RR Week 5 – Constraints! Due by midnight Friday of this week.
Read
the excerpts below and click on the comments section at the bottom of
the blog to comment on EACH reading, mention what jumped out at you from
the readings and why:
what do you think makes sense; what seems illogical to you; what is
something that you might not have considered previously? Tell us what
your experiences with constraints have been.
EXCERPT #1: This
first excerpt is about why features sometimes get overdone or left out
completely when software (or an electronic game) is being created...
"What
has been described as 'creeping elegance' is probably better described
as 'feature blight,' for like a fungus on a plant it gradually
elaborates and blurs the true outline of the product while it drains its
sap. The antidote to feature blight is, of course, the 'constricting
deadline.' This results in features being discarded in proportion to the
time it would take to implement them. It is often the case that the
most useful features take the longest to implement. Thus the combination
of the blight and the deadline yields software as we know and love it,
comprised of bountiful quantities of useless features." —Jef Raskin,
author (from "Why Software Is the Way It Is") From “Getting Real” Read
more here.
EXCERPT #2: Beatrice C. Benne, Ph.D. talks about how we view constraints...
"For
many of us, the word 'constraints' often carries a negative connotation
as it seems to imply that there are ‘things’ in our environment that
limit or restrict our freedom to act and to achieve our goals. Yet,
people with design training know that constraints can be useful in that
they provide the canvas within which ideas are framed, concepts
developed, and decisions made. In fact, without constraints, creativity
and innovation would be merely impossible. As Jeff Klein once reflected,
'constraints are akin to the tiny irritant that causes an oyster to
make a pearl.'
make a pearl.'
For a
designer, constraints provide the context that informs the design
process; without them, the designer would have to choose from an
infinite number of design possibilities – a daunting task. In
architectural design, building program requirements, specific site
conditions, environmental conditions, technical requirements, budget,
material availability, and regulations are only but a few of the
numerous constraints that an architect has to juggle with on a daily
basis. While those constraints force the architect to make some
trade-offs, they also drive the necessary decisions that move the design
process forward. Indeed, we must acknowledge that complete freedom in
the ‘real’ world is an illusion as any decision we make and action we
take drive our next actions and the ones of our peers. In fact, as soon
as a designer draws a line representing a wall on a piece of paper, she
is in fact setting a significant design constraint. In business like in
our personal life, constraints can be self-imposed or externally-driven.
And, while we may be required to deal with most of them, some constraints may be unnecessarily limiting. Figuring out how to use constraints as a source of creativity is one of the most rewarding challenges in today’s complex environment."
This is from: Hirshberg J. 1998, The
Creative Priority: Driving Innovative Business in the Real World. Harper
Collins Publishers, New York.
EXCERPT #3: This is from a post from Beatrice C. Benne’s blog:
Creative Priority: Driving Innovative Business in the Real World. Harper
Collins Publishers, New York.
EXCERPT #3: This is from a post from Beatrice C. Benne’s blog:
“Let’s
say I am a coffee shop owner. I want you to tell me what is better for
the environment: using paper cups, hence increasing deforestation or,
using ceramic cups, which I now have to wash using energy and lots of
water? (Of course, much energy and water were used to make the paper
cups as well.)
Perhaps
you know the answer to this question but more likely you are like me
and you don’t. Perhaps there are some experts out there who have done a
comparative life cycle analysis of both solutions and who know the
answer. Perhaps the answer depends on where the coffee shop is
located—I would suspect the answer would be different in India or Africa
than it is in the U.S. Perhaps ceramic cups are a better choice today
while paper cups might be better in 5 or 10 years when we experience a
major water shortage. Perhaps in 20 years neither solution will be a
good one because we won’t have enough water to make our coffee, anyway.
There may not be any coffee growing, by the way.
I may
be over-dramatizing but you get the point. We all mean well and we are
all trying to do the right thing and we truly care. Yet, driven by our
mental models (yes, I know, I have been focusing quite a bit on them
lately but they seem to me so critical if one wants to move to the next
stage), we love to find easy technical answers to our complex problems
and we love jumping to conclusions quickly.” Read more here.
PLEASE put your name on your post.
Due by midnight Friday this week – 2/8/13.
EXCERPT #1
ReplyDelete"We took big tasks and broke them up into small bits that we tackled one at a time. We moved step by step and prioritized as we went along."
This is how I feel that I tackle every project. I am obsessed with writing down all my major ideas for a paper then making an outline of the main topics. Then I put them in order and comment on sub-subjects of these major ones. After you break something big into small aspects it is way easier to find aspects of each that are the most important to cover. In this case I use an outline as a constraint, however, it works to benefit me so my mind doesn't run wild. Organization is also key!
