Week 3 - Traffic Signs

Traffic signs have become so standard in our lives that we fail to recognize them as an innovative system integral to public safety. They are used to regulate traffic and allow for thousands of vehicles to circulate in an orderly fashion through the same roads at the same time. This set of rules makes travel safe for automobiles and pedestrians alike.

When you really think about how automobiles are used, you realize that they are part of a larger system which allows them to exist. The system is made up of rules that must be followed by drivers in order for it to work effectively. These rules are represented by stop signs, speed limits, warning signs, traffic lights, etc. Traffic signs have been standardized through shapes and colors that make them easily recognizable, i.e. stop signs are octagonal and red. Without them, the system would not work.

This reminds me of the issue we discussed in class about traffic control. We are governed by these rules that allow us to feel safe when driving down the road because we trust that others will respect them, which brings me back to the issue of public safety. Traffic signs make it possible for automobiles and pedestrians to circulate in the same space basically without killing each other.         

Week 3 - Traffic Citations

While traffic signs help implement a system, traffic citations are what enforce it. Sometime after the introduction of road signage, the need arose for a way to assure that drivers would follow these rules. Citations became a way to essentially scare people into respecting the law. Punishment is a good enforcer – especially when it’s monetary. But in order to be effective the punishment must be significant enough so that people are not inclined to break the law; at the same time, it must remain reasonable. But who or what determines what reasonable is? Surely it does not mean the same thing to a person of the lower class compared to someone of the upper class. And even if a median was reached, the fine may not be significant enough to someone who is rich therefore they are more likely to break the law.

Taking it a step further, it is a common belief that the only criminals are the ones who get caught. Police officers cannot possibly be present for every traffic violation thus drivers break the rules all the time. Citations have only partially solved the problem of driver safety and people continue to jeopardize their lives and the lives of others by not respecting traffic laws.      

Week 3 - Photo Enforced Traffic Lights

Photo enforced traffic lights have taken law enforcement to the next level. As I already mentioned, it is impossible for officials to witness every single traffic offense. These lights have provided a solution – at least when it comes to respecting red lights. Intersections are monitored 24/7 so even if there are no cops around you will get punished for running a red light.

Taking the human factor out of this equation had opened up more opportunities for enforcing the law but it has also unraveled a new set of problems. Some may say that these lights are helping to keep us safer but others (like myself) may argue that they can be unfair. Just last week, I turned right on a light just as it had turned yellow and behind me I saw the flash of the camera. In my defense, I could argue that the light had barely turned yellow but there was no one to argue with. Likewise, for someone who is unaware of the local laws for right turns on red lights it means they will get punished either way. And as we all know it is hopeless to appeal a ticket that has already been issued. 

Innovation Week 2 - NeatDesk® by The Neat Company

If you've watched late night television lately you’ve probably seen the commercial for the NeatDesk® scanner. This digital filing system is an improvement on the traditional scanner because it has multiple trays that accommodate sheets of different sizes. The usability has certainly been improved because the sheets are easily fed through the machine like in a shredder.  

The premise of the product is to reduce clutter by digitalizing documents that can be saved on your computer.  Although the product serves its purpose it does not provide a solution to losing documents because as we all know digital files can easily be erased. I wonder if the creators have included some kind of protection against file loss. If anything the safest way to prevent loss would be to have a backup on a flash drive or external drive. But the latter can crash or be misplaced, leading us back to the original predicament – yet another wicked problem.  

Innovation Week 2 - Automatic Bill Pay

Automatic bill pay is a service that automatically deducts payments from your checking or credit account each billing cycle. It is a convenient way of keeping up with your payments without having to worry about sending them in on time. It has also become a means of protecting the environment by reducing the use of paper bills, checks and postage.

But the ease of automatic bill pay has its repercussions as well because it allows others to manage your finances. It is easy to lose track of how your money is being spent and incur unfair overcharges or overdraft fees on your checking account. This is an example of a “wicked problem” that faces not only the service designer but the user as well. The user must find a way to preserve the convenience of putting their payments on autopilot while still keeping tabs on their account each billing cycle.     

Innovation Week 2 - Skype

Skype is an innovative application that makes it possible for people to make voice calls over the internet. The service is free and allows for video conferencing, instant messaging, and file transfers. For a small fee, its users can also make calls to landlines and mobile numbers. Although not the first of its kind, Skype has surpassed many of its predecessors like the MSN Instant Messenger by improving video quality and sound synchronization.

This fairly new technology has spread quickly and reduced the need for landlines and business travel through the use of video conferencing. With computers and internet services becoming more affordable, the product is readily available to almost anyone. Skype connects people from all over the world and improves the experience by allowing users to see each other, making the act of communicating from a distance more tangible – as humans we feel the need to employ as many of our senses in order to make things seem more “real”.   

Innovative Artifact - Pentel Smear-Proof Pen

This pen is a good example of how Herbert Simon describes design, "changing existing situations into preferred ones." It uses the same technology as a regular gel pen but adapts it for left-handers by using quick-drying ink that prevents smearing. When writing we tend to drag our hand and for left-handers that means dragging it over everything we've just written. The quick-drying ink provides a solution to this problem as well as a service to a significantly wide audience.      

Innovative Artifact - Rock Band by Harmonix

Rock Band is a video game consisting of several musical instruments that function much like the real thing. This example of discontinuous innovation (Wylant) provides a unique experience that is unparalleled in gaming history. Non-musicians eliminate the need to learn how to play a real instrument by virtually simulating the experience.

A discontinuous innovation like this one can also be seen as disruptive (Wylant) because it facilitates the practice of making music which otherwise would be done by using pre-existing instruments.           

Innovative Artifact - Austin Duck Adventures bus

Duck Adventures is a local sightseeing company located in Austin, TX; it takes its passengers on a guided tour of downtown and Lake Austin by using a single means of transportation. I am not exactly sure how it works or how it is built, but this bus is able to tread into water and function much like a boat.

Just like the many examples in Roger Martin's "The Opposable Mind", this company combined two pre-existing ideas and combined them to form one coherent system that would offer its customers the best of both worlds in a single experience.