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Design

What is Google Thinking With Nexus One?

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Written by Rob Hudson | 11 January 2010
Posted in Design

The reactions to Google's introduction of the Nexus One phone based on its open source mobile OS Android 2.1 have been mixed. This wide range of reactions should not be a surprise. After all, Google has been so dominating and successful with its search, advertising and Gmail plays that it has created a few scared rabbits. Google's reach extends to and through so much of our online lives today, that some worry about it gaining a stranglehold over mobile communications as well. Let's look at why Google would make this move and what it might mean for others in the ecosystem.

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Powerful Design: Making Stairs Fun

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Written by Rob Hudson | 18 November 2009
Posted in Design

Fascinating. This study in Odenplan, Stockholm tested the theory that if you make stairs fun, people will choose them over an escalator located next to it. Workers placed sensors and colored panels over the stairs to make them look and act like a piano keyboard. The video below shows the result. It also demonstrates a larger concept -- the power of design to influence behaviors.

In your business, what are you doing to take advantage of human nature through design? Do you even understand what your users' behaviors are? Product functions, services, websites, brochures...all can benefit from rethinking the interplay between behaviors and design triggers. See the video after the break.

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Aimee Mullins - Redefining ImageThrough Design & Legs

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Written by Rob Hudson | 09 November 2009
Posted in Design

Aimee Mullins (@aimeemullins) is inspiring, but listening to her speak, she almost convinces you that she's not really doing anything special. After all, if we look through the eyes of a child and hear without our learned, societal filter on, we realize that she is just living free from the handicap that we all bear. She doesn't have legs like ours. Her's are better. They're interchangeable. They're customizable for the situation. Want to be a bit taller. No problem. Need an extra spring in your step. No problem. She has turned what many might see as an obstacle into an opportunity. She exploits that opportunity through design. In your business, are you seeing with new eyes today? Are you rethinking obstacles and turning them into opportunities? Enjoy her talk and challenge yourself.

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To Android, Or Not To Android?

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Written by Rob Hudson | 06 November 2009
Posted in Design

The buzz is building. Android is HERE. The signs are all around. The DroidDoes ads highlight some of the top issues that have been brewing in the iPhone user base. Top on my list are customization, camera quality, swappable batteries, multitasking and open development.

Phones have become a part of our wardrobe. They're a style statement. They're personal. Astoundingly, Steve Jobs and his Apple crew think that you have to adhere to their style and be part of the Apple crowd. Want a Wallpaper on your phone. Sure, but only when it is unlocking. While in use, you can have any color you want as long as it's BLACK.

Apple StyleStandard iPhone UI

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eReader Wars & The Entertainment Panel

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Written by Rob Hudson | 17 September 2009
Posted in Design

There's a battle rumbling over the horizon. Two players have already come into view and others prepare in the shadows. The question is are they trying to take the right hill?

Quite a bit of effort and some media have been focused on the purpose-built eReader market with Sony's Reader ($199 - http://bit.ly/nGxOa) and Amazon's Kindle ($299 - http://bit.ly/xpGj1). The idea is that today's digital world makes carrying, buying and receiving a larger collection of books infinitely easier, "affordable" (once you have the device) and convenient. Bored while waiting for a plane? Buy and download a book and start reading it right now. Finished your last book? Start reading another in your digital collection without missing a beat. The story of Chris Anderson's "long tail" theory that made Amazon such a hit as an online bookstore also seems to lend support for the concept. That is, virtual shelf space on the Internet makes it possible to inventory and deliver a far wider range of titles than a brick and mortar store could offer. So you can serve a much wider range of tastes. With digital books, this becomes even more true. There is virtually no storage issue. So a huge number of titles could easily be offered by vendors, puchased virtually online anywhere and stored by the user without overflowing either's shelves.

Wow. This is a simplistic view.

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