Memorandum+13


 * Interview Questions**

I will have a good understanding of the background of individual experts going in to each interview and it is important that I explain this to them but at the same time confirm what I know with them so that I know I have not made any false assumptions about who they are and what they stand for. Then we can get into their ideas and where they got them from. Many of the questions are specifically tailored to the interviewee’s area of expertise and I want to get them talking freely with me about the work they are most passionate about.

__Questions for John Picard__ Introduction with my research goals and what I hope to learn and gain from both this thesis and this interview. Go into his background to confirm that he is in fact who would want to be talking with and get him comfortable opening up by talking about himself. (Many unwritten questions can lead off of his response to these questions. It is important not to interrupt him with your agenda and line of questions. See where the conversation goes naturally and he may share things with you that he would never saw publically) __Questions for Professor Swersey__
 * What is your background and how did you get to where you are now?
 * What are your motivations for the work you do?
 * Was there a specify event or moment that turned your career toward sustainability? Or what was the journey to the work you are doing now?
 * What are some projects or examples you can tell me about that could help me understand the challenges of sustainability and how some of them are overcome. (Most of the conversation will stem from this topic and related questioning)
 * How are you able to convince CEOs and important people that they can be sustainable?
 * What is your approach or strategy?
 * Where do you draw inspiration from for your work?
 * Is there anything more you can tell me confidentially that I wouldn’t publish but could help me understand more of your strategy, thought process, beliefs about the true practicality of sustainable design moving forward?
 * If you put it in words, what would you say is your vocation in life? What gets you out of bed each morning?
 * What is your definition of innovation? Invention?
 * What are son
 * What are the problems you see with product design in its current form?
 * What alternatives are worth perusing?
 * Where do you see the future of product design and can it be based off of current models of thought and business practice? Why?
 * Have a general conversation about his classes and the ideas that he preaches and where they came from and why he embraces them so fervently.

__Questions for Scott Osiecki__

(I have worked with Scott over the summer and we are good friends, yet there is much about him and his views I can learn and I know he will have a mouthful to say about my topic, grounded in years of experience and frustrations.) Topics: Questions:
 * Innovation
 * Iteration
 * Consumerism
 * Landfills
 * Legislation – would you see these as a good thing or a barrier to innovation?
 * Patent system
 * Planned obsolescence
 * Competition
 * Sustainable material use and compromises in robust design and price
 * Cost
 * What does your current job entail?
 * What do you enjoy about it and what are some of the challenges?
 * Is this where you want to be with your career or do you have ambitions beyond your current position?
 * What are your thoughts on planned obsolescence and how often does the practice come up in discussions with your designers and engineers?
 * Can you provide any examples of projects or products where there were specific concerns about the sustainability of certain materials
 * What are the most common ecofriendly materials your team works with?
 * What would you say is the state of the industry relating to green design?
 * What design tools are out there for green design and how often are they used? What are the challenges in using them? Do they slow things down and how important is efficiency and speed of design?
 * Are cost and deadlines really your greatest concerns as consultants and why? What circumstances would need to be present for this not to be the case if it in fact is?
 * How does the structure of your company factor into the decision making relating to design decisions? How much does trust in abilities factor in?

__Questions for Consumers__ (First, record demographic and background: age, gender, social and economic status, occupation, etc.) This is to see if there are any emerging statistical correlations between different groups and specific habits or tendencies. These are also behavioral interview in person. Each candidate is closely examined and recorded with permission.
 * How often do you go shopping
 * Do you enjoy shopping at stores?
 * Do you shop more at individual stores or malls?
 * Do you shop more online or in stores?
 * Do you look up items online before purchasing in stores?
 * Is shopping in stores more or less enjoyable for you then online shopping?
 * Do you ever go to stores just to see and tryout products and then buy cheaper online?
 * What is the thing you remember most about your last shopping experience?
 * Do you go with friends or family?
 * Describe any feelings of anticipation or excitement in waiting for products in the mail.
 * Talk about presents at Christmas time and receiving vs giving and specific products that are most anticipated or enjoyable to receive.
 * What products are on your list for Christmas this year? What is it about these products that make them so appealing to you?
 * What do you see as potential flaw to these products and what more do you wish these products could provide?
 * How often do you think you see advertising?
 * How often do you watch TV? Thoughts about commercials and frequency
 * Thoughts about online ads on computers and smartphones.
 * How often do you have conversations with friends and family about products? Which specifically and what is discussed?
 * How much influence does cost have on what you buy?
 * How often do you think about sustainability of these products?
 * How much do you look into the materials used to manufacture many of the products you consume and the conditions under which they were produced?
 * What are some products that you really like or value?
 * What products could you not live without?
 * Describe any emotional connections you have with certain products.
 * More on consumerism, materialism, and relations to products.

(11/20/14) Note: These customer interview went well and I was even able to film a few of them but most interviewees preferred that I not make recording available online and only accessible to me. I would prefer this myself so I make an effort to ask each person how comfortable they were. I will take time to transcribe interviews and go over them to find insights. My candidate pool is most likely too small to come to any concrete statistical conclusions but I can suggest trends as hypothesis for further study.