? CULTURALISTIC?DESIGN:?DESIGN?APPROACH?TO?CREATE?PRODUCTS? FOR?SPECIFIC?CULTURAL?AND?SUBCULTURAL?GROUPS? ? ? Except?where?reference?is?made?to?the?work?of?others,?the?work?described?in?this? thesis?is?my?own?or?was?done?in?collaboration?with?my?advisory?committee.?? This?thesis?does?not?include?proprietary?or?classified?information.? ? ? ? ? ? Brandon?J.?Allen? ? ? Certificate?of?Approval:?? ? ? ? Bret Smith????????????Tin?Man?Lau,?Chair? Professor????????????Professor? Industrial?Design???????????Industrial?Design? ? ? ? ? Tsai?Lu?Liu????????????George T. Flowers? Assistant?Professor???????????Dean? Industrial?Design???????????Graduate?School CULTURALISTIC?DESIGN:?DESIGN?APPROACH?TO?CREATE?PRODUCTS? FOR?SPECIFIC?CULTURAL?AND?SUBCULTURAL?GROUPS? ? ? Brandon?J.?Allen? ? ? A?Thesis? Submitted?to? the?Graduate?Faculty?of? Auburn?University? in?Partial?Fulfillment?of?the? Requirements?for?the? Degree?of? Master?of?Industrial?Design? ? ? Auburn,?Alabama? May?9,?2009 CULTURALISTIC?DESIGN:?DESIGN?APPROACH?TO?CREATE?PRODUCTS? FOR?SPECIFIC?CULTURAL?AND?SUBCULTURAL?GROUPS? ? Brandon?J.?Allen? ? ? ? ? Permission?is?granted?to?Auburn?University?to?make?copies?of?this?thesis?at?its? discretion,?upon?request?of?individuals?or?institutions?and?at?their?expense.?? The?author?reserves?all?publication?rights.? ? ? ? ????? ????????Signature?of?Author? ? ? ????? ???????Date?of?Graduation? ? ? iii THESIS ABSTRACT CULTURALISTIC?DESIGN:?DESIGN?APPROACH?TO? CREATE?PRODUCTS?FOR?SPECIFIC?CULTURAL?AND? ?SUBCULTURAL?GROUPS? ? Brandon?J.?Allen? ? Master?of?Industrial?Design,?May?9,?2009 (B.I.D.,?Auburn?University,?2005)? ? 93?Typed?Pages? Directed?by?Tin?Man?Lau? Designers?have?a?unique?process?for?solving?problems?commonly?referred?to? as?design?thinking.?Design?thinking,?especially?on?a?cultural?level?can?be?used?to? tackle?a?wide?range?of?creative?and?business?issues.?Design?thinking?with?true? cultural?infusion?is?known?as??Culturalistic?Design?,?and?can?have?profound?and? varying?effects?on?product?designs.??It?demands?a?different?methodological? approach:?for?at?its?core,?it?suggests?that?in?order?for?design?to?really?matter,? designers?need?to?think?and?know?more?about?things?besides?design.? ? iv v ? ? ACKNOWLEDGMENTS? ? ? The?author?would?like?to?thank?Auburn?University?Department?of? Industrial?Design?for?its?crucial?support?in?all?phases?of?research?and?product? development?during?this?project.?Also,?the?author?thanks?the?support?of?the? College?of?Architecture,?Design?and?Construction.?Thank?you?to?the?faculty,?and? staff,?of?the?Department?of?Industrial?Design,?to,?Tin?Man,?Liu,?Bret,?Rich,?Owen,? John,?David,?Jerrod,?Chad,?Randy,?Sylvia,?and?Becky.??To?my?graduate?friends,? thank?you?for?the?amazing?amount?of?support?and?encouragement.?Thank?you? for?the?knowledge?and?wisdom?that?you?have?shared?with?me.?To?the?industrial? design?students?at?Auburn,?thank?you?for?your?friendship?and?for?helping?me? become?a?better?designer.?And?a?special?thanks?to?parents,?family?and?friends,? who?s?support?made?returning?to?school?possible,?and?all?my?family?and?friends,? who?encouraged?and?believed?in?me.? ? ? ? ????? ?? Computer?software?used:? Microsoft?Word? Microsoft?Excel? Adobe?Illustrator? Adobe?Photoshop? Rhinoceros?3?D?Modeler? ? Maxwell?Render?Studio ?Style?manual?or?journal?used:????? American?Psychological?Association vi TABLE?OF?CONTENTS? ? LIST?OF?FIGURES?............................................................................................................?x? 1.0??THE?PROBLEM? INTRODUCTION? 1.1???BACKGROUND?OF?THE?PROBLEM??...................................................................1? 1.2???STATEMENT?OF?THE?PROBLEM??........................................................................4? 1.3???NEED?FOR?THE?STUDY?..........................................................................................5? 1.4???DEFENITION?OF?KEY?TERMS??..............................................................................7? 2.0???REVIEW?OF?RELATED?LITERATURE?..................................................................9? 2.1???OBJECTIVES?OF?THE?STUDY?..............................................................................13? 2.2?ASSUMPTIONS?.........................................................................................................14? 2.3?SCOPE?AND?LIMITATIONS?OF?THE?STUDY?....................................................16? 2.4?PROCEDURES?AND?METHODOLOGY?(THESIS?OVERVIEW)??.....................18? 2.5?ANTICIPATED?OUTCOME?OF?THE?STUDY?......................................................21? 3.0?CULTURE?RESEARCH?............................................................................................22? 3.1?CULTURAL?UNDERSTANDING?..........................................................................22? 3.2?VISUAL?CULTURE?..................................................................................................24? vii 3.3?SUBCULTURES?.........................................................................................................31? 3.31?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET?SUB?CULTURE?..........................................................35? 4.0?CULTURAL?DESIGN?PROCESS?............................................................................40? 4.1?IDENTIFIYING?EMERGING?SUB?CULTURES?....................................................40? 4.2?IMPLICATIONS?OF?SUB?CULTURE?MARKET?..................................................45? 5.0?GUIDLINES?TO?CREATE?PRODUCTS?FOR?SPECIFIC?CULTURAL?AND?....47? ?SUBCULTURAL?GROUPS? 5.1?A?FURNITURE?DESIGN?FOR?THE?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET??........................47? SUBCULTURE? 5.2?FURNITURE?DESIGN?FOR?THE?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET?SUBCULTURE?..52? 5.3DESIGN?CRITERIA?FOR?FURNITURE?DESIGN?FOR?THE?INTERNET?? AND?MUSIC?SUBCULTURE??................................................................................55? 5.31?AESTHETIC?CRITERIA??????????????????????.55? 5.32???ERGONOMIC?CRITERIA?....................................................................................56? 5.33???PHYSICAL?INTERFACE?.....................................................................................61? 5.34?MATERIAL?CHOICES?...........................................................................................61? 5.35?HUMAN?FACTORS?...............................................................................................62? 5.36?APPEARANCE?........................................................................................................62? 5.37?SUSTAINABILITY?..................................................................................................63? 5.38?VISUAL?COMMUNICATION?..............................................................................63? viii ix 6.0?DESIGN?DEVELOPMENT?......................................................................................65? 6.1?IDEA?SKETCHING??..................................................................................................65? 6.11?BRAINSTORMING?.................................................................................................66? 6.2?FORM?DEVELOPMENT?..........................................................................................67? 6.3?CONCEPT?REFINMENT?.........................................................................................69? 6.31?COMPUTER?MODELS?...........................................................................................71? 6.32?THE?FINAL?DESIGN?.............................................................................................74????? BIBLIOGRAPHY?.............................................................................................................76? APPENDIX?.......................................................................................................................80? ? ? ? ? x LIST?OF?FIGURES? ? FIGURE?1? Academic?and?Professional?Disciplines? Surrounding?the?Study?of?Visual?Culture????????????????...27? FIGURE?2?????Minorities?Now?in?the?Majority?????????????.........33? FIGURE?3????Music?Acquisition?Volume?Share?Year?after?Year?????????38? FIGURE?4????Young?adults?listening?to?Music?courtesy?of?????????????????? www.gettyimages.com..................................................................................................40? FIGURE 5 Apple iPod Touch, BlackBerry Curve 8300, Facebook Social?networking?website ???????????????????????47 FIGURE 6??? Members?of?the?internet?subculture?????????????...48 FIGURE 7 Flow?Chart?of?Cultural?Design?Process????????????.54? FIGURE 8 Seated?Anthropometric?chart????????????????..60? xi FIGURE 9 Data?of?Seated?Anthropometric?chart?????????????60? FIGURE 10 Brainstorming?Sketches??????????????????.66? FIGURE 11????Sketch?and?initial?computer?model????????????.........67? ???? FIGURE 12????Computer?model,?various?configurations??????????...68? FIGURE 13????Computer?model,?various?configurations??????????...68? FIGURE 14????Sketch?showing?refinement?in?form???????????.........69? FIGURE 15????Sketch?showing?refinement?in?form???????????.........70? FIGURE 16????Sketch?showing?refinement?in?form???????????.........70? FIGURE 17????Computer?model?showing?overall?dimensions?in?inches??.........71? FIGURE 18????Computer?model?showing?overall?dimensions?in?inches??.........72? FIGURE 19????Computer?models?showing?refinement?in?form?????????73? FIGURE 20????Computer?models?showing?refinement?in?form?????????73? FIGURE 21????Computer?model?of?final?design??????????????...74? xii FIGURE 22???Computer models of final design in various configurations?????...75? ? 1 THE?PROBLEM? ? INTRODUCTION? ? 1.1?BACKGROUND?TO?THE?PROBLEM? ? The?word?culture?comes?from?the?Latin?root?colere?