Excerpt 2:
"et, people with design training know that constraints can be useful in that they provide the canvas within which ideas are framed, concepts developed, and decisions made. In fact, without constraints, creativity and innovation would be merely impossible."
This relates back to my previous statement about how constraints come come with positive aspects as well. If you need to write about a specific topic then obviously there are constraints. Outlines help frame the concepts of your work and lets them flow onto the paper.
Excerpt 3:
This is just a random sentence from this reading that struck me, "More than anything else, we should not jump to conclusions too quickly. Is it difficult? Hell, yes!" So many of us judge people by the way they look or what their profession is or by a rumor they heard. I think that if anyone in the world could get one piece of advise it would be this. There are so many people who I have let my guard down and got to know them that I never would have just because of the way they look because they really are good people.
EXCERPT NUMERO UNO//
ReplyDeleteWhat I thought was most interesting here was the call to the "constricting deadline." Working in a profession that is heavily based on deadlines, I can understand what the author means here. It's unfortunate, but sometimes, if the project is not scoped properly, the work can suffer with a fast deadline. Now, this can be remedied with good workers, but still sometimes, the work suffers regardless. On the other hand, some people work well with deadlines and pressure, giving them more of an incentive to finish.
EXCERPT NUMERO DOS//
I loved this excerpt; it's right on the money. Working within contraints can be beneficial for sure. Being able to work within someone else's constraints is an incredible skill. This is so beneficial because when we design for fun or for ourselves ( or sculpt or architect, etc.) , we don't place constraints on ourself, we just openly design and freely create. Now, this can be beneficial but also does not give you the adequate skills to move on and perform work for others. Personally, I thought this excerpt was fantastic, very informative and very true!
EXCERPT NUMERO TRES//
"we love to find easy technical answers to our complex problems and we love jumping to conclusions quickly." This quote stuck out to me most in this reading for sure. So many people in our world take unnecessary short cuts just to get things done fast, and it makes their work suffer. People need to start taking more time to just take a step back and perform tasks the right way, and intelligently as well.
1. What I loved about this post was how it described that there seems to be this lack of understanding that the good stuff is not the quick-and-easy stuff. So if you want something to be meaningful, you need to think carefully about the deadline. If you just want something to be done, it'll probably be useless. I feel this can be compared to music. All of the "Top Hits" pop music is pretty much garbage (I'll admit some is catchy and I definitely like listening to some of it in the right situations, BUT it ALL sounds the same essentially). It's a lot easier for a pop artist to come out with 10 consecutive hits in a matter of a year or two when they all are essentially the same chord progression with a different chorus. Classic case of quality versus quantity!
ReplyDelete2. I related the most to this excerpt because I feel that I am definitely a "developer" as opposed to an "idea-person," and therefore constraints act as the idea-generator for me. If I have no starting point, no guiding limitations, no nothing, it's almost impossible for me to think of a good idea. It's like my brain just goes, "BUT IT COULD BE ANYTHING.. AND THEREFORE IT WILL BE NOTING!!!" It freaks out. Even one limiting factor can change my entire creative process. I really saw this in a recent typography project where I wasn't imposing any rules or systems on myself. Nothing made sense and it all looked awful. The more I dialed myself back and only let myself use ONE font and ONE this and ONE that made my design instantly better. Then I could go in a flourish after I had the underlying structure working correctly.
3. What resonated with me from this post was the idea that complex problems don't often have simple solutions. That would just be too easy! Most problems that are worth solving have a web of intricacies that need to be dealt with, and all are equally important. All of these complications are what I take to be a problem's constraints which help build a truly solid answer. It's like our upcoming project that we talked about in class... if we didn't place every possible constraint on the problems that we think of, the solutions would be really boring and obvious and not worth presenting. They wouldn't be innovative. Constraints force you to consider things other than the obvious and to think in new ways.
Personally, I'm a fan of constraints. I think too many people have egos that are way too big and think all of their ideas are all so great and that if they only just had the creative liberty to create whatever the hell they wanted it would all just be so stupendous. I think that's a bunch of bologna, honestly, and I think people who face constraints head on are the people who have the best ideas. That's just my personal opinion!
The starting or opener for excerpt #1 really jumped out at me because I find it ironic that they are only focusing on how features are overdone in the digital setting. I completely agree that things can become over done in the world of software, but honestly I believe there are a lot of things in the physical world people overdue. For example in electronic games the makers often make woman look “perfect” to attract the male viewer. However this same thing is done in the physical world by ad agencies who manipulate pictures of woman to make them look “perfect”. We as a race focus on overdoing features we enjoy paying most attention to.
