Exercise 3.2: Personas – Miyuki Takazono
Project 3 – Miyuki Takazono
Exercise 3.1: Narratives – Miyuki Takazono
My friend Mark and I had a plan to cook Mapo-tofu the night before Thanksgiving. The night before that, my other friend decided to join us. To serve the meal for three of us, we figured we needed to double the recipe. And so I had the task of getting extra ingredients.
If you have seen my map, you’ll note that there are lots of disturbances and chaos in my neighborhood. To maintain my sanity, I try to avoid being out during the busiest times of day. Being out in this neighborhood the day before Thanksgiving seems like my worst nightmare. The grocery store is just one mile away, yet it will take 15 minutes to get there by car. Finding a parking spot will take at least another 20. Going into the store to grab what I need, pay, and leave will take another 20. Why does it have to be so difficult?!
But I did it. I overcame all the obstacles and managed to get the missing ingredients — jalapeno and silken tofu.
To celebrate, I wrote the following little poem to describe the flavor range of this delicious dish.
Dear Mapo,
The things I have done to make you come true
All the obstacles I have overcome
To taste you, to devour you.
We shall soon to be together.
Garlic and ginger,
Per my Asian roots, you are inseparable.
Ground pork lends a profound base
Browned until crispy.
Silken tofu softly coats my throat
Its tenderness warms my heart.
Little jalapeno, you give us tingles
Pairing nicely with Sichuan pepper.
Black bean sauce adds boldness
While holding hands with tomato paste.
Chicken stock brings it all together
Choreographing a perfect dance in a sauce pan.
Scallions garnish, and there you are.
You’re finally revealed to me.
To be tasted, to be devoured
To be together.
Mappings: Part3-Miyuki Takazono
Exercise 2.3: Geographies – Miyuki Takazono
I walked around my neighborhood during the late morning on the weekday. As I have lived in this area for past 20 years, the walk didn’t take me to anywhere that I was unfamiliar, with but I noticed few things.
1) Noise. There was no single moment the silence took place. Whether it’s the exhaustion of the car, music from the car, construction, children screaming, dogs’ barking, human talking, birds’ chirping…, I was constantly surrounded by noise.
2) Air quality. This is a part of the LA things, and like many Angeleno, I don’t walk much. By walking, I noticed poor air quality. I think the dust from the constructions combined with the exhaustion of the car were making air quality much worse.
For these reasons, plus the weather of the day–it was a hot day–I cannot say I enjoyed the walk, but it was a refreshing experience to be able to see and notice things from a different perspective (eye level), as opposed to viewing things from the car.
Mappings: Part2-Miyuki Takazono
Exercise 2.2: Architectures – Miyuki Takazono
Mappings: Part1-Miyuki Takazono
The site I chose is my neighborhood. I live in the mid-city, Los Angeles. The major street crossing (San Vicente blvd. and Wilshire blvd.) is just a half block away and creating massive traffic due to metro line construction.
Transformation:
I locate between the two new metro stations city of Los Angeles is building. These major constructions are causing massive inconvenience (dust, noise, road blockage).
Traffic:
I live a half block away from the major intersection normally creates lots of traffic and gets intense during the LA commute time. The transformation is contributing to produce MASSIVE traffic majority of the day. (7:30am to 8:00pm) .
Education
A Montessori school locates across from my apartment building. I hear kids’ high pitch screaming voice from my during the week.
Community
Numerous shops (cafes, restaurants, small goods store, clothing stores) lines up on the street attracting locals on the weekdays and bridge and tunnel on the weekends.
Toxin
About a mile east of me, there’s are a spot always releasing the foul smells. I have heard its a smell of sulfa which is coming from the tar pits across from the street. If that is true, I do not understand why tar pits itself doesn’t smell like sulfa.