(to?inhabit,?to?cultivate,? or?to?honor).?In?general,?it?refers?to?human?activity;?different?definitions?of? culture?reflect?different?theories?for?understanding,?or?criteria?for?valuing,?human? activity.?Anthropologists?use?the?term?to?refer?to?the?universal?human?capacity?to? classify?experiences?and?to?encode?and?communicated?them?symbolically.? ?Culture:?spiritual,?material,?intellectual,?and?emotional?features?of?a?social? group,?that?encompasses?art,?literature,?lifestyles,?and?value?systems,?traditions,? and?beliefs?(Sparke,?2004).???So?when?referring?to?culture?in?a?design?sense,?one? can?refer?to?the?values?and?identities?that?are?constructed?in?and?communicated? by?visual?culture?as?one?of?the?ways?in?which?a?cultural?group?produces?and? reproduces?its?particular?character?and?individuality.? So?what?does?this?mean??Is?it?that?our?culture?is?only?evident?and?visible? through?design???One?phenomenon?that?has?begun?to?appear?is?that?the??Culture? of?Design??has?become?completely?about?branded?culture.??Within?the?Industrial? 1 Design?community?it?seems?that?all?too?often,?designers?are?called?upon? merely?to?make?things?look?good???rather?than?contributing?to?the?evolution?and? communication?of?ideas?themselves.?This?is?an?age?old?criticism?of?design,?but?it? seems?especially?relevant?in?today?s?state?of?deign.??It?has?become?a?common? belief?that?the??Culture?of?Design??has?become:?culture?that?can?be?seen,?that?can? be?named,?that?can?be?bought?sold?and?packaged;?culture?that?is?synonymous? with?style;?culture?that?resonates?with?novelty?and?which,?by?assumption,? dismisses?history?as?mere?nostalgia;?culture?that?determines?and?drives?the? reactions?to?the?constantly?change?pulse?of?modern?life?(Sparke,?2004).? The?assumption?is?that?designers?influence?just?about?everything???from? toothbrushes?to?television?titles,?bridges?to?brochures.?This?influence?is? commonly?referred?to?as?branding,?which?can?be?defined?as?a?product,?service,?or? concept?that?is?publicly?distinguished?from?other?products,?services,?or?concepts? so?that?it?can?be?easily?communicated?and?usually?marketed.??The?emergent? authority?of?design?in?branding?is?evident?in?everything?from?corporate?culture,? to?world?culture,?to?sports?culture,?to?media?culture,?all?adding?up?to?something? commonly?called?popular?culture.?But?the?future?of?design?is?everywhere?and?no? longer?confined?to?the?role?of?branding.?Design?is?increasingly?finding?itself?on? the?minds?of?many?CEOs,?many?of?whom?do?not?know?how?to?make?use?of?it.?? 2 Designers?have?a?unique?process?for?solving?problems?commonly?referred?to?as? design?thinking.?When?most?people?think?about?design?they?tend?to?focus?on?the? deliverables??the?end?results.?Companies?that?view?design?as?just?making?things? pretty?are?missing?the?point.??Design?thinking,?especially?on?a?cultural?level?can? be?used?to?tackle?a?wide?range?of?creative?and?business?issues.? Further,?there?is?a?hope?that?creating?brands?is?only?one?of?the?many? potential?outcomes?of??designing.???Branding??is?primarily?a?function?of?the? designer?s?engagement?with?material?culture:?again,?this?is?not?the?only?culture? there?is,?and?it?is?not?the?only?culture?in?which?design?can?make?a?difference.?? Thus?there?is?a?need?for?a?more?critical?discussion?of?these?issues?amongst? product?designer,?especially?student?product?designers.?Such?discussions?are? critical?to?a?mature?profession,?and?imperative?if?there?is?to?be?consideration?and? ultimately,?contribution?to?the?culture???or?cultures???of?design?in?the?future.?There? can?be?a?different?view?of?culture.??It?demands?a?different?methodological? approach:?for?at?its?core,?it?suggests?that?in?order?for?design?to?really?matter,? designers?need?to?think?and?know?more?about?things?besides?design.?? 3 1.2?STATEMENT?OF?THE?PROBLEM? After?examining?the?current?trend?in?design?a?problem?arose?with?the? current?social?construction?of?consumer?products.?These?products?are?being? designed?either?not?to?offend,?or?to?blend?in?with?various?cultures,?and?thus? abandoning?the?culture?from?which?they?come?from.??Thus?a?comparison?of?the? design?of?certain?products?across?various?cultures?is?warranted,?with?particular? attention?to?the?influence?of?culture?on?the?design?process,?because?of?a?belief?that? culture?is?important?to?consumers.?This?thesis?is?designed?to?illustrate?that?certain? cultural?traits?have?varying?effects?on?different?designs?and?the?connection?they? have?with?consumers.??This?is?an?issue?that?is?worthy?of?further?explanation?as? well?as?a?commitment?from?the?Industrial?Design?community.??Although? exploring?culture?and?its?relationship?with?design?may?be?difficult,?ideas?truly? worth?exploring?is?are?seldom?easy.??There?is?hope?that?research,?and?product? development?will?yield?the?type?of?results?that?will?warrant?further?investigation? among?others?in?the?design?community.?? 4 1.3?NEED?FOR?THE?STUDY? Today?the?design?of?many?consumer?products?has?a?powerful?impact?on?the? world,?they?create?wants,?satisfy?needs,?evoke?emotion?and?mood,?influence?price? and,?not?least,?stimulate?demand?and?sharpen?competitiveness.?Examples?include? the?chaotic?mornings?of??Black?Friday??(the?day?after?thanksgiving),?or?the? feeling?one?gets?when?he?or?she?can?finally?purchase?the?luxury?car?of?their? dreams.??One?objective?of?this?thesis?is?to?explore?the?design?of?products?across? various?cultures,?with?particular?attention?to?the?influence?of?sub?cultures?on?the? design?process.??Subcultures?are?generally?described?as?a?group?of?people?with? shared?customs?and?beliefs?positioned?within?a?larger,?dominant?culture.?Many? people?mistakenly?use?such?phrases?as??American?culture,??or??Western? culture,??as?if?such?large,?common,?and?homogenous?cultures?exist?in?the? United?States?today.?These?people?fail?to?acknowledge?the?presence?of? cultural?diversity,?or?the?presence?of?multiple?cultures?and?cultural? differences?within?a?society.?In?reality,?many?different?cultural?groups? comprise?the?United?States.?Research?as?revealed?that?culture?is?an?important? factor?in?design,?despite?commonly?held?assumptions?about?the?neutrality?and? objectivity?of?the?design?process.??Thus,?the?intent?of?this?thesis?is?to?demonstrate? 5 that?true?cultural?infusion?can?have?profound?and?varying?effects?on?product? designs.? 6 1.4?DEFINITION?OF?KEY?TERMS? CULTURAL?MARKERS:?Identifying?cultural?elements?present?on?a?specific? product?or?design.? SOCIAL?CONSRUCTION:?noting?or?pertaining?to?activities?designed?to?remedy? or?alleviate?certain?unfavorable?conditions?of?life?in?a?community,?esp.?among?the? poor.?One?example?of?a?social?construct?is?social?status.?Another?example?of? social?construction?is?the?use?of?fiat?money,?which?is?worth?more?than?the?paper?it? is?printed?on?only?because?society?has?agreed?to?treat?it?as?valuable.? ARCHETYPES:?An?original?model?or?type?after?which?other?similar?things?are? patterned;?a?prototype:???Frankenstein?...??Dracula?...??Dr.?Jekyll?and?Mr.?Hyde?...? the?archetypes?that?have?influenced?all?subsequent?horror?stories??(New?York? Times).? INCONGRUENT:?inconsistent,?Not?congruent,?Incongruous? SUB?CULTURE:?A?subdivision?of?a?dominate?culture?or?an?enclave?within?it?with? a?distinct?integrated?network?of?behavior,?beliefs?and?attitudes.? POPULAR?CULTURE:?A?shared?set?of?beliefs?that?have?attained?global? acceptance?and?which?can?be?normally?characterized?by:?being?associated?with? commercial?products;?developing?from?local?to?national?to?global?acceptance;? 7 allowing?consumers?to?have?widespread?access?and?are?constantly?changing?and? evolving.? MATERIAL?CULTURE:?Is?the?material?means?by?which?humans?adapt?to?the? world.?Archaeologists?think?in?terms?of?artifacts?and?features.??These?are?the? material?objects?that?are?used?to:?(1)?help?determine?the?sequence?of?events?and? dates,?(2)?formulate?a?reconstruction?of?many?ways?of?life,?and?(3)?help?to?provide? some?understanding?of?why?human?culture?has?changed?through?time.? IMPRINTS:?Any?impression?or?impressed?effect:?He?left?the?imprint?of?his?thought? on?all?succeeding?scholars.? CULTURALISTIC?DESIGN:?Is?the?creation?of?products?which?are?functional,? impact?full,?cultural,?and?desirable?to?the?consumer?and?profitable?to?the? producer.? ? ? ? 8 2.0???REVIEW?OF?RELATED?LITERATURE? With?the?aid?of?the?knowledge?contained?in?the?books?that?compose?this? literature?review?this?study?will?examine?innovative?methodology,?design,?and? construction?of?products?that??push?the?envelope?,?while?retaining?a?viable?place? within?the?current?state?of?product?design.?In?particular,?designs?associated?with? culture,?and?subculture,?and?its?ability?to?be?united?and?or?divided?through? design.??It?is?to?this?end?that?a?pursuit?of?specific?studies?that?explore?innovative? product?ideas?that?link?cultural?markets?as?well?as?satisfy?the?need?to?remain?on? the?cutting?edge?of?design?is?relevant.??In?today?s?market?product?designs?are?in?a? constant?mode?of?change?and?evolution.?? ?As?an?Industrial?designer?there?is?an?obligation?to?produce?consequential? designs,?for?a?global?marketplace.??Today?the?design?of?consumer?products?has?a? powerful?impact?on?the?world.??The?goal?is?to?understand?the?design?of?products? across?various?cultures,?with?particular?attention?to?the?influence?of?culture?on? the?design?process.? 