field study 3-intervention
DESCRIPTION
Like many others, I have concerns about how the forces around (and inside) me affect my performance in various events as well as my day to day well‐being. To date, I have kept track of my well‐being using a rating system which I have developed, a grocery list, and my memory. There are effective elements of this system and elements that do not carry enough data or create enough influence to be effective.Although the system has highlights (the rating system) the other elements fail and the system needs complementary components to capture more data and turn that data into a useful information system. The present system is essentially a failure and has been long in need of an intervention.I took the opportunity of this field study to do a comprehensive analysis, restructuring, and reinvention of the information system. I initially had concerns that a week wouldn’t be long enough to properly test and make appropriate refinements to the system, but after only two days I experienced significant and startling results. Given that my observations and reactions were so marked, I stayed with the study and tested it until the morning of Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at which time I began to compile all my notes, inputs and observations to create this report.TRANSCRIPT
1 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
Overview Like many others, I have concerns about how
the forces around (and inside) me affect my
performance in various events as well as my
day to day well‐being. To date, I have kept
track of my well‐being using a rating system
which I have developed, a grocery list, and my
memory. There are effective elements of this
system and elements that do not carry enough
data or create enough influence to be
effective.
Although the system has highlights (the rating system) the other elements fail and the system
needs complementary components to capture more data and turn that data into a useful
information system. The present system is essentially a failure and has been long in need of an
intervention.
I took the opportunity of this field study to do a comprehensive analysis, restructuring, and
reinvention of the information system. I initially had concerns that a week wouldn’t be long
enough to properly test and make appropriate refinements to the system, but after only two
days I experienced significant and startling results. Given that my observations and reactions
were so marked, I stayed with the study and tested it until the morning of Tuesday, March 29,
2011, at which time I began to compile all my notes, inputs and observations to create this
report.
2 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
Contents
Overview ......................................................................... 1
Reporting Approach ....................................................... 3
Summary......................................................................... 3
Analysis ........................................................................... 3
Recommendations.......................................................... 3
The System ..................................................................... 5
Elements ......................................................................... 5
The Tools ......................................................................... 5
Relationships .................................................................. 5
Flow ................................................................................ 6
Conclusion ...................................................................... 6
Works Referenced .......................................................... 7
3 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
Reporting Approach
I’ll first describe this information system through a summary, analysis and suggestions for
improvement in a narrative fashion. I’ll then go into greater detail utilizing elements of the
suggested report format.
Summary Several years ago I elected to devise a system where I could, as best as I can, quantitatively
define day‐to‐day living. For lack of a better term, I’ll refer to this as the ‘Mental Health Index’.
The approach I took was to develop a spreadsheet with various markers that represented
various behaviors and states‐of‐mind of mine. I tried to make this a relatively simple system
where I could rate myself on both feelings and behaviors numerically. I came up with various
actions and moods that I could evaluate myself on using a 1‐10 scale with ‘1’ being the lowest
and ’10’ being the highest.
For instance I could give myself a ‘10’ in the ‘Can't Concentrate’ category if I was having a
particularly hard time concentrating that day. If I was feeling particularly edgy I might give
myself a ‘7’ in the ‘Irritability’ category.
This was an easy to use and, although not foolproof, it gave me good data to analyze. Over time
I was able to amass enough information where I could identify trends. There were days that I
peaked, seasons where I dipped, and periods of relative ‘stability’ or ‘5’s’.
Knowing that food is one of the most important ways to influence well‐being, I made shopping
lists and tried to keep in mind the latest research and sound bites when shopping for groceries.
Analysis
This information system is weak in many ways and was due for an intervention.
Although the Mental Health Index provided a sufficient means for identifying moods, it was
limited in that it only had a handful of indices to rate myself on. To make a more fool proof
system, this would have to be expanded to include many more areas to be rated. It also would
have to get rid of the 1‐10 rating system. This rating system has to be revised because there is
too much variance allowed – what might be a ‘5’ on one day could be a ’7’ or ‘3’ on another.
There was no room to modify elements and certainly no room to make improvements in the
existing system. There was neither a part of the system in place to track food and its effect
outside of my memory.
Most importantly, this system was not focused on results. I had no way of taking inputs and
testing it against outside forces, namely food.
Recommendations
The Mental Health Index should switch from a ‘1‐10’ rating system to a Y/N system. There is just
too much undefined variance using a numerical scale. The Y/N system should be translated to
numbers so a quantifiable system can remain in place.
