Exercise 1: Identifying Communication Design

Hola! I am Rachel Luo, a Freshman who is undecided in not only MCS, but also with what to do with her life. I have personally always been interested in design, so thought I would take the class to start my journey with desig in college. A fun fact about me is I love to make bags on my free time. I even brought my sewing machine with me to Pittsburgh!

Ineffective Design

This is my current dorm shower, and more personal, but for me, the shower experience shapes my mood for the next day. This shower has not been a great experience and I feel like has so many design flaws. First, obviously it is small. There are four hooks for me, two for some other showers, and if you’re unlucky you get the shower with no hooks. If you look at the white door, it is also a bit small, so when closed there is a space in which a cold front will constantly be blowing in. Without an actual shower curtain, the cold front takes over the heat emitting from the shower water, making the overall shower experience very chilly. There doesn’t feel like there are any real barriers between your shower space, your belongings, and the rest of the shower room since anyone who really tries could easily see you from the space above the white door.

Effective Design

Again, the shower experience does effect a big part of my mood, and when I first learned about this sort of towel wrap, I thought it was an amazing design. This hair wrap is very useful, especially for those with longer hair. After you shower, your hair will not bother you, whether you’re doing your skin care routine, lying on bed, or anything else. It also does a good amount of drying, so that you are not either damaging your hair using a dryer, or not wasting electricity using a dryer. Overall, I think it is a great design for those with longer hair to not have to worry about their wet hair after a shower.