9 Before?there?is?an?understanding?about?the?process?of?designing?products? for?a?specific?culture,?one?must?understand?the?concept?of?visual?culture.?? According?to?Malcolm?Barnard?in?his?book?Approaches?to?Understanding?Visual? Culture?he?contends?that?there?is?a?range?of?meaning?behind?the?phrase?visual? culture.?Malcolm?argues?that?there?is?a?strong?sense?and?a?weak?sense?of?visual? culture.?Used?in?the?strong?sense?it?stresses?the?cultural?side?of?the?phrase.??The? strong?sense?speaks?to?the?values?and?identities?that?are?created?and? communicated?through?visual?culture.?? The?weak?sense?of??visual?culture??refers?to?the?visual?side?of?the?phrase.??It? refers?in?part?to?the?enormous?variety?of?two?and?three?dimensional?products?that? people?create?and?consume?as?part?of?their?cultural?and?social?lives.??Thus?visual? culture?makes?it?possible?for?the?inclusion?of?all?forms?of?art?and?design,?such?as? physical?expressions,?fashion,?and?tattooing?maybe?included?in?visual?culture? (Barnard,?2001).???The?idea?of?visual?culture?is,?however,?even?in?its?weak?sense? larger?than?both?art?and?design,?because?it?includes?both,?and?the?material?that?is? often?overlooked?and?or?ignored.?Visual?culture?is?concerned?with?everything?we? see,?have?seen,?or?may?visualize?paintings,?sculptures,?movies,?television,? photographs,?furniture,?utensils,?gardens,?dance,?buildings,?artifacts,?landscape,? 10 toys,?advertising,?jewelry,?apparel,?light,?graphs,?maps,?websites,?dreams?in? short,?all?aspects?of?culture?that?communicate?through?visual?means.??? The?overlooking?and?ignoring?of?some?of?these?aspects?of?visual?culture? has?given?rise?to?the?relationship?between?the?industrial?production?of?cultural? forms?and?the?consumption?and?of?the?forms?produced.??John?Fiske,?for?example,? separates?the??financial?economy,??where?culture?industries?produce?and? distribute?commodities?for?profit,?from?the??cultural?economy,??where?those? commodities?are?appropriated?and?interpreted?by?consumers.???Popular?culture?? according?to?Fiske?is?what?oppositional?subjects?produce?out?of?the?products? manufactured?by?the?culture?industries?(Fiske,?2007).?The?term??creative? industries??is?used?to?describe?design,?advertising,?film,?fashion,?interactive? technologies,?popular?music,?and?a?host?of?other?professions.?In?recent?years? some?have?even?argued?that?these?professions?are?driving?more?than?simply? economic?growth,?but?that?they?necessarily?encompass?social?and?cultural? development?as?well,?thus?becoming??Culture?Makers??themselves.? So,?what?do??Culture?Makers?know?about?consumers???How?can?they?use? that?knowledge?to?anticipate,?shape,?or?create?desires?in?consumers?that?will?lead? to?the?consumption?of?products?and?experiences??Or,?do?current?culture?maker?s? themselves?believe?they?have?such?powers?(Ohmann,?1996)???There?is?a?belief?that? 11 the?culture?makers?do?have?these?powers.???Current?producers,?designers,?feel? confident?in?a?good?deal?of?knowledge?about?how?much?consumers?like?or?don?t? like?existing?products;?about?who?will?or?will?not?consume?them;??and?about? what?groups?of?consumers?want?in?a?product?or?advertisement(?diet?drinkers,? mainly?women,?want?no?calories,?and?don?t?care?about?taste??(Herbert,?1996);? Europeans?want??Spectacular?bathrooms??in?their?resort?hotels??(Sonnabend,? 1996);??British?women?don?t?want?to?be?talked?down?to?by?a?little?kid??in?a? Pillsbury?commercial??(Oakes,?1996?)(Ohmann,?Knowing?and?Creating?Wants,? 1996).???All?of?this?knowledge?improves?the?sales?of?consumer?products?but?does? it?improve?the?products?themselves??In?fact,?equal?effort?could?be?spent?on? designing?and?producing?products?in?a?manner?that?would?improve?their? cultural?value?to?consumers.??So,?perhaps?an?increase?in?more?meaningful? products?would?also?increase?wants?and?desires,?resulting?in?an?increase?in?sales? and?profits.?All?the?while?dissipating?the?growing?worry?that?the?intensifying? techniques?of?gathering?consumer?data?and?analysis?are?attempting?to?muscle?in? on?the?sacred?corners?of?consumers?lives,?only?to?force?feed?them?socially?specific,? yet?shallow?products.??? ???? ? 12 2.1?OBJECTIVES?OF?THE?STUDY? The?Objective?of?this?thesis?is?to?explore?culture?and?its?relationship?to? design?with?the?purpose?of?achieving?a?design?model?in?which?one?could? approach?design?research?and?methodology?in?a?manner?that?would?allow?the? design?of?a?product?that?would?successfully?maintain?the?intended?cultural? identity?and?meaning?of?the?product.? ? This?thesis?will?study?the?effect?of?culture?on?the?product?design? process.? ? Determine?whether?the?culture?from?which?a?successful?product?is? produced?has?left?any?identifying?markers?on?that?product.? ? Research?current?trends?in?product?design,?branding?and? marketing.? ? Determine?why?these?trends?are?occurring.? ? Develop?an?approach?to?design?a?specific?product?with?the? inclusion?of?culture?on?the?design?process.? ? Create?a?product?shows?the?theory?in?a?3D?form.? ? 13 2.2 ASSUMPTIONS? As?an?emerging?designer?there?is?an?enormous?amount?that?is?unknown? about?design,?world?cultures,?international?competition,?and?current?events.?? Therefore?there?it?is?an?inevitable?fact?that?portions?of?the?thesis?and?hypothesis?is? and?will?be?based?on?assumptions.??First?and?foremost?there?is?an?assumption? that?there?is?a?consumer?group?that?wants?designs?that?share?cultures.?There?is?a? fear?that?people?would?rather?have?designs?that?exhibit?no?evidence?from?the? culture?in?which?they?came.?If?this?is?the?case,?then?this?thesis?may?be?off?base,? and?alone?in?design?philosophy.??With?that?being?said,?there?is?evidence?to? suggest?that?there?is?a?trend?in?design?of?products?void?of?cultural?meaning?and? substance.??This?leads?to?the?belief?that?the?hypothesis?is?true?and?there?are? similar?views?of?the?future?of?American?design?and?the?global?design?culture.?? Products?should?be?beneficial?to?the?producer?in?terms?of?sales?as?well?as? to?the?consumer?in?terms?of?meaning?and?function.??Therefore?it?is?assumed?that? the?product?that?is?to?be?created?in?conjunction?with?this?thesis?will?be?produced? according?to?newly?developed?principles?of??Culturalistic?Design?.??Culturalistic? design?is?the?creation?of?products?which?are?functional,?impact??full,?cultural,?and? desirable?to?the?consumer?and?profitable?to?the?producer.??It?is?assumed?that?this? product?would?be?successful?because?it?fulfills?human?needs?for?consequential? 14 designs?through?deeper?cultural?and?social?research?and?less?superficial?mass? cultural?market?research.??These?principals?will?be?culturalistic?because?they?will? allow?the?consumer?to?reach?a?higher?level?of?gratification?through?a?product?that? is?a?reflection?of?their?lives,?while?still?fulfilling?the?basic?functions?for?its? intended?use.???? ? 15 2.3 SCOPE?AND?LIMITATIONS?OF?THE?STUDY? ? Scope? The?scope?and?limits?represent?the?restrictions?of?the?study.??The?scope?is? the?extent?to?which?the?thesis?will?cover?and?what?issues?it?may?not?specifically? speak?about.?In?pertaining?the?thesis?there?has?been?research?of?current?market? trends?and?past?market?trends.?As?well?as?a?study?of?the?history?and?influence?of? culture?in?product?design,?and?the?current?influence?of?culture?on?product?design.?? With?this?knowledge?a?approach?will?be?illustrated?in?which?one?could?research? specific?consumer?cultures?in?order?to?create?a?culturalisitic?product.?Also,?based? upon?these?guidelines?there?is?a?furniture?design?using?the?newly?created?design? approach.?? ? Limitations? The?main?limitation?to?this?thesis?is?in?proving?is?hypothesis?in?regard?to?product? competiveness.?It?will?be?hard?if?not?impossible?to?truly?determine?whether?a? product?design?for?this?thesis?could?truly?survive?global?competition;?as?well?as? maintain?its?effectiveness?when?it?is?mass?produced.??This?limitation?is?due?in? large?part?to?the?restrictions?of?resources?needed?to?create?more?than?a?single? design,?or?to?properly?initiate?a?product?into?the?global?marketplace.?Therefore? 16 the?data?generated?maybe?limited?to?focus?groups?and?restricted?consumer? feedback.??? 17 2.4 PROCEDURES?AND?METHODOLOGY? Procedure?One:? ? ? Research?and?study?the?level?of?impact?culture?has?on?successful? designs?in?the?global?market?place.? Method?One:? ? Identify?a?specific?culture?in?which?to?study? ? Research?the?thoughts?of?various?industrial?design?professionals? and?various?industrial?design?studios?and?schools.? ? Conduct?internet?research? ? Locate?and?explore?various?periodicals?and?articles?pertaining?to? culture?and?design.? ? Analyze?results?and?draw?conclusions.? Procedure?Two:? ? Determine?whether?the?culture?from?which?a?successful?product?is? produced?has?left?any?identifying?markers?on?that?product.? ? 18 Method?Two:? ? Identify?the?cultural?markers?to?be?studied.? ? Identify?those?cultural?markers?on?the?individual?products.? ? Analyze?the?data?collected? ? Draw?conclusions?from?the?Data.? Procedure?Three:? ? Research?and?document?current?design?trends.? Method?Three? ? Research?the?current?trend?of?creating?designs?that?appear?neutral,? in?the?fact?that?they?exhibit?no?signs?or?archetypes?of?one?particular? culture.? ? Determine?why?this?trend?is?occurring.? ? Analyze?the?data?collected? ? Draw?conclusions?from?the?Data.? Procedure?Four:? ? Present?a?hypothesis?or?theory?of?how?a?designer?from?one?culture? can?successfully?introduce?a?product?and?compete?in?another? culture?without?abandoning?their?cultural?identity.? Methods?Four:? 