The Case of the Collapsible Cup

I would like to begin this post by saying that our original idea had almost NOTHING to do with a collapsible cup.

As a matter of fact, the only thing these ideas had in common was the fact that they were both cups.

Our goal was to develop a prototype of something. As many of us had had problems concerning the dining hall cups, we decided to try and do something about the condensation that occurred when one got a cold drink.

After a stressful hour of trying to make a cup that worked, a member of our group angrily crushed our prototype, and it was through that that we decided to make a collapsible cup.

Our idea consisted of four main parts: Two rings making up the top and bottom of the cup, a waterproof, collapsible middle, and two supporting stands on the side of the cup to ensure that the cup wouldn't collapse while one was drinking from it.

Our first step was to create the base of the cup. As this is an alpha prototype, we used the materials that were most readily available. We cut out foam circles with a radius of 45 mm, and then cut out a portion of the bottom so that the supporting stands could easily collapse under the cup for simple storage. We then created the support stands using cardboard. We prepared a total of 5 bases just in case something went wrong when we tried to create the cup

After creating the bases, we inputted the data for our rings into the 3D printer and continued working while waiting for the rings to be created.

We decided that the best way to make a collapsible cup would be to use a plastic, sheet-like material that could easily fold and expand. We cut a plastic Ziplock bag open and wrapped the material around the cup, creating prototype number 1, where the top of the cup folded over the support stands. We proceeded to duct-tape the sides and created this rather aesthetically pleasing model.

Isn't it just adorable?

However, we realized that this cup was not stable enough, and proceeded to add two rings to the model to create a more stable rim for one to drink from.

Our final product looks like this. After adding the rims, the model was able to support itself and the rim would not collapse when one touched it. It could collapse to form a flat, portable disk.

Overall, it was a very interesting experience. I didn't know how hard it would be to create a prototype, and learned about all of the things that went into consideration when creating one. Failing our first product also showed us how not all ideas end up turning out the way they were meticulously planned in the beginning.

The MFD Printer, AKA the Printer from Hell

The seven stages that Norman proposes are as follows:

1. Forming the Goal
2. Forming the intention
3. Specifying an action
4. Executing the action
5. Perceiving the state of the world
6. Interpreting the state of the world
7. Evaluating the outcome 

The printer used in the library is a Bizhub 552. The goal of this printer is to print paper. The intent is to print something from the printer. In order to do so, I must first connect my computer to the printing system. I have to install a client to access the network, and then login to show my balance on the PCC Client. After doing so, I can then begin to use the printer. I have to send the document to the printing system, choosing whether I want to keep it in the system from anywhere between 5-60 minutes, or until I log out. I then have to walk to the printer and log into the printer, retrieve the print job, print it out, and then log out of the system. The execution of this process, without having to install the client several times (you only need to do this once), takes about 5-20 minutes, depending on how far you are from the nearest printer. If the paper comes out after this process, one can assume that the print job was successful. If, however, the paper does not come out, or the print job does not show, one can assume the print job was unsuccessful, and to never use the printer again.

What is effective about the MFD printer is the fact that it is multi-functional. It prints on both A3 and A4 paper, something that a regular printer might have problems with. It can be used to print, to scan, and to fax, and has both greyscale and color options. It prevents people from having to go to a specific computer to print, which subsequently lessens the line for computers inside the science center and the library.

However, various problems do arise with this printer. The printingOften, the print job does not send, or times out, causing students to freak out over missed homework assignments. Additionally, logging in and getting your print jobs is a long process, especially if you have capital letters in your login ID and/or password, because you have to press caps lock for every capital letter you have. It's a good thing, then, that each printer has its own keyboard. Logging out is also a problem; you don't know which button to press to log out. 

On a total side note, I'm loving that there's no card to take to the front desk when the printer doesn't work.

