of

products, both digital and physical. The most ghastly

of her examples are airbags. The first generation of the

safety device seriously injured and killed (by decapita-

tion!) many upon its release. This was due to the fact

that airbags were initially calibrated for men of aver-

age weight and height.

It is incredible to me that a group of talented engi-

neers could somehow forget that women and children

are smaller than men, and thus could be greivously

injured by their invention. It really speaks to the need

to be aware of the perspectives we bring to the table.

I’ve finished the weekend feeling more ex-

cited than ever about my thesis. There is a real, if not

dire, need to incorporate a critical perspective into our

work as interaction designers. My next big question

is how? How can I help to bridge the gap between aca-

demic theory and professional reality?

11/26/2012

One of the many amzing views from our retreat.

46

Waiting to Pee is a location based app that helps you

estimate the wait time at a public bathrooms. The app

also anonymously records the actual wait time and

location to a database that can be used to quantify the

amount of time people (usually women) wait in line.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

This information could then be used to help

with the creation and enforcement of newer, fixture

based, potty parity laws, or spin reports for larger or-

ganizations on how much potential revenue they’re

missing out on for every 5min someone has to wait to

pee.

Restroom disparity remains one of

the most tangible relics of gender discrimina-

tion within the western world. Aside from taking

foreeeeevvvvvveeerrr, waiting in long bathroom lines

can cause and aggravate numerous kidney and blad-

der issues, which can be a serious health risk.

artifaCt 3Waiting to Pee, an app for the bathroom line

47

An early sketch to decide if Waiting to Pee could be a physical installation

The wait time calculator, early sketch Wireframe for the wait time calculator and result screen

Waiting to pee on the Whiteboard

Understanding the user flow Sketching out wireframes, flow, etc

48

Working through the presentation

Fleshing out the talk progression and thesis statement

These post its represet key parts of the presentation

The lower part of this board is the early stage of the goals and means chart displayed on the next page.

figuring out the narrative

Winter presentationTelling the story of the first semester

49

Change systems of discrimination

Change workplace dynamics for interaction designers

Encourage the application of marginalized perspectives

Change the world

Express business opportunities

thesis goals and means

50

Winter presentation: slides

51

52

thesis statementFOR Interaction DesignersWHO NEED to design products and services for a wide audience, X IS A series of interactions THAT highlight implicit gender bias and offers strategies to over come them.

UNLIKE bell hooks Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center,THE PRODUCT is accessible to and helps designers become aware of the perspectives they carry.

thesis goalMY GOAL IS TO start a conversation about implicit bias FOR interaction designers. I WILL ACHIEVE THIS BY creating a series interactions where these biases are highlighted.

professional goalMY GOAL IS TO demonstrate an expertise in the consideration of implicit bias FOR organizations who could hire me as a consultant, or conferences who could invite me to speak. I WILL ACHIEVE THIS BY conveying the huge potential of improving business and design when these biases are addressed.

Jan 15

a pitCh and prototypeIn January, I started to actually make stuff

53

namesWap

54

“I like to refer to the anecdotal story of the Apple Store glass stairs. While visually appealing one unforeseen consequence to their design was the large groups of strange men that spend hours each day sitting under them looking up. As a women, the first time I saw them I thought ‘thank god I’m not wearing a skirt today.’ Such considerations were not taken in designing these stairs, I think it’s probable, if not easily predictable, that in a few years we will see such holes in the design of the web.”

– Sara J Chipps

“We all have implicit biases that subtly but profoundly affect our expectations of the people we work with. We have all been exposed to and share the implicit bias that women aren’t as good at work as men. And we share a similarly deep bias that men aren’t as good at home as women. These biases are so deeply ingrained in us that we usually don’t realize we have them.”

– Catherine de Lange

something to sayA couple of strong voices that kept me on track.

55

reinventing feminismby Courtney Martin, has really helped me feel less

paralyzed about by my thesis topic. She speaks about

embracing the paradox we find in life and finding ways

to feel fulfilled by our failures. The way Martin frames

failure feels incredibly different than the ‘fail fast, fail

often’ we hear so much about in startup culture. ‘Fail-

ing fast’ tells us to kill our darlings, and ‘feeling ful-

filled’ lets us love and respect them before letting go.

“This isn’t to say we give up our wildest, biggest

dreams. It’s to say we operate on two levels. On one,

we really go after changing these broken systems of

which we find ourselves a part. But on the other, we

root our self-esteem in the daily acts of trying to make

one person’s day more kind, more just, etc.”

Thanks Courtney.

1/21/2013

56

It’s been a while since I’ve written a solid thesis post,

so here goes.

Since the thesis retreat, my head has been in

a few different places. I’ve proved to myself, beyond a

reasonable doubt, that turning up the volume on mar-

ginalized perspectives in design is what I need to be

working on. I’ve also spent time with the fact that this

is a wicked problem, and that I’m now in for what will

likely be a very bumpy and intensely personal road

from here.

Carving out a small part of this issue to work

on for the next few months is going to be scary, and

difficult. At the moment, it feels like whenever I fo-

cus in on something I can come up with a laundry list

of reasons not to do it, or why that particular issue is

impossible to overcome in such a small time. It’s an

interesting form of paralysis that’s a fun mix of thesis

stress, cultural conditioning, and plain old procrasti-

nation.

Over the last week I’ve been thinking a lot

about implicit bias, and was planning on creating a

few interactions that express the biases we all hold.

One idea was switching the gender of names in several

news articles to see if it had any impact on the reader.

My rationale went something like this:

1. To make better products, we need more di-

verse perspectives in design.

2. 80% of the people who make websites are

male, 87% are white*.

3. People have implicit bias, which impacts how

they view others.

4. People like to hire people like them.

5. If I can teach people about bias, I can show

them how deeply ingrained certain stereotypes

are.

6. If I can teach ways to overcome bias, then

maybe I can change design processes + hiring

practices.

Then, I went out for dinner with my good friend Jerri

Chou. We talked about my thesis, where it came from,

where I see it going. I told her about my plans to make

implicit bias more visible, then we got to talking about

the opportunity of diverse perspectives. This is some-

thing I keep coming back to - If most of our environ-

ment (physical + digital) has been designed from a

mainstream perspective, what if we shift that view

slightly, does it mean that we can rebuild everything?

No doubt there are some serious opportunities there,

$$ and otherwise.

We discussed an immensely wide range of

‘women-related’ (I need a better phrase than that)

topics + issues throughout the evening. Jerri wasn’t

all that convinced by my implicit bias focus, and sug-

gested that my project needs to be more personal

than that - it needs to solve a problem that I have, fix

something that bothers me, help me overcome deeper

issues, or reach personal goals.

She’s totally right. I knew that the implicit

bias exercises would be interesting, and definitely

spark some good conversation. However, this comes

with a negative slant - my work would be focused at

the ‘mainstream’ designer, saying, “Your perspective

is wrong, now here’s how to fix you”. This isn’t what I

want.