Exercise 2.1: Informations – Miyuki Takazono
Tokyo Metropolitan Area, Rail & Roads Atlas, 1993 – Akasaka, Roppongi Area (page36)
Layering: Map employs laying technique everywhere on the page to manage complexity and reinforces relationship in the information. (i.e., Street and metro line are layered. Types are over lapping with streets and areas)
Iconic Representation: Japanese standard geographical iconic representations are used to display School, Postal office, Shrine, Temple, Bank, etc…
Hierarchy: Typographical hierarchy is employed to distinguish geographical hierarchy (i.e., the wards, the neighborhoods, the areas and the buildings)
Consistency: The consistent typographical, color and graphical treatments are applied throughout the entire booklet of the map.
Highlighting: some texts are highlighted in pink and blue to draw attention.
Miyuki_Joyce
Chairs in Miyuki’s life
What is it?: Wood chair painted in Peacock color
Where is it?: The space between my neighborhood coffee shop and Trader Joe’s
After I purchased my coffee, I usually sit on this chair for few minutes to appreciate the first several sips. The seating area of the chair is flat and hard so not recommended seating for an extended period. The chair is not comfortable to lean back because the depth of the seating area is deep. But if the table in front of the chair is available, it is possible to put the feet up; then the chair becomes more comfortable to sit back.
What is it? White molded plastic chair
Where is it? Dining chair
I use dining area for both dining and the home office, so use this chair for both dining and study/work. The seating area is curved slightly and design to hug buttocks. This allow to sit pleasantly on this chair. The chair is designed to be a dining chair, and it is comfortable to sit for a few hours but not to sit for several hours.
What is it? Upholstery chair
Where is it? Living room
This is my favorite chair in the household. The arm and the back rest is created by U-shape structure which attaches to the base of the seat. I can sit facing front but also, I can sit in side-way and drape my legs over to the arm rest. The chair has plush seating and arm/back rest that makes very comfortable to sit for long period. I use this chair to study, read, watch TV. It makes me feel safe and warm when I sit on this chair.
An Object Miyuki Loves, An Object Miyuki Hates
An Object I love is Sonicare EasyClean Sonic electric toothbrush. This is my third Sonic electric toothbrush. Among all three, I like this model EasyClean the most because it’s simplicity. Affordance and visibility are very clear. There is only one button to press on the handle, and it is intuitive that you need to press that button to use the product. Immediately after pressing the button, the electric motor starts to vibrate the brush head that gives me clear feedback that the toothbrush is active. The two-minute timer helps ensure dental professional recommended brushing time. Also, 30-second interval timer indicates when you have completed each quadrant of your mouth resulting in more consistent cleaning throughout the mouth. After every usage, the toothbrush can be charged by standing on the base charger. In case the battery is low, the small orange light blinks to give the indication that recharging is needed.
The product has possible physical constrain. The length of the electronic code attached to the base is about short, so it might restrict where you can charge the toothbrush. But I think the electronic outlet is close to the bathroom sink most of the time.
An Object I hate is ReadyPost clear mailing tape by United States Postal Service. Affordance is not clear. The sticky side of the tape is facing down where I think it should face up, which giving me a full confusion of how this tape was designed to use. I don’t know whether I am using this correctly or not, until this day. As I attempt to tape two elements together, it provides immediate and clear feedback whether the items are attached. However, applying the tape in a straight line can be very tricky. The metal blade to detach/cut the tape is a nice attempt–it seems it is designed to afford to cut the tape with one hand but I always need both hands, which could be problematic if you are using one hand to hold down the package while you tape.
