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Everyday Design (October 3, 2003, Two)

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Program Summary

Why does Ira’s toothbrush have a racing stripe? And why won’t it fit into the toothbrush holder? Ira probably hasn’t lost any sleep over these questions, but you can be sure the toothbrush designer has! Industrial designers create the everyday objects in our lives to which we rarely give a second thought, except when they don’t work right. Whether it’s a coffee cup or a computer keyboard, designers must worry about an object’s form as well as its function: It must appeal to the consumer visually and physically in addition to performing its job safely and well. If a device does only one or the other, or neither, it risks following the infamous Edsel automobile into flop history.

But flops are not all bad—a failed product teaches a good lesson in what doesn’t work and leads to needed improvement. This is most clearly seen in the construction of bridges, where design flaws can have dire consequences. In the case of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, for example, the designer’s insistence on preserving the bridge’s aesthetics caused common-sense engineering to be sacrificed. Excessive resonance caused by traffic crossing the bridge eventually led to its collapse. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the spectacular failure led to changes that provided greater stability and safety.

Ira and his guests discuss what makes good design and the difficulties of balancing form, function, the needs of the community, the demands of the consumer, and the egos of the designers.

Guests

Henry Petroski, Aleksander S.Vesic professor of civil engineering and history at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina

Charles Seim, structural engineer and vice-president of T.Y. Lin International in San Francisco, California

Related Links and Resources

Bridge Building Art and Science
Failuremag.com: Suspended Animation: The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Matsuo Bridge Company: The Basic Bridge Types
The BridgeSite

Books Discussed

Petroski, Dr. Henry. “Small Things Considered.” (Knopf, 2003)

For Discussion:

• What is “ergonomics”? Give an example of something that is designed ergonomically.
• Why is the design of an object as important as the way it performs?
• How does psychology affect design?
• What are some characteristics of a well-designed object or device?
• What criteria do you use when you are shopping for something?

Activities

Just a form-ality. Several good lesson plans cover the topics of innovation, invention, and design technology.

• The Inventive Thinking Curriculum Project, from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, stimulates problem solving through critical and creative thinking by leading students through the invention and patenting process. The point is made that psychology and marketing are just as important in an invention’s success as its functionality.
• Origins, a lesson plan from Discoveryschool.com, has students trace the history of everyday objects (zippers, pencils, Velcro) and how function affected the objects’ designs over time.

If I only had a brain. Much can be learned from bad design. Bad Human Factors Designs presents dozens of real objects that make our lives harder than they have to be. The author offers common-sense solutions to each problem. Have students present objects from home that they don’t like and explain what they think is wrong with them and how they could be improved.

Remotely interested. Teachnet.com gets the creative juices flowing with Design Your Own Remote. Students can get started by analyzing a variety of remote controls for good and bad features. They can then work individually or in teams to design an ideal remote. For more fun, simple projects, visit Design and Technology (eteach.com). Though geared for primary levels, these activities can be adapted for any age. Students will enjoy redesigning their classroom, for instance.

Artfully arranged. Arrange a field trip to a museum or school in your area that has a design department, or invite an inventor and designer to do an in-class presentation. If this is not possible, students can tour the Denver Museum of Arts’ The Stuff of Life: U.S. Design 1975–2000 and read or listen to interviews with designers (presented by PBS Online NewsHour: May 24, 2002).

Spanning the world. Everything students ever wanted to know about bridges can be learned in Bridges and Famous Bridges. These lesson plans from Discoveryschool.com discuss engineering and design points of basic bridge types and lead students in constructing model bridges. Super Bridge, a PBS “NOVA” program, follows a team of designers and engineers as they rebuild a failing bridge in Illinois. On the Build a Bridge page, students review the four types of bridges, survey four different sites, and decide which bridge is suitable for each site. A spaghetti-and-cardboard bridge project teaches students about weight bearing and distance. A transcript of the original program is also available.

Spanning the centuries. Bridge of the Month features photographs of ancient and modern bridges all over the world, some beautiful, some pedestrian.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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