Tabuchi, H., “Japanese Playing a New Video Game: Catch-Up.” New York Times Online. Visited on October 4, 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/technology/20game.html?_r=1 This article discuss how Japan is partnering with Westerns in the gaming industry. In the mid 1980s’ through 1990s most game franchises were developed from Japan. Some of Nintendo’s Mario, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog from Sean and Gran Turismo from Sony. Japan is now at least five years behind in the industry. The best selling game was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which was developed in the United States. Concept Design: Japan use to define the gaming industry. Part of it’s problem is that they need to appeal to players that are located overseas. Interaction Design: Developers want to try and reach out to the West and collaborate. Collaboration in trying to make games have a more global appeal can possibly generate a bigger target audience. Capcom for example developed Take Shadow of Rome. This 2005 action game was made for European and American markets. Instead of designing over sized samurai swordsmen they designed over sized gladiators. Interface Design: The interface design are collaborating with people from overseas and learn their culture in order to appeal in the market. They…
Cognitive Blindness, Conceptual Design, Contributor, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Mental Model Traps, Perception
Re “Wine Study Shows Price Influences Perception”
by Van Nga •
Svitil, K., (2008). “Wine Study Shows Price Influences Perception.” California Institute of Technology. Visited on October 4, 2010: http://media.caltech.edu/press_releases/13091 This article is a research study about how the region of the brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex showed higher activity when participants drank wines at a higher price. A wine tasting study was conducted at the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Twenty volunteers tasted five wine samples at different retail prices: $5, $10, $35, $45 and $90 per bottle. The volunteers tasted and evaluated which wines that they found more pleasurable. Two out of five of the wines were the same but one was priced at $10 and one at $90. In the experiment the subjects rated and preferred the $90 priced wine more than the $10, although they did not know that they tasted the same wine. Cognitive Design What does the product do? In this study the cognitive design was a wine tasting experiment. The concept of the research was to experiment on the perception of price on different wines. The setting was controlled in that the subjects did not know that they tasted the same wine but told that the price was different. While tasting…
Conceptual Design, Contributor, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Product Design Strategy
Why companies watch your every Facebook, YouTube, Twitter move
by Van Nga •
Weber, T. (2010). “Why Companies Watch Your Every Facebook, YouTube, Twitter Move.” BBC News. Visited on October 4, 2010: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11450923 This article focuses on how effective everyday social networking can impact their product name, reputation and sales. By using social networking consumers get a chance to voice their opinions and experience by using social media tools such as Facebook, Tweeter, and YouTube. Conceptual Design What does the product do? In this article the product is the social media tools such as Facebook, Tweeter and YouTube. A couple of scenarios were examples that identified how people use social networking to convey a message on a brand or product. A Canadian singer, Dave Carroll complained about his bad experience with United Airlines baggage handlers for damaging his guitar. He then made a music video complaining about his experience and posted it on YouTube. The conceptual design was that he used a social media tool to post his video in order to have his voice heard about United Airlines. The interaction design part was that Dave used a powerful media tool that the general public had access to viewing and commenting on. People started viewing the video, interacting and commented about his frustration.…