Theory U: Chapters 15-18

Chapter 15

Chapter 15 starts part three of Theory U. Part three will further discuss the source from which we operate, the outcomes of this, and shifts within social fields. In the chapter, the author explains the field theories of Kurt Lewin. Lewin explains that a field is not just a moment or facts but something where one needs to look at the whole "lifespan" to understand. I connected this to the idea that unless you are in someone's shoes you do not know what they have been through, so because you are not aware of the full lifespan of their field, you cannot assume what they will do or think. Another main point of the chapter connected back to the doctor/patient meeting; "social systems are enacted by their members in context", humans create and react to the systems they created.

Chapter 16

One of the main ideas of this chapter is resistance as it applies to daily life. The author connects resistance to the idea of failure. I completely agree with this connection; if one feels that there is no way they can succeed, then they are likely to resist this action. Another topic discussed in the chapter was allowing ourselves to fall even farther down into ourselves, past downloading into the anti-space of social pathology. The steps into this are; not seeing, de-sensing(entrenching), holding on, manipulating, self-deluding(abusing), and aborting(annihilating). To explain this concept the author showed two extremes of this idea. The first example involves the change in mood and thought process when a obstacle approaches an adult as compared with a child. The second example takes an interesting look into the mind of a member of Hilter's staff. Both examples supported the authors ideas in different ways.

Chapter 17

This chapter was about the types of conversation in social situations, and what they can evolve into. The author states that our patterns of conversation tend to stay the same since many people are stuck in their ways, which he feels is very dysfunctional. Then dialogue is defined as ,"the art of thinking together or the capacity of accessing collective intelligence".  The chapter explains the four types of conversation which are, download, debate, dialogue and presencing. He goes on to discuss the anti- side of conversation which related back to chapter 16. I found this section interesting because it explained techniques that are used to manipulate words and explained what this can do to an idea or situation.

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 is all about organizations, how they move forward and how they can be held back. Coordination is discussed in the beginning of the chapter. It is stated that organizations need coordination and that coordination and management go hand-in-hand. One of the ways organizations can hold themselves back is through a failure to realizes the changes around them, in the market and else where. This chapter relates back to chapter 17 in that the author feels that having dialogue within an organization can help people open their eyes to the challenges they face as a unit. The author calls these types of failures, gaps. (strategy, structural and culture)

Final Project ideas

I am torn between two of the many ideas we came up with as a class on Thursday. These are the Campus Goodwill idea and the Value of Good Design idea.

Campus Goodwill

I feel that there is a real market for a goodwill-style shop for students. This is visible to anyone who is around campus during finals week/move-out. There is a plethora of organizers, whiteboards and many other dorm room items that end up in the dumpster because it does not it in the car, or the no longer have use for it or some other reason. Regardless, useful items are being put to waste because the student body really does not have a easy place to donate their gently used items. I feel that this project taking place during the close of a semester is the perfect time to do it. I feel that signage around campus and a social media presence is a must. The only snag is the location. I have never been inside of campus cupboard and I am not sure if there would be willing of if they would even have the space.


Value of Good Design 

This cause is also something I am passionate about because I am going to school for design and it is deeply troubling to me how often the career's of designers are devalued because the greater public believes us to strictly be creators of 'pretty graphics'. I believe that a poster and social media campaign is a way that we could engage campus as well as the community as a whole. The content of the poster could be an iconic logo then the break down of how long it took to create. For example creating an infographic on our research of the coke cola brand and place that poster in the dining hall. I think that this would catch the users eye and help to prove our point. I feel that placement of the design would be very important, similar to google's current mobile campaign.

http://www.psfk.com/2014/10/google-new-york-advertising-outdoor-campaign.html

Brochure Progress

 Below are screenshots of the ai. brochure files.


Front cover and Back

Above is our first iteration of the covers that Kelly created. Below are the current versions. I thought that the red and yellow worked better with our overall food feel over the green. Since the idea of vertical and horizontal headers exist throughout the piece I thought that it should be included on the covers. I also enlarged the copy on the back and highlighted the extensions of each site. 

First Fold

           Before                                                                      After

Initially in our "blueprint"of the layout we thought that the facts sections would go on the first fold of the brochure, we placed it there based on its importance. Once we created the the other sections and placed content we realized that we need more space for the Meal Plan options section, especially because of how confusing the many plans can be. With this knowledge, we chose to switch the two locations. The Meal Plan Options is on the second fold while the facts is now located on the bottom of the last fold. Above to the right is our current version. We broke the information down by which students can have the plan then we listed them vertically so the students can compare the information. We have the source at the bottom in case the user would like more information.

Second Fold

The second fold consists of the Meal times and allowance graphic that I created. Based off of group mate and peer feedback I added a title to match the style of the map, numbers in case the user did not realize the graphic was based off of a clock, and we decided on a pullout for the map (the dashed line) so I applied it to this graphic to match.

 

Final Fold

Below is the original map graphic that Sam created. She chose the colors and location of information. As stated before this screenshot shows how the meal plan option information was squished at the bottom of this page.

To the left is a screenshot of my workspace. It shows the changes I made to the content on the artboard compared to the content to the right of it.

