posts – matters of design

on design and changing behavior

by Michael Shanks

This post is in a series of commentaries on a class running at Stanford, Winter Quarter 2010 – “Transformative Design” ENGR 231 – [Link] Stanford School of Engineering – Ask The Expert “Our behavior is deeply influenced by the norms and frameworks that surround us and design can be used to create systems and experiences…

what is design thinking?

by Michael Shanks

This post is in a series of commentaries on a class running at Stanford, Winter Quarter 2010 – “Transformative Design” ENGR 231 – [Link] We can certainly connect the emergence of the field of “design” with the growth of industrial manufacture in the nineteenth century – designers work with mass manufacturing processes in the industrial…

design thinking – the bootcamp

by Michael Shanks

This post is in a series of commentaries on a class running at Stanford, Winter Quarter 2010 – “Transformative Design” ENGR 231 – [Link] Workshop From problem orientation – “design a better briefcase” to design thinking – observe/interview, identify issues with someone’s portable life, then address them iteratively sharing the results rapid prototyping station

VINOVIVM

by Michael Shanks

Our project to explore the Roman town of Binchester – Vinovium – reached the news at Stanford today – [Link] The report took an appropriately student-centered focus. And we certainly had a wonderful team last year. Project site – VINOVIVM.ORG

Holmes 2009 – documenting the past?

by Michael Shanks

It can’t really be called “period detail”. What impressed us about the new Sherlock Holmes movie [Link] was the way it handled the nineteenth century. It was the color space (very mannered, desaturated, toned) and the abraded, worn, littered look of the urban spaces. It just kind of felt like Victorian London. Of course, Victorian…