What I want to say is: “Your perspective is

right, now here’s the opportunity” and say it to the

large segment of the population that doesn’t hear it

enough. Perhaps the best way to do that is to follow

Jerri’s advice, acknowledge that I’m part of that large

segment, and say it to myself.

Jan 20, 2013

thesis is quite a journeyI don’t want to tell people what to do

57

February 2013

generative appliCations of gender

60

‘femme‘ interaCtion designI’ve been thinking about perspectives in design for a

while, but I until yesterday I’ve lacked the ability to

comfortably articulate what I mean. So far I’ve used

“feminine”, “traditionally marginalized”, “female”,

“women”, and “under-represented” to express the type

of perspective I feel is missing from interaction design.

The problem with all of these words is that they all

carry a lot of baggage - they victimize, exclude, illicit

value judgements, etc, etc. This has posed a big prob-

lem with figuring out how to narrow my topic focus,

since starting from a point of victimisation seems to

reinforce certain types of systematic oppression.

Last night, I watched Cornelia Brunner’s talk,

‘On Girls, Boys, and IT Careers’, where she expertly

jumps this hurdle. In her research, which began in

the 70s, she has consistently found 2 gendered ways

of imagining technology. She points out that gender

is socially constructed, not biologically assigned. To

make this distinction clear, and to avoid confusion, she

uses the terms “butch” and “femme” when describing

her findings. Through this decoupling, it becomes A

LOT easier to talk about the distinctive differences

between these 2 views, without dragging it into a con-

versation about stereotypes.

Here’s her breakdown on the two different

perpectives:

“A femme perspective on technology sees it

as a tool that helps you do something better or more

easily, or that connects you. Facebook is an example

of a femme technology. It allows you to share ideas

and moments with your friends and family and stay

connected.

A butch perspective on technology is that it gives you

this enormous power to transcend the limitations of

time, space, and the body. Airplanes are a butch tech-

nology.”

So, now that I can be clear about it:

For my thesis, I’m interested in uncovering modes of

‘femme’ interaction design.

Big thanks to Clint Beharry, who shared Brunner’s talk

with me.

1/26/12

‘butCh’ & ‘femme’A clearer way to discuss gender and perspective

61

Cornelia brunner, 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmROmy5jT80

62

changelog entry date: 2/2/2013

Did LOTS of reading

Several chapters from Gender and Conversational Inter-action

Pickel Fights: Gendered Talk in Preschool Disputes by Amy Sheldon This essay reviews the conflict mediation strategies of 3 year olds. Sheldon separately observed small groups of boys and girls at play. The boys "use language to assert one's position of dominance", while girls "use language to create and maintain relationships of closeness and equality".

Community and Contest: Midwestern Men and Women Creating Their Worlds in Conversational Storytelling by Barbara JohnstoneJohnstone is interested in the relationship between the social world created in a story, and the social world that gives rise to the story. She suggests that men and women come from separate sub-cultures, and make choices in storytelling based on this. In her study of 58 personal nar-ratives, she finds that "women's stories tend to be about community, while men's tend to be about contest".

Who's Got the Floor? by Carole EdelskyIn this 1981 study, Edelsky identifies technical limitations in the transcription of face to face communication. She used "participant-sense" to determine "floor" and "turn" within the context of 5 informal meetings. She identifies 2 kinds of floors. F1 is a "singularly developed floor" - where people take turns in communicating, F2 is a collabora-tive venture where many may be speaking concurrently "on the same wavelength" or engaging in a "free-for-all".

linguistiCs researChGender impacts storytelling and the way we use language

gender and Conversational interaCtion (oxford studies in soCiolinguistiCs)Deborah Tannen

1993

language@internethttp://www.languageatinternet.org/

63

In F1 interactions, men took more and longer turns, this gender difference was neutralized in F2's.

Several papers from Language @ Internet

Computer- Mediated Conversation: Introduction and Overview by Susan C. Herring An introduction to a 2-part special issue of Language @ Internet, this paper is review of computer-mediated conversation (CMC) since the rise of the internet. Main focus is on text-based communication, as the most popu-lar mode of online communication. Internet users "often refer to textual exchanges as conversations". CMC differs from oral conversation in the way it handles turn taking, there is no allowance for overlapping exchanges.

A Faceted Classification Scheme for Computer-Mediated Discourse by Susan C. Herring This paper describes a classification scheme for CMC. I didn't get to far into this one as it's focus is on linguistic classification rather than conversation + gender or tech-nology, but may come in handy later on.

Who's Got the Floor in Computer-Mediated Conversa-tion? Edelsky's Gender Patterns Revisited by Susan C. Herring Just my luck to find a follow up paper to one I'd read earli-er! Herring describes the findings of Edelsky and several other researchers who came after - reiterating the finding of F1 and F2 floors. She repeats Edelsky's study using data from several email message-boards in the early 90s. The large takeaway is that CMC closely resembles F1 interactions, and therefore holds a bias towards males.

One final paper from elsewhere, also by Susan C. Herring

Women and Children Last: The Discursive Construction of WeblogsThis 2004 paper undertakes an examination of the blog space to determine whether blogs are in fact "inherently democratizing". Through their analysis they found that blogs were primarily maintained by teenage girls as per-sonal diaries, but mainstream media was primarily re-porting on the small percentage of men who maintained "filter" or "knowledge" blogs. The suggest that blogging as a medium can not be democratic/egalitarian so long as mainstream representation of blog content is not con-sistent with the actual use of blogs.

64

1. Jerri Chou agreed to be my thesis advisor!

Jerri is the co-founder of The Feast, All Day Buffet,

TBD and Lovely Day. She’s also super awesome, and

I’m very excited to have her on my thesis team.

2. I went to Interaction 13.

It was Toronto, and it was cold. I enjoyed a few of the

talks, which hopefully I’ll post about later.

3. I started a thesis changelog.

Based on some code Tom pulled together, the change-

log is where I’ll be posting daily thesis updates. Styling

is on the list for this weekend.

Feb 8, 2013

a 3 part updateWhere I get an awesome thesis advisor.

Pen Moms wireframes and flow

Having fun while working

The small group diagram

Alex and Jerri hard at work

pen momsWhere I get an awesome thesis advisor.

66

This has been a big question in the thesis discussion

for the last couple of weeks. Driving me a little crazy,

and its valid one. In the spirit of publishing things that

aren’t polished, here’s part of a wrap up I sent to my

thesisadvisers this week:

On Sunday, I had a big talk with Rachel Li-

ebert, a very good friend of mine who’s done lots of

work within the gender + psychology space. Rachel

suggested that perhaps my thesis isn’t creating a prod-

uct, but is actually the act of becoming a femme inter-

action designer, and the documentation of that act. It’s

kind of meta, but it feels like the right place to start.