19 ? Create?a?model?in?which?a?designer?can?create?wants,?satisfy?needs,? evoke?emotion?and?mood,?influence?price?and,?not?least,?stimulate? demand?and?sharpen?competitiveness?with?a?single?product.? ? All?the?while?introducing?and?maintaining?a?culture?identity?to?that? product.? Procedure?Five:? ? Develop?a?model?in?which?an?industrial?designer?can?follow?in? order?to?created?his?or?her?own?product?based?on?a?particular? subculture.? ? Create?a?product?shows?the?theory?in?a?3D?form.? Methods?Five:? ? Define?the?design?criteria?for?which?the?product?will?be?designed? ? Brainstorm?for?Ideas?that?exemplify?the?goal?of?this?thesis.? ? Draw?concept?sketches?? ? Refine?concepts? ? Begin?model?making?process? ? Create?prototype?that?proves?or?disproves?my?hypothesis? ? Analyze?the?data?collected? ? Draw?conclusions?from?the?Data.? 20 2.5 ANTICIPATED?OUTCOME?OF?THE?STUDY? The?anticipated?outcome?of?this?thesis?is;?to?illustrate?the?premise?to?be? correct.?To?show?that?a?designer?can?design?a?product?with?distinctive?cultural? markers?that?can?successfully?evoke?positive?emotion?from?the?target? demographic.?The?cultural?markers?present?on?the?product?would?be?a?reflection? from?that?culture?in?which?the?product?is?to?be?sold.?The?goal?is?that?this?thesis? will?provide?a?way?for?a?designer?to?move?away?from?the?current?trend?of? designing?to?avoid?culture,?and?instead?once?again?embrace?it.? ? The?deliverable?for?this?these?will?be?an?approach,?or?formula?for?which?a? designer?can?follow?that?illustrated?how?a?particular?product?was?design?with?the? specific?inclusion?of?culture.??Also,?to?introduce?a?new?product?exhibiting?all?the? characteristics?that?has?been?laid?out?in?the?design?approach.??The?hope?is?that? long?term?results?of?the?thesis?project?will?open?the?eyes?to?current?and?emerging? designers?from?all?cultures?to?the?current?trends?in?design?and?the?cultural? problems?they?present;?moreover?to?spark?the?debate?on?how?to?correct?these? problems.?Designers?have?a?responsibility?to?consumers;?there?are?many?threats? to?the?current?state?of?consumer?products?within?the?society,?which?can?be?helped? through?design.?There?is?more?than?just?a?threat?to?the?environment.?There?is?also? a?threat?to?our?cultural?identities 21 3.0?CULTURE?RESEARCH? ? ? 3.1?CULTURAL?UNDERSTANDING? ? ? The?world?today?has?become?minuscule?in?the?sense?that,?across?the?globe,? people?of?different?cultures?and?nationalities?now?work?together?either?in?the? same?physical?space,?or?virtually?through?the?internet.??To?achieve?optimum? design?efficiencies,?it?is?important?to?understand?the?differences?in?values,?beliefs,? nuances?and?subtleties?of?culture.? There?is?a?trend,?especially?in?the?western?cultures?of??presuming?sameness?.?? Due?to?the?fact?that?some?believe??the?world?is?flat?,?and?that?world?cultures?are? merging?into?one.??Culture?is,?as?its?Latin?root?suggest,?about?growth?and?change? and?typically?emerges?through?the?intersection?of?innovation?and?tradition.?But? rather?than?attempting?to?define,?or?in?some?cases?narrow?the?understanding?of? what?it?is,?it?is?surely?better?to?consider?the?many?things?culture?can?be?and?the? many?forms?it?can?take:?national?culture,?popular?culture,?folk?culture,?high? culture,?low?culture,?and?yes?visual?culture?(World,?2006).? 22 Designers?must?also?pay?close?attention?to?subcultures,?in?that?smaller? cultural?groups?exist?within?but?differ?in?some?way?from?the?prevailing? culture.?Also,?though?subcultures?maybe?smaller?subsets?of?a?much?larger? dominant?culture,?they?can?also?grow?to?have?greater?numbers?than?the?larger? culture?from?which?they?are?spawned.?Due?to?the?fact?that?many?of?the? subcultures?today?are?limited?to?the?private?yet?unlimited?virtual? environment,?in?which?a?thirteen?year?old?boy?in?Georgia?and?belong?to?the? same?sub?cultural?group?as?a?42?year?old?business?woman?in?London.? Examples?of?some?subcultures?include??Online?Gaming??devotees,?body? piercing?and?tattoo?enthusiasts,?motorcycle?gang?members,?hip?hop?legions,? and?fantasy?football?fanatics.?Members?of?subcultures?typically?make?use?of? distinctive?language,?behaviors,?and?clothing,?even?though?they?may?still? accept?many?of?the?values?of?the?dominant?culture.?? Ethnic?groups?living?in?the?United?States?such?as?Greek?Americans,? Italian?Americans,?Irish?Americans,?Mexican?Americans,?and?African? Americans?may?also?form?subcultures.?Most?of?these?adjust?to?mainstream? America,?but?may?still?retain?many?of?their?cultural?customs?and?in?some? cases?their?native?ethnic?language?(Wiley,?2000?2008).? 23 According?to?the?theory?of?Clotaire?Rapaille,?author?of?The?Culture?Code:?An? Ingenious?Way?to?Understand?Why?People?Around?The?World?Live?and?Buy?as? They?Do,?there?are?non?verbal,?non?physical?processes?that?are?unique?to?various? cultures?and?they?can?be?codified,?creating?archetypes?of?each?country?s?buying? habits.???The?Culture?Code?,?writes?Rapaille,???is?the?unconscious?meaning?that? can?be?applied?to?any?given?thing,?a?car,?a?type?of?food?,?a?relationship,?even?a? country,?by?means?of?the?country?in?which?one?is?raised??(Rapaille,?2007).?? Rapaille?believes?these?first,?often?forgotten?experiences,?he?calls??imprints?,? determine?the?way?consumers?live?and?shop?for?the?rest?of?their?lives.? For?example,?the?American?experience?with?Jeeps?relates?to?the?frontier?and? wide?open?spaces.?Therefore,?to?sell?a?Jeep?to?an?American,?a?marketer?must? trigger?these?impulses;?By?contrast,?the?cultural?experience?with?jeeps?in?Europe? is?much?different.?Because?the?Jeep?is?connected?subconsciously?to?World?War?II? occupation?and?the?subsequent?liberation,?the?cultural?connection?Europeans? make?to?Jeep?is?freedom.?According?to?Rapaille?s?culture?code,?Jeep?for? Americans?means??Horse??while?the?culture?code?for?Jeep?in?Europe?is? ?Liberator.?? Rapaille?is?convinced?this?is?the?kind?of?deeply?embedded?information?that? helps?global?companies?market?and?sells?to?different?cultures?around?the?world.?? 24 He?organized??imprinting??sessions?around?the?world?to?find?out?how? consumers?related?to?such?things?as?love,?sex,?and?food.??Eventually?he?realized? that?these?powerful?culturally?learned?imprints?could?be?applied?to?marketing.??? Rapaille?explored?several?countries??cultural?unconscious??and?developed? a?system?of?codes?that?would?help?marketers?understand?how?they?could?trigger? the?different?shopping?impulses?in?consumers?around?the?world?(Graham,?2007).?? Over?the?years?his?unconventional?methods?have?been?embraced?by?many? fortune?100?companies.?Every?one?of?the?companies?wanted?to?know?why?a? particular?product?or?marketing?scheme?that?worked?in?one?country,?seemed?to? fall?flat?in?another.??According?to?Rapaille?s?theory,?the?answers?could?only?be? found?in?the?collective?subconscious?of?each?culture.? The?culture?code?closely?resembles?the?goal?of?this?project.??In?that,?if? designers?could?also?somehow?tap?into?some?of?the?things?that?drive?the?buying? habits?and?impulses?of?a?particular?culture,?or?subculture?and?translate?that? knowledge?into?every?product?designed?and?manufactured?for?mass?production.??? ? ? ? ? ? ? 25 3.2?VISUAL?CULTURE? What?is?visual?culture???Visual?culture?is?can?be?described?as?the?visual? method?through?which?information,?meaning,?or?gratification?is?received?by?the? consumer?through?visual?products?of?all?kinds,?as?well?as?new?and?emerging? technologies,?and?the?beliefs,?values,?and?attitudes?represented?in?those?products.?? According?to?Martin?Irvine, Founding?Director?and?Associate?Professor? Communication,?Culture,?and?Technology?Program?Graduate?School?of?Arts?and? Sciences?at?Georgetown?University;?Studying?visual?culture?separates?the??visual? mediation??or??visual?representation??for?analysis.?The??visual?culture??approach? acknowledges?the?truth?of?living?in?a?world?of?cross?mediation??our?experience?of? culturally?meaningful?visual?content?appears?in?multiple?forms,?and?visual? content?and?codes?migrate?from?one?form?to?another:?? ? print?images?and?graphic?design?? ? TV?and?cable?TV?? ? film?and?video?? ? computer?interfaces?and?software?design?? ? Internet/Web?as?a?visual?platform?? ? Product?design? ? advertising?in?all?media?(a?true?cross?media?institution)?? ? fine?art?and?photography?? ? fashion?? ? architecture,?design,?and?urban?design??(Irvine,?2004? 2008)? Figure 1 Academic and Professional Disciplines Surrounding the Study of Visual Culture (Irvine, M. (2004-2008). Academic and Professional Disciplines Surrounding the Study of Visual Culture Media Studies Art History and Art Theory Semiotics Cultural Studies Film Studies Visual Rhetoric, Graphic Design, Literary Theory Visual Arts (painting, photography, video, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, all hybrids) Visual Culture: Objectifications, Legitimized Subject Matter Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art and Representation Sociology and Anthropology of art, media, and communication Architecture and Design Museums and Art Curatorship Communications (TV, film production, advertising, graphic design) Institutional Theory and Social Network Theory Mediology and Complexity Theory 26 27 So?why?understand?visual?culture??Within?the?book,?Mind?Set!?Reset? Your?Thinking?and?See?the?Future,?by??futurist?John?Naisbitt,?there?is?a?chapter? titled??A?Visual?Culture?is?Taking?Over?the?World,??in?which?he?argues?that? visual?narrative?is?overwhelming?literary?narrative,?and?the?trend?will?continue? and?grow?deeper?for?the?foreseeable?future.?Purchasing?fine?art?has?traditionally? been?the?way?the?wealthy?show?they?ve?made?it,?but?now?art?museum?attendance? is?higher?than?attendance?at?sporting?events.??According?to?an?article?Bob? Mondello,?A?History?Of?Museums,??The?Memory?Of?Mankind?,?if?you?add?up?the? attendance?for?every?major?league?baseball,?basketball,?football?and?hockey?game? this?year,?the?combined?total?will?come?to?about?140?million?people.?That?is?a?big? number,?but?it?is?barely?a?fraction?of?the?number?of?people?who?will?visit? American?museums?this?year.?Museums?are?big?business,?attracting?billions?of? tourist?dollars,?advancing?science,?and?educating?and?amusing?more?than?850? million?people?annually?(Mondello,?2008).? Architects,?such?as?Frank?Gehry,?are?creating?cutting?edge,?highly?creative? structures?that?turn?cities?into?artistic?tourist?destinations.?Video?games?are?now?a? larger?industry?than?movies,?further?establishing?a?growing?visual?culture.?In?the? book?he?points?out?that?for?ANY?business?or?product?to?be?successful?in?today?s? 28 marketplace,?high?quality?design?is?the?most?important?factor.?With?so?many?of? the?same?products?available,?the?best?design?is?what?wins?out?