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Don Norman believes Technology comes first, User Needs Last. What?
2009-12-20 16:24:00
Yep. That’s what Donald Norman (of Design of Everyday Things fame) wrote in his latest essay on his blog. You get the gist of his view in this introductory paragraph: I’ve come to a disconcerting conclusion: design research is great when it comes to improving existing product categories but essentially useless when it comes to new, innovative breakthroughs. I reached this conclusion through examination of a range of product innovations, most especially looking at those major conceptual breakthroughs that have had huge impact upon society as well as the more common, mundane small, continual improvements. Call one conceptual breakthrough, the other incremental. Although we would prefer to believe that conceptual breakthroughs occur because of a detailed consideration of human needs, especially fundamental but unspoken hidden needs so beloved by the design research community, the fact is that it simply doesn’t happen. This essay has set off a furor of blog responses...
More About: Technology , User

Spaces for Ideas: The Beginning
2009-12-17 18:29:00
After using my Moleskine for almost a year, I realized what I thought was the world's best sketchbook was not even close. The cover often bends out of shape, the spine makes my pages shift like a deck of cards, and it contains pages so incredibly thin that pretty much everything goes through it. While no sketchbook is perfect, I believe my fairly harsh critique was influenced by price and marketing/branding of a Moleskine. In other words, I expected something better considering how much I paid for it! This got me thinking: ?Yes, while no sketchbook is perfect, just what did I not like about the Moleskine or even sketchbooks in general?? I thought about all the problems I had with sketchbooks, and after that made a list of key points of what I thought my dream sketchbook would be like. And like a typical designer, I knew from that moment I could design one that was better. I hope!
More About: Ideas , Entrepreneurship , Concept

About Time Someone Redesigned the Plug!
2009-12-10 16:51:00
As our evolving electronic equipment gets thinner and smaller, the biggest thing these days is the power brick and wall plug. This forgotten object lacked much attention until Min-Kyu Choi presented his redesign during his RCA graduate show.
More About: Time , Plug , Industrial Design , Concept

Design Unplugged Podcast 02: What is Entertainment Design?
2009-12-08 17:41:00
Just for this week only, we bring you our next podcast hot on the heels of our first. In this discussion Feng and I chatted about Entertainment Design and how much more work is required when you are designing a world rather than a product. Watch out for the key take away of this podcast, where we talk about designers needing to be sensitive to visual cues so that their creations are believable.
More About: Podcast , Unplugged

Design Unplugged Podcast 01: How important is Rendering in Design?
2009-12-07 17:14:00
We had such a good response to the podcasts published during the Icsid world design congress, that I think I might turn this into a regular thing. The podcast will be published either weekly or bi-weekly, we have not decided. You might also have noticed that its "we" in this equation and not I, because the podcast series will be jointly created with non-other than Feng Zhu! Do enjoy and we love to hear your feedback and comments.
More About: Design , Podcast , Unplugged , Concept

How to Present like a Pro!
2009-12-01 17:30:00
This article was originally written for Yanko Design (YD). As there are some Design Sojourn readers don?t really frequent YD, I thought it would make sense to republished the article here. Looking forward to all your comments. Photo by: Pat Law One skill many designers should often work on is presentation. Designers of all levels can always benefit from a little more jazz in their presentations. Don?t know about you guys, but imagining my audience naked never worked for me! The thing to note about presentations is that it is not just about standing up in front of an audience or spending nights rehearsing, presentations are really all about communication. It is about getting your point across in a clear and concise manner. Here are a few tips that can help improve your technique and hopefully also make you a much better communicator.
More About: Present

Server Problems
2009-09-20 02:33:00
Edit 3: I'm not going to waste anymore time ranting about it here, but the long and short of it is I have decided to leave Media Temple for better pastures. I'll give you the full update when I get the site up an running at 100% efficiency. So I will be migrating this site in the next 48 hours. Please expect down times and sorry for any inconvenience caused. Design Sojourn is currently experiencing server side problems. According to Media Temple tech support, it is an errant Wordpress plugin that was causing excessive call ups on the Wordpress database causing the server to crash and return a 500 error. BS.
More About: Problems , Server

Good Design is the new Mediocre
2009-09-17 17:19:00
David Sherwin on his very cool ChangeOrder blog writes that: Good design is the enemy of great design. This isn't to say that good design gets in the way of great design, since the latter is only possible when surrounded by the former. But our hardest struggles as designers emerge when we confront what could be great, rather than what is thoroughly good. While not the most original quote, (anyone know who first said it?) it comes back to us at the right time. As we move towards a hyper competitive environment when everyone in more than capable of Good Design , going with just Good is really going with mediocrity. I often cringe when I hear, ?this is good enough?, because it will not be. Someone, likely the competition, will take that extra step or that extra iteration and make it better than you. The end result is that you will likely have a failed product in the market place.
More About: Mediocre

Truths about Creativity
2009-09-16 17:00:00
Image by: Dalydose I have been thinking about the relationship between creativity vs. design vs. where does it comes from. I have also wondered why some people, not just designers, are more creative than others? Here are some of my thoughts on creativity that may help you understand what it is and how to get it going for you.
More About: Creativity