Jerri and I previously had a conversation about how

this needs to be a personal project. The act of becom-

ing a femme interaction designer will probably lead to

the production of something, it’s just too soon to tell

what that will be.

It’s been floated a couple of times that I should

redesign certain products/services from a femme per-

spective, but this has never really sat right. Through

talking to Rachel, we worked out that this would in

fact be kind of a butch approach - taking something

and reshaping/fixing it - and that most products are

probably made from a butch perspective anyway, so

no amount of makeover will really make them differ-

ent. Kind of like lipstick on a pig.

Kind of like lipstick on a pig.

What needs to happen next is that I have to

define what femme interaction design is and start

finding examples of it. For the last of week or so, I

thought I’d create some magical model and that would

lead me to some crazy innovative new way of design.

Chatting with Rachel made me realize that that’s to-

tally not how it’ll work - the femme pov has existed

long before any of us, so there are/have been people

doing work with this perspective already, they are just

not highlighted as such. An applicable project, which I

saw at Interaction 13, was Kate Hartman’s Nudgeables,

which allows you to discretely nudge a friend from a

short distance, perhaps to rescue you from an awk-

ward conversation. The iPad + iPhone are arguably

pieces of femme technology, as they are meant to act

as windows to connect you to information and people,

the physical features of the devices are designed to be

invisible.

2/8/2013

What are you making?If it’s broke, don’t fix it

67

Februray 2013

testing the Water

68

thesis hqA home for my work, online

Every week I seem to become a little bit more articu-

late about what exactly I’m doing for thesis. One thing

that came up this week is that the act of this articula-

tion is really important - basically, how can I make my

thesis accessible to people that don’t live in my brain

and don’t think about gender stuff all the time?

To help with this, I’ve put together a thesis hq.

It’s a slightly modified view of my blog that displays

my thesis related posts, a link to my changelog, as well

as the the most up-to-date description of my thesis.

As of today, that description is:

My thesis explores the generative application of gen-

der analysis to interaction design.

What does that mean?

At SVA IxD, thesis is a consistent approach to a persis-

tent idea. I think a lot about gendered perspectives.

The term ‘gender’ refers to the socio-cultural process

that forms our understanding of ‘masculine’ and ‘femi-

nine’. It’s why some may find it odd that grown men

enjoy watching My Little Ponies. It’s not that men, bio-

logically, aren’t able to watch My Little Ponies, it just

it seems like they’re not supposed to like it. Here’s a

quick video about these so-called ‘Bronies’.

Gender affects the way that we interact with the

world. There are ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ modes of

doing lots of things, including language use and un-

derstandings of technology. I think that understand-

ing the differences between these perspectives can

give us a new framework for designing engaging in-

teractions.

http://tashwong.com/thesis

2/10/2013

69

advisor update date: 2/12/2013 to: Jerri chou, chole gottlieb, tim allen

Hi everyone,I've made some pretty decent progress over the last few days, and wanted to get you all up to speed on where I'm headed.I've got an alternative version of the whitespace + user research assignments, so it'd be great to hear what you think about that.I'm really excited about where things are going! Thesis is starting to get fun.

tash

----Thesis descriptionChloe + Tim: I'm continuing to evolve the description my thesis, and created a landing page for it. It lives at http://tashwong.com/thesis. Here I've got my current descrip-tion, thesis blog posts, and a link to my thesis changelog. All future experiments + process work will be accessible via this page. 

Curated CollectionAfter a discussion with Jerri on Saturday, I'm shifting from just defining + documenting femme projects. Instead, I'm finding projects and categorizing them based on a set of gendered characteristics. The intention is to show that both femme + butch perspectives are valid and work well within different contexts. To that end, I've started collecting + analyzing projects here: http://femmeandbutchixd.tumblr.com/.I'm charting the projects against this set of 11 femme + butch tech characteristics I pulled from a paper by Brun-ner. For example, is it amedium (f) or is it a product (b)? I initially wanted to chart the work on a contin-uum (femme to butch), as it better expresses the fluidity of gender, but that was too difficult to start with. For now I'm going with: femme characteristic, butch characteristic, in the middle, not sure, not applicable.

My next steps on this project: - Write a methodology statementI'm aware that though I'm working with in a framework, my categorization is highly subjective. I think this is fine, so long as I'm very transparent about how I'm going about it. 

- Formalize project entry more (right now its text based). This will allow me to eventually sort projects by charac-teristic and start to see patterns that form as I get more projects into this system. My MVP version will be a google form + resulting spreadsheet that pushes to a tumblr post. Tumblr allows for DISQUS comments - in case anyone in-terested wants to dispute/needs clarification of my meth-odology - and project sharing. 

Alternatives to whitespace + user research assignmentsKeeping in the spirit of the 2 assignments, i’m planning:by Feb 13- A [well articulated] survey on the resources experience/interaction designers + product developers/entrepre-neurs use to keep up with whats going on in the domain, to find inspiration etc.I think that this is better as a survey than as a user inter-view because it'll allow me to pull in more answers, as well as break outside of the MFA IxD studio. My hope is that if I write a compelling survey, combined with an amazing letter + accompanying tweets, I can lean on SVA IxD faculty + alums to push the survey to people outside of my networks.

by Feb 20- Package up the resultsAnd send to all survey respondents as a reward (who doesn't want to know what everyone else is looking at?)- Conduct a competitive analysis on the resultsThis will help me understand the landscape of IxD re-sources, to analyze the types projects displayed (do they lean in one direction or another? how are they present-ed?), and also find projects to review for my own collec-tion. 

70

pitCh statementFOR aspiring + professional interaction designers

WHO want alternative models of interaction design

Femmeixd.com IS a collection of projects

THAT defi nes + showcases examples of femme inter-

action design

UNLIKE Women and Tech and the Reconstructionists,

THE PRODUCT showcases work that fi ts femme prin-

ciples, but is not necessarily made by women.

WHO is this for? Femme IxD celebrates the work that

is focused around communication and relationships

WHO want alternative models of interaction design

alternative to what? dribbble, fast co

gendered interaCtionsA serious thesis experiement

the survey

71

Audience Lifecycle for FemmeIxD.com

Stage Discovery Engagement Advocacy

Environment

Activities

Pain Points

Online and Offline• blogs• word of mouth• articles

Find FemmeIxD.com View projects

Read about FemmeIxD

• Not enough projects• Projects not compelling

• Articles not accessible• Tone of site

• Bad UX

• Low visibility• Difficult search terms

FemmeIXD.com website FemmeIXD.com websiteshare buttons

Visitor’s tumblr/fb/twitter/etc

Share projects + articles

Connect with makers

• Why share?• Is there a compelling story?• Is sharing easy?

