Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Laura Crawford's ONE DOG
Over the course of the six years I taught in the Grad Media Design Program at Art
Center College of Design, a program I designed to teach and support the creation
of transmedia systems, I had dozens of truly amazing students. This is the story of
one of the most talented: Laura Crawford. Laura graduated in the class of 2005.
Most graduate students have trouble fi guring out what their thesis project
should be. Ms. Crawford had more trouble than most arriving at a topic. One day
while we were meeting, I asked her what she was most passionate about. Her an-
swer came quickly: DOGS. She went on to design one of the most thorough and
effective transmedia systems I've ever encountered. It was called simply ONE DOG.
Here is how it worked. Beginning with the ONE DOG Web site (offered
through a kiosk in a pet store or accessible from home), a person looking for a
dog could fi nd the very best dog for her. First, she entered information about
house and yard space, lifestyle, breed and size preferences, and personality attri-
butes desired in the dog. The ONE DOG system made recommendations based
on those constraints.
The system was affi liated with dog shelters all over the area. By networking
with the shelters, several candidate dogs were found. From the kiosk in the pet
store, you could play with the dogs in the shelter via telepresence. You could pull
a rope at your end and your movements and tension were refl ected on the other
end. Once you found the dog of your dreams, you brought him home.
ONE DOG supported you as a dog owner as well. By attaching a small camera
to the dog's collar, you could see a “dog blog” of your doggie's day from his per-
spective. ONE DOG offered a Bluetooth collar that would help you fi nd the kinds
of products that were right for your dog when you went to the pet store. Your
dog could get references written by friends and landlords in case you wanted to
persuade a landlord that your dog was good as gold. ONE DOG kept your dog's
medical records online and reminded you when vet visits and vaccinations were
due. And the ONE DOG community was accessible online for sharing and support.
Laura Crawford's only fear was that she would be pigeonholed as the “dog
lady” as she entered her professional life, but that was not the case. Instead, she was
identifi ed as a brilliant systems thinker and a great designer of transmedia systems.
Today, she works as Director of Advertising and Media for Edmunds.com, a company
 
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