ReplyDeleteReading the excerpt from #2 the thing that most stuck out to me was when it said, “For a designer, constraints provide the context that informs the design process; without them, the designer would have to choose from an infinite number of design possibilities – a daunting task”. I never would have looked at a constraint like that before. Yet it is so true. I also looked at it as something that is blocking my path to where I want to be, but now that I think about it, a constraint is just a necessary detour around the direct path to my goal, and more of a scenic route.
The last excerpt made me reflect back to the first one. The writer wrote that “Perhaps ceramic cups are a better choice today while paper cups might be better in 5 or 10 years when we experience a major water shortage. Perhaps in 20 years neither solution will be a good one because we won’t have enough water to make our coffee, anyway. There may not be any coffee growing, by the way”. All I could think about was in the first writing how people focused on over doing features. I wondered if perhaps this author was over doing Earths features, from what I know about the world something like 75% of people don’t have water. That sounds like there is a water shortage now, that being the case wouldn’t that mean this author over predicted a specific feature of Earth, that being water supply?
Victoria Richards
ReplyDelete1.
-what jumped out was the realization that features can overpower a product and although i knew this, its usually better to actually read it and remind yourself of it when creating a project.
-sometimes features can overpower the actual product makes sense, I have definitely seen that happen with things in graphic design and advertising. but why do features usually take the most time? Shouldn't the main project take the longest? what I didn't consider before was that there are a lot of useless features in software.
2.
- something that jumped out at me was when she says without constraints creativity would be impossible. I both understand this and don't at the same time. I do understand because thats how I work. I need a goal and boundaries. i don't like too much freedom on a project. But I also know some people who don't do well when they are contained. I guess it depends on the project. it says without constraints the options are limitless, but that isn't a bad thing if you are just creating to create.
3.
-I like the point that ceramic cups vs. paper cups doesn't really matter (well it does) but they both have negative sides despite people glorifying one or the other. This is just an example but it works for a lot of different things. This made me think of how there is never one straight forward answer and every decision has a thinking and exploring process.
Excerpt 1.
ReplyDeleteThe part of this that stood out for me the most is talk of a deadline, as my internship this fall was creating an event that lasted 2 months we had a lot to figure out in a short amount of time. With a deadline that had no room to be moved back it approached quickly and the way we were running things it showed us that we weren't exactly slacking on stuff that needed to be done but we had to crunch when we had a week left before the kickoff for the beginning of the event. Other parts of the whole deadline idea is that when I get an assignment I can't really work on it until Im really forced to. the motivation is not there entirely, which i know is definitely not a good thing however I can't really help it. I give myself enough time in the long run to write a quality paper, or do something good for a project but i don't think about doing a project for fun.
Excerpt 2.
Creativity with constraints creates a guideline for what the "artist" is doing. Without these art could honestly be terrible. Nobody would know where to start and end and people would just come up with total junk for designs. When it says it is impossible to be creative without constraints I do however feel differently about that however there are many things that are easier once you have the guidelines in terms of designing certain things. Going off that I also do sometimes think that having that much leeway on a project or a task can be quite challenging. in my mind I do like the freedom but I would rather have limitations so its easier to design something or come up with something for a customer, or a client.
Excerpt 3.
"we love jumping to conclusions quickly" This may be taken out of context a tiny bit but this is so true with everyone. people just like to jump to conclusions (myself included) without seeing the big picture. Obviously theres ups and downs for both paper or ceramic but there are certain aspects of each that people need to know before they go choosing which one will best fit the coffee shop. In my mind, people need to see whats best for their company and their own self. Not that people are stupid, at all they just need to look into whats important. Also what will affect them in good ways and in bad ways. Not just assume and jump to conclusions.
Reading 1: “Instead of freaking out about these constraints, embrace them.” This first reading made me think a lot about my own personal motto, accept and move on. It relates perfectly to constraints and this first reading. There are going to be constraints, in many if not every situation, so you have to accept them and move on. No need to dwell on what is wrong, when you HAVE to focus on what is right and good and great. But I also think that getting past your constraints, if you are collaborating with others, they need to be on bound with getting around the constraints as well. Like right now, I have a group project due tomorrow and I’m feeling a personal constraint that no one is responding back to me but there is a group constraint that none of us have time to all sit down together. So while, I’m emailing and trying to find some way to overcome our group constraint, a new one has been created for me. When overcoming constraints with others, resistance must be eliminated or new constraints are going to surface.
ReplyDeleteReading 2: What resonated with me immediately was the notion that the word ‘constraints’ carries a negative connotation, which I completely agree with. We see constraints as being something negative, something that holds us back from our full potential. We usually see no good in constraints. But if you can adjust the lens in which you see things, then you can change the negativity into positivity. I have a lot of homework to get done for tomorrow and over the weekend. My boyfriend is coming for the weekend and I’m working a majority of the time, so I want to get my homework done before he gets here. But there’s a constraint, I have to work all day, and while I have tonight to do homework, I have a lot. There’s the constraint, work. But I can decide to look at this negatively or positively. I choose positivity in everything because I believe it brings good vibes but I could go to work pissed off and be rude to my customers or I could take this as a break from homework, a time to make money, and hopefully give me time to fuel my ideas. While working I can create a list of things I want to get done tonight. Or while I have time before work, I could lay out everything I need to get done. I can work with my constraint rather than against it.
