IH01-NicolasSuryono
From IEOR 170 Spring 2007
An Example of Good Design: An example of good design that I think of is my apartment’s kitchen. As can be seen from the picture, it has some sort of unusual long shape which is very uncommon for a kitchen. I particularly like the design because it is very easy to use even for someone who do not use the kitchen a lot or inexperienced kitchen user.
If we look closer at the picture, we can see that the sink is the one that we will encounter on the kitchen. Then we have some extra space (i.e. tabletop) and then the kitchen stove. It really enables us to prepare food and cook easily without having to move back and forth in the kitchen. Let’s say we just bought a meat and vegetables and we want to cook them. First, we want to make sure that we washed them thoroughly (in the sink), then we will cut them up on the tabletop, and finally we will cook them on. The order of sink, tabletop, and kitchen stove is a very good design that resembles an assembly line.
One more advantages to this kitchen design is that it is loaded with storage room on the top and bottom on both sides, making it very easy to store and organize any cooking related items. This kitchen design is good because the user do not have to go through a steep learning curve in order to feel comfortable using this kitchen. It also provides the user with spacious room to learn and experiment each individual component of the kitchen.
An Example of Bad Design:
This is an example of a bad design. This is a closet door in my apartment. There are two doors. However, we can only see one of the handle because the other one is broken (which is why I chose this as an example of a bad design).
The handle is made so that it cannot be moved up or down and I was very confused at first on how to open the closet’s door. It turns out that you have to pull it with significant force to open the door and you need to open the left one first, then the right one.
I made a mistake pulling the right one with full force and that is why the handle is broken. I think the design is bad because it does not tell the user anything on how to operate this door. It does not even say push or pull, let alone open the left one first before opening the right one. Here are my suggestion on how to improve the design of the door:
Individual Project Proposal - Nicolas Suryono
Target User Group
The target user group for my individual project proposal is all UC Berkeley students from all majors who use Perimeter. The reasons that I chose this user group are because they are accessible and most of them are using Perimeter as a mean of transport in campus. There might be small number of people other than Cal student who use the Perimeter but their number does not have significant impact on my design. I have brainstormed some of the Cal student’s need and they are:
-Able to get to class on time (especially during midterms and finals)
-Able to decide whether they should walk or take the Perimeter so they can get to class on time
-Have easy access to all area of campus
-Know where they are
-Plan their schedule more accurately
-Able to attend appointment or interview on time
Basically all their needs sums up into one and that is: Be on Time on All Occasion. Therefore, we need a way to inform them so they can make the best decision to be on time.
Problem Description
The problem that Cal student is facing is that the Perimeter rarely comes on time. Even worse, the students have no way of knowing when the Perimeter will come, let alone where the Perimeter is at the current moment. Cal students certainly need a way to know the Perimeter’s schedule and where the Perimeter is at the current moment so they can make a decision on whether they should wait for the Perimeter or walk to their class/appointment to avoid being late. When there are some ways to know how long the students have to wait for the perimeter and where the perimeter is now, then I think the problem of being late can be minimized.
Problem Context and Forces
I think the aspect of the situation that might influence the problem solution is the variation of traffic condition in Berkeley. Another factor that might influence the solution is time (e.g. daytime is busier than nighttime and daytime has more traffic than nighttime). The students are also busy during the daytime and they are motivated to be punctual. Some of the solution that is related to this problem is by looking at the AC Transit system in San Pablo Avenue. AC Transit have a device that tells people when the bus will come on San Pablo Avenue. The layout of the AC Transit Bus Stop currently and proposed improvement can be seen on page 4 of this URL:
In the implementation of the design, I can base my design on the AC Transit’s and add more function in the device that I am designing.
Solution Sketch
I am really interested in designing a device for the Perimeter that can let the students:
1.Know when the bus will come and which bus
2.The current station name (or the closest building name)
3.How long people will have to wait for the Perimeter and
4.The exact location of the Perimeter at the current time
I am thinking to attach this design in the bus stand for maximum visibility and exposure.
Here are some sketches of my proposed design:
