Discussion 1
I want you to explore the principles of good designs for either product or service. I would like for you to come up with an example of a bad design for either a product OR service. Post the example and explain why you think it is a bad design. I would encourage you to review some of the examples on the Bad Designs web site (www.baddesigns.com). The following list from www.baddesigns.com the may be helpful to guide the discussion.
Devices should follow a consistent rule.
When simple things have signs, it is usually evidence that they are not well designed.
Things that need to be distinguished from each other should differ by more than just a single feature.
The shape of an object should reveal how it is to be used.
A device should be designed so that it will not be confused with devices that operate under different operating principles. (Watch out "Sports Illustrated Football Phone")
Make sure your design provides displays of everything a person needs to see.
When you design a device, take the viewpoint of the user.
When you design an object, you need to consider the environment that it is used in.
Do not add an extra step to a task for the sake of aesthetics.
Take a hint from people's behavior. If they find it convenient to walk in a particular place, put in a sidewalk - not a barrier. This is an example of "natural" design.
When you design something, you need to test it with a variety of people to make sure it does not have any annoying side effects.
A well-designed object can be designed to both look good and be easy to use.
When you design something, you need to think about the great differences in the capabilities of the people that will need to use it.
When you have several similar displays close together and lined up, people will confuse them with each other.
Place a control next to the device it controls.
Discussion 2
Read the document below and answer the following two questions:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of setting quality metrics?
2. Why do doctors oppose some of the quality measures?
OM in the News: Measuring Health Care Quality
by Barry Render
"The goal of tying more Medicare payments to the quality-not the quantity-of health care by 2018 has intensified the debate over how ‘quality' is defined and measured," writes The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 31-Feb.1, 2015). Many doctors, hospitals, insurers and cost experts want to move away from the myriad quality metrics that largely measure process-toward broader measures that assess patient outcomes. This week, the National Quality Forum submitted recommendations on 199 performance measures to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The goal is to better align measures among various programs and replace narrow process-oriented metrics with "measures that matter."
Some doctors question whether the measures that exist can adequately measure quality. And there is little agreement on what measures matter most or are more likely to produce good value. "Measurement fatigue is a real problem in hospitals," said a Dartmouth medical prof. "But, to me, the only metric that matters is, did you get better?"
As of last year, 33 federal programs asked providers to submit data on 1,675 quality measures. State, local and private health plans use hundreds more. Hospitals and doctors stand to lose millions in Medicare payments for missing filing deadlines or improvement benchmarks in programs that track hospital-acquired infections, readmissions and electronic-record use. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to move toward more quality measures "that matter most to patients and clinicians," and note that some already had an impact on outcomes. Central-line bloodstream infections have dropped by 50% since hospitals were required to report them, and 150,000 fewer Medicare patients were readmitted to hospitals within 30 days of discharge in 2012-2013 under a federal program holding them accountable
Discussion 3
View the video Green Manufacturing and Sustainability at Frito-Lay
NOTE: The video is located in MyOMlab Chapter S5. Sustainability in the Supply Chain materials
1) Describe an example of an organization using sustainability initiatives in their manufacturing processes.
The response should include a reference list. Double-space, using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.