Why there will be no Apple Mac Tablet
2009-09-15 14:30:00
iPod Touch marketed and positioned as a Pocket Computer I?m a firm believer that a good design strategy expresses the a product?s marketing concept, or great marketing should be a reflection of a design?s intent. They are quite interrelated, especially if a design or marketing strategy is consumer focused. Thus if you look at the iPod Touch?s marketing tagline, you can safely say, intentional or not, that Apple embraces the fact that their iPod Touch is a Pocket Computer. In a way it could also be seen as retro fitting as the iPod Touch struggled to find its place between an iPhone and an iPod. To round it up its benefits Apple has position the Touch as also a iPod and a entertainment (gaming) system. Regardless, it is clear that the iPod Touch is not an iPhone minus. Interestingly enough, the iPhone has been position with as phone, iPod and an internet device.
More About: Tablet , Apple Mac

Doing More with Less is where Design is really Needed
2009-09-14 07:51:00
Check out this very well written article by Dan Harding President of Whipsaw on ?Doing More With Less: Using the Down Economy as a Design Brief?. Here is a snippet: Contrary to logic, a good economy compromises quality more than a bad one. In good times corporations seek to supply rising demand as fast as possible for non-discriminating consumers that have more disposable income. Flush with R&D budgets, companies fund programs that keep the current best sellers buoyed by tweaking the brand message with advertising, and designing new products as fast as they can. [snip?] It's harder to design simple inexpensive products than complex expensive ones. One needs to focus more on the essential user needs and less on the endless feature possibilities or extraneous embellishments. It requires more purity, so that no matter how much they take away from it, it's more likely to survive intact through its development. Simple inexpensive products are also better for the environment. ...

iPhone App for Design Managers
2009-09-11 16:19:00
Very fun concept iPhone App for Design Managers by Lunchbreath. Via: Core 77
More About: Iphone

Birds on a Wire are like Music Notes on a Score
2009-09-10 15:44:00
Birds on the Wire s from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo. This is what I call "critical insight"! Brazilian designer Jarbas Agnell saw something more than just a flock of birds sitting on a set of power lines. He saw a collection of notes on a music score, which he transcribed into a beautiful piece of multimedia art. Bravo! Check out Jarbas' thoughts here. Via: Good Things Design Blog
More About: Music , Notes , Birds , Score

Work in the Kitchen with Only One Hand
2009-09-09 19:23:00
As the quality of life improves for all of us, one thing we will need to spend some time on is looking after our aging population. Again I expect Design to play a major role in making this happen, and it has! The One Hand Kitchen by Gabriele Meldaikyte is a great example of universal design. The product allows people with disabilities, arthritis or even low muscle strength, to do things like an able bodied individual would. In this case I would say: nothing makes Granny more happy than empowerment! The ability to go about her life as per normal and on her own steam.
More About: Work , Industrial Design , Concept

Repair is the new Recycle
2009-09-08 18:32:00
I repaired a gramophone from 1910: The mechanism was broken. Therefore I attached my Iphone to the horn with a soft foam connective piece over the Iphone?s loudspeaker. This results in a wonderful sounds, especially horns sound amazing. Vince Vijsma, Amsterdam, the Netherlands I remember when I was much younger, I would love to take stuff apart, modify it and put them back together. I actually learnt how to solder wires at 10 or 11 and that help me repair my damaged Radio Control Cars. Luckily I'm a better electrician than a driver! So I was quite tickled when I read about Platform 21's Most Remarkable Repair Contest. The work submitted really resonated with me!
More About: Recycle , Industrial Design

Come join me at the ICSID World Design Congress 2009?
2009-09-08 05:54:00
Some time in May I announced that I am helping organize the ICSID World Design Congress 2009 that will run in sunny Singapore from the 23 to 25 November 2009. I have a small update (or a big one depending on the viewpoint) for you. I would like to let you know that Design Sojourn is an official online media partner with the ICSID World Design Congress 2009!
More About: Join

Join the Design Sojourn Facebook Fan Page Now!
2009-09-06 16:15:00
The last time we announced we had a Facebook goup and we have a really good response for our loyal Design Sojourn readers. Thank you! Unfortunately, Facebook's Groups functionality did not really match our needs as much of it, such as a discussion forum, would already be satisfied here. However Facebook's Fan Page s is a much better solution! Not only does it have similar Groups functionality, you can have a bigger membership ceiling, the integration of Facebook applications, and most important of all the information on Pages that you follow will appear on your News feed on your Facebook page. Heavy Facebook users will find this useful, as it is another means where you can get fresh Design Sojourn content directly to you.
More About: Join

Is there a Divide in Design?
2009-09-02 18:32:00
A couple of weeks ago I posted a link on my Twitter account that lead to a write up by Bruce Nussbaum on The Latest Trends in Design and Innovation--And Why The Debate Over Design Thinking is Moot. I did think this was one of his better posts, though his so called "trends" are not entirely new. However before we go deeper into this discussion, let us briefly recap these trends:
More About: Creativity

