shuang's itp jorney
welcome to my chelsea hotel
chelsea is a name given by naive shuang
hope you enjoy your stay
class 4
sep 22nd
Absurd Form
Improve your design
-- things to think about:
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Repetition
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Contrast
class 1
sep 1st
What's the difference between a phone adds-on and an accessory?
During class, we shared a few examples in the realm of adds-on and accessories --
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a small colorful light bulb that is a so-called "disco ball for phones"
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a ring holder on the back of your phone for when you propose
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an electric shaver that's powered by phone batteries
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a fan that sticks out of the charger port of your phone
Just looking at the four examples, all of them (I think?) are powered by phone batteries. However, I wouldn't consider all of them add-ons. It almost seems like the boundaries for adds-ons and an accessory are very blurry too.
My ranking for them (From accessory to adds-on):
disco>fan>shaver>ring holder
An add-on should enhance some functionality of the phone, or add on functionality that was not offered originally by the phone.
While an add-on should enhance some functionality of the phone, more crucially, I think an add-on should do so with its original function when the phone does provide that capability.
Take the least add-ony object - the disco ball - as an example. It did enhance the phone's capability of lighting up. Using the battery is the minimal attempt to relate the ball to its host - the phone. This relationship makes the disco ball more of an accessory that sucks up the battery. A small adjustment for this product could be a disco cap that covers the flashlight - making the phone flashlight shining disco-light which will achieve about the same effect.
The ring holder, on the other hand, is an enhancement for the mobility of a mobile phone and the camera function. Using the enclosure in the case is also smart.
What's more, to determine whether a design/product is an add-on or an accessory, the context of its usage is crucial.
Maybe there will be a context where the disco ball is crucial while your flashlight is occupied.