```tracker searchType: frontmatter searchTarget: weight folder: daily notes line: title: Weight Tracker yAxisLabel: weight lineColor: blue ``` # [[Design Paper]] ## Quotes Forsey >"This judgement of perfection cannot be made by looking at the coffee-pots alone. [[Designed objects]] are meant to work, but to ascertain whether they do, and whether they are good things of their kind, requires us to use them or put them to the test: is the coffee any good? Can we lift the lid to serve it? Does the pot leak or the metal corrode? Some of these virtues and deficiencies will not be apparent to the eye alone, and this means that judgements of [[design excellence]], first, require [[more than]] observation and, second, are more integrated into our everyday lives and activities than [[aesthetic judgements]] of [[fine art]]." ### Bullet points - Forsey's approach to [[design aesthetics]] is grounded in Kantian philosophy, particularly drawing on Kant's distinction between free and [[dependent beauty]]. - While [[free beauty]] is judged solely on form without consideration of purpose, [[dependent beauty]] takes into account [[the object]]'s intended function. - [[This distinction]] is crucial for [[design aesthetics]], as [[designed objects]] inherently have specific purposes. - Forsey applies [[the concept]] of dependent beauty to design, arguing that the aesthetic appreciation of designed objects is inextricably linked to their functionality. - In her view, judging the beauty of a designed object involves assessing how well it fulfills its intended purpose, not just how it looks. <br/> - Central to Forsey's theory is the concept of perfection in design, which goes beyond mere visual appeal to encompass how well an object performs its function. - She introduces the notion of "teleological style," which refers to the appreciation of the specific way an object realizes its purpose, considering the various alternative ways this purpose could have been achieved. - This approach allows for a nuanced understanding of design aesthetics that integrates both form and function. <br/> - In Forsey's framework, multiple factors contribute to the aesthetic judgment of design. - These include formal qualities such as shape, color, and proportion, as well as functional aspects like efficiency, ease of use, and durability. - Importantly, these factors are not considered in isolation but in their integration – how the formal elements serve the functional purpose and vice versa. - This holistic approach to design appreciation sets it apart from other forms of aesthetic judgment. <br/> - A crucial aspect of Forsey's theory is the role of use in assessing design excellence. - Unlike the appreciation of fine art, which often relies primarily on visual observation, the aesthetic evaluation of design requires engagement with the object. - Forsey argues that many qualities of a designed object, particularly those related to its function and perfection, can only be fully assessed through use. - This emphasis on use as a key component of aesthetic judgment highlights how design aesthetics are deeply integrated into our everyday lives and activities. <br/> - As Forsey explains: <br/> - This judgement of perfection cannot be made by looking at the coffee-pots alone. - Designed objects are meant to work, but to ascertain whether they do, and whether they are good things of their kind, requires us to use them or put them to the test: is the coffee any good? - Can we lift the lid to serve it? - Does the pot leak or the metal corrode? - Some of these virtues and deficiencies will not be apparent to the eye alone, and this means that judgements of design excellence, first, require more than observation and, second, are more integrated into our everyday lives and activities than aesthetic judgements of fine art. ## Scraps and Planning - First Introduce Forsey's View, it is Kantian, it is about judgement - Show that one of the inputs to a judgement is use (along with perception etc.). Give the quote. - This means that the idea of pleasurable actions has a place in Forsey's theory - Next Section: - But how should we understand aesthetically pleasing actions? - what makes something aesthetically pleasing to use? - As we shall see in a moment Forsey does not dwell on what makes an action or interaction aesthetically pleasing. - Nguyen does not talk about what aesthetically pleasing actions are. - **Montero?** ### Ease of Use - As mentioned, Forsey does not dwell on what it is for an action be aesthetically pleasing. What she does say suggests that *ease of use* plays some role in our aesthetic appreciation of our interactions with objects. - In the following passages she compares what she considers a well designed coffee-pot with a badly designed one. >But his coffee-pot, I want to claim, has flaws that are hidden behind that newness and shine, that detract from its beauty. First, brass conducts heat, and each time you reach for the handle, or put your finger on the lid, you burn yourself. Bakelite remains cool. Second, the sleek rounded design makes it very hard to unscrew the two halves, especially if you already have soapy hands. My octagonal pot turns as easily as a nut in a wrench, whether wet or dry. Third, the conical shape of his means the opening of the top pot is too narrow to fi t even a small hand in to clean it, whereas mine, as wide at the top as at the bottom, welcomes a quick scrub. (p. 181 – p. 182) It is not simply that it hurts to use the inferior coffee pot. Some well-designed objects create unpleasant sensations – a state-of-the-art oven makes anyone using it uncomfortably hot but this is not a mark against how well designed it is. Rather, it is not easy to make coffee with a pot too hot to touch. We can view the cleaning example similarly. A coffeepot's function is not to make coffee once, but many times. If maintenance is required to maintain this function, then washing the pot is using it. If this is correct then we can also think that aesthetically pleasing interactions, are, by Forsey's lights, very much connected, if not identical with, easy ones. Second, on page XX, Forsey cites, approvingly, Saito's description of >Focus on the proximal senses is relevant to design, too, because while we need to actively use designed artifacts to appreciate and appraise them, this engagement will involve more than sight and sound, as we saw with Saito’s example of the chair, above. Our appreciation of a fl oral display cannot be complete without the aroma of the flowers, and even our appreciation of (or distaste for) the air fresheners that dangle from cars’ rearview mirrors— as designed objects—requires smell as perhaps the primary sense with which we appraise them. Saito claims that the aesthetic value of a knife, for instance, “consists not only of its visual qualities but also of its feeling in my hand . . . [and] how smoothly and effortlessly I can cut an object.” Th e “sensuous aspects converge and work together to facilitate the ease of use,” and our full aesthetic experience of the knife requires us to hold it and cut with it; we cannot fully determine its design excellence if we do not perform these actions and engage at least some of our proximal senses when we do. - and Saito is that if an object is easy to use it