For Those that want More out of their Clocks
2009-09-01 11:03:00
Check out this clever reinterpretation of a wall clock called QLOCKTWO by multidisciplinary design agency Biegert & Funk. The QLOCKTWO clock visually spells out the time in 5 minutes intervals that is somehow more engaging than the traditional digital or analogue clocks.
More About: Clocks , Industrial Design

Why not forget Design Thinking and try Multidisciplinary Thinking instead?
2009-08-31 08:52:00
Dev Patnaik, in his well written article at Fast Company, reminds me of a big problem with Design Thinking : vagueness in its definition. Even here at Design Sojourn, we have tried, with limited success, to discuss and dissect its definition. Patnaik does not "open a can of worms" by defining Design Thinking, but instead encourages us to forget Design Thinking and try Hybrid Thinking instead. In his article, he recounts the success of Claudia Kotchka, as P&G?s VP for design strategy and innovation, and how during her nine years in that role, helped P&G double their revenue (2000-2008) by successfully making innovation happen at P&G.

A refresh of the Design Sojourn Logo and Brand!
2009-08-21 08:17:00
This has really been a long time coming, but I never really had the time to get down to doing it. Now at home and nursing the flu, I have decided to spend a little time putting the finishing touches on my new Design Sojourn logo and hence brand. First, a few points on the intent of the original logo. 1) Design Sojourn is really about a journey, or a design journey to be exact. The logo's handwritten font was envisage to reflect this journey. As we all know the creation of a design is never an easy process and filled with ups and downs. The roughness of the type was meant to signify this. 2) The old logo font was also tweaked to look like a left pointing arrow with a tail. 3) The tail was also mean to represent how at the end of our design journey we come to a single (hopefully right) solution or point. With this in mind, I would like to now introduce to you the refresh of the Design Sojourn brand identity!
More About: Brand , Refresh , Logo

Blogging Break
2009-08-20 17:14:00
Sorry for the lack of updates on this blog as I was on vacation all last week. I had hope to get back into the swing of things this week, but unfortunately I have manged to catch the flu instead. According to the symptoms it looks like that of the Swine variety, so I will need some additional downtime to recover. The constant fever does not help as well. Otherwise I'm still alive and kicking, and I will touch base with all of you soon. Oink oink!
More About: Blogging , Break

5 Steps to a Better Design Brief
2009-08-03 18:25:00
Crowded Elevator with Crystal by Daniel Greene If you look around you I?m sure you can find plenty of great advice on how to write a good design brief. Therefore I will assume that most of you would know what they are and how to do so. However I have found that such advice are often ?cookie cutter? at best, and may not necessary help you get your design job done right. However if you want a better and tighter brief, here are 5 steps that might just help you turn your design into a great one!
More About: Design , Steps

There is a Difference between Good Presentation and Good Content
2009-07-29 18:55:00
Let's start with 3 truths. 1) The best place to be is to have a good presentation with good content. Works in any situation. 2) If you have good presentation and your content sucks, you might still get away with it. 3) If your content is great but your presentation is crap, it's 50/50 split that could go either way. Right. Interestingly, this was one of the topics we discussed during the Designer Mentoring program. It came up a number of times, so I felt it should be shared here with all of you as well. It is quite a difficult concept to grasp, so please bear with me while I try to explain?
More About: Content , Good , Presentation , Difference

Looks like Innovation moves Markets, not Design
2009-07-23 18:41:00
Image: Economy of Innovation by Smart Design . Click here for a larger size. When I first saw this interesting illustration created by Smart Design, it did not resonate with me. Thus I only forwarded the image via my usualTwitter link love and spent the rest of the week thinking about it. What threw me off was Bruce Nussbaum's comment on the image which was, in his usual fashion, off the mark. Sorry Bruce. He wrote:
More About: Markets , Moves

Steps to Creating an Engaging Product Experience
2009-07-17 17:59:00
Click here for a bigger picture! This little chart was inspired by my Interaction Design colleagues. If you come from an Industrial Design or Interaction Design point of view, you might just end up focusing on one part of this chart and miss the whole equation. Personally, I find creating silos of design disciplines with hard lines is just incorrect. Designing an engaging product experience should be well considered journey lead by a multidisciplinary designer managing every touch point your consumer engages with either your product or brand.
More About: Product , Experience , Creating , Steps

Better Surfboard Designs!
2009-07-15 17:47:00
Thomas Meyerhoffer, a former designer at Apple, did what any designer would do when he was not happy with a product. He created his own. In Thomas' case it was his love for surfing and his hatred of existing surfboard designs that got him going. His unique boards are an awesome response and an application of a designer's critical insight on how people use such products.
More About: Design , Designs

Sometimes Designers need to Walk the Path on Their Own
2009-07-13 18:05:00
I'm always happy to hear of designers that have taken the effort to turn one of their great ideas into reality. I think it is a great learning experience even if the result was a not a success. (Remember you learn more if you fail!) So if you have ever thought about doing the same, I highly recommend that you do so! I often belief that "Sometimes Designers need to Walk the Path on Their