Tash Wong 2/6/2013

Principle Audience: Interaction Designers

Key moments

audienCe lifeCyCle

An exploration of user needs for my curated collection

72

changelog date: 2/18/2013

• FINISHED my webform + database + push to tumblr. Now I can set up a review for a project, post it to tumblr, and post a copy to a database.

• updated the site name to genderedinteractions.tum-blr.com

• Met with Jerri, discussed The Feast, and some mul-timodal networks.

• Registered genderedinteractions.com + gendered-interaction.com

• Wrote a draft about page for genderedinteractions.com in 750.

date: 2/17/2013• Continued building the review form. Decided to

throw out google spreadsheets and just use a da-tabase. The overhead of getting the extra piece of script working is too high. I can just use a csv file to generate charts later.

• Trying to determine the best way of displaying my results - question answer? table? statements?

• updated the site name from femmebutchixd to femme, butch, both?

date: 2/15/2013• Got all of the pieces of my webform wired up. Now

I can enter a review from my website, have it post to tumblr, and be stored in a google spreadsheet - along with the tumblr ID for reference later.

• Completed the webform. Having trouble with output-ting to google spreadsheets.

revieW page sketChes

73

gendered interaCtions: about page

74

The submission form saves the input as markdown, pushes it to tumblr, then saves the post & id to a database.

gendered interaCtions: revieW entry form

75

gendered interaCtions

76

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, don’t

worry though, I’ve been working! For some reason

putting aside time to write a blog post seems to elude

me. Lots has happened over the last couple of weeks

but here’s a couple of highlights:

i started genderedinteraCtions.tumblr.ComOver the next month, I’ll be collecting a range of in-

teraction design projects and categorizing them based

on how they fall into gendered views of technology.

Currently, I’m using this list as the beginning of my

framework, which comes from the work of the EDC

which I wrote about a month ago.

My hope is that by framing projects in this way I’ll

be able to tease out various gendered approaches to

interaction design and highlight areas where certain

approaches work better than others.

Please check it out and leave comments where I’m be-

ing vague, as I’m actively working on ways to better

communicate these differing views. Also, if you have

any projects you’d like to see added, please send them

my way @tashwong.

stanford’s gender innovation projeCtBeginning in 2009, Stanford’s Gender Innovations

project focuses on applications of gender analysis in

science, health & medicine, engineering, and environ-

ment. They state that these disciplines are not value-

neutral, due to the gendered and ethnic exclusions

that occurred while they were being established. The

purpose of the project is to revise the methods and

processes that form the basis of most scientific prac-

tice:

1. to create gender equality;

2. to enhance creativity;

3. to stimulate economic and technological develop-

ment (or business innovation);

4. to make research more responsive to society.

from Interdisciplinary Approaches to Achieving Gen-

dered Innovations.

This is exactly the same line of thought I’m pursuing

with my thesis work, and its really exciting to find an

established organization working with gender as a

base for innovation.

If you have a moment, check out their intro page or

read through some of their case studies.

2/28/2013

gendered innovationsAnnouncing Gendered Interactions and discovering a Stanford project

77

Gendered Innovations at Stanford University http://genderedinnovations.stanford.edu/

78

Class presentationArticulating the macro and micro scale of my topic

79

80

In a post a couple of weeks ago I introduced Gendered

Interactions, a small thesis experiment. My aim was

to establish whether I could easily find gendered ap-

proaches to interaction design projects. After a week

or so of analysing a variety of work and adding to the

site, I realized this is not so easy.

Projects such as 21 Balancoires certainly sit

to the femme side of the traits list, but other projects

can’t be so clearly categorized. Though I only reviewed

a dozen projects, it did become clear that most of the

more interesting (for me) work exhibited many more

femme than butch traits. Noting this made me aware

of how subjective the process was, and that the proj-

ects I found problematic to review exhibited a mix of

traits.

For example, Snapchat has 2 core interac-

tions: one is to create media to share, and the other

is to consume that media individually. These could be

considered as opposites in terms of how they fit with

the scale, but they fit within the app. Therefore, like

many things, Snapchat is neither a ‘femme’ nor ‘butch’

product, it exhibits a variety of traits from both per-

spectives.

While this experiment didn’t go quite the way

I expected, I still hold to the same theory as was stated

on theabout page.

“Through this site I’m testing out my theory

that gender plays a big role in the way that we un-

derstand, interact, and ultimately create interactive

experiences. My hope is that by identifying gendered

modes of engaging with technology, I can expand the

current vocabulary we use to discuss interaction de-

sign and find generative applications of gender based

research.”

My big takeaway is this: Interaction design, like most

human interactions, is a complex layering of ideas, pro-

cess, input and output. I’ve found that you can’t simply

have a framework and expect to fit a whole product

into it, or hope to find one that conforms to it.

My big takeaway is this: Interaction design,

like most human interactions, is a complex layering

of ideas, process, input and output. I’ve found that

you can’t simply have a framework and expect to fit

a whole product into it, or hope to find one that con-

forms to it.

3/19/2013

gendered interaCtions, a revieWAn experiment comes to an end

81

March 2013

thinking big

82

thesis update date: 2/21/2013 to: Jerri chou

Here's a quick thesis update:I put together a presentation yesterday for thesis class. The class format has changed based on the fact that we're not all making products, which is great. Each week 4 of us are presenting our thesis progress and I was in the first batch. It was a really useful exercise to hammer out a linear story about where the work is now and where I see it going. If you're curious, a pdf of my slides + notes are here (see page 82). Tamara Giltsoff is hanging out in the studio this week. She gave a talk on Tuesday and I had a chat with her for an hour or so. Her presentation helped me realize that the 2 tracks that have brought me to this topic are one in the same. The first (and the primary driver from nov-jan) is that i'm aware i'm personally affected by so-cially biased systems + feel there aren't enough women entrepreneurs/tech, and the second (which i've been thinking about since undergrad) - that we're undergoing a disruptive shift in organizational structures/world view right now. I'm not 100% with articulating it but yesterday I used a micro/macro metaphor: both of these are caused by an overly masculine/butch world view (the builders of almost all of our social/organizational structures were men), and there's both business + social opportunity in articulating a feminine/femme view to help correct the balance.  That thoughts been hanging out for a while, but I think yesterday was the first time I said it out loud.

Tamara brought up a few interesting points: 1. Language is really important (she's allergic to the

word feminist, biz leaders are too). She's started us-ing the term Impact Opportunity instead of Social Innovation. 

2. Gender needs to play a big role in whatever way I explain the work that I'm doing, but she's right, I'll need to do some testing around the type + tone of the language I use.

3. My project review site should look at the intention AND the use of products/services

4. The personal journey of my thesis is really important. 

She thought the struggle with defining my project within the structure of the course + mindset of the people I had been speaking to in contrast with the conversations I have with you + my friend Rachel were really interesting. More or less, she reiterated the comment that my process of becoming more aware of femme design processes, and undoing the 'butch' processes I've already learned is imperative to whatever I end up creating.

