Week 12

Performance Load

Q1)”Performance load is the degree of mental and physical activity required to achieve a goal”. (pp. 148). If the performance load is high then time and errors will increase, which means the probability of successfully accomplishing something the goal decreases.If it is low it is the exact opposite as of time and errors decrease and goal’s increase. 

There are two types of performance loads; cognitive load and kinematic load.

Cognitive load

Is all about the mental activity required to accomplish a goal this can be done through perception, memory or problem solving.”The structure of human cognitive architecture, while not known precisely, is discernible through the results of experimental research. Recognizing George Miller’s (producer) research showing that short term memory is limited in the number of elements it can contain simultaneously, Sweller builds a theory that treats schemas, or combinations of elements, as the cognitive structures that make up an individual’s knowledge base”. (Sweller, 1988) An example of this is early computing systems and having to remember numerous amounts of information. Over time computers have improved vastly and people do not have to rely on the cognitive skills as much as of the commands in menus. 

Kinematic load

Is the physical activity of the number of steps, movements or amount of force to complete a goal. This being said an example of this would be the telegraph as it allowed people to communicate. It was made through a serious of taps on a mechanical armature. As of the task it was a kinematic load. Morse code was then invented by Samuel Morse which reduced the load of kinematic as of the physical effort. This can be done through reducing the number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks.

A design should reduced the kinematic and cognitive load as much as possible for the reasons stated above. 

Q2) Chunking

Another aspect of cognitive load theory is how much information can be retained in our short term memory.  Chunking refers to a strategy for making more efficient use of short-term memory by recoding information. Herbert Simon (American phycologist) used the term ‘chunk’ to indicate and obtain long term memory structures. It is very useful for communicative purposes. An example of this can be phone numbers that are seven digits as the theory is that most people can only retain seven “chunks” of information in their short term memory. 

Q3) I do think it is necessary to have a background in phycology to come forward with the idea of performance load as it is all based on the cognitive load; capacity of what a human brain can remember and obtain and the kinematic load; the physical activity. Without having a phycologist who knows the field of what a human brain function like we would really just be ’stabbing in the dark’ as they say, as most people have no understanding behind they way the brain works. Phycologist would know what visually stimulates us; colours, shapes and styles. They have studied what people are like e.g. cognitive and kinematic.  

Activity

Image One

iPhone

The iPhone is communication device through phone calls, e-mail, messaging and the world wide web. Having just one device makes it so much easier through all of the kinematic tasks; number of steps to complete a task, minimizing range of motion and travel distances and automating repetitive tasks. With the cognitive load it also works as there is only one device to memorize. 

Image 2

 

tomtom

 

A tomtom is a navigational device used in a car to help with road directions. It makes it quicker and easier for people to know where to travel to and from and all you need to know is the address to where you are heading and it will do the rest. 

Image 3 

 

Apple-Laptop

A laptop is very versatile as you can take it where ever you want to go as it is not stuck down on a table like a computer would be. With being able to internet you can use e-mail, chat lines (facebook, twitter..) or search for anything and means a lot of tasks can be achieved from the one laptop. 

References;

1.Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Performance Load. In Universal Principles of Design (pp. 148-149). Massachusetts: Rockport.

2.Sweller, J., Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning, Cognitive Science, 12, 257-285 (1988).

3.Sweller, J., Instructional Design in Technical Areas, (Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research (1999). From; http://tip.psychology.org/sweller.html

4. … (May 29, 2009). George Miller (II). From;http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004306/news

5. The Concise Roget’s Thesaurus. (1986) Melbourne: Budget Books

6. …(May 20, 2009). Cognitive Load. From; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load

7. Simon, H. (n.d.). Herbert A Simon; Autobiography. From; http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1978/simon-autobio.html

Images

1. http://blogs.mercurynews.com/vindu/wp-content/photos/iPhone.jpg

2. http://www.pc-outfitters.com/catalog/images/tomtom.jpg

3. http://lighthousemarketingsystem.com/WIRED/Apple-Laptop.jpg

Week 11

Presentation in “The Conceptual Age”

Q1)”Until recently, the abilities that led to success in school, work, and business were characteristic of the left hemisphere. They were the sorts of linear, logical, analytical talents measured by SATs and deployed by CPAs. Today, those capabilities are still necessary. But they’re no longer sufficient. In a world upended by outsourcing, deluged with data, and choked with choices, the abilities that matter most are now closer in spirit to the specialties of the right hemisphere – artistry, empathy, seeing the big picture, and pursuing the transcendent.”(Funch, http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001474.htm)

A whole new mind (River-trade) written by Daniel Pink in 2006 is what to be said of the ‘Presentation Zen approach’ or ‘The Conceptual Age’, “where in today’s world the future belongs to a different type of person,designers inventors, teachers, storytellers…” (Reynolds, pp14). These people use the right side of the brain who are the creative and empathetic thinkers. The novel conveys an accurate and vivid account of threats and opportunities facing professionals today. He believes we are living in a different era and age and people who think different will be valued more then ever before. We are valuing ‘his concept’  and “high touch” which involves the capacity to create something from the right side of your brain such as artistic and emotional beauty. 

