MAS 742 Industrial Design Intelligence: A Cognitive Science Approach To Engineering

Ted Selker
selker@media.mit.edu

TA: Jackie Lee, jackylee@media.mit.edu
Machining shop manager: John DiFrancesco, difran@media.mit.edu

Class Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 12:30-2:00 PM, E15-235
Office Hours: Friday 4:00-5:00pm

Class Annoucement:
(Last updated on October 13, 2006 )

We have our class wiki on http://wiki.media.mit.edu/bin/view/MAS742/WebHome (Thanks, Maya)

Online Design Intelligence 2004 lecture at http://www.media.mit.edu/events/di-2004-10-22/index.html

For the next IDI class on Oct 19, please:

1. Bring your waterjet work to the class and one-page PDF description.

*Send the PDF to jackylee@media.mit.edu (please add [MAS 742] to your email subject)

Class Introduction.
The look, feel and use of objects communicate their value to us. This course applies cognitive science and technology to the industrial design process. The course will introduce prototyping techniques and approaches for objective evaluation as part of the design process. Students will practice evaluating products with mechanical and electronic aspects. The evaluation process will then be applied to creating functioning product prototypes. This is a project-oriented course that will draw on engineering, aesthetic, and creative skills. The course is geared towards students interested in creating physical products which encompass electronics and computers in order to include them in scenarios. Students will present readings, learn prototyping skills, create a product prototype, and complete a publication style paper. We will mill, cut, mold solder, program and draw our way to evaluating product design.

Textbook.
An Introduction to Human Factors Engineering by Christopher Wickens
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0321012291?v=glance

Training: Research Involving Human Subjects @ MIT
http://web.mit.edu/osp/www/hs-training.htm

Model making and prototyping skills will be taught.
Fabrication Lab, http://www.media.mit.edu/physics/pedagogy/fab/fablab.htm

Electronics reference:
Digikey (for ordering electronic parts)
Google (our best friend)
Sparkfun (useful parts, modules...)
IRX board, http://web.media.mit.edu/~ayb/irx/
please check: IRX board, http://web.media.mit.edu/~ayb/irx/
Lecture note from Ernesto
PIC16F88 pdf1, pdf2
C Manual
Example C code1, code2
MPLAB 6.4
CCSC compiler

Readings.
An Introduction to Human Factors Engineering, Professional Modelmaking, Design of the 20th Century, 20th Century Design, The Idea of Design, Sensation and Perception, Psychology of Everyday Things, Design For the Real World
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Media-Arts-and-Sciences/MAS-742Fall2003/CourseHome/index.htm

Physical Objects and written articles will be discussed in class.

Approximate lecture schedule.
Sep 07 :Class Introduction
Sep 12 :Engineering and evaluation: a perspective [soda bottle assignment due]
Sep 14 :TrackPoint; the makings of an ergonomic product and article [machine shop training 1hr.] [2D->3D assignment due]
Sep 19 :Famous Industrial Design examples; Design of the 20th Century [waterjet training 1hr.]
Sep 21 :Discussion of product design projects [vacuum form assignment due]
Sep 26 :Thinkpad stories of design challenges and solutions
Sep 28 :David Laturi- Brookstone Product Design
Oct 03 :Invention and evaluation of graphical interfaces
Oct 05 :Physical model making
Oct 10 :Holiday (Columbus day)
Oct 12 : [Book Presentation]
Oct 17 :Go to and write a report on Context-Aware Computing open houses [Human Subject Training @ MIT]
Oct 19 :Discuss project description proposals, discuss ID magazine [waterjet assignment due] [Electronic assignment due]
Oct 24 :The Idea of Design: perspectives from the design world [3D print training 1hr.]
Oct 26 :Project mock-ups presented, and discuss Charles Eames [molding training 1.5hr.]
Oct 31 :Discuss Design for the real world, and Raymond Loewy [3D print/molding assignment due]
Nov 02 :Discuss project evaluation and Richard Sapper
Nov 07 :Sensation and Perception [Final project proposal due]
Nov 09 :Memory and Learning
Nov 14 :Writing a paper
Nov 16 :Motor control
Nov 21 :Project evaluation discussion
Nov 23 :Thanksgiving Vacation
Nov 28 :Discuss drafts of papers
Nov 30 :Product lifecycle
Dec 05 :Psychology of everyday things
Dec 07 :Field trip to Design Contiuum (or Menta Design)
Dec 12 :Final Presentation