5. This would make for a great consulting career. She could see a the end result being a design for a 1 day workshop, or a series of experimental acts that help people understand the differences in perspective. This was nice to hear, because I think doing high level consulting mixed with startup work would be a nice post-grad life to lead :)

We’re undergoing a disruptive shift in organizational

structures/world view right now. I’m not 100% with

articulating it but yesterday I used a micro/macro

metaphor.

Side note: I learned about minecraft last night, which is fascinating - it has a creative and a battle mode. And the participatory teen magazine Rookie. Evidently 12 year old girls have all this stuff figured out already. 

This segues nicely into some of the feedback I got from my class:1. Final output for my project could be: a workshop,

a series of brainstorming cards (like IDEO's method cards), and a personality/blindspot test. 

2. Tony pointed out that the conversations we've been having is helping him understand his 'blind spots'. He understands himself as being of a super duper 'butch' thinker, and the femme column has given him a language to be aware of traits he needs to work on. I think Tony is going to be my user tester for whatever I make - cause if it can make sense to him, it can make sense to anyone who's super linear/logic brain. Also, Tony suggested looking into language shifts that have happened in design - he pointed out the shift to 'agile' that happened in engineering, and the shift to 'lean' in the startup community.

83

Beginning to flesh out the macro narrative

A to do list from the same day, March 13Gender research as a generative base

84

Post its on post itsMy workspace at home Discarded ideas

maCro narrative outlining session

Initial talk sequence

Iteration 3

Interation 2

Final sequence of the talk outline

85

change log date: 3/14/2013 - 3/15/2013

Spent the day working through my narrative, really want to get my argument down on paper so I can start discuss-ing it with others. Went through 3 iterations and feel like I may have the macro view down. It goes like this:

• ParadigmshiftishappeningintheWesternWorld• Industrial economies/methods/traditions are falling• Participatory structures rising

• ex: Connected Company, Tamara Giltsoff• Why?

• Technology• Social networks• DIVERSITY.

• Ibelieverisingculturaldiversityatalllevelsofoureconomyisthecorereasonforthisshift.Peopleofdif-ferentage,sex,class,andracebringvaryingperspec-tivestothetablewhentheybuy,work,lead,liveetc.

• In the grand scheme of things, this is really new• existing systems rise from the Industrial Revolution (1820s)• Women get the vote in 1920• Civil Rights passed in 1964• Steady rise in women + minority leaders 70s-today (~50 years out of ~200)

• Traditional systems (business, educational, eco-nomic, etc) created in a monoculture, from singular perspective (in terms of the sex, class, race break-down)

• Have worked well for 150+ years in terms of material wealth, but• Don't have requisite variety to manage cur-rent social reality

• Whatdowedo?• Could ignore it, or try to constrain minority + women growth.

• Ongoing• Doesn't work: see Election 2012 ("white men now a minority")• or we can look for new models.

• NewModels• Where do we look for new models, if the institu-tions + broad culture we've been trained in have a heritage in a dominant singular perspective? Outside of that perspective:• The academy of feminism for new perspectives

• AcademyofFem• Interdisciplinary academic field,• that critiques and explores societal norms.• Methodology:

• hands-on• participatory• reflexive• compare to Gray, Rifkin, Wagner

• History• unlike cutting edge business ideas (last 15 years)• Fem studies became academic field in the 60s• roots back to 1792, “Ain’t I a Woman” - So-journer Truth• in 2007 576 institutions have gender fo-cused programs

• CurrentApplications• Gendered Innovations

• Science focused• pregnant crashtest dummy• osteoporoses• User research• participatory research

• Interaction Design (my work)• Linguistics• Approaches to Technology

• NextSteps• I’m creating a toolkit for IxD• All projects are different but:

• read connected company• read a women’s studies primer• research feminist disciplines applicable to your project/business

86

change log date: 3/21/2013

Woke up wanting to channel the negative energy from the article last night into something productive.Started a blog post about my macro narrative, got through about 25% of it:

Our world is changing. We're rapidly shifting from

a mechanized understanding of the world to a more

participatory one. Top down systems of control are

being toppled by bottom up forms of communication.

Examples of this range from #attfail to Arab Spring,

take your pick.

Why is this happening? The primary reason

given for this change is the rise in networked tech-

nology. It's the Internet and it's breaking everything.

But technology isn't the whole story, it's the thing the

technology is speeding along, something that was hap-

pening before Zuckerberg was born. It's the growing

inclusion of people of varied age, sex, race, and class

into all aspects of our economic conversation: women

who run big companies, homeless people with smart-

phones, latinas that play video games, Barack Obama.

This increase of cultural diversity is introduc-

ing a complexity many of our social systems weren’t

designed for. This is why they're being disrupted.

I got stuck when I reached the part about our systems coming from the Industrial Revolution. Thinking about time scale, I made a quick timeline to understand how long certain social systems have been in place. Turns out business schools were started at the some time as the Industrial Revolution (~1820), so thats our current mode of production. I figure that's where some of our models come from, but it didn't speak to the diversity argument I was making, so I added in white domination over other races and male domination over females to bring in the social component. This changes the game a bit - white domination stems from European colonialism from 500 years ago, and men have been dominating women for about 6000 years. Yikes. So all of a sudden I'm dealing with 500 years at a minimum, not 200.

maCro postAnd then I realized, this is too big for now

87

researChA few texts that were helpful while writing the macro narrative.

the ConneCted CompanyDave Gray and Thomas Vander Wal2012

gamestorming: a playbook for innovators, rulebreakers, and ChangemakersDave Gray, Sunni Brown, James Macanufo2010

leadership and self-deCeption: getting out of the boxArbinger Institute2010

March - April 2013

bringing it baCk

90

intervieWs

erin mooreTwitter

tony ChuSVA IxD

91

jennings hannaSVA IxD

alex todaroSVA IxD

allison shaWYelp

derek ChanR/GA

92

another pitCh statementFor Makers of all kinds,

who need new generative starting points,

X facilitates an internal conversation,

that helps Makers understand their own perspective

towards technology,

unlike Ideo Method cards, Mental Notes, etc (see Mar

22: comp analysis),

X exposes the Maker to their worldview and intro-

duces them to a different one.

3/27/2013

summarized by paul pangaroThe project is about an awareness of these dichto-

mous points of view and the value of exercising the

conversation, wether in an individual or in a team, and

to be aware of teh benefits or disadvantages of each.

Better design emerges as a consequence of

tool to making the exercise of that dichotomy explicit.

the quiz the thesisWays of talking about the project

93

4 layered finalA systems diagram for my final deliverable

Notebook sketch from 3/28/2013

changelog date: 3/28/2013

Clarified 4 layers of final prototype:

1. Internal conversation: between a website + viewer. Help the viewer to understand their pov; expose them to the other

2. External conversation: a worksheet/workshop/card set that can aid the viewer in facilitating a similar con-versation within a project team. Probably what the card set evolves into.

