CR02

I found the last two lectures to be really helpful. The lectures were about designing for the environment and designing for accessibility.

The design for accessibility lecture correlated fairly well with my Womens Studies class. In that class, we read an article by a disable woman telling about her experiences facing prejudice for being disabled and being a woman. She described how there are many disability levels, and every individual faces different problems. I think this is something designers should keep in mind with designing buildings and products. Every individual with a disability has a different experience so it's important to have designs that work for individuals. I think the Knowlton architecture building on campus does a good job of being designed for a variety of individuals. It has a ramp and an elevator to suit people's needs. The ramp is easily accessible for all, and it's not hidden in the back of the building like many other buildings on campus. Designing for accessibility is something that is very important and should be at the forefront of every designer's mind.

The designing for the environment lecture got me thinking about issues I had heard about, but was not very familiar with. I've definitely noticed our society's obsession with "going green." Every product, restaurant, and store claims to be "green." However, the issues of designing products for affordable repair, not wasting unrenewable resources, and questioning the ultimate consequences of a design are obviously not being taken into account as much as they should be.  The example Gabe Tippery used in class about the curling iron really made this concept concrete to me. It doesn't seem that difficult to sell springs to repair a curling iron, but companies are greedy and want people to buy a brand new iron. We should really be more concerned with the effect of all this waste rather than the monetary profits.

Designing for accessibility and for the environment are two very important topics I will study if I choose to become a designer. I will also be more conscious and careful when buying products and throwing things away.