Assignment 2A: Bug List

Bug List:

      1)     Inconsistent side walk levels

Exists (why): Different portions of the sidewalk experience maintenance at various times. If one square of the sidewalk is damaged, that square is usually the only one repaired. It would take too long and cost too much to re-cement the entirety of the sidewalk. Also, variations in the terrain (i.e. roots and hills) can added to this problem.

       2)     Foggy swim goggles

Exists (why): Improper upkeep. There are many rules that keep goggles in good condition (do not touch inside of goggles, keep in special case. This can be hard to adhere to if one does not have a case or forgets these rules.

       3)     Small UF campus parking spaces

Exists (why): To accommodate the 50,000+ students at the University of Florida. There are many students that live on campus and attend UF. To be practical, the university had to create many small parking spaces that could fit most cars. Parking spaces that are too big would cause another problem -fewer parking spaces.

       4)     Left turns from the right lane at the intersection of Universal and Sand Lake around 5:00 p.m.

Exists (why): Rush hour and no patience. Sand Lake Road in Orlando can start to get backed up around rush hour due to the number of cars that wish to turn left onto Universal Blvd. The number of cars in left hand turn lanes begin to block the two straight lanes and the right-hand turn lane. Rather than wait people just turn left from the right lane.

        5)     Orange/gated decal parking spaces on campus being the ones closest to on campus housing

Exists (why): Convenience for faculty/staff. Most faculty and staff members live off-campus and need to be able to park close to their classrooms. For example, the orange lot in front of Mallory is a five-minute walk from the business school or two-minute walk from the Music building.

        6)     Multiple keys on a key ring

Exists (why): Safety purposes. Different locks require different keys. If everything was on the same key, losing those keys would be an extremely bad scenario. People would have access to everything: house, car, safe, room, etc.

        7)     Cracked eggs in an egg carton

Exists (why): Transportation of eggs are too rough. Whether that be the trucks that deliver them or the people picking them up, it is very rare to find a carton of eggs without a crack on the first try.

        8)     Lack of cohesive sizing among different clothing stores

Exists (why): Different sizing scales. Clothing stores or manufacturers may have different measurements (i.e. 32 in.) for varied sizes (i.e. 8). They probably do not consult with the other manufacturers.

        9)     Air hand dryers in bathrooms

               Exists (why): To reduce the use of paper towels. Air hand dryers make washing hands                        quick and reduce the waste and possibly cost of paper towels. People can quickly maneuver                to the hand dryer instead of fiddling around with paper towels.

      10)  Smell of bug spray

Exists (why): To keep the bugs away. Bugs, like butterflies, are drawn to certain smells that    appeal to them, like flowers. Mosquitoes and other biting bugs are drawn to certain smells that people give off. The chemicals used in bug sprays create an unpleasant smell that will keep the bugs from coming close and biting.

      11)  Water attraction seats (i.e. Splash Mountain)

Exists (why): To be able to last through frequent dry/wet spells. These attraction vehicles/seat are constantly getting wet and dry. They need to be able to handle this use and not ruin the entire vehicles (i.e. mold).

      12)  Uncleanliness of shopping carts

Exists (why): Constantly exposed to the elements. Shopping carts are exposed to many things, such as rain, food, clothes, and people. Carts are left outside in the rain, people cough and sneeze, and food can leak.

      13)  People not cleaning up after dogs

Exists (why): No access to bags. Not all leashes have the containers for bags for cleaning up after dogs. Also, it can be hard to remember to refill the containers once empty or grab a bag, especially if the dog is young or not trained yet.

     14)  Lack of outlets at Marston versus Library West on the higher floors

Exists (why): Library West is newer. Library west is a newer and more contemporary than Marston. More outlets were put in there probably because of this issue.

     15)  Lifeguard tubes without an assist strap (when I work)

Exists (why): Stitching of material does not handle rough use well. Kids like to tug hard or hang on the assist straps. The stitching that holds the strap to the tube weakens, especially with constant exposure to water.

     16)  The three roundabouts on 2^nd Ave going toward downtown

Exists (why): Lack of understanding of roundabout rules. Roundabouts are not very common on roads that people frequent. It is very easy to forget about things that we do not encounter daily.

     17)  Bicyclists being pedestrians and vehicles (at the same time) on campus

Exists (why): Quick pace/crowdedness of campus. During the class times, campus is crowded with cars and scooters on the roads and people on the sidewalks. Some people have classes on opposite side of campus and only have 15 minutes to get there.

     18)  When cars leave their blinkers on

Exists (why): Forgetfulness. There are two setting for blinkers: one is a quick blink for changing lanes and the other is longer for making turns. Most people use the longer blinker signal when merging lanes, especially if the lane is crowded. If too much time passes one forgets about it.

     19)  When cars do not use their blinkers

Exists (why): Laziness/spur of the moment decisions. Some people choose not to use their blinkers because they do not feel they are important (this is rare, but it happens). Usually spur of the moment decisions cause this: you realize you are in the wrong lane for an exit and you just go for it.

     20)  Same song playing on all radio stations at the same time

Exists (why): To keep people listening to their radio station. Radio stations can generate a following by playing the latest and greatest songs. They try to play them as often as possible and do not consult the other stations when choosing which song to play.

Reflection:

               This assignment took a little more time and thinking than I had originally intended. When I first thought about what I would add to my “Bug List”, I was only including ideas that solely bugged me. This made the second part of the assignment, discovering why the bug existed, more difficult. My initial “bugs” were not actually problems, they were just things I did not care for.

               For example, my biggest “bug” is when people add Parmesan cheese on their pizza. I can honestly say the only reason why this bothers me is because I do not like cheese and the thought of adding cheese on cheese sounds weird to me. It was after coming up with three or four ideas like this one that I decided to redefine my bugs.

So, for my second attempt I decided to focus on things that bothered me, as well as other people, and could be defined as genuine issues that people face. It was after this change that the assignment became easier.