After observing the people in the science library use the printer, I have come up with some theories:

• They all wish there was no line in the morning
• The printer by the side door of the library is bipolar and only works sometimes.
• The printer in the middle of the library is more popular, but as a result, there are many people there in the morning trying to print, and you should get there early to get to class on time.

Questions Asked:

Have you used the printer before?

What do you think of the printer?

Have you encountered any difficulties with using the printer?

What parts of the printer do you like?

What do you think would make this printer better?

I asked both the upperclassmen and and first year students their opinions, and got varied responses. Many of the upperclassmen liked the new printer, but preferred the old printer system because it held documents for a longer amount of time. The first years complained that there were long lines and that their documents often did not send. Another complaint was that logging into the PCC was a pain. Many had difficulties logging in the first time, and felt that it was hard to figure out which tray the paper came out on. Not knowing that the printer was double sided also caused some to worry about a missing page of homework. Many ended up bringing their computers with them in case the print job did not send. I believe that, if more directions were given to the students on how to use the printer, there would not be as many problems. While many appreciated the printer, they all had some negative experiences that caused them to be wary of the device. 

Mind Map of Printer

Solutions to this problem would be to give directions to all students regarding the printer, or to purchase printers that only print. Granted you would be losing the multi-functionality of the printer, but the printer would be easier to understand and use. Another option would be to buy your own printer to use in your room. However, this is more expensive.

	Current Printer	Printer in Room	Print only Printer
Time	S	+	+
Complexity	S	+	+
Ability	S	+	-
Availability	S	+	-
Cost	S	---	+

Final Solution: Place a simple printer in some areas of the libraries to focus on only printing.

Rather than having a giant machine that we have to rely on to print all of our resources, it would be easier to buy a smaller, and less expensive, print-only printer for students to use. This way, the lines for the bigger, MFD printers will be smaller, and students who have had bad experiences with the fancy printers can use a simpler printer to suit their needs.

Design of Everyday Things Chapter II

Norman makes me feel so much better about myself.

After reading this chapter, I realized, with great relief, that a lot of the times where I "failed" were, in fact, not failures at all. What really interests me is the way he separates "human error" and "product error". The psychology behind the woman's disappointment in herself after failing to open a cabinet, even after watching Norman jiggle the thing around a handful of ways, reminds me of the many times where I "caused" a machine to fail because I read the directions wrong. The essential point of having a manual is to make thing easier. However, there are many occasions where the manual makes things even more complicated.

The other sections of the chapter that delve into the minds of people as they use technology were also very interesting; the difference between "naive physics" being used to operate machinery rather than the Newtonian physics approach was amusing. His example of the thermostat perfectly illustrates the way we infer things work based on what we see, much like the process Aristotle used to make his theories.

Milk Frothers

If you've ever had a drink with foamy milk on top, you've probably wondered how it was created. In Starbucks, a large, loud, very expensive machine froths the milk for popular drinks that contain milk froth. But to think that you could potentially have the same froth with a machine that costs less than $5?

Impossible? I think not.

Meet the Ikea Milk Frother. At only $2.49, it is a total steal. However, you may think that its low price signifies that it is cheaply made and won't last long, or that it may not live up to its standards. So, after testing the frother on both regular and soy milk, I took it apart and "mapped" its insides.

As a frother, the product is reliable. It can stand on a flat surface so that the consumer doesn't have to worry about cleaning the surface their drink was placed on. It can froth 2x the original volume of a cup of regular milk in 20 seconds. It is not as effective on soy milk. It froths well, but only when using full batteries; as the batteries lose power, so does the machine. The on/off switch is simple as well, but the directions on which way to place the batteries were unclear; I used AAA batteries at first, only to find that it operated on AA. The froth also disappeared rather quickly, and the machine produced a loud humming sound while on.

The machine is very simply matched. With a spring on the end of a metal shaft that attaches to an engine and an on/off switch, it is basic and what you would expect of a product that costs less that $5; there are no complex machineries that cause it to be more expensive, and it has only one function. When it works, the machine will hum and vibrate in the user's hand.