Strategy: Symmetry
Symmetry creates balance, harmony, and stability in design. It is considered the most basic aspect of beauty. Symmetry is one of the Gestalt principles; there are three types of symmetry: Reflection, Rotation, and Translation. Reflection symmetry is the mirroring of elements around a central axis (i.e., butterfly). Rotation symmetry is the rotation of elements around a common center (i.e., sunflower). Translation symmetry is the location of elements in different areas of space (i.e., school of fish). Use simple symmetric form when recognition is important, and use a combination of different types of symmetric forms to emphasis interestingness.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Symmetry, Symmetry and Asymmetry in design
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Symmetry
Example 2 (online source) – Symmetry
Example 3 (real life) – The Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, USA
Strategy: Modularity
Modularity is a system management method that involves managing a large and complex system by dividing it into multiple and self-contained systems (modules). A computer memory chip is a good example of modularity. The owner of the computer can add the memory chip without any requirements to increase the memory. If a computer chip were not modular, the only way to increase memory would be to buy a new computer. Because modular design reduces the complexity of the system architecture, it improves reliability, flexibility, maintainability, as well as promoting innovation.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Modularity
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Modularity
Example 2 (online source) – Modularity in Design
Example 3 (real life) – The Container Store®: Platinum elfa® utility wall
Strategy: Attractiveness Bias
Attractive people are perceived to be more socially desirable than unattractive people. It has been studied and proven that they receive more positive attention and are more associated with intelligence and honesty. They are preferred in hiring decision, make better money doing the same work, and receive leniency in the courtroom. Human are shown to ascribe positive characteristics to attractive people subconsciously. Studies shows that biological factors of attraction are innate. For example, one study showed pictures of attractive and unattractive people to babies, and found that babies looked longer at attractive people. Attractive bias is often used in marketing and advertising where images of people are shown.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Attractiveness Bias, Wikipedia
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Attractiveness Bias
Example 2 (online source) – Beauty
Example 3 (real life) – Whole Foods Market, 3rd & Fairfax, cosmetic aisle
Strategy: Immersion
Immersion is a state of being in which mental focus is so intense that the individual loses a sense of reality; examples of immersive activities include playing games and reading. Working on tasks can also be immersive, resulting in feelings of joy or/and satisfaction. Immersion occurs when perceptual and cognitive systems are challenged just enough to align with capacity (people become bored when these systems are not challenged enough, but get frustrated when they are challenged too much). To incorporate immersion in activities and environment requires people’s participation over time. To achieve immersion, it is important to provide the right balance of control, stimuli, and distraction from the real world.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Immersion
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Immersion
Example 2 (online source) – Welcome to Pandora, avatars are included
Example 3 (real life) – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios Hollywood
Strategy: Good Continuation
Good continuation is one of the Gestalt principles of perception. Elements aligned in lines or curves are perceived as a group, and are considered more related than unaligned elements. For example, two V-shaped lines appearing side by side are perceived as two shapes. However, when those lines are inverted and connected at the bottom to form an X shape, we no longer see two V shapes but instead see one X shape. Good continuation is useful to indicate connectedness between or among elements.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Good Continuation
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Good Continuation
Example 2 (online source) – Continuity 
Example 2 (real life) – Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2014, Label
Strategy: Baby-Face Bias
Humans perceive people and things that have baby-like features have baby-like traits – such as naivety, helplessness, and honesty – more than those that have mature features. Babies with stronger “baby-face” features receive more positive attention from adults and are considered more fun to be with than babies with weaker baby-face features. Baby-faced adults are effective when they play a role involving innocence and honesty; however, they are perceived as ineffective when the role involves assertiveness and authoritativeness. In addition, it is easier to believe that an innocent person would do wrong accidentally than intentionally. For example, in a courtroom, baby-faced adults tend to be found innocent in intentional acts but are likely to found guilty in negligent acts.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Baby-Face Bias
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Baby-Face Bias
Example 2 (online source) – Children as young as three are able to recognize the same ‘cuteness’
Example 3 (real life) – Mudpuppy, Little Feminist book, Frida Kahlo
Strategy: Anthropomorphic Form
Humans have tendency to perceive certain forms as humanlike – typically resembling a face or body. When this tendency is applied to design, it attracts more attention as well as establishes emotional connection. Feminine body proportion evokes sexuality and vitality. Round forms are used to evoke baby-like features. Angular forms evoke masculinity.
Source: Universal Principles of Design: Anthropomorphic Form
Example 1 (original source) – Universal Principles of Design: Anthropomorphic Form
Example 2 (online source) – Zootopia and the anthropomorphic principle
Example 3 (original source) – Spooky Village, Light-Up Jack-o’-Lantern