4 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
There also needs to be more areas to rate the user on as the user may have different
interpretations of words on different days. Adding more data points will increase the accuracy
of the overall system and the validity and reliability of the results. For example, providing a Y/N
rating on the markers ‘Depressed’, ‘the Blues’, ‘Feeling Down’, and ‘Hopeless’ will prove much
more reliable than just providing a rating on ‘Depressed’. Adding more ‘Behaviors’ to the list will
also aid in increasing the resource’s reliability.
Suggested moods and behaviors to add to the Mental Health Index:
Aggression, Anger, Blues, Brush Teeth, Can't Seem To Have Fun, Can't Concentrate, Feel
Depressed, Empty, Excessive Eating, Excessive Guilt, Moderate Exercise, Intense Workout,
Fatigue, Floss Teeth, Poor Food Choices, Hopeless, Interaction, Irritability, Loss Of Interest
In Daily Activities, Low Energy, Pig Out On Junk Food, Productivity, Rage, Reckless
Behavior, Take nap, Self‐Hate, Separated From World, Shower/Bath, Talk to Significant
Other, Time in Bed, Trouble Making Decisions, Unexplained Pain, Unwarranted Exhaustion,
Up All Night, Violence, Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Low Self Worth
In addition to the proposed refinements to the ‘Mental Health Index’, several documents need
to be added to the system:
A document titled ‘Food Matrix’ which identifies appropriate food sources must be
created and used with the same regularity as the spreadsheets. After some research and
personal interest, I’ve co‐opted the Food Matrix created by Robb Wolf (Wolf, 2010).
A spreadsheet tracking food intake must be created.
An information sheet used to track food intake and used in concert with the
spreadsheet tracking food intake should be created. Though redundant, it gives me, the
user, something tangible to use while migrating to the new system.
The Wunderlist application, when used with the ‘Food Matrix’ document, provides an adequate
system for organizing grocery lists.
5 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
The System
Elements
The elements of the system I’ve examined prior
to the intervention include:
A spreadsheet used to track my well‐
being titled ‘Mental Health Index’
An application, Wunderlist, used to track
food purchases
The elements of the system that were
incorporated as a part of the intervention
include the following:
A document titled ‘Food Matrix’ which
identifies appropriate food sources
A spreadsheet tracking food intake
An information sheet used to track food
intake and used in concert with the spreadsheet tracking food intake. I jokingly refer to
this as my ‘Daily Complaint Form’. This is because if I give it a ‘serious’ name, I probably
wouldn’t take it as seriously.
A refined ‘Mental Health Index’
The Wunderlist application
The Tools
The tools of this system all operate digitally. I’ve listed them below.
‐ Used for tracking data (well‐being, food intake) ‐ used for compiling the report
‐ Used to track food purchases ‐ used to develop form to track food intake
‐ Used to do image editing ‐ used to pull everything together in a universal format
Relationships There are several relationships to be examined in this information system. Some explicit, some
implicit. Some aged, some recent.
The purpose of this field study is to intervene and improve upon and existing system. That
statement clearly implies that there had to be a system existing prior to the study or at least
exist in some fashion.
Tracking...
6 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
In either case, the system has a
history and potentially draws upon
numerous data points.
Applying an effective intervention
required more than entering facts and
figures on a spreadsheet, updating
diagrams or underlining a title. It went
beyond having awareness or insight.
I had to throw away years of what I’ll
refer to as ‘food programming’.
Thankfully this was a lot easier than I
thought. That relationship is perhaps the
most important one, yet it technically lies
outside of the information system.
Given the relatively short time between intervention and assessment, I’m confident that all
relationships have not fully been revealed. I’m still working through refinements to the new
documents and rating systems and imagine that there will be a way to better link these
documents as time goes on.
Flow
Utilizing the documents and putting my best foot forward in the name of academia and personal
development, I threw myself into the system.
Having a holistic information system gave me immediate results. I could better identify my own
well‐being and there was a direct link to its cause, in this case food. As my data shows, when I
stay within the system, I thrive and when I deviate from it, I fail.
Conclusion This system is a significant and marked upgrade from what I had. There are, however,
improvements that will need to be made as time goes on. I recognize that there are many other
elements to the system that will have impacts on well‐being that are not accounted for in detail
in its current iteration. Personal events, exercise and stress, to name a few, all impact our lives
in varying ways.
I really couldn’t believe how good I felt, how bad I felt, and how closely it was linked to food. I
intentionally ate food not on the ‘Food Matrix’ to see its impact. I did not like it. I struggled to
write‐up the final version of this report as I had drank some coffee with milk and had a brownie.
I had brief boost, but then fell into a lull. This was similar to the earlier effect of consuming food
not on the ‘Food Matrix’ two days into the intervention. I ate some Chinese food, my insulin
spiked, and I was energized. 30 minutes later, that was not the case.