(Naisbitt,?2006).?? According?to?John?Fiske?professor?of?Communication?Arts?at?the? University?of?Wisconsin?Madison,?visual?culture?speaks?to?the?production?and? consumption?of?images,?objects,?and?events?from?diverse?cultures,?across?national? boundaries,?and?within?a?global?context.?This?means?that?consumers?may?be? challenged?to?take?in?hand?many?different?types?of?vision?and?perception,? extending?beyond?simply?the?visual?to?cognition?and?perception.??Thinking? across?cultures?requires?that?designers?allow?for?what?may?seem?like?alien? thinking?(such?as?theater?in?India?lasting?all?night)?and?fundamentally?different? notions?of?representation?(such?as?the?use?of?abstraction?in?the?Islamic?world)?and? markedly?unfamiliar?understandings?of?visibility?(such?as?African?concepts?of?the? seen?as?markers?for?the?spirit?world)?(Fiske,?2007).?Thinking?in?intercultural?terms? includes?radically?revised?views?of??high??and??low??culture?and?a?substantial? change?in?the?ways?one?practices?history?and?anthropology.?Because?seeing?is? central?to?the?understanding?of?cultural?differences,?much?of?the?fundamental? work?in?Visual?Culture?Studies?is?about?the?construction?of?identity?through?the? mutually?dependent?elements?of?race,?ethnicity,?gender,?sexuality,?class,?and? ability??(Fiske,?2007).? 29 This?way?of?thinking?can?not?only?be?useful?in?the?ways?the??history?and? anthropology?is?practiced,?but?also?in?the?ways?designers?create,?and? communicate?the?blueprint?of?the?products?and?services?they?produce.??As? designers?continue?to?look?more?into?the?everyday?lives?of?consumers?there? should?be?an?improved?study?into?the?visual,?the?aesthetic?side?in?a?less?restricted? fashion.??In?referring?back?to?the?definition?of?visual?culture,?that?being? everything?we?see,?have?seen,?or?may?visualize?paintings,?sculptures,?movies,? television,?photographs,?furniture,?utensils,?gardens,?dance,?buildings,?artifacts,? landscape,?toys,?advertising,?jewelry,?apparel,?light,?graphs,?maps,?websites,? dreams?in?short,?all?aspects?of?culture?that?communicate?through?visual?means.? ?Anything?visible?is?a?potential?object?of?study?for?Visual?Culture,?and?the? worthiness?of?any?visual?object?or?practice,?as?an?object?of?study?depends?not?on? its?inherent?qualities,?as?in?the?work?of?art,?but?on?its?place?within?the?context?of? the?whole?of?culture???(Fiske,?2007). 30 3.3????SUBCULTURES? ? It?is?a?common?occurrence?that?Subculture?and?Counterculture?are?two? terms?that?are?used?interchangeably;?however?they?do?differ?from?one?another.??A? counterculture?comes?about?in?opposition?to?the?norms?and?values?of?the? dominant?culture.?Members?of?countercultures?such?as?hippies?and?protest? groups?are?generally?teenagers?and?young?adults,?because?youth?is?often?a? time?of?identity?crisis?and?experimentation.?In?time?many,?but?not?all,? members?of?countercultures?eventually?adopt?the?norms?and?values?of?the? dominant?culture.??? As?Ken?Gelder?notes,?subcultures?are?social,?with?their?own?shared? conventions,?values?and?rituals,?but?they?can?also?seem??immersed??or?self? absorbed.?Gelder?identifies?six?key?ways?in?which?subcultures?can?be? understood:?? 1.?Through?their?often?negative?relations?to?work?(as??idle?,??parasitic?,?at? play?or?at?leisure,?etc.);?? 31 2.?Through?their?negative?or?ambivalent?relation?to?class?(since?subcultures? are?not??class?conscious??and?don?t?conform?to?traditional?class?definitions);?? 3.?Through?their?association?with?territory?(the??street?,?the??hood,?the?club,? etc.),?rather?than?property;?? 4.?Through?their?movement?out?of?the?home?and?into?non?domestic?forms? of?belonging?(i.e.?social?groups?other?than?the?family);?? 5.?Through?their?stylistic?ties?to?excess?and?exaggeration;?? 6.??And?through?their?refusal?to?obey?the?conventions?of?ordinary?life? (Gelder,?Subcultures:?Cultural?Histories?and?Social?Practice).? ? There?is?agreement?in?the?marketing?literature?that?culture?greatly?influences? the?way?consumers?perceive?and?behave?(Hall?1977;?McCracken?1988;?Clark? 1990).?The?remarkable?demographic?shifts?that?are?occurring?in?the?United?States? serve?as?a?means?to?study?how?sub?cultural?differences?affect?consumption? behavior?(Wellner?2002).??Many?companies?are?discovering?that?success?depends? on?utilizing?opportunities?to?meet?the?needs?of?previously?ignored?sub?cultural? groups.?Designers,?in?order?to?more?effectively?reach?their?target?consumers,? must?have?an?understanding?of?how?intra?national?cultures?impact?product? specific?purchases?by?consumers.? Figure 2 Map showing minority percentages in the U.S. ? ? ? ? ? ? As?subcultures,?increase?in?size,?designers?must?develop?knowledge?of? consumer?characteristics?and?group?level?preferences?to?more?effectively?design? and?manufacture?products?to?meet?and?exceed?the?growing?needs?of?these? markets.?According?to?Schau,?Hope?Jensen?author?of?Exploring?the?Impact?of? Culture?and?Acculturation?on?Consumer?Purchase?Decisions:?Toward?a...? African?Americans,?Hispanics?and?Asians?make?up?the?fastest?growing?groups?in? the?United?States.?In?2003?Hispanics?became?the?largest?minority?community?in? the?United?States.?In?some?major?cities,?such?as?Los?Angeles?and?New?York?City,? the??minority??population?outnumbers?the??non?minority??population.?The? growth?of?ethnic?subcultures?in?the?United?States?is?expected?to?continue.?It?is? 32 33 estimated?that?by?2010,?one?in?three?American?children?will?be?African?American,? Hispanic?or?Asian?(Schwartz?and?Exter?1989).?Thus?a?full?one?third?of?the?U.S.? market?will?be?made?up?of?ethnic?subcultures?(Schau,?Hope?Jensen,?2004).??It?is? essential?to?know?if?these?subcultures?have?the?same?consumption?needs?and? buying?habits?as?the?dominant?culture?and?respond?to?the?same?design? techniques,?because?a?large?percentage?of?each?culture?also?interacts?in?a?separate? virtual?subculture.??Different?consumer?needs?and?responses?require?different? design?approaches?and?in?some?circumstances,?different?design?methodologies? altogether.?Thus?there?sub?cultural?differences?which?directly?affect?purchase? decisions.?To?effectively?understand?and?design?for?a?subculture?a?designer?must? know?who?those?consumers?are.?? 34 3.31?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET?SUBCULTURE? ?There?is?also?a?significant?sub?cultural?group?of?music?and?internet? enthusiast?comprised?of?young?and?older?adults?belonging?to?all?previously? mentioned?sub?cultural?groups.?With?the?recent?growth?of?information?and? communication?technologies?like?the?internet,?opportunities?have?emerged?that? enable?individuals?to?participate?in?subcultures?in?which?they?otherwise?might? not?participate.??In?a?study?by?J.?Patrick?Williams,?of?the?University?of?Georgia?in? Athens,?titled:?Authentic?Identities?Straightedge?Subculture,?Music,?and?the? Internet,?participants?engaged?in?an?internet?forum,?that?revealed?a?new?type?of? sub?culturalist?is?emerging?one?whose?sub?cultural?participation?is?limited?to? the?internet.?Through?research?it?was?revealed?that?there?were?at?least?two?types? of?consumers?present?in?the?internet?forum:?those?who?used?the?forum?as?a? supplement?to?participation?in?a?face?to?face?music?scene?and?those?whose?internet? use?was?a?primary?or?sole?source?of?sub?cultural?participation?(Williams,?2006).? 35 In?everyday?life,?sub?cultural?youth?often?talk?about?themselves?in? independent?terms.?For?example,?they?regularly?claim?to?be?real?while?charging? others?with?simply?doing?sub?cultural?things,?such?as?dressing?speaking,?or?acting? in?certain?ways?in?order?to?be?cool?or?fit?in?(Widdicombe?and?Wooffitt?1990;? Williams?2006).??This?is?social?identification:??Social?identity?.?.?.?goes?beyond?any? particular?[context],?for?it?places?the?individual?as?a?member?of?a?social?category? that?differs?from?other?categories.?According?to?Williams?experiences?in? cyberspace?remain?philosophical?for?many.?As?one?cyber?theorist?wrote,??The? final?point?of?a?virtual?world?is?to?dissolve?the?constraints?of?the?anchored? world?so?that?we?can?lift?anchor?not?to?drift?aimlessly?without?point,?but?to? explore?anchorage?in?ever?new?places??(Heim?1993,?137).?Heim?is?interpreted?as? suggesting?not?only?that?the?internet?offers?new?social?spaces?where?identity?can? be?re?negotiated?but?that?a?significant?reason?many?go?online?is?to?experience? new?forms?of?social?life.?Indeed,?research?has?shown?that?many?internet?users?are? not?withdrawing?from?social?interaction?(Nie?2001),?but?are?actively?seeking?it? (Rheingold?2000;?Wellman?et?al.?2001).? ?? ? 36 In?William?s?Authentic?Identities?piece,?music?sub?culturalist?repeatedly? wrote?about??the?scene??as?a?necessary?element?in?constructing?a?sub?cultural? identity.??Sub?cultural?theorists?and?sub?culturalists?alike?use?the?term?scene??to? signify?some?kind?of?.?.?.?located?and?sub?cultural?space??(Bennett?and?Kahn?? Harris?2004,?13).?According?to?Straw?(1991,?379),?scenes??actualize?a?particular? state?of?relations?between?various?populations?and?social?groups,?as?these? coalesce?around?specific?coalitions?of?musical?style.??People?who?regularly?come? together?to?consume?music?in?clubs,?at?parties,?even?through?sharing?purchased? CDs?constitute?a?local?scene.?These?scenes?exist,?in?symbolic?interactionist? terms,?as?idiocultural?manifestations?of?a?larger?subculture?(Fine?1979).??Current? research?conceptualizes?multiple?types?of?scenes,?from?local?to?trans?local?to? virtual?(Bennett?and?Peterson?2004).?Each?type?functions?as?a??framework?that? encompasses?.?.?.?material?specificities?of?such?things?as?global?place?building?and? urban?experience??