3. Source information: expose the source of the words/framing as Brunner's gender + technology work

4. Macro narrative: fem academy is a good place to look for disruptive ideas/new ways of seeing.

94

Writing questionsJerri and I spent a day writing a set of questions to determine which way someone might lean - femme or butch.

Initial question ideas

Picking up a new hobby

Thinking through career paths

Brainstorming ways to find a cafe

95

notes transcribed date: 3/30/2013

think about what you do, your career.how did you get here?Butch:I decided what I want/I need to accomplish/achieveI created goals and worked towards themI found and pursued opportunity/ did what worked and eliminated what didn'tI commited to an outcome

Femme:I created an idea of what I'd lke to be doing/my life to be likeI worked with people/people came into my life who af-ected my trajectory + the kinds of projects I worked on.People hleped and encouraged me to pursue initiatives and work that aligned with my life and goalI went with what came

you’re getting into photography.how do you go about that?Butch:Power: Buy an awesome camera. 10x zoom and large memory card, because I want to take a log of picturesAutonomy: I want full control over my imagesefficient: having a lot of file formats to work with

Femme:Creation: I take and share photos to get feedback from friendsShare: let people know what I'm makingEffective: edit fast and get it out

you're in a new city and looking for a cafe to work in. Butch:Efficient: a lot of potential cafes quicklyConsume: I want options that fit my criteria for a good cafeAutonomous: I can make this decision on my ownI can get an answer on my own without havning to ask anyoneNeed: get me something i need to fix my problem

Femme:Effective: I don't want a lot of options, just want one that fits what I want/likeIntegrate: I want to find these through things I'm already doing, people I'm already talking to and is my styleSharing: want somethin based on shared experience and or through sharing with others.Trust: help me find a trusted option

96

the quiz onlineexcited about making, I dove into producing a webiste that would host the 4 layered fi nal

Onboarding & quiz user fl ow

97

draft copydate: 4/1/2013

What kind of maker are you?Research has shown there are at least 2 ways of ap-proaching technology. The approach infl uences what we expect from our devices, as well a what we make withthem. My belief is that by being aware of our approach, we can account for it and make better products and ser-vices. And as a community of makers, who doesn't want to do that?

Want to know which way you lean? Take this short test.Q1-Q3

demographics - for me, is there a better way to slip this in? modal before the result?

This is a rather soft science - points of view are nuanced and infl uenced by more factors that we can count, but you lean x rather than y.

What does that mean?By and large x makers see technology as an instrument for speed and effi ciency. It helps us get our jobs done faster and with less hassle.- case study

By and large y makers to think of technology more as a medium for expression. It helps us connect with oth-ers and be more fl exible with sharing information and experience.- Zappos case study

Both points of view are important as we move into a new age which is governed less by strict hierarchies and more by networks and conversations.

What can I do with this?Now that you know which way you lean, you can start to see how it infl uences the things you make and learn to become aware of the other perspective. Generally speak-ing, the more hats you can wear when you design, the more well-rounded your outcome will be.

http://tashwong.com/thesis/quiz

98

survey prototypeAfter a frustrating day, I realized there were still too many questions to build the

website. Were the questions any good? Were they too restrictive? Were they biased in some way? To answer these questions, I sent out together a google form.

Ankle sprain + results tallying. Had a bike accident a couple of days before.

Color coded spreadsheet of responses.

changelogdate: 4/4/2013

• 76respondents.• Female: 45• Male: 28• Other: 3

• Only15%(32of228)ofresponsesused'Other'andfilledintheirownanswers• Whilenotfallingstrictlyalonggenderlines,there-spondentsleanedfemme+butchwiththeiranswersinthesameproportionsasthegendersrepresented.

• Femme lean: 43 (27 F, 15 M, 1 O)• Butch lean: 26 (15 F, 9 M, 2 O)• Other: 7 (3 F, 4 M)

• Mostwriteinsleanedbutch(15of32)

99

The questions, via Google Form

100

the Cards

changelog

date: 3/17/2013

Started a paper prototype. It's set of cards with each of the words from Brunner's list, each card includes:• the word• a question to frame it• the word's definition (within the context of the fram-ing question)• examples of the concept/trait in use

date: 3/18/2013Almost finished the cards. Tony helped with a lot of the butch examples. I find butch examples difficult though, for some reason they’re hard to pin down without using cynical or negative examples.

Thinking through examples

The first version of the cards

101

Cards v1Set of 22

The first set of cards were made as quickly as possible. Pencil was used for all areas where I wasn’t quite sure.

102

changelog date: 3/23/2013

Tested the index cards with Meghana, which was great! I tried to be as light with the framing as possible, as I’m not sure how I’m going to pitch these yet. Big takeaways:• she finds them useful for thinking through pov

• after splitting them into the 2 categories, she pointed out that at previous places she’d worked too much em-phasis was put onto the butch traits, not enough on the femme. I didn’t preface the difference between the 2 types of cards, she inferred one was more dev focused, the other more user focused.

meghanaUnsure of how the cards could be used, I tried out some user testing

To begin, I asked her to think through group projects she was working on.

After divinding the cards into 2 groups, she pointed out her last job placed too much emphasis on the butch traits. She found that this meant user priorities were neglected.

We then used them to talk through a few of her past professional projects.

She also suggested new examples for the cards that weren’t clear enough.

103

Competitive analysisA look at other card sets out there for designers and innovators.

The Game, by Dan Brown 2012. by IDEO, 2003.

by Stephen P. Anderson, 2010. Over One Hundred Worthwhile Dilemmas, by Brian Eno & Peter Schmidt, 1975.

surviving design projeCts

oblique strategies

method Cards

mental notes

104

Cards v2Making the cards a little more legible

This is a caption for the photo and it is two lines for some reason and then it becomes 3 lines past a certain point.

This is a caption for the photo and it is two lines for some reason and then it becomes 3 lines past a certain point.

105

Card anatomyV2 of the cards consist of 5 different parts

106

changelog date: 3/24/2013

• Finished typesetting the cards• Printed and produced the first set• Just as I finished making the new cards, Meghana asked to use the index cards for a brainstorm. I gave her the new set and set up a camera to record the first few minutes of their use. very exciting to have the cards in use within 5min of making them.

group testingHot off the cutting mat, the second version of the cards were used in a brainstorm

in the these video stills, there are 3 people sitting together to use the cards.

First year SVA IxD students Meghana, Rae, and Pam

used the cards to facilitate a 15min concept conversa-

tion.