Above is the current version of the last fold. The screenshot above shows the guides that the whole group uses on our documents to remind us where the folds will be. The guides assist us in not placing any important information in those locations, in case it is not readable. The screenshot also shows the change in the bottom section. That section now contains facts about flex and the dining plan. I revised the map slightly upon adding the dashed line; I switch the locations of the information for the Campus Grill and Anchor because otherwise the lines would overlap.

Below is the document that will be printed besides the map document above. This document is based off of the original brochure and helps us with the placement of each section so it folds correctly.

Sketched elements

 Sketches

One of our group tasks were to sketch elements for the brochure. Below are my initial ideas for the brochure.

The graphic above is to help illustrate meal times. The element would have a pullout to explain the allowance and other facts.

On these pages I brainstormed facts and about flex and FAQ to include as content. I based this content off of what my fellow group mates and I learned from our interviews. 

There are so many meal plan options for students but depending on where the student lives they can only get certain ones. Also what each plan includes is confusing. To alleviate this I felt we should organize this information as a chart instead of bullet points or paragraphs of information.  

Reading Reflections

Productivity in Nonprofits

While reading this article I saw multiple parallels between it and the TED talk we watched during class. They both discuss the successes of putting profit back into programs to help the organization grow. The article mentions the four management basics that would help boost nonprofit productivity; then they outline how each of the three example nonprofits relate to the points. The four items are,

• Standardize best practices
• Invest in essential staff and processes/activities
• manage costs (aggressively)
• measure progress

Then the difference between output and outcome are explained; output is the amount of work a nonprofit does, quantity of the programs or services it delivers and outcome are the results of the nonprofit's work, the benefits for participants during or after their involvement with the organization. These terms connect to the idea of success rate which is the amount of outputs that become outcomes.

Disability Etiquette

I found this reading's topic interesting. While I found much of the content to be common sense, I am happy to see that a document like this exists for those with questions or concerns. I realized I may know more about some of these topics than others because of volunteering in Special Education classrooms for over seven years. I was able to pull out a view points I found helpful. Including

• saying "person with a disability" not "disabled person" (I do not run into this in the classroom because I know the children's names)
• rephrase instead of repeating the phrase for those that are hard of hearing
• TTY- teletypewriter
• VRS- video relay service

Moodboard, metrics and timeline

Between Tuesday and Thursday  my group members and I separately gathered imagery that reflects the mood that we feel the pamphlet should have. Below is some of the imagery I had gathered.

What caught my eye in the above example is how the information is almost laid out in a timeline style. I made me wonder if this would work for us since time is a factor within our content of meals. The zoomed in image shows the illustration style. I believe that a flat style/minimal style would work best because the focus should be on the text not the overly detailed graphics. 

The image above shows how bright colors can be paired and how we may be able to section off the largest section of our pamphlet. 

When looking I tried to find infographics that displayed a lot of information successfully and figured out how. I noticed the use of icons to break up large quotes in the above example.

This graphic shows how we can use bright colors successfully and it also gives off an inviting feel which is what we hope for in our piece.

While we are leaning towards a "funner" mood this piece shows how to layout text. 

The last three images shows the color, style and mood I felt we should use to convey our ideas; through bright color, large expressive text and graphics.

On Thursday when we regrouped we looked at everyone's findings and created a combined moodboard of the images and graphics that best describes our future deliverable. Sam compiled it and added short pullout to explain the thought behind it.

Also, we revised our timeline due to the trip into Lancaster this coming Thursday. 

Week 9:

Tuesday, October 21: Each of us will come to class with sketched layouts and design elements. We will work on combining our ideas during class.

Thursday, October 22: Work day to Layout Brochure/start case study

Week 10:

Tuesday, October 28: Continue work

Thursday, October 30: Have all files complete.

Interviews

Over the weekend I was able to interview multiple students about their experiences with and opinions  of the meal plan. I learned more about the problems other students have had and have compared them with my own experiences.

My questions included,

1. Do you have a meal plan? If so what type?
2. How long did it take you (or is it taking you) to learn what is and is not on meal plan?
3. How often do you unknowingly overspend on your meal plan?
4. What aspects of the meal plan do you find confusing?
5. What is something you wish you knew/had known in your first semesters regarding the meal plan system?
6. What questions do you continue to have about the meal plan?

Eric, Male, Junior

1. Yes. 105 block plan (not on a weekly bases) $100 of flex.
2. I still do not know what is exactly on meal plan. They are always getting new food, but none of it is on meal plan and everything is always changing.
3. I always know that I'm overspending. (assumes, mainly in the Anchor) Not given enough allotment, especially at lunch.
4. I find the hours of meals confusing also, whats on meal the new idea of combos, and the lack of signage in the anchor which leads to people figuring it out at checkout.
5. I wish I had known all the places I could go to use meals. (example of cyber cafe). Not being able to use two meals at a time. 
6. Why?