(Marchessault?and?Straw?2001,?5).?Additionally,?all?three?types? share?common?denominators:?shared?space,?a?shared?sense?of?purpose,?and?a? shared?sense?of?identity.? ????? ? ? ? Figure 3 Music Acquisition Chart (Note: P2P refers to Person to Person file sharing) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? One?such?place?or?scene?that?is?currently?expanding?at?rapid?rates?would? be?that?of?the?media?sharing?networks?such?as?Gnutella,?Kazaa?and?Napster??that? have?received?enormous?attention?for?their?potential?to?disrupt?conventional? bodies?of?media?distribution,?and?in?turn,?to?threaten?the?profitability?of?popular? music.?The?ongoing,?high?profile?legal?campaign?by?the?Recording?Industry? Association?of?America?to?nix?file?sharing?applications,?and?to?discourage? Internet?users?from?sharing?music?over?networks,?provides?a?great?incentive?for? those?who?seek?to?rebel?against?the??norms?and?values?of??the?dominate?culture?.? While?the?effect?of?this?style?of?online?MP3?file?sharing?on?music?consumption? practices?is?probably?very?significant,?other?forms?of?music?sharing?take?place?in? 37 38 a?diversity?of?online?ventures:?Chat?clients,?message?boards,?and?FTP?posts,? among?others.?? Music?fans?have?actively?sought?one?another?out,?through?face?to?face? communion?in?live?music?settings?or?record?stores,?through?genre?specific?dance? clubs?and?events,?through?fanzines,?through?mix?tape?exchanges,?and?through? online?discussion?groups,?message?boards,?and?MP3?Web?sites.?They?have?split? into?a?number?of?social?groups,?identifying?with?particular?styles?and? subcultures.?Simply?put,?music?sharing?practices?traditionally?form?a?location?for? negotiations?of?meaning?and?identity?among?music?fans.??All?of?this?translates? into?what?is?called?a??scene?,?whether?it?is?a?physical?space?or?a?virtual?chat? room,?or?peer?to?peer?file?sharing?site,?the?scene?is?where?the?members?of?this?sub? cultural?group?come?to?share?and?interact.??? So?the?goal?is?for?industrial?designers?translate?this?idea?of?a?music?and? internet?sub?cultural??scene??into?a?product?design?worthy?of?those?individuals? amerced?within?theses?sub?cultural?groups.?? ? ? ? 4.0?CULTURAL?DESIGN?PROCESS? 4.1???IDENTIFING?EMERGING?SUB?CULTURES? ? ? ? ? ? Figure 4; Images courtesy of www.gettyimages.com The?level?of?success?for?any?innovative?culturally?based?design?depends? on?identifying?emerging?cultures?before?they?emerge.?Too?often?the?process?of? finding?budding?sub?cultures?is?hit?or?miss.?? One?of?the?best?examples?of?an?innovation?for?an?emerging?trend?is?the? iPod,?and?Zune,?and?the?digital?music?stores?such?as?iTunes.?These?innovations? are?the?result?of?the?emerging?trend?of?products?becoming?transcendent.?People? are?less?and?less?tied?to?the?idea?that?things?are? 39 40 physically?owned.?People?are?buying?the?experience?not?the?object.?An?example? would?be?when,?people?purchase?a?song?instead?of?an?entire?album,?and?to?them? it?does?not?matter?whether?they?have?a?file?or?a?physical?CD.?People?are?now? largely?interested?in?purchasing?the?experience.?This?trend?has?changed?the? music?industry?and?is?changing?the?movie?industry.?It?will?eventually?change? other?industries?as?well;?though?that?will?take?more?time.?An?emerging?sub? culture?will?often?times?not?follow?along?with?the?way?things?are?and?are?done? according?to?the?rules?of?the?dominate?culture.?So?there?is?a?need?to?adapt?to?the? coming?change.?Before?there?is?identification?of?an?emerging?sub?culture?one? must?realize?there?will?be?no?sign?that?says??In?three?to?five?years?this?will?be?an? aggressive?and?hungry?consumer?market?.??According?to?a?trend?watching? website,?Innovation.com?there?are?three?ways?in?which?one?can?identify?and? emerging?culture.? Step?One:?Check?the?Current?Trends? One?must?know?where?things?are?now?before?they?can?know?where?they?are? going.?Assess?current?trends?on?a?large?scale.?Ask?these?questions:? 1. What?changes?are?occurring?in?the?economy??? 2. What?changes?are?occurring?in?the?political?landscape??? 41 3. What?are?current??hot?button??issues??? 4. What?technologies?are?being?developed?or?are?in?their?infancy?stages??? 5. What?is?popular?in?mainstream?culture???? 6. What?changes?are?occurring?in?various?industries??As?an?example,?the? marketing?industry?has?seen?a?new?emphasis?on?product?placement.?Paid? product?placement?spending?grew?almost?34%?to?$2.9?billion?in?2007?and? is?projected?to?reach?$3.7?billion?in?2008,?a?28%?growth?(Media,?2008).? 7. What?trends?have?recently?emerged?or?are?emerging??? Step?Two:?Immerse?in?Culture? The?next?step?is?to?go?deep?into?culture,?past?mainstream?and?into?subcultures.?If? there?is?no?connection?this?is?difficult?to?do.?There?must?assess?current?cultural? trends?at?a?small?scale.?When?a?designer?is?attempting?to?identify?emerging? cultural?trends?he?or?she?should?ask:? 1. What?is?popular?in?the?underground?scenes??? 2. What?is?popular?with?the?DYI?(do?it?yourself)?crowd??This?will?probably? help?to?identify?currently?emerging?trends.?? 3. What?is?happening?in?various?subcultures??The?more?that?is?known?the? better.?Go?out?and?find?people?who?are?culturally?involved?and?talk?to? 42 them.?See?what?they?think?is?up?and?coming.?Many?companies?actually? pay?young?people?who?provide?tips?on?emerging?trends.?? 4. What?has?happened?in?the?past?that?is?being?readopted?by?a?subculture?? This?is?probably?more?a?fad?then?a?trend?so?watch?out?for?these.?? Step?Three:?Put?the?Pieces?Together? Look?at?what?is?known?from?the?current?trends?and?from?sub?cultural?trends?and? see?if?there?any?parallels.?Look?for?something?in?the?subcultures?that?could?be? carried?by?a?current?trend?to?create?a?new?trend.?Now?ask?if?that?sub?cultural? trend?became?main?stream,?what?would?change??? ? Also?as?a?designer?you?must?always?stay?current?by?tapping?into?various? resources??typically?used?by?the?particular?culture?being?studied.?These?resources? can?help?confirm,?test,?and?challenge?emerging?sub?cultures.? 1. TrendWatching.com???This?website?finds?trends.?They?claim?to?have?8,000? plus?trend?watchers?worldwide.?They?give?free?monthly?trend?briefings.?? 2. Gartner?Emerging?Trends?and?Technologies???Gartner?research?identifies? trends?arising?from?emerging?information?technology?and?assesses?their? 43 potential?impact.?These?trends?are?focused?on?technology?and?therefore? will?tend?to?impact?the?implementation?of?business?ideas.?? 3. Blog?Searches???There?are?blogs?on?just?about?any?topic?these?days.? Bloggers?tend?to?be?connected?to?culture?and?reveal?what?is?truly? happening.?Read?blogs?to?see?what?is?happening?and?what?is?up?and? coming.?? 4. Conferences???Find?and?attend?one?key?conference?in?the?chosen?area?of? study?and?one?related?to?the?area?of?expertise.?The?conference?in?this?area? will?often?give?you?access?to?emerging?trends?that?have?been?identified?by? others?in?the?elected?field.?While?the?conference?related?to?ones?field?of? expertise?can?give?access?to?a?trend?in?another?field?that?will?directly? impact?both?various?fields?of?study.?? 5. Demographics???Demographic?trends?are?the?easiest?trends?to?identify.? These?can?help?to?find?areas?to?innovate?for.?Ask?what?trends?will?come? about?because?of?demographics??If?the?mass?of?the?population?is?aging?(as? it?is?in?many?countries?currently)?there?will?be?an?increase?demand?for? health?care,?and?retirement?services.?? 44 4.2?IMPLICATIONS?OF?SUB?CULTURE?MARKET? Subcultures,?mainly?youth?subcultures?frequently?are?more?knowledgeable? about?the?electronic?media,?and?developing?trends?and?styles.?Designers?and? marketers?have?a?golden?opportunity?during?the?earlier?stages?of?an?emerging? subculture?to?attract??Consumers?in?training??(brand?loyalty?that?starts?early?and? may?last?a?lifetime).?Some?of?this?youth?market?regularly?become?main?shoppers? for?the?home?because?of?working?parents;?and?will?soon?be?starting?families?of? their?own.??Furthermore?in?these?particular?youth?subculture?markets??word?of? mouth??begins?to?play?a?more?dominant?role?in?buying?decisions.?These?groups? tend?to?use?products?to?express?their?identities,?new?found?freedom,?and?to?rebel? against?authority?(Walker,?R.?2006).? The?size,?growth?rate,?and?characteristics?of?the?different?sub?cultural?markets? create?immense?opportunities?in:?Product?development,?Media?Targeting,? Advertising?Messages,?Promotions,?and?Distribution.?This?is?great? for?Industrial?Designers,?due?to?the?fact?that?measuring?and?predicting?the? demographic?patterns?of?promising?subcultures?is?important?to?marketers?for 45 two?reasons.??Different?subcultures?have?distinct?lifestyles?resulting?from?a? variation?in?age,?religion,?ethnic?background,?income?level,?gender,?and? community.??These?differences?may?result?in?different?product?preferences?in? different?cultures?(food,?beverages,?clothing?etc).?Growth?rates?in?these?different? areas?may?vary?dramatically.??For?many?goods?and?services?it?is?important?to? shorten?the?distribution?channel?as?much?as?possible.?Companies?looking?for?new? growth?opportunities?should?focus?on?cultures?expected?to?experience? population?increases.? 5.0?DESIGN?APPROACH?FOR?A?PRODUCT?FOR?THE?INTERNET?AND? MUSIC?SUBCULTURE? ? 5.1 IDENTIFING?THE?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET?SUB?CULTRE? ? Following?the?steps?outlined?in?the?previous?section,?the?emerging?culture?of? the?internet?and?music?scene?was?able?to?be?identified.?After?researching?the? current?trends,?in?product?design?and?consumer?purchasing?decisions,?there?was? a?definite?influx?of?products?designed?to?allow?the?consumer?to?stay?connected?at? all?times.??Staying?connected??refers?to?the?constant?presence?of?the?virtual? world.?This?is?evident?through?some?of?today?s?most?popular?product?designs,? examples?include:? ? ? ? ? ? ? Figure 5 Apple iPod Touch, BlackBerry Curve 8300, Facebook social networking website ? ? 