Drone
Reflection
I choose my WhatIveGot randomly (or at least I felt as though it was random) and describe
the features that I admire about the product. After going through all my
WhatIveGots, I searched for subconscious patterns in my choices to see if it
could reveal more about myself as a designer.
My
weekly selection consisted of the following: a colorful happy light, an
ocarina, a handheld fan, a laptop stand, and some Ten Tree clothes. Happy light
brightens up our personal workspace and environment with color and brightness
to give a cheerful atmosphere. The ocarina is a musical instrument that has
potential to make a resounding tune. For me, it also brings back memories of my
trip to China. The handheld fan keeps me cool during the hot days in a
fashionable way. The laptop stand makes us feel good about having improved
posture, and Ten Tree clothes make us feel great about helping save the world.
After
looking at these items, I realized I desire objects that
make people feel good about themselves. These are items that we don’t
necessarily need; yet, these products are what people want because of the
emotional and mental positivity they can bring into our lives.
These
weekly WhatIveGot products reveal that I subconsciously admire items that
indirectly make people personally feel good about themselves. From a design
point of view, this shows that the right products have the ability to
indirectly elevate a person’s emotional and mental state of mind. My goal is to
seek products that will make people feel positive in more moments throughout
their lives. There is a saying that goes: “Money can’t buy everything.” But as
these items prove, certain products can subconsciously induce momentary
feelings of happiness, satisfaction, positivity, peace, and confidence, and these are the kinds of products I aspire to design.
Design Picture: Biomimicry
All
design has a source of inspiration. And there is no other better source of
inspiration than the natural world. Years of evolution has likely primed nature’s
design to be ideal for certain living conditions. Most of my WhatIveGots and my shoe from challenge six are
related to nature in some form. As a result, the photo I’ve chosen is of
biomimicry—design based on drawing inspiration from animals. I’ve recently
looked into the field of biomimicry and have been amazed. The photo above is of
the underside of Gecko feet (above, top). When viewed with a microscope, it becomes evident
that millions of tiny suction-like devices allow the gecko to walk upside down
on a flat surface. Several products (above, bottom) such as Geckskin and Gecko tape already
use this as a source of inspiration to “reinvent” tape to become so powerful that “an index-card sized piece could hold 700 pounds on a smooth
surface, be easily released, and leave no residue.” Recent discovery such as this (2012) allow us to make products that are more desirable than ever before. As we learn and discover more about the
natural world in the future via research and better technology, I believe that
we can incorporate more of our findings into the everyday products we design.