The “Informational Age” according to Pink use to be important which did use the left side of your brain, but is not as important as the right side is now (conceptual age). Although you do still need the left side of your brain as it has to do with reasoning and judgement and the right side alone would not be enough. A healthy person use both hemispheres, even for simple tasks. 

“six senses” or six “right-brain directed aptitudes” are what is needed to be successful in our independent world says Pink.

Design

• design=decoration
• best designs never noticed consciously by observer 
• consider topic, objectives, key messages and audiences

Story

• facts, information, data-sent through e-mail or mail
• true stories-most effective
• born story tellers and listeners 
• used for: teaching, sharing, illuminating or persuasion 

Symphony

• requires as to be better at seeing in a new way
• making sense of the world
• simplifying a complex problem
• determining what is important and what’s not
• deciding what matters and letting the rest go

Empathy

• is emotional
• putting yourself into the position of others
• importance of nonverbal cues-yours and others
• good designers-put themselves in position of user,customer or audience
• knows if audience ‘get it’ or not and makes adjustments

Play

• humor-laughter
• laughing people=creative people

Meaning

• presentation=small difference in the world
• bad presentation=devastating impact on spirit and/or career 
• good presentation=extremely fulfilling audience and you
• born for meaning
• power point-done to death

Q2) My power point was based on Childhood Obesity and fast food.

Design: i did think about the layout of my design when making the power point as it is a presentation the key elements I thought of was headings,bullet points, visual aids and colour. Also what was important to add in the presentation and leave out and the audience as i wanted it to be very simple wording and self explanatory images.

Design is probably the only thing letting me down as I did do a very simple design and with it being “The Conceptual Age” I should be using more of the right side of my brain, the creative side. 

Story: it was all about persuasion as i was going for the effects about fast food and how it can lead to childhood obesity. Images also do tell a story as my images tell a story about the problem such as; an image of an obese child,chips/grenade and children with heaps of happy meal toys.

Symphony: Childhood obesity and fast food has a lot to do with symphony as they way i went about the concept I wanted people to see fast food in a new light (bad food), determine what is important (keeping children healthy) and writing what really matters about the topic. 

Empathy: Childhood obesity is an emotional subject as it is dealing with someone’s health and i was more or less presenting it as a concerned person who wants people to know that dangers behind childhood obesity and fast food.

Play: The only humor in my presentation would be the images as i wanted to take ‘the micky’ out of fast food with them being sarcastic.

 

Title page

Page 2

 

Page 3

 

Page 4

Page 5

 

Page 6

 

Page 7

Page 8

 

Page 9

 

Reference

Activity

 

 

 

Title Page

 

 

 

I added more colour to the design and used a background layout the whole way through so you could tell that all pages where linked. I changed the image so when just looking at the image itself you could tell it was informing you something about obesity. 

 

Contents

I chose to make the background orange as I have read somewhere that the reason fast food places use this colour as it is suppose to make us hungry.  I used effects on some of the images just to make them more individual to my power point design and to add interest to the viewer.

 

Page 3

I adjusted this image so it made your eye zoom on the middle of the image to make it really emphasize an obese child. 

 

Page 4

 

Page 5

 

Page 6

Also with this image I enlarged the fast food so you could see the child was eating the wrong type of food. 

 

Page 7

Having frames around the images gives the eye something to focus in on.

 

Page 8

Page 9

References;

1. Funch, F. (February 2, 2009). From; http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001474.htm

2.Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentations in “the Conceptual Age”. In Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (pp.14-19). Berkley, Ca:New Riders.

3. Pink, D. (February, 2005). Wired. Revenge of the Right Brain. From; http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.02/brain.html 

4. Snyder, K., Acker-Hocevar, M.  (July 18, 2008). Living on the Edge of Chaos: Leading Schools into the Global Age, Second Edition. 

5. Moses, A. (October 1, 2006).A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age. CRANIO: The Journal of Craniomandibuar Practice.

Images

1. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/010104obese.jpg