The second frother I tested was the Bonjour Milk Frother ($9.99). In terms of the outside view, it looks similar to the Ikea Frother. As it was more expensive than the Ikea frother, I expected it to either function better or have more than one function. This frother does not have an on/off switch; it operates only when the user is pushing the button on top, and automatically shuts off once the pressure disappears. However, this device does not stand alone. The Bonjour's rate of frothing is even faster than that of the Ikea frother; the Bonjour can froth 3x the original amount of regular milk in 30 seconds. This frother is also not as useful in soy milk. Like the Ikea frother, the battery instructions were unclear, even more so than the Ikea product; they placed the battery placement instructions on the inside of the battery terminal as a sticker. After mapping out the device, I found that it was crafted almost exactly the same as the Ikea frother, with a spring attached to a shaft which led to a motor and the batteries.

The disassembling of these two products showed me that it is possible to make a product cheaply, and that I should never judge a product by its price. Because the Bonjour frother was four times as expensive as the Ikea frother, I automatically assumed that it would be a better product. However, after testing both and taking them apart, it is easy to see that the Ikea is the more efficient and better-priced of the two. The designs of both products were, in essence, exactly the same, and had identical parts. Because of these observations, I realized that, while the Ikea is made a little more cheaply when looking at material, it is ultimately the better deal of the two.

The Design of Everyday Things Chapter 1

The first chapter of the book was riveting. I really enjoy Norman's breakdown of even the most simple objects. I was going to write about my alarm clock, but he already wrote about it, so what I'm going to blog about are things that you have to plug in.

Electrical plugs are simple, yet complex. Countries around the world have several different types of plugs, so for those of us that enjoy traveling to foreign countries, an adaptor is required (unless you go somewhere that provides adaptors). However, while electrical plugs and outlets in America have two different sizes (one large, one small), I somehow manage to get it wrong every single time. To further the problem of electrical outlets, some plugs are larger than others, so plugging things in requires some maneuvering. At Wellesley, the plugs are backwards, something I realized after a week and a half of attempting to plug things in and failing. It would have been nice for someone to mark the larger side of the plug so that I knew, rather than having to try multiple times to plug something in. USB ports and drives also pose the same problem. For USBs that do not have any markings to distinguish which side is up and down, plugging them into a computer requires multiple tries. Sometimes, you'll try twice and fail anyways. Regardless, something simple as plugging a USB drive into a port becomes difficult when things are not properly marked, much like the doors that Norman describes in his first example

The First Ever Post

Hi everyone! My name is Jacqueline Zheng. I am a freshman from New York, and I'm very excited for this class.

The product I chose for this assignment was conditioner. I use Organix Awapuhi Ginger Conditioner

Hair conditioner is a product that I find particularly interesting. Shampoo most likely came about because people wanted a better way to clean their hair, but where did conditioner come in? Was its original use to provide nutrition to hair, to detangle, or for other purposes? There are so many varieties of conditioner that are currently in existence. From the many brands of conditioner, such as Pantene and Garnier Fructisse to the 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner from Head & Shoulders, to its various uses, the product has become a staple in many households. With conditioner, one can choose to add volume to their hair, straighten it, strengthen it, prevent frizziness, or do all of the above. They come scented and unscented, and in various textures. The possibilities and uses of conditioner are many.

According to Hygieneforhealth.org, the first "conditioner" was created by perfumist Edouard Pinuad to soften men's hair in 1900. Since then, various types of conditioner have been created. The first rinse-off conditioner was marketed in 1970. Before Pinuad's conditioner, however, "European women cindtioned their hair with dead lizards boiled in olive oil. Chinese women used seeds from the cedrela tree (Chinese cedar) to make a finishing hair rinse. Filipino women hade a hair conditioner from aloe soaked in water. And Americans used oil mixed with eggs (1600s)."

Sources:
"Hair Care." Back in Time. Accord AU, 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013.
http://www.hygieneforhealth.org.au/hair_care.php