46 ? Figure 6 Members of the internet subculture Each?of?these?products?allow?the?user?to?connect?to?one?another?in?a? unique?way?that?is?not?prohibited?by?a?physical?location,?time,?race,?gender,?or? age.?Whether?the?consumer?is?on?the?go,?at?work,?at?home,?or?enjoying?leisure? time,?they?can?use?these?devices?to?connect?and?share?with?each?other.?These?are? products?that?can?remain?with?the?consumer?and?interact?with?the?consumer?in? nearly?every?aspect?of?their?daily?life.? ?Also?members?of?this?particular?subculture?group?maintain?vast?numbers,? because?of?the?versatility?in?ways?they?can?stay?connected,?yet?remain?relatively? private.?All?types?of?people?from?the?dominate?culture?as?well?as?the?surrounding? cultures?can?meet?and?interact?in?the?VIRTUAL?SCENE?of?the?internet? subculture.? ? After?identifying?the?internet?subculture?as?a?possible?demographic?in? which?to?design?for,?further?research?was?conducted?by?reviewing?blogs.?Such?as? 47 48 those?posted?on?www.wordpress.com,?that?have?discussions?about?the?freedoms? involved?in?participating?in?this?virtual?world.?? ? ?A?virtual?world?is?free?of?social?and?cultural?ties,?free?of?the? pressures?of?conformity,?free?from?the?confines?of?the?social? norm???(Social?Norms?in?a?Virtual?World..November?7,?2007?by? Arcadia?http://scrapbookingwithwords.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/social? norms?in?a?virtual?world/)? ? This?was?further?evidence?of?the?possible?viability?of?the?internet? subculture?being?a?worthy?demographic?in?which?to?design?for.??The?next?and? final?step?in?identifying?a?viable?subculture?is?to?research?conferences?covering? the?topic?in?question.?For?example,?The?7th?Chinese?Internet?Research?Conference? being?held?at?the?Annenberg?School?for?Communication,?University?of? Pennsylvania?in?May?of?2009.?Topics?for?this?conference?and?others?include,? subjects?such?as;? ? The?Internet?and?youth:?How?do?young?people?use?the?Internet?and?are? there?generational?differences?in?Internet?use??What?cultures/subcultures? emerge?over?the?Internet??How?are?civic?cultures?formed?through?online? cultural?practices?such?as?peer?production,?gaming,?and?social?networking? 49 in?spaces?such?as?Facebook,?YouTube,?and?Myspace??What?new?cultures? emerge?in?virtual?worlds?such?as?Secondlife?and?Hipihi,?the?blogosphere? and?other?online?spaces?? ? Entertainment,?deliberation/opinion?formation?and?popular?culture:? How?have?the?boundaries?between?news?and?entertainment?changed?and? what?effect?does?it?have?on?deliberation?and?opinion?formation??What?is? the?role?of?entertainment?in?Internet?use??To?what?extent?are?people? addressed?as?consumers?rather?than?citizens?online??How?are?concepts? such?as??fun??and??play??applied?in?Internet?use??? ? Chinese?minorities,?China?Proper,?Greater?China?or??Cultural?China?:? How?do?Chinese?minorities?use?the?Internet??How?are?they?represented? over?the?Internet??How?is?the?Internet?used?in?other?Chinese?language? speaking?areas,?including?Hong?Kong,?Taiwan?and?Singapore??How?do? Chinese?Diasporas?use?the?Internet??Is?global?Chineseness,?if?it?exists,? fostered?through?the?Internet??? ? Research?methodology:?What?are?the?appropriate?methodologies?to?study? the?Chinese?Internet?and?civil?society?in?particular??What?comparative? models?can?explore?the?overlap?and?differences?between?the?Chinese? Internet?and?the?global?Internet?? 50 The?large?number?of?conferences?as?well?as?the?topics?of?discussion?at? these?conferences?was?another?indication?that?the?internet?subculture?is? worthy?of?moving?to?the?next?step?in?the?design?process.?? 51 5.2?A?FURNITURE?DESIGN?FOR?THE?MUSIC?AND?INTERNET? SUBCULTURE?? ? The?subsequent?step?in?the?design?process?is?to?determine?a?product?in? which?to?design?for?the?chosen?demographic.??In?this?case?furniture?was?chosen? after?outlining?some?of?the?central?issues?that?are?shared?by?members?of?the? internet?and?music?subculture.?This?was?done?through?the?use?of?the?blogs,?as? well?as?research?sited?in?previous?studies?into?the?internet?subculture?such?as? those?mentioned?in?the?piece?by?J.?Patrick?Williams,?of?the?University?of?Georgia? in?Athens,?titled:?Authentic?Identities?Straightedge?Subculture,?Music,?and?the? Internet.??These?issues?being:? ? The?desire?to?comfortably?connect?and?interact?with?others?in?the? community.? ? The?desire?to?bring?in?elements?from?a?traditional?sub?culture?scene? in?to?the?virtual?scene?(Such?as?the?aspect?of?face?to?face?interaction.)? ? The?need?for?uniqueness.?This?makes?an?interesting?alternative? model?to?mass?customization:?Instead?of?co?designing?an?own? product,?a?consumer?may?turn?to?one?of?your?product?designs?to? feel?individual.? Also?by?choosing?furniture?the?study?is?emphasizing?the?need?for?the? designer?to?know?as?much?about?the?sub?culture?and?cultural?design?process?as? 52 possible.?This?is?true?for?any?type?of?design,?but?especially?important?when?the? designer?will?be?laying?a?foundation?in?which?future?designers?may?choose?to? follow,?and?in?an?environment?outside?the?designer?s?own?culture.?Furniture?is? often?a?lens?into?culture,?due?to?the?fact?that?is?repeatedly?customized?to?fit?the? everyday?needs?of?consumers.?When?furniture?is?designed?without?regard?for?its? intended?cultural?market,?it?is?over?and?over?again?without?meaning,?and?it? inevitably?fails?in?the?market.?? Figure 7 Flow Chart of Cultural Design Process ? 53 54 5.3DESIGN?CRITERIA?FOR?FURNITURE?DESIGN?FOR?THE?INTERNET? AND?MUSIC?SUBCULTURE? 5.31???AESTHETIC?CRITERIA? ? The?criteria?listed?below?address?the?appearance?of?the?furniture?design? and?how?it?should?be?designed?to?appeal?to?members?of?the?music?and?internet? sub?culture.?The?form?and?design?of?the?furniture?should?be?carefully?considered.? Details?for?every?aspect?of?the?furniture?should?be?well?thought?all?the?way? through?the?design?process.? ? Pay?attention?the?overall?design?of?the?product,?firstly,?the?furniture? must?be?structurally?stronger?as?the?demands?placed?upon?it?are? normally?greater?due?to?the?fact?that?in?maybe?constantly?moved,?and? rearranged?to?fit?various?need.?Keep?in?mind?that?this?product?will?be? used?for?more?than?sitting?and?relaxing.? ? Maintain?the?idea?of??The?Scene??by?creating?a?product?with?multiple? functions,?(1)?studying,?reading,?writing,?(2)?comfortable?sitting?for? relaxation?and?contemplation,?and?(3)?informal?conferencing.? 55 ? Create?a?sense?of?individuality?within?the?product?design?that?will?give? the?consumer?the?desired?feeling?of?non?conformity.? ? 5.32?ERGONOMIC?CRITERIA? ?Ergonomics?(or?human?factors)?is?the?scientific?discipline?concerned?with? the?understanding?of?the?interactions?among?human?and?other?elements?of?a? system,?and?the?profession?that?applies?theory,?principles,?data?and?methods?to? design?in?order?to?optimize?human?well?being?and?overall?system?performance? (Cornell?University).??? There?is?a?myth?of?designing?for?the?average?person,?since?there?are?no? people?whose?body?dimensions?are?all?at?the?50th?percentile.?Body?dimensions? aren?t?linearly?interconnected,?so?people?with?short?arms?don?t?necessarily?have? short?legs,?etc.?While?the?use?of?the?5th?and?95th?percentiles?on?one?body? dimension?may?exclude?10%?of?the?population,?the?use?of?these?on?13?dimensions? actually?can?exclude?52%?of?the?population.??According?to?the?Ergonomics? Department?at?Cornell?University?the?human?factor?criterion?should?be?as? follows:? ? Seat?Height???Optimum?seat?height?is?controversial.?? 56 o Traditional?Criterion???Seat?height?should?be?adjusted?to?support?a? knee?angle?of?90?degrees?to?prevent?leg?swelling.? o However?75%?of?leg?swelling?may?be?due?to?low?leg?muscle?activity? rather?than?chair.?? o Minimum?Height???should?be?15??(38cm)?which?designs?to?the?5th? percentile?of?women?with?1??heels.?The?seat?should?adjust?9??(23cm).?? o Fixed?Height???should?be?about?17??(43cm).?This?is?a?compromise.?A? chair?that?is?too?high?leads?to?increased?pressure?at?the?popliteal? fold?(underside?of?knees),?decreasing?blood?circulation?and? increasing?pressure?on?the?nerve.?A?chair?that?is?too?low?increases? weight?on?the?ischial?tuberosities.?? ? Seat?Pan???? o Seat?Depth???recommended?is?16.5??for?fixed?seats?and?14?18.5??for? adjustable?seats.?If?the?seat?depth?is?greater?than?the?buttock? popliteal?length?(fifth?percentile?woman?is?at?17?)?then?the?user? won?t?be?able?to?use?the?backrest.?? o Seat?Pan?Contours???Half?body?weight?is?supported?by?an?8%?area? under?the??seat?bones??(ischial?tuberosities).?If?the?seat?is?hard?and? flat?the?pressures?can?be?85?100?p.s.i.?Seat?contouring?and? 57 cushioning?can?be?used?to?distribute?pressure?over?a?larger?area?and? rotate?the?pelvis?forward?the?promote?better?posture.?? o Seat?Cushioning???recommended?thickness?at?1.5?2?.?Cushion? should?be?firmer?in?back?and?thicker?while?less?firm?and?thinner?at? front.?Too?much?cushioning?can?cause?the?body?to?sink?into?a?chair? constraining?movement.?A?soft?chair?may?be?comfortable?at?first,? but?as?the?body?sinks?blood?circulation?lowers,?skin?temperature? rises?in?affected?areas,?and?compression?under?thighs?increases.? These?factors?combine?to?increase?discomfort.?? ? Cushion?Compressibility???Compressibility?is?termed? indentation?load?deflection?(ILD)?or?indentation?force? deflections?(IFD).?An?ideal?combination?is?a?soft?top?layer? (25%?ILD)?over?a?firm?bottom?layer?(65%?ILD).?Increased? ratios?between?the?two,?greater?than?2.6,?leads?to?better? quality?support.?? o Seat?Width???around?20???22??to?accommodate?clothed?persons.?If? seat?has?armrests?then?elbow?to?elbow?breadth?may?be?more? relevant.?? 58 ? Seat?Angle???Positive?seat?angle?helps?user?to?maintain?good?contact?with? backrest.?For?most?purposes?a??5?to?10?degree?angle?is?recommended.? ? Backrests???? o Height???Higher?backrests?give?better?trunk?weight?support.?Three? categories:?? ? Low?level?backrest???supports?the?lumbar?region?only.? Depth?of?the?lumbar?curve?of?the?backrest?should?be?0.6??? 2.0?.?Backrest?heights?of?5,?7,?and?9??seem?equally?effective.?? ? Medium?level?backrest???gives?full?shoulder?support?(e.g.? car?seat,?office?chair)?and?may?need?to?be?about?26??high?to? accommodate?the?95th?percentile?man.?? ? High?level?backrest???full?support?of?head?and?neck?