Reading 3: Solutions don’t just come to you. There is a lot of hard work and time that goes into coming up with the most innovative, practical, right way in which to do something, especially when there are constraints. When we have big problems, like disposable or reusable and their effect on the environment, it takes a lot of time to come to the best solution. For corporations and internationally-invested companies, it takes even longer. There are more constraints for them. “We love to find easy technical answers to our complex problems and we love jumping to conclusions quickly,” I love this quote because it holds true to the concept of taking your time to find a solution. A true solution, that solves the problem at hand, takes time to develop, create and implement. When there’s a problem with constraints, we usually jump to the first ‘logical’ solution, but that’s not always the best or most logical. Plus, originality resonates more with consumers when working in business that provides a service or product. I believe the moral of the story is to work through your problems and push yourself, work with it and explore every avenue.
1. I've definitely experienced the wrath of the ever so cruel, 'constricting deadline.' For many of the projects I've completed, I tend to feel that if I wasn't feeling pressured, worried about my grade, or worried about finishing in time, I would be able to produce a better quality end product. This also brings up the discussion, when are things truly finished, in end product form? If being finished relies upon meeting those constraints, then something can be finished I suppose. But if there are no limits, there is seemingly no end.
ReplyDelete2. I don't know if I would ever go as far to say that "without constraints, creativity and innovation would be merely impossible." Limitless possibilities would allow anything to happen, but of course in reality, this isn't the case. Situations will always have some sort of constraints, even outside of the designer/creativity realm. I do see how constraints form the canvas for creation. I never really thought about them in a positive way. Though they can be annoying, they certainly cannot be ignored when so many factors depend on them.
3. This lady just seems like a worry wort. I see all of the things she lists not so much as constraints, but more as dependents or determining factors. Factors that are interconnected and depend upon the factors that follow them. Deciding between paper and ceramic cups won't limit Beatrice from running her coffeeshop successfully.
Taking big tasks and breaking them up into many little ones is the biggest message I took from the reading. That is how I go about finishing big projects. If I don’t go through this process, I loose track of what the important aspects are and my work suffers. In graphic design, if I need to brand a company, I look at it in separate parts. Logo, font, packaging, advertisements, website, etc…
ReplyDeleteI liked how she took something that is normally looked at in a negative way and flipped it around. If I stopped and thought about I would realize that everything that I would do for clients would have restraints that would help drive my design.
The example of what cups to use at a coffee shop really made sense to me once I read the last paragraph. It goes along with our mid term really well. When people usually like finding the right answer to the question as fast as they can, maybe the right thing to do is figure out the right question first.
EXCERPT #1: Time is probably the constraint I am most hindered by. It is very difficult to create really good design in a short amount of time, for the most part. This seem kind of hypocritical of me, because lots of times I wait until the last minute to get a project done. BUT if I have had enough time before hand, I have usually been thinking about the project in the back of my mind, and therefore I already have some ideas, even if I haven't put them down on paper yet.
ReplyDeleteEXCERPT #2: Constraints are definitely useful for designers. I will often put my own constraints on projects, simply to challenge myself. One of my current assignments is to create and design a catalog. We could choose whatever topic we wanted. I decided on feminine hygiene products. Yup, I'm making a catalog about pads and tampons. Why? Because it's going to be a challenge.
I know I'm not the only one of my designer friends who likes constraints on a project. In one of our classes sophomore year, the project guidelines we were given were extremely vague. Everyone was in a panic about it because we had NO idea where to start and what was and wasn't allowed in the assignment. We begged our professor to give us a little more direction, but didn't get very far. In the end, our projects turned out very unique, but it was very stressful not knowing exactly what was expected of us.
EXCERPT #3: If I was asked this question (paper cups or ceramic?) on the street, I probably would have answered with ceramic. The less trees cut down, the better, right? I wouldn't have thought about the energy and resources that got into washing them. Like Eric mentioned, this is a great way to start thinking about our midterm. If the question had been "which material should we use to waste less water?", maybe I wouldn't have chosen the ceramic one (or maybe I would have).
1. "Thus the combination of the blight and the deadline yields software as we know and love it...." is something that stood out for me. When I do any sort of project the deadline is what helps me get it done even if I hate it. When I have a deadline to work with I am able to get organized and fully prepare. For me deadlines don't kill my creativity and I don't consider them a "blight". Deadlines are a major help when it comes to me getting my best work done.