107

changelog date: 4/4/2013

Had a card session with Minnie, which was fun and inter-esting. Takeaways:• Thecardscanbeusedinavarietyofscenarios,weusedthemtotalkthrough:

• her thesis audiences (makers + helpers)• a new project at work vs an old one• how she sees herself as a designer/manager

• Reviewing one of the videos: I talk entirely toomuch.

minnie

Talking through audience.

Discussing 2 projects at work.

Using the cards to describe herself as a designer and manager.

“These are my traits as a manager. Hmm, I see why people with the other traits frustrate me. *Laughs* But, if it weren’t for the people with these characteristics, it wouldn’t be a good team, it’d be a lopsided team. Seeing the benefit of that visibly is actually really revealing.“

“It’s helpful for me to see it this way, Breaks down how different they are and how they can complement each other.”

When comparing a pair of cards, “Being conscious of that is important, being conscious of the opposite side, the tension is interesting.”

108

cards! date: 4/3/2013 to: derek chan

FramingExternal - UsersWhich traits are important to your audience?Is this what you think, or what you know? Can you test your assumptions.If your audience is predominantly masculine, try thinking through features + function with the yellow cards.If feminine, try the red.Now switch, what happens if you reverse them?Are you favoring one color card over the other? Is this intentional? Is there a way to balance?

Internal - MakersWhich traits are important to you, the maker/designer/developer/creative team?Think about your organizations creative process, which traits are important? What if you incorporated others?Are you favoring one color card over the other? Is this intentional? Is there a way to balance?

MetaIs there a way that your internal process is affecting the experiential outcome for your users?OtherOn the front of the cards down in the bottom right there's a teeny number. These numbers match up across the color to create pairs. See if the pairings spark any ideas or whether one card is more of a priority than the other in terms of any of the above questions.

changelog date: 4/4/2013

Started further teasing out the scenarios, making them a little more generic

Personal ProcessTeam ProcessInterdepartmental ProcessGroup Discussion

Project kickoff meetingsProduct function/conceptEnd user POV (M/F)Internal POVProduct featureEnd user POV (M/F)Internal POVCompetitive analysis (fm end user perspective)"Making do" vs "making new"looking for opportunity within existing frameworks

sCenariosWorking through use cases for the cards

Brainstorm of scenarios. Referenced in changelog below.

109

presentation 4subheading

110

team WorkA user journey illustrating how the cards can be used in a multi-disciplinary team

111

112

113

April 2013

think bigger make better

114

Brand Traits

but �rm (750words)

but not prescriptive (Moves, Fuelband)

but not abstract (Feltron Report)

but not complicated (Twitter)

but not authoritative (Liz Danzico, SVAIxD)

but not easy (blogging)

friendly

informative

high-level

powerful

guided + constructive

accessible

2 voices One isn't better than the other, they're different, equal, and both need to be considered.

Design persona exercise results

Design persona action shot Results of a naming exercise with Tom

design personaAn exercise to tease out the personality of Think Bigger, Make Better

Brand traits derived from the design person exercise

115

Adjacent Feel

Other card sets

Color Study Layout

Typography

village type foundry

branding boards4 of the 6 sheets used to explore the look and feel for Think Bigger, Make Better.

116

&&BIGGER

BIGGER Better

Think &BETTERMake

Think MAKE

Better

MAKE

BIGGERThink

BETTERMake

ThinkBIGGER

BiggerTH INK

BetterMAKE

BiggerTH INK

BetterMAKE

BETTER

Make

Make

Think

ThinkMakeThinkMakeThinkMakeThinkMakeThinkMakeThinkMakeThinkMakeMakeMakeMakeMakeMake

BIGGER

BETTERBIGGERBETTERBIGGERBETTER

MakeBETTERThinkBIGGER

BETTERBIGGER

Make

BETTER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeBETTER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

Think

Make

BETTERThink

BIGGERMake

BETTERThink

BIGGER

Make

BETTERThink

BIGGER

Make

BETTERThink

BIGGER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeBETTER

ThinkBIGGER

ThinkBIGGER

MakeThink

Make

Think

Make

Think

Make

Think

visual designDavid Bellona expertly crafted the look and feel for Think Bigger, Make Better using the branding boards as a base

logotype explorations

117

Web and Card layouts

proCess book templates

118

Make

BETTERThink

BIGGER

I’m on a mission.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor

ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

1. YOU 2. THEM 3. REFLECT

Why 3 steps?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

About mission statements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

START

1. YOU

Why 3 steps?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis

enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

1. YOU

Why 3 steps?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis

enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Think

BIGGER

I’m on a mission.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor

ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

2. THEM

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

START

BIGGERBIGGER

I’m on a mission.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor

ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

2. THEM

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

START

BETTERBETTER

I’m on a mission.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor

ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

2. THEM

About mission statements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

START

Make

BETTER

I’m on a mission.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor

ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

3. REFLECT

About mission statements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis

enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Write and reflect in 3 steps.

3. REFLECT

About mission statements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis

enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

3. REFLECT

About mission statements

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

3. REFLECT

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Cras consectetur tempor ligula, ut sagittis ipsum mattis non. Duis semper cursus posuere. Maecenas in mollis enim. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus volutpat convallis urna, a semper mauris.

Wireframes v1First round of Think Bigger, Make Better wireframes

Group exercise.

Purpose statement exercise, left. Home, right.

Purpose statement exercise, Illustrator.

119

Make

BETTERThink

BIGGER

A tool for answering the why.

THE WHATAs designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

THE WHYOften the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of your primary motivations.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Whether you work alone or in a team, Think Bigger Make Better can push you to be clearer about your intensions, opening up new paths to your goals.

Think Bigger Make Better is a set of 8 term pairs that have been derived from research done over the last thirty years into approaches to technology.

Read more

The 16 terms are presented in card form, in both the digital and physical versions of the tool. As a collection, the cards can be used:Generate new starting pointsOpen conversationGet everyone on the same page.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

autonomy, control, instrumental, creation

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to ex-periment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instru-mental to my creativity.

explore, control, autonomy, creation

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would have working for anyone else.

Why do you do what you do? What do you hope it does for others?

integrate, expressive, creation, efficient

CM provides an efficient service that allows cus-tomers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or work spaces.

consume, expressive, creation, power

Coastermatic provides customers with an expres-sive way to consume physical products. It empow-ers them to create & share their images in useful ways.

GET STARTEDGet the cards.They are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

Mission StatementThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

Group ExerciseThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

START STARTDOWNLOAD ORDER

TASH WONGHigh life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letter-press. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's ameri-can apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna. Tempor YOLO wayfarers magna, umami cliche pug cillum id. Cardigan kale chips sunt officia. PBR whatever vice, american ap-parel farm-to-table anim actually odd future fashion axe street art try-hard

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letter-press. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's ameri-can apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna.

INTRO USE CASE STUDY AUTHOR

THE WHATAs designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

THE WHYOften the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of your primary motivations.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Whether you work alone or in a team, Think Bigger Make Better can push you to be clearer about your intensions, opening up new paths to your goals.