(e.g.? plane?seat)?and?may?need?to?be?about?36??for?a?95th? percentile?man.?? ? Angle???Optimal?angle?seems?to?be?between?100?110?degrees?(Cornell? University).? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Figure 8, Seated Anthropometric chart (Cornell University) Figure 9 Data of Seated Anthropometric chart (Cornell University) Dimension,?In? Body?dimension? Sex? 5th? 50th? 95th? ?1.? Height,?sitting? Male? 33.1? 35.7? 38.1 ?? ? Female? 30.9? 33.5? 35.7 ?? 2.? Eye?height,?sitting? Male? 28.6? 30.9? 33.2? ?? ? Female? 26.6? 28.9? 30.9? ?? 3.? Elbow?rest?height,? Male? 7.5? 9.6? 11.6? ?? sitting? Female? 7.1? 9.2? 11.1? ?? ? ? ? 4.? Thigh?clearance? Male? 4.5? 5.7? 7.? ?? height? Female? 4.2? 5.4? 6.9?? ?5.? Knee?height,?sitting? Male? 19.4? 21.4? 23.3 ?? ? Female? 17.8? 19.6? 21.5 ?? ? ? ?? ? ?6.? Buttock?knee? Male? 21.3? 23.4? 25.3 ?? distance,?sitting? Female? 20.4? 22.4? 24.6 ? ?7.? Popliteal?height,? Male? 15.4? 17.4? 19.2 ? sitting? Female 14.0 15.7? 17.4 59 60 5.33?PHYSICAL?INTERFACE? Products?and?parts?which?could?be?seen?in?any?way?as?being?weak?put?the? safety?of?the?consumer?at?risk,?as?well?as?any?confidence?they?may?have?in?the? product?or?brand.?The?size?of?gaps?and?the?position?of?corners,?or?edges?can?cause? injury?to?people?or?damage?to?their?clothing?if?not?carefully?considered.? ? 5.34?MATERIAL?CHOICES? Materials?such?as,?stainless?steel,?aluminum?and?some?timbers?can?be?used? in?a?manner?known?as??self?finish?,?that?is?without?any?secondary?application? such?as?painting?or?powder?coating.?This?can?help?to?increase?a?product?s?lifespan? and?enables?easier?maintenance?in?the?case?of?any?damage.?Where?secondary? finishes?are?used,?designers?should?give?consideration?to?their?durability?and?the? levels?of?maintenance?required?to?maintain?their?quality?of?appearance.?Material? durability?combined?with?cost?and?ease?of?replacement?will?improve?the? performance?of?products.?This?combination?will?reduce?the?potential?and? probability?of?damage?and?the?speed?at?which?it?can?be?replaced?or?repaired.?A? products?appearance?can?be?enhanced?over?time?with?careful?consideration?to?the? choice?of?materials,?finishes?and?colors.?Normal?wear?and?tear?is?to?be?expected? and?the?level?of?durability?should?be?considered?at?the?design?stage.? 61 5.35?HUMAN?FACTORS? User?understanding?and?acceptance?of?a?product?will?be?improved?if?the? product?s?user?interfaces?are?carefully?considered?and?logically?set?out.?This? approach?improves?the?emotional?comfort?of?people?using?what?might?otherwise? seem?to?be?an?alien?product?in?an?unfamiliar?environment.?? The?demographics?should?be?clearly?understood?and?considered?at?every?phase? of?the?design?process.?A?product?s?design?and?the?level?of?its?features?not?only? affect?its?suitability?in?use,?but?may?also?contribute?to?its?visual?character.?Today?s? consumers?have?access?to?and?are?constantly?informed?by?many?products?and? environments.?This?helps?to?shape?peoples??opinions?of?what?is?considered? modern?in?terms?of?both?technology?and?style.?The?design?should?embrace?the? long?term?trends?as?well?as?short?term?trends.?Styling?that?is?overtly?fashionable? will?be?perceived?to?date?very?quickly?and?should?be?avoided.? ? 5.36?APPEARANCE? A?product?s?aesthetic?appearance?should?be?enhanced?for?two?reasons:? firstly?to?enable?customers?to?avoid?what?may?be?a?(necessary)?intrusion?into?a? space;?and?secondly?to?enable?an?easier?understanding?and?use?of?a?product.?The? clarity?and?ease?of?use?of?a?product?if?designed?with?consideration?for?users?with? 62 disabilities?will?be?to?the?benefit?of?all?users.?To?aid?simplicity,?a?color?contrast? between?product?features?should?be?included.?Differentiating?between?the?floor? and?or?walls?and?a?product?can?also?highlight?a?product?s?presence.?Contrast?can? also?be?achieved?in?two?other?ways:?firstly?by?specifying?different?parts?of?a? product?in?different?colors?e.g.?one?color?for?a?seat?pan?and?another?for?the?arm? rest;?secondly?by?including?an?element?of?reflective?material,?for?instance,? stainless?steel?against?a?dark?wood?color.? 5.37?SUSTAINABILITY? A?product?its?lifespan?does?not?end?when?it?no?longer?performs?its? intended?function.?If?considered?at?the?design?stage,?disassembling?a?product? may?offer?parts?which?could?be?used?in?other?products?and?thus?help?save?cost.? Following?disassembly,?parts?which?cannot?be?reused?may?be?able?to?be?recycled.? The?use?of?parts?which?cannot?either?be?reused?or?recycled?should?be?minimized.?? 5.38?VISUAL?COMMUNICATION? ? How?a?product?works?must?be?clear?and?simple?to?understand.?This? should?be?investigated?by?the?designer?to?provide?a?logical?sequence?of? operations,?perhaps?enhanced?by?either?pictograms?and?or?numbers.?The?use?of? any?words?or?pictograms?should?be?carefully?considered,?any?application?that? 63 might?result?in?potential?misunderstanding?or?unnecessary?visual?clutter?should? be?avoided? 64 6.0?DESIGN?DEVELOPMENT? This?chapter?will?detail?the?exploration?of?concepts?and?explain?the? process?of?taking?a?concept?to?the?final?prototype.?Each?step?will?be?explained? and?illustrated?to?document?the?approach?taken.?The?method,?style,?and? materials?employed?were?selected?due?to?a?knowledge?and?familiarity?of?them.?If? another?designer?wishes?to?follow?this?example,?be?aware?that?this?method?is?not? universal?and?can?be?modified?to?fit?the?designer?s?own?comfort?and?abilities.? 6.1 IDEA SKETCHING Visual?communication?is?a?key?component?of?any?designer?s?abilities.? Sketching?allows?the?designer?to?illustrate?his/her?ideas.?With?all?the?research?that? has?been?done,?one?must?be?able?to?support?an?idea?or?a?product?will?never?be? produced.?Now?that?a?type?of?product?has?been?chosen,?the?sketching?phase? begins.??A?free?and?loose?style?of?sketching?is?used?to?capture?the?feel?of?the? product?and?how?it?will?be?used,?without?taking?large?amounts?of?time?on?one? idea.?The?more?sketches?that?are?produced,?generally?correlates?with?the?more? ideas?that?are?generated.? ? 6.11?BRAINSTORMING? Figure 10, Brainstorming Sketches 65 6.2?FORM?DEVELOPMENT? The?concept?sketches?act?as?a?guide?in?building?the?concept?into?a?product.? Once?a?sketch?has?been?chosen?to?move?forward?in?the?process?a?computer?model? is?made?to?better?understand?the?design?in?three?dimensions.?After?the?model?has? been?examined,?the?next?step?will?involve?refining?the?concept?computer?models.? This?design?was?chosen?because?of?the?versatility.?The?chair?allows?for?several? unique?configurations,?such?as:?the?flipping?of?the?arm?rest?to?allow?for?laptop? usage,?the?rotating?of?the?back?rest?to?allow?for?face?to?face?interaction,?and?the? folding?down?of?all?the?arms?individually?to?allow?for?more?space.? 66 Figure 11 Sketch and initial computer model Figure 13 Computer model, various configurations Figure 12 Computer model, various configurations 67 6.3?CONCEPT?REFINMENT? The?next?step?in?the?process?was?the?concept?refinement?stage.?Based?on? consumer?feedback?from?the?initial?concept?sketches?and?models,?revisions?were? made?and?a?new?computer?model?was?generated.??In?this?design?softer?lines?were? used?with?the?intent?of?emulating?many?of?the?electronic?gadgets?that?were?now? popular?with?the?target?demographic.?? Figure 14 Sketch showing refinement in form 68 ? Figure 16 Sketch showing refinement in form Figure 15 Sketch showing refinement in form 69 6.31?COMPUTER?MODELS? ? Figure?17?Computer?model?showing?overall?dimensions?in?inches 70 ?? ? ? ??????????Figure?18?Computer?model?showing?overall?dimensions?in?inches 71 ? 72 Figure 19 Computer models showing refinement in form Figure 20 Computer models showing refinement in form 73 6.32?THE?FINAL?DESIGN? isions?were?made?to?increase?to?overall?strength?of? ? ? d? In?the?final?design?small?rev Figure 21 Computer model of final design the?chair.?First?the?arm?rest?were?extended?downward?toward?the?base?to?allow for?greater?strength,?next?the?backrest?cushions?were?embedded?into?the?backrest for?increased?potency?and?to?make?the?user?interface?easier?to?understand?and? lastly?the?flipping?of?the?armrest?was?eliminated?due?to?structural?weakness,?an instead?a?rotating?tray?was?added.? 74 ? Figure 22 Computer models of final design in various configurations 75 BIBLIOGRAPHY? 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REFERENCE?LIST?FOR?SUB?CULTURE?WEB?SITES:? http://www.idonline.com/features/index.asp?goto=closead? ? http://www.idsa.org/? ? http://www.innovationjournal.org/? ? http://www.artandculture.com/cgi? bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/movement?id=150&sel=mov&sub=a2z? ? I:\Web?Sites\BraunPrize?2007?International?Design?Award?[International? competition?to?promote?young?designers].mht? ? I:\Web?Sites\DiversityWorking??Commercial?and?Industrial?Designers??Diversity? Jobs??Minority?Job?Search.mht? ? I:\Web?Sites\Emerald?FullText?Article??Workgroup?productivity?the? implications?of?African?Americans??racial?stereotypes?for?cooperative?job? designs.mht? ? I:\Web?Sites\The?Black?Aesthetic?Revisited?Cross?cultural?Design?Professional? Resources?AIGA.mht? ? http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/topicArticleId? 26957,articleId?26854.html? ? http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/magazine/30brand.html? ? 80 http://mass? customization.blogs.com/mass_customization_open_i/2006/07/consumer_create. html? ? http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/visualarts/intro?visualculture.html? ? http://www.visualculture.wisc.edu/whatisvisualculture.htm? ? http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/DEA325notes/sitting.html? ? http://www.global.asc.upenn.edu/index.php?page=167 http://scrapbookingwithwords.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/social-norms-in-a-virtual- world/ ? ? ? ?