Maggie, Female, Senior

1. Yes. 14 meals per week, (does not know flex amount, I believe it is $150)
2. It took me about a month to know what is on meal, it is harder to figure out what meal allotment is and how to stay in it.
3. You're not even always told if you go over so I'm not really sure, guessing about three meals a week.
4. I wish I knew when you had to change meal plans for the coming semester by.
5. In my freshmen year I wish I had understood the process of creating a meal in a grab and go (was taught a lot at freshmen orientation).
6. no questions

Ashlyn, Female, Freshmen

1. Yes. 19 meals and $200 in flex
2. I am still learning, the Anchor has nothing posted, no prices. Friends and upperclassmen are the most helpful in telling me how things work.
3. I've definitely overspent but I dunno because I don't know allotments. About every late night- 3 times a week.
4. At first I found flex confusing.
5. I wish I knew that meals do not roll over week to week.

We decided to compile each of our interview experiences into three Personas below is mine.

Persona-

Occupation- Student/ part-time job

Age- between 17-22

Main goals-

• To be able to stay within means while still enjoying oneself. 
• To be able to buy the food they want to throughout the entire semester.
• To not be confused and misspend their money.

Overall most students have a basic understanding of the meal plan and what they need to do; it is the smaller things that begin to add up which seems to be the problem. Simple knowledge of times and do's and don't's from experiences can save many underclassmen a lot of headache. Another problem is the speed of things; students need to get in and out of grabNgo eateries and this is where the main confusion lies.  That is why having a simple infographic to combine all the questions will be helpful.

Theory U: Chapters 10-14

Chapter 10

Chapter ten was all about sensing and closing the gap between people's experience of reality and their sense of participation which will create a loop. Furthermore the author discusses how the wall between the observer and observed needs to collapse so the viewer can see themselves as they are; apart of the system. The majority of the chapter contained anecdotes to describe turning points and how to reach them. Overall I agreed with what he had to say and much of it applied to previous chapters. Steps to reach turning points involved; charging the container (controlling the aspects of when, where and why, it happens), deep diving (becoming the customer, not just studying it), redirecting attention, and opening the heart.

Chapter 11

Chapter eleven helped to explain what presencing- the bottom of the U- really meant. The definition that best explained it to me was, the act of "sensing what wants to come forth and aiding it into being". In the chapter the author brings up one of Albert Einstein's thoughts, "problems can never be solved with the same mind that created them". I found this really interesting and I almost feel that this is a great summary of the main ideas in book. It does not say that the same person cannot solve this problem, but their mind, their inner source may need to change to find the answer.  Much of the chapter contains examples of people and groups reaching the threshold and operating from a deeper place. The example that really stood out to me was the story of the sculpture as an inner source, helps him to find the art in the medium. I found myself thinking of moments when I have felt guided by something else during my art making.

Chapter 12

Crystallizing is bringing collective potential into reality and is the main topic of chapter twelve. This topic made a lot of sense to me; the fact that the author acknowledged that making the connection,  he had been talking about for so long-- necessarily means nothing unless it is sustained, was nice too read because it seemed to bring the text back down to Earth.  I found his example with the health group interesting, once he practically gave them a deadline they sort of woke up. Being an entrepreneurship minor I found the section about intention very interesting since the creation of vision is essential for anyone in that field/ mindset. The power of intention can be powerful in the hands of anyone who has a clear focus.

Chapter 13

The chapter starts with explaining why prototyping is necessary and its merits. For example, it allows for quick feedback and adaptation. He discusses that the main problems that occur during this process are "mindless action and actionless mind" (approaching something to quickly before thought). When hardships in projects occur he states, "whatever the response you are getting, look at it from the assumption that it wants to help you in some way". He also suggests that you take the feedback that will help move the concept forward and ignore the rest. I think that both of these are great ways to look at feedback and something I plan to apply to my own work to help me categorize feedback.

Chapter 14

In the opening of this chapter he compares the processes theater uses to prototyping and performing and I think that this explains the thought of prototyping again and again very well. The comparison also carries into the idea that once the audience/ customer sees the product it will change further. Performing is working on a larger scale compared to that of prototyping. He explains that organizations are many collaborative relationships together not one singular item. He closes with the three forces of institutional change which are; Systemic Integration, Innovation Ecosystems and Field of the Evolving Ecosystems.

Project- refocused

During class on Thursday all of the groups came to together to discuss what each one was doing. We were asked to sum up what we were doing in a sentence. Our first attempt was something closer to this: To create more informative encounters between the Galley Workers and the student population to increase the efficiency in the galley.

After coming together afterwards and talking with our professor we realized that there was another problem underlying the one we had found; it was the lack of education and understanding about the meal plan. From this point we brainstormed our personal problems with it and conflicts we have heard and what should be done. We debated between multiple mediums in trying to decided what would best fit our audience. We decided that making an pocket info-graphic pamphlet for the students, about a "cheat sheet to eat" would be the best fit and a small flyer for the workers just outlining the essential information for them to keep on hand.

After deciding on these deliverable we needed to revisit our mission. We decided on:
To create an effective mean of communication to increase the understanding of the complexities within Millersville University's meal plan for food service workers and the student population.

Over the coming weekend we intend to conduct interviews with students at all class levels to hear their experiences and conflicts with the meal plan. This will allow us to find out what the real needs are, which will aid us in prioritizing information within our design.