ReplyDelete2. I liked the idea of connecting constraints to creativity in this excerpt. My favorite line was "Figuring out how to use constraints as a source of creativity is one of the most rewarding challenges in today’s complex environment." I have never considered this play a role in my creativity but after thinking deeper on the topic I see that it has always been there. In almost all projects there is some sort of guideline and if you follow this guidelines you get the best grade or come out with the best work. Even in writing papers the deeper you connect and the more guidelines or constraints the better it turns out.
3. "...We love to find easy technical answers to our complex problems and we love jumping to conclusions quickly.” This sentence struck me because of it's accuracy. As a society we love fast and easy and sometimes it's not always the best. We should instead take the time to look for the right solution and come out with our best work.
Excerpt #1 Response:
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting point, that constraints “drive innovation and force focus”, but it makes a lot of sense. I find that the times there have been constraints on a particular project, the better it turns out. It is harder to do initially because you have to put more work and effort into to, but that makes it more rewarding when it turns out well in the end. My favorite part of this article was that this group of people took larger tasks and split them up into small tasks that they tackled one at a time. This gave them a way to manage the work they had to do and not be overwhelmed at the same time.
Excerpt #2 Response:
This one is talking about how constraints can be a good thing and can often be the force that inspires creativity. I know homework is different than doing a creative project, but I know when I am given a completely open-ended assignment, I struggle with it because there are so many ways to go with it that I am having a hard time deciding. I like when there are constraints or something specific I am supposed to do. I can see how having constraints in a design project could be helpful for a starting point, but I think it could also be really frustrating because it could keep you from doing a really good design or jumping on an idea. It can hamper down your creative thoughts.
Excerpt #3 Response:
“More than anything else, we should not jump to conclusions too quickly. Is it difficult? Hell, yes! But by rolling up our sleeves and accepting the hard work; by acknowledging that we are both rational and emotional people and by honoring both reason and emotion as valuable human assets; and by learning how to mesh these in our personal and professional lives, all together we will be able to achieve our highest aspirations for a better world.”
This was the best part of this article. Yes, things are difficult, yes you feel overwhelmed, but sitting there and thinking about how stressed and overwhelmed you are is not going to make things any better. I am seeing this with my classes this semester. I have so much going on and it is hard to not just constantly think what I have to do, but I am trying to learn and just take it one step at a time and do what I can. Emotion and reason are definitely both valuable assets. Emotion can offer a new perspective to a situation that someone else may not have had, and reason can do the same thing. They are good compliments to each other because they balance each other out and can keep people on track from being too emotional or reasoning.
Like I stated above, I prefer to have constraints when it comes to homework, but I feel that constraints could get in the way creatively if there are too many. For example, I scrapbook and if someone was there telling me that there were only certain supplies or pictures I could use, I would not want to make a scrapbook because it takes away all of the creativity and uniqueness that I could put into it, which is most of the fun. Constraints can be telling someone that wants to draw a tree that they cannot draw leaves or something like that. They are not always logical or clear
I find it very interesting that this is our topic and one of the examples was a video game example. I am a game designer and I personally find that first example to be wrong, at least more recently; the method they speak of is waterfall and the is becoming outdated by a new game building setup. We use scrum which causes us to reiterate on our game as we go and gives us the ability to drop things off and add instead of over scoping. This kind of counters the constraints a bit so you start within them.
ReplyDeleteI obviously experience constraints in my major everyday when making a game. we have a deadline and we have to make it and produce something good otherwise we won't make green light and get our team broken up. This is potentially the worst thing that could ever happen.
#1. I find this first excerpt o be relieving and helpful. Constraints are something that we can't avoid and are often the pinacle of stress in my life. Changing the perspective on these problems to be an advantage is probably the most effective tool to battle these constraints and I'm going to start trying this when I run into constraints.
ReplyDelete#2. I am often the same way, I need certain creative freedoms, but having absolutely no prompt, parameters, or guidelines usually inhibits my progress and ability to focus on one design idea and go with it. Otherwise I find myself going in too many directions and can't choose a single idea.
#3. I agree with this last excerpt a lot. In fact, recently in my life I have had several stressful issues that have made me emotional and feel out of control. Oddly enough, once I embraced it and confronted everything that was stressing me out I could move past it and break new ground.
Excerpt 1: Although time constraints and deadlines are the biggest pain in the ass when it comes to creativity and producing results (my initial perception), it can also be a great motivator. Embrace constraints, such as time, budget, manpower, and resources, and use them to your advantage. Take a potential CR (creative resistance) like the stress of the constraint or fear of not having enough time, money, people and turn it into a CM (creative motivation). With fewer resources you need to come up with more original and creative solutions to problems. By having a larger CM and lower CR, your CO (creative outcome) will be greater in the equation CO = CM – CR. Although when author Jef Raskin stated, “…this results in features being discarded in proportion to the time it would take to implement them,” the software engineers knew what they were doing by building less extensive software (even though the most useful features may be cut). By building less software, they saved time and money and got to focus on better customer service. They also gave people the opportunity to problem solve for themselves rather than make everything too easy. This promotes creativity for the user as well.
