IDEO video clip

The video clip we watched about the IDEO company really emphasized the value of a relaxed, inclusive working atmosphere. There was no office hierarchy, and that balance truly impacted the outcome of their projects: no one felt like he or she was "lower" than someone else, and there was no pressure to be "the best." They all just worked together to come up with as many ideas as they could, and decided as a group what the final project should be. Even the head of the company stressed that he did not tell anyone what to do creatively; he realized that not everyone's ideas would match up with his, but that they may end up being the most innovative in the end. In the video, the team worked to create a new shopping cart design in one week, and although it seemed like an almost impossible task, they were able to do it because of the creative, equality-based atmosphere the company created.

interviews--final prototype

Prototype Interviews

Questions

• Would you find this prototype more useful than the hangers you use now?

• What problems does this prototype have?

• Would you buy this hanger over other hangers?

• Are you interested in the eco-friendly material used in this hanger?

• Would a solid middle be more durable or do you like the hole in middle of the other types of hangers?

Male, 18

• Probably

• The clips don’t go all the way across so it’d be hard to hang clothes across.

• If it was cheaper.

• Yes; maybe recycled cardboard would be good

• Solid middle

Female, 20

• Yes

• The hooks and the maybe you could round the corners for sweaters

• If it was cheaper.

• Yes.

• It doesn’t matter.

Male, 19

• Yes

• The clips are a little small.

• Yeah, I guess.

• Yes, it’s good for the environment.

• I like the hole in other hangers.

Female, 18

• Probably the same.

• The fabric hook is hard to use.

• If it was cheap.

• Yes.

• I like the hole for pants.

Male, 17

• No

• Clips are too small to hold jeans, I think.

• I like the plastic ones

• As long as it’s not more expensive.

• Durable middle.

Female, 40

• Yes

• The clips can’t move all the way across.

• Yes

• Yes

• Durable middle; but the hole convenient too.

Male, 22

• Probably not.

• The strap, the clips, the solid middle.

• No

• Yeah

• I like the durable middle but the hole is useful too for pants and just throwing stuff around.

Male, 40

• Possibly, with bigger clips.

• The clips are small. But the strap is a good idea.

• Yeah, I guess.

• If it’s actually eco-friendly.

• Solid middle is sturdier.

Male, 30

• Yes

• The strap is too much for me.

• Hmm, probably not.

• Not really.

• I like the hole just to put stuff on it.

Male, 30

• Yeah, I like the indentions.

• There is no hole in the middle.

• I like the ones I have now.

• Yes.

• Like I said, I like the hole in the middle.

original interviews--hanger

Interviews- Original Object

Questions

How often do you use hangers?

What problems have you encountered while using them?

What types of clothes do you use them for most often?

What style of hangers do you use? Do you have different hangers for specific functions?

Do you have a preference of material for your hangers?

Are there any types of hangers you don’t like/don’t work?

Do you care about their appearance (color/shape/material)?

On average, how many hangers do you replace per year?

If so, why do you need to replace them?

Besides hanging up clothes, what else have you used hangers for?

26 year old female

Not often enough… Daily

They pinch the skirts and leave bumps in shoulders

Dresses, skirts, pants

What comes from the store/ with clothes and cheap plastic ones

Would prefer wood but can’t afford it

The kind that crimp the skirt’s material

No

Not many, get a few when buying clothes

I have stepped on them and they break…

Opening car doors, drying  clothes

18 year old female

Every day, probably 3 to 4 times daily

Clothes—especially shirts and sweaters—ALWAYS fall off of them.

Shirts, dresses, some skirts

I have normal hangers for everything, but I have a scarf hanger and skirt hangers with clips on them

Colored plastic

I hate the clear plastic ones and especially the wire ones. They always get bent and are annoying. Plus they don’t ever have the little prong things, so clothes fall off more easily.

Yes, they have to have those prongs and also I have specific colors for different types of clothes

Probably 10-20 hangers per year, if not more.

They are broken or bent

Arts and crafts

18 year old male

Everyday

The metal ones bend very easily

T-shirts and dress shirts

The normal hangers, some of the ones made for dress pants

Plastic, wood

Wood hangers that don’t have a slick finish

Not really

Maybe 10

Plastic snaps easily

NA

18 year old male

Nearly everyday

Slippage of garments

Jackets and tank tops

I use plastic hangers with foam grips

Plastic

Yes! The wire-y metal ones, they don’t hold and they stretch clothing

Yes, the shape doesn’t matter, but I like colorful hangers for color-coding and just for fun!

10-15

Breaking, or not functioning well

Door hangers

15 year old female

Once a day

Clothes fall off; haven’t been big enough

T-shirts, jackets, dresses

Plastic, clippy ones

Plastic, as long as it’s wide

Wire—clothes didn’t stay on

Colors are nice, but I don’t care much

Never

Need more; new clothes

Stretch out wire to reach things

47 year old female

1-2 times a day

Wider necklines slide off; leaves crease in jeans; wire bends and doesn’t hold shape of clothes

Shirts, dresses, jeans, pants, coats, sweaters

Plastic, clippy, Huggables, padded

Fuzzy ones: they hold onto clothes and are thin

Wire: they bend too easily and don’t look nice and leave lines in clothes

Yes—would like them all to match

Every few years

Replace wire ones because I don’t like them; need more for more clothes

Untwist wire to clean drains…

47 year old male

Once a day

Pants don’t stay on well

Mostly shirts

Normal kind, and pants hangers (which leave creases on pants)

Plastic

Not really

No

Never

Sometimes I lose them

Unbend wire ones to roast marshmallows!

70 year old woman

Every day, 2-3 times daily

Straps slide off; wide necklines slide off; clips for skirts not far enough apart

Blouses, skirts, dresses, jackets, gowns, sweaters

Plastic, wire and paper, wooden (don’t like), wire, clips

Plastic—wire can rust and it gets on the clothes, they leave dents

Little plastic ones: too small for use for anything without straps

Yes—I have pink ones. Color matters. I get different colors for my husband.

Once a year, if that much

Bend out of shape, break, get lost, rust. Thick plastic ones are best.

Unlock car doors, transport linens 

objectified reflection

• the best design is as little design as possible.
• everything, besides nature, has been designed at one point or another.
• design is about simplifying and rethinking ideas to make them easier to use.
• making it easier to reuse things/ want to keep them forever
• eco-friendly
• beauty
• sustainability
• the special, meaningful items in our lives