Utili.tre

For our ‘Be here now’ midterm, we were working with the idea of data- data that is all around us, produced and generated every second, tracked and monetized, stored and distributed, analyzed and sold- the presence of data is overwhelming. Our first approach was to try and circumvent the ways in which data operates in today’s market economy. Our plan was to somehow make users take control of their data and realize a stake in the data currency economy. The idea is dear to our hearts but three weeks was too short a time to intelligently engage with this problem.

Our second approach, and one that led us to this project was channeling the data around us into something fun and useful. We thought of the one kind of data that everyone produces that is most in need of monitoring- energy consumption. Utili.tre is a physical manifestation of your energy consumption- in your backyard, on the subway station, or a community piazza. We envision Utili.tre as a living, breathing tree that is kept alive by the energy you save (figuratively-the mechanisms of the tree will be solar powered, after all this is about saving energy!). Each node feeds off of a particular type of consumption- gas, water or electricity. The more you save, the more your tree blooms!

Utili.tre could be customized for community use or individual use. It creates a direct sense of environmental impact by affecting immediate change in your surroundings- an experience whose lack leads many of us to ignore the world’s energy problems. Utili.tre is a simple yet elegant way to create awareness and empathy towards energy issues.

Kindle User Interface Analysis

 

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A day in the life of..

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On Taste.

(In response to Paul Graham’s discussion On Taste)

The Critique of Judgment begins with an account of beauty. For Kant, aesthetic judgment has four characteristics-

1) That the judgment of beauty is disinterested – Something is beautiful because we take pleasure in it, not the other way around. Beauty is almost a quality of the object- like its weight and material.

2) That the judgment of beauty is universal – Often misunderstood, universality here refers to man’s innate common sense.

3) That the judgment is necessary – The judgment of beauty is not very different from other cognitive judgments. Every judgment of the human mind follows principle.

4) That the judgment is tied up with the experience of purpose – Again, one of the more misunderstood points in Kant’s discourse, to experience purpose is to experience affect; it is to be moved in some way; to be forced to think. All beauty lies in the higher realm of ideas.

I bring up Kant here because he approaches beauty in design from the perspective of human judgment. Good design happens at the intersection of human experience and great ideas to make that experience better. Graham’s essay presents an almost exhaustive list of features of good design except the part where people actually use the design! Good design feels natural, it feels seamless, or as in with immersive experiences- good design has beautiful seams. I felt that the Kantian approach is especially important today when fewer and fewer people are at the receiving end of cutting edge design. It should not be difficult for people to understand how new technology works. It is frightening that so much new stuff is being made that is intimidating to so many users. A washing machine has no business trying to be anything more than well, a washing machine. When Graham says, a good design is simple, I almost hoped he meant, simple to use/experience. Good design is simple in that it is simple to the mind and body of the user. This is exactly the idea that sets Apple apart from its competitors. It is human. Kant’s discourse is especially helpful in that he looks at beauty over design and it may be time to revisit that relationship.