ReplyDeleteExcerpt 2: Using the Jeff Klein quote within this excerpt, “Constraints are akin to the tiny irritant that cause an oyster to make a pearl.” This makes me think of the nature vs. nurture argument, where I usually fall on the nurture side. Although, this section makes me think otherwise – that this is natural to be motivated by constraints, stressors, and irritants to take action, make a change, and be innovative. Constraints not only include time and resources, but rubrics as well. When I think about any project for school (or even work in the news department from time to time) it is helpful for me to have a rubric with requirements. If I am given an open-ended project I always feel like my ideas are stupid and there are an infinite number of possibilities; I also find that I don’t work to my full potential. I don’t enjoy that much freedom. For example, my self-portrait project in Core freshman year could have been so much better if someone chose a medium for me. Having the freedom to do anything scared me too much.
Excerpt 3: This third article is a little more abstract when it comes to constraints. It speaks of social, money, and corporate constraints. It is saying the opposite of the last article, that we should break free of these constraints and rise above the pack to ask the right questions needed in order to make change. If we are self-aware and deeply curious, using our rational brains, but also our intuition, we can successfully achieve nirvana. Another thing that is important in this post is not to let the current factors that you may see as constraints get you down; something can always be done.
Kayla Hedman
Excerpt 1:
ReplyDeleteFrom the perspective of someone nowhere near the software/game design industry, I don't really see the correlation (for the most part) between the usefulness of a feature and the time it takes to implement it. It seems like most really useful features of programs or games aren't all that extravagant--they're just something someone realized would be useful. In that case, the time constraints involved seem like they would encourage useful features rather than useless ones. If the designers only have the time to implement so many features, and assuming there's no correlation between complexity and usefulness, we'd end up with more useful features rather than fewer ones.
Excerpt 2:
"Restrictions breed creativity" is a favored mantra of Mark Rosewater, lead designer for Magic: the Gathering and one of my favorite human beings on the planet. It's a great phrase, and one that's relevant in all kinds of different situations. As someone who deals in an artistic medium, it's infuriating to have nothing to work off--I hate staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration to strike. That's not to say that all restrictions are welcome, though. If someone came up to me and told me I had to write a poem about a certain topic, I'd probably punch them in the dick. If it's phrased as a suggestion, though, it gets all sorts of things working in my head, and even though I may not end up writing about that thing, it was at least a starting point.
Excerpt 3:
I really resonated with this excerpt because this is exactly how my brain works. I'm terrible at thinking outside the box, but within the box, my instinct is to consider every possible detail and organize them into a comprehensive solution. I do this in pretty much every part of my life, from homework to relationships to hobbies. I think very technically, so neat, technical solutions are a natural part of my thought process.
1. I think that deadlines can serve as both a positive and negative thing, depending on the circumstances. For example, deadlines serve as a time frame in which something needs to be completed. Therefore, the person working on the project makes sure to be efficient and learns time management skills, as well as what works within the time restraints and what doesn't. However, on the flip side, a deadline can also restrict the ability to let something develop the whole way through. There may not be enough time to re-visit a project enough to work out the bumps and as result, the project may end up unfinished, or better yet underdeveloped and unrefined.
ReplyDelete2. I can definitely agree with the statement that "For a designer, constraints provide the context that informs the design process; without them, the designer would have to choose from an infinite number of design possibilities" I tend to have a lot of trouble honing in one one idea. I like to do a whole lot of everything. When I have constraints, I can get right to the point and explore many different options within those restraints, rather than just having to explore thousands of possible ideas.
3. I think that the third excerpt brings up a valid point in today's society. Everything has a cost and whether that cost be monetary, or otherwise some impact on say the environment, we have many options to weigh out. What is more important? Cutting costs? or... being eco-friendly? All of these things play a part in the ability to be creative. I'd like to think of these constraints as an opportunity to explore avenues of "recycled creativity" Not in the sense of copying someone's idea and building off of it, but more of re-using things that wouldn't necessarily be used as their intended, original use. For example, building a sculpture out of broken records, or making crayons out of half melted candles.