I’m looking forward to incorporating the updated information system into my daily life.
Relatio
nships…
7 Joshua Kitlas | Field Study 3
30 March 2011
Works Referenced
Ferriss, T. (2010). The 4‐Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat‐Loss, Incredible Sex, and
Becoming Superhuman. New York: Crown Archetype.
Lester, J., & Kohler, Jr., W. C. (2007). The Impact of Information in Society. In J. Lester, & J. W.
Kohler, Fundamentals of Information Studies: Understanding Information and Its
Environment (pp. 1‐37). New York: Neal Schuman Publishers.
Norman, D. A. (1988). The Psychopathology of Everyday Things. In D. A. Norman, The Design of
Everyday Things (pp. 1‐33). New York: Doubleday.
The Noun Project. (n.d.). The Noun Project. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from The Noun Project:
http://www.thenounproject.com
Tufte, E. R. (1997). Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions. In
E. R. Tufte, Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative (pp. 27‐
53). Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.
Wolf, R. (2010). The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet. Victory Belt Publishing.
Food TrackingField S
tudy 3
daybreakfast
lunchdinner
snackcom
ment
3/2
4/2
01
12
strips bacon, 1 om
ega egg, 1
cup spinach, 2 shots
strong coffee (no milk or
sugar)
6 oz pork, bow
l full of yam
, brussel sprouts, onion roasted and seasoned w
ith rosem
ary, salt and pepper, olive oil)
bread w butter,
corn chips, alm
onds
instantly felt the ill effect of the bread/butter
3/2
5/2
01
12
strips bacon, 1 om
ega egg, 1
cup spinach, 2 shots
strong coffee 9no m
ilk or sugar)
chicken breast, kale/carrot/sesam
e oil, seasoned broccoli
bowl ice
cream, dark
chocolate covered alm
onds
low, energy, carb-head,
overslept, hot flash almost
instantly, slept through alarm
, still feeling effect 12
hours later, throat, dizzy
3/2
6/2
01
12
cups blueberries, 2
scoops protein powder, 1
/3
cup coconut milk, w
ater, ice, scoop super foods
1 chicken sausage,
leftover kale/carrots and broccoli
chicken breast, tom
atoes/jalapenos
dark choc alm
ondssom
e ear popping, tons of energy
3/2
7/2
01
1chicken breast w
ith tom
atoes and jalapenosLondon broil w
tomatoes
handful nutsfeel aw
esome, focused,
clarity3
/28
/20
11
chicken and tomatoes
2 slices pizza
gross, everything was fine
until the pizza3
/29
/20
11
almonds
coffee and Chinese
foodleftover C
hinese food, P
epsi
coffee, brownie
from S
tarbucksyuck, I feel disgusting
Prepared by jkitlas 3
/30
/20
11
The Food Matrix is actually Lysa’s gift to the world and here is how it works: To dispel the notion that you are bored (and to show you how easy it is to make fantastic meals quickly AND with few ingredients) we will consider a few items we can get from virtually any supermarket. Perhaps a few items are exotic, DO NOT split hairs. If your local supermarket is missing a few of these items it does not invalidate the concept. Ok, let’s consider our food options and after the introduction of the food matrix we can consider how to customize this for your specific needs. PROTEINS (27) VEGETABLES (24) FATS (5) HERBS & SPICES (25) Chicken breast Chicken thigh Flounder Snapper Trout Halibut Mackerel Bass Salmon steak Salmon fillet Shrimp New York steak Rib eye steak Round steak Ground beef Beef ribs Rump roast Beef stew meat Pork loin Pork chop Pork ribs Baby back ribs Bacon Pork roast Lamb chops Lamb rack Venison steaks
Asparagus Avocado Artichoke hearts Brussels sprouts Beets* Carrots Celery Daikon Zucchini Fennel Root Kale Chard Dandelion greens Spinach Acorn Squash* Butternut Squash* Yam* Sweet Potato* Red pepper Yellow pepper Green pepper Red cabbage Green cabbage Napa cabbage
Coconut oil Olive oil Macadamia oil Avocado oil Lard
Allspice Basil Cardamom Cinnamon Celery seed Dill Fenugreek Garlic Ginger Curry-Red Curry-Green Curry-Yellow Oregano Cillantro Nutmeg Rosemary Thyme Garam Masala Bay Leaf Salt Herbs de Provance Chili powder Paprika Cumin Black pepper
Existing documents
Examination of docum
ent
Revised documents
Re�nement of docum
ents
>>
>
Constructed Visualization
Joshua Kitlas
(evolution of a system)
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