This does not warrant a long post. Nor can I write much on the topic considering my recent perspective is and will always change.
Still, an interesting experience today as I interviewed a potential Carnegie Mellon design student. I was able to see my views about design in his responses and compare them to what I know now and there was a lot of interesting and surprising differences.
Showing posts with label personality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personality. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Social networking
An interesting observation about my personal life that I would be shocked if it didn't expand to most of my generation.
I am comfortable if not overly willing to network via the Internet but am hesitant or unsure in person.
I don't mean to say I don't like meeting new individuals in my field. In fact it's quite the opposite.
Instead it is the method. I have spent the last few month expanding my digital footprint, updating linkedIn, Coroflot and facebook profiles, starting a Twitter account, and posting on various design blogs. All of this is natural if not second nature to me. Then, about a month ago, I met an individual and exchanged business cards. A seemingly natural transaction, I have become used to digital networking and this physical transaction threw me off.
Now there are many articles out about new social media and networking. What they all fail to address is the need to preserve physical networking as well.
Technology is moving social networking forward and it is infinitely easier to stay in touch with people, but are we losing simple human interactions?
I am comfortable if not overly willing to network via the Internet but am hesitant or unsure in person.
I don't mean to say I don't like meeting new individuals in my field. In fact it's quite the opposite.
Instead it is the method. I have spent the last few month expanding my digital footprint, updating linkedIn, Coroflot and facebook profiles, starting a Twitter account, and posting on various design blogs. All of this is natural if not second nature to me. Then, about a month ago, I met an individual and exchanged business cards. A seemingly natural transaction, I have become used to digital networking and this physical transaction threw me off.
Now there are many articles out about new social media and networking. What they all fail to address is the need to preserve physical networking as well.
Technology is moving social networking forward and it is infinitely easier to stay in touch with people, but are we losing simple human interactions?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
My airport rant
I have always beleived that airports are the one place that show people in their true form. Everyone has a destination a mission and it is interesting to watch the different personalities. I am no exception to this either.
Today, the Sunday at the close of Thanksgiving weekend, I have missed my connecting flight. A combination of weather, human error, and preventable measures by the airline such as waiting five minutes for my flight to arrive could have avoided this post and my now four hour layover.
Still all of what I have written is just to introduce the true confusion. Knowing I need a flight to Pittsburgh the airline attendant tells me I am on standby for a two-legged flight leaving in five hours. I was already on one leg and did not want two more on top of my new-found delay so I ask if there are flights on any other airlines. I am told they cannot interface with the other airlines from within security and they cannot help me. Calling my family we are able to find a direct flight leaving in half the time weather permitting that is cheaper.
So now I am waiting for the cheper, direct flight and I ask:
Why can anyone with an Internet connection reroute my travel plans from essentially anywhere in the states but the attendent at the airport can't even col up my flight information?
Today, the Sunday at the close of Thanksgiving weekend, I have missed my connecting flight. A combination of weather, human error, and preventable measures by the airline such as waiting five minutes for my flight to arrive could have avoided this post and my now four hour layover.
Still all of what I have written is just to introduce the true confusion. Knowing I need a flight to Pittsburgh the airline attendant tells me I am on standby for a two-legged flight leaving in five hours. I was already on one leg and did not want two more on top of my new-found delay so I ask if there are flights on any other airlines. I am told they cannot interface with the other airlines from within security and they cannot help me. Calling my family we are able to find a direct flight leaving in half the time weather permitting that is cheaper.
So now I am waiting for the cheper, direct flight and I ask:
Why can anyone with an Internet connection reroute my travel plans from essentially anywhere in the states but the attendent at the airport can't even col up my flight information?
Monday, October 27, 2008
a designer's personality...
an interesting observation of late:
are all designers trained to hate the world, and thats why we strive to make it better?
i have always had a certain amount of crowd anxiety, frustration with servers at restaurants despite being one not too long ago, and have shaken my head at the behaviors of people so immersed in their iPhones they almost cause accidents crossing the street.
i always thought it was me, and yes i know that falls into the narcissistic behavior of everyone as well. but then i was at dinner last thursday with a former professor of mine and at least three times during the meal that i can recall, we looked at each other and shook our heads in reaction to people in the environment. our server was less than enthusiastic about working a thursday night, other customers disregarded the public setting yelling at their loudest, and all we did was shake out heads in dismay.
so, my question is simple. where as designers do we draw the line between observing the world and society and being a member of it? when must we stop criticising people and realize that we too are human. i feel that as designers we take it for granted that we understand how a system works and how a story is told, but at what point do we become victims to our own skills and personalities? at what point are we as guilty as the users we shake our heads about in the restaurant.
are all designers trained to hate the world, and thats why we strive to make it better?
i have always had a certain amount of crowd anxiety, frustration with servers at restaurants despite being one not too long ago, and have shaken my head at the behaviors of people so immersed in their iPhones they almost cause accidents crossing the street.
i always thought it was me, and yes i know that falls into the narcissistic behavior of everyone as well. but then i was at dinner last thursday with a former professor of mine and at least three times during the meal that i can recall, we looked at each other and shook our heads in reaction to people in the environment. our server was less than enthusiastic about working a thursday night, other customers disregarded the public setting yelling at their loudest, and all we did was shake out heads in dismay.
so, my question is simple. where as designers do we draw the line between observing the world and society and being a member of it? when must we stop criticising people and realize that we too are human. i feel that as designers we take it for granted that we understand how a system works and how a story is told, but at what point do we become victims to our own skills and personalities? at what point are we as guilty as the users we shake our heads about in the restaurant.
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