To be completely honest this expert made me think a lot about how people put a lot of effort into things that people notice, and tend to be more lacking in the areas that might not be as obvious. It seems very logical to me and it made me actually think about Champlain College. I learned that even just the chairs in Juniper Hall are over 1000 bucks but they couldn’t fix our front door lock at Quarry for 6 months. The school focuses on the “features” of our school whereas the smaller, but seriously important, features get overlooked.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I still think that I feel constraints tend to be taken with a negative connotation. I know that often constraints are good, so you don’t go too far away from what you’re supposed to be doing. This even carries to other, less creative, parts of my life. For instance when given the chance to study abroad, I had the option to go literally anywhere. I had to think about and give myself constraints otherwise I had absolutely no idea what decision to make. Though constraints are generally bad, I can see the point of Benne. When creating something, constraints enable you to “think outside the box”. If there were no constraints I think that it would be nearly impossible for any processes, especially creative ones, to get done.
After reading this I definitely realized that she has a point that I have never realized before. People are very inclined to try to help the world and solve problems, but they also love easy answers. It definitely got me thinking about our midterm assignment and how there aren’t necessarily easy answers to problems; we have to learn to think in all different ways. On the other hand I also thought about how if we were to analyze and go over every possible option to all situations and really try and figure out what is best with every choice we made, I think we would drive ourselves absolutely crazy.
excerpt 2 really jumped out at me because that's exactly how i view constraints as a graphic designer. it's is exceptionally harder to create something, i believe, the more freedom you have when dealing with a client because there are so many different directions that design can go in. However, there are artists and designers who will disagree. I am an artist that needs guidelines and rules to "create a frame" in which i can begin. The end result can be a complete 180 from where you started but i think a "frame" is incredibly important to jump off of.
ReplyDeleteExcerpt # 1
ReplyDeleteConstraints can definitely blind out minor details especially when a constraint is time. When a person feels rushed (as in video game design) they want to deliver the product that was asked for and not come in late with a half finished product that is REALLY good.... otherwise they would not be hired for the next piece of work.
Excerpt #2
I have never thought about using constraints in this type of manner. Constraints do help plan and help designers to shape their ideas onto a canvas. But once again I feel like I need to mention the American School system. The constraints that are given from the 'higher ed' are not vague enough. As Einstein once said "if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live the rest of its life thinking it is stupid." When the constraints limit the creativity to a point of focus, there is room for growth and knowledge. But when the limiting factors require everyone to produce the same answers, you are doing it wrong.
Excerpt #3
I have thought about examples like this due to being a business major in Vermont. With the sustainability lifestyle among the residents it is important to focus on factors such as, cups to use. Although it may not matter in some areas, it will definitely affect the market if there is a paradigm shift because of new sciences or research. Sometimes having a more creative answer would be better than a scientific one.
Excerpt #1
ReplyDeleteI used to hate deadlines, mainly because that meant work was due, but I always got so stressed and couldn't focus on the task and ended up having to do it all last minute because all these other things start popping up in my head and then its the deadline. I do, however, now appreciate deadlines. I was actually talking to a friend about this the other day, how in several of my classes teachers have one huge assignment due at the end of the semester, but break up the components to a number of deadlines preparing us for the final project. More deadlines=more prepared and I am starting to become a fan of that.
Excerpt #2
Constraints can be very helpful, especially when doing something specific for a teacher, client, project, etc. Constraints can also be vary frustrating because you may have so many ideas that are different. As we talked about in class last week, creating pieces inside and outside the constraints because you never know what could work!
Excerpt #3
Location is key. Places like Vermont would be really into how good for the environment the coffee shop's products are. In New York City, for example, I'm sure it'd be safe to say that they don't care what or how thier coffee cup was produced, just that theres a cup of coffee in there!
Excerpt 1:
ReplyDelete"There's never enough to go around. Not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough people." This reminds me of my life but mainly the part about not enough time and never enough money.
I always do things at the last minute and complain while doing them that there is not enough time... However, I seem to work better at the last minute when it comes to getting things done because I know it has to get done so I focus more and get less distracted. I feel some constraints are good and help yo accomplish your goal, then again "Not enough money" always makes it difficult to get stuff done and get it done the way you want it done.
Sometimes I decide I want to do something and get so excited about it but then I realize I have no money to do it. Then again, I guess having not enough money makes you more determined sometimes because you work harder to earn it... It goes either way
Excerpt 2:
When it comes to design, constraints are very helpful and very difficult to deal with I think. I never really thought of it as a "rewarding challenge in today's complex environment" but I guess that is true. It makes it difficult to come up with an idea sometimes but also limits it so your brain can only think of certain things without jumping all over.
Except 3:
The choice between ceramic mugs, and paper cups is interesting mainly because I never have thought about it before. I guess it would require research to decide which is better for the economy and specific situation.