GET STARTEDGet the cards.They are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

TASH

TOM

DOWNLOAD

THE WHATAs designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

THE WHYOften the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of your primary motivations.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Whether you work alone or in a team, Think Bigger Make Better can push you to be clearer about your intensions, opening up new paths to your goals.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

GET STARTEDGet the cards.They are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

DOWNLOAD

THE WHATAs designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

THE WHYOften the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of your primary motivations.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Whether you work alone or in a team, Think Bigger Make Better can push you to be clearer about your intensions, opening up new paths to your goals.

GET STARTEDThey are available to be made at home,

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

autonomy, control, instrumental, creation

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to experiment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instrumental to my creativity.

explore, control, autonomy, creation

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would have working for anyone else.

Why do you do what you do?

ORDER

A tool for answering

INTRO

As designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

Often the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of your primary motivations.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Whether you work alone or in a team, Think Bigger Make Better can push you to be clearer about your intensions, opening up new paths to your goals.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

autonomy, control, instrumental, creation

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to experiment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instrumental to my creativity.

explore, control, autonomy, creation

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would have working for anyone else.

Why do you do what you do?

They are available to be made at home,

Think

BIGGER

A tool for answering

INTRO

As designers, makers, and innovators, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about what to make and how to make it.

Often the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Think Bigger Make Better is a set of 8 term pairs that have been derived from research done over the last thirty years into approaches to technology.

Read more

Mission StatementThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

Here are our mission statements

autonomy, control, instrumental, creation

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to experiment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instrumental to my creativity.

explore, control, autonomy, creation

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would have working for anyone else.

Why do you do what you do?

START

TASH WONGHigh life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna. Tempor YOLO wayfarers magna, umami cliche pug cillum id. Cardigan kale chips sunt officia. PBR whatever vice, american apparel farm-to-table anim actually odd future fashion axe street art try-hard

BIGGERBIGGER

A tool for answering

USE CASE STUDY

spend a lot of time thinking about what we make. Within project teams we talk about

Often the why gets left out of the picture. This can lead to project teams who dont’ see eye to eye, a loss of vision midway through, or a big pivot when you realize you over looked one of

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Think Bigger Make Better is a set of 8 term pairs that have been derived from research done over the last thirty years into approaches to technology.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part of Coastermatic and our goals for the company.

autonomy, control, instrumental, creation

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to experiment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instru

explore, control, autonomy, creation

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would

Why do you do what you do?

Mission StatementThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

TASH WONGHigh life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna. Tempor YOLO wayfarers magna, umami cliche pug cillum id. Cardigan kale chips sunt officia. PBR whatever vice, american apparel farm-to-table anim actually odd future fashion axe street art try-hard

BETTERBETTER

A tool for answering

CASE STUDY

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Think Bigger Make Better is a set of 8 term pairs that have been derived from research done over the last thirty years into approaches to technology.

COASTERMATIC CASE STUDYThroughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

Coastermatic gives me the autonomy to control my work situation, which gives me the freedom to ex-periment creatively. Coastermatic becomes instru-

Coastermatic provides me a vehicle to explore and create products autonomously (independently), it provides me more control (freedom) than i would

They are available to be made at home,

TASH WONGHigh life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna. Tempor YOLO wayfarers magna, umami cliche pug cillum id. Cardigan kale chips sunt officia. PBR whatever vice, american apparel farm-to-table anim actually odd future fashion axe street art try-hard

Make

BETTER

A tool for answering the why.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

Think Bigger Make Better is a set of 8 term pairs that have been derived from research done over the last thirty years

Throughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

What do you hope it does for others?

integrate, expressive, creation, efficient

CM provides an efficient service that allows customers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or work spaces.

consume, expressive, creation, power

Coastermatic provides customers with an expressive way to consume physical products. It empowers them to create & share their images in useful ways.

They are available to be made at home,

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letter-press. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's ameri-can apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna. Tempor YOLO wayfarers magna, umami cliche pug cillum id. Cardigan kale chips sunt officia. PBR whatever vice, american ap-parel farm-to-table anim actually odd future fashion axe street art try-hard

AUTHOR

the why.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

The 16 terms are presented in card form, in both the digital and physical versions of the tool. As a collection, the cards can be used:Generate new starting pointsOpen conversationGet everyone on the same page.

Group ExerciseThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

Throughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

What do you hope it does for others?

integrate, expressive, creation, efficient

CM provides an efficient service that allows customers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or work spaces.

consume, expressive, creation, power

Coastermatic provides customers with an expressive way to consume physical products. It empowers them to create & share their images in useful

START

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna.

AUTHOR

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

The 16 terms are presented in card form, in both the digital and physical versions of the tool. As a collection, the cards can

Generate new starting pointsOpen conversationGet everyone on the same page.

Throughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

What do you hope it does for others?

integrate, expressive, creation, efficient

CM provides an efficient service that allows customers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or

consume, expressive, creation, power

Coastermatic provides customers with an expressive way to consume physical products. It empowers them to create & share their images in useful

Group ExerciseThey are available to be made at home, or for purchase.

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna.

THINK BIGGER MAKE BETTER is a tool to help you articulate your mission, priorities, and perspective.

The 16 terms are presented in card form, in both the digital and physical versions of the tool. As a collection, the cards can

Generate new starting points

Get everyone on the same page.

Throughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

What do you hope it does for others?

integrate, expressive, creation, efficient

CM provides an efficient service that allows customers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or

consume, expressive, creation, power

Coastermatic provides customers with an expressive way to consume physical products. It empowers them to create & share their images in useful

They are available to be made at home,

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letterpress. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's american apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna.

The 16 terms are presented in card form, in both the digital and physical versions of the tool. As a collection, the cards can

Throughout the development of Think Bigger Make Better, my cofounder Tom Harman and I used the tool to help us be clear and discuss openly both our personal motivations for being part

What do you hope it does for others?

CM provides an efficient service that allows cus-tomers to create objects that are expressive of their lives, ambitions, and adventures through a medium that easily integrates with their living or

Coastermatic provides customers with an expres-sive way to consume physical products. It empow-ers them to create & share their images in useful

They are available to be made at home,

High life est voluptate cupidatat synth cliche. Cred high life scenester letter-press. Nesciunt nulla sriracha bespoke aesthetic four loko, mcsweeney's ameri-can apparel gluten-free laboris kogi church-key et. Mustache +1 pitchfork, scenester keffiyeh occupy jean shorts irony aliquip adipisicing magna.

Home page, Illustrator.

120

exerCise prototypeSketches and screenshots of the exercise component of Think Bigger, Make Better

Early protoype of group exercise, selection page

Early protoype of group exercise, results page

Second iteration of group exercise

121

Wireframes v2A more concise homepage

122