Excerpt #1:
ReplyDeleteWhen faced with a large project its usually best to prioritize when forced to meet a deadline. I have found myself spending large periods of time on minor details when I'm trying to complete a project. We would all like things to be perfect but it's usually not efficient to do this. If an element of a project is not that noticeable then it doesn't need to be perfect. In some ways you don't want some minor parts of a project to over shadow the main aspects.
Excerpt #2:
I agree that the word constraints has negative connotations because it implies a lack of freedom, which is something I believe we all value. The excerpts provides some good points to how these are actually beneficial in many cases. The example regarding the architect needing constraints so he has some context to creating a building. An architect cannot must follows structural laws so the building will not collapse and must also design a building that can be functional for whatever it is intended to be used for. Everyone has some sort of constraints, even artists in my opinion. Even an artist who is creating something to express an idea is constrained to include design elements that evoke this idea. I also agree that constraints benefit people because it helps people gain a direction.
Excerpt # 3:
I think this example is a microcosm of a major challenge we are faced with as a citizen of the world. Recent pushes for green, sustainable, and eco-friendly practices may have good intentions but not always good results. A lot of our solutions for these problems are the cause for another problem. For example solar energy seems like a valid solution until you consider how the process of manufacturing solar panels effects the environment. It's true that we like to jump to conclusions too quickly without evaluating the possible outcomes because once something seems like a good idea that thought can blur a rational evaluation.
Excerpt #1:
ReplyDeleteI thought that this excerpt makes an important point. That with time constraints we lose track of what is important and focus on small parts and over do them rather than run ourselves dry by spreading out the work evenly.
Excerpt #2:
'constraints are akin to the tiny irritant that causes an oyster to make a pearl.'
This is a strong argument. I can really see what he means. The grain of sand is the constraint that pushes the oyster to produce something beautiful or something of worth. It means that the constraints motivate in their own way.
Excerpt #3:
This excerpt takes a simple decision and performs the pencil exercise that we did in class. This is a process to find all of the possible outcomes of a decision. this is a good practice and it allows you to get a wide scope of things. most people don't think this way normally. This was interesting to see played out in someone's head, when we used the same method in class.
1. This first excerpt is talking about how deadlines are the cause of useless features. If there is a specific due date for a project, it makes it difficult to be as creative because as a designer, you feel the pressure of having to design something on time. It requires one to be creative more quickly which then restricts one’s creative process. So instead of having time to work on a project until it is fully developed, a designer is forced to create a project that is functional, but definitely doesn’t have the same thought put into it.
ReplyDelete2. Here the author an interesting perspective on constraints. It suggests that instead of seeing them as a negative, design-limiting element, they can be useful in narrowing down ideas and concepts. Obviously there has to be certain constraints in order for creativity and innovation to exist. I like how the author of this compares the design process to an architecture process. Just like how architectural designers have constraints such as site conditions, technical requirements, material availability, etc., designers have constraints both from themselves and from outside sources. I think that a up constraint up to a certain amount is a good thing, but if there is too much, it makes it really difficult to design something.
3. I think that this excerpt talks about how there are certain problems that don’t always have an easy, straightforward solution. There may be different solutions that have different results, but these solutions might not address the problem in full. This goes back to excerpt two and how constraints are sometimes a good thing. If there’s a problem that has constraints, it forces the person solving the problem to be innovative and to create a solution that will positively impact all aspects of that problem.
EXCERPT #1:
ReplyDeleteThis passage shows that you have to work the hardest to achieve greatness. This makes sense in a software-sense, but also in every day life. Good things come to those who put the effort into receive them. My best relationships are the relationships that take the most work, not the ones that come the easiest to me. This explanation is one of the most important things I’ve learned in my 21 years. It’s unfortunate that some people cannot see that the end result may be worth the journey, however this is never a constraint for me. It is simply something that I acknowledge and “go” with.
EXCERPT #2:
I love how the author spoke about an architect creating their own constraints with the walls that they draw. It’s interesting to think about the constraints that we put upon ourselves in our daily lives. And I keep reading the sentence that reads, “Figuring out how to use constraints as a source of creativity is one of the most rewarding challenges in today’s complex environment.” over and over again. I love thinking about taking something that people usually associate with being negative, and spinning it into a positive. It’s finding the silver lining in a stinky situation, or morphing something you hate into something you’d love. I need to start doing this more with my life!
EXERPT #3:
I’ve thought about this paper wasting versus water wasting problem for a long time. And I can’t say it better than this…“We all mean well and we are all trying to do the right thing and we truly care.” One week someone is telling someone that A is better for the environment B, but then the next week B causes cancer and we should use C. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?! I think we need to do what we do and be done with it. Yes, people should be kind to one another, pick up after themselves, and help keep our resources in tact – but COME ON. It’s too hard to “be progressive” when every other minute there’s something different that’s better than the last. I think progression is getting people to actually think about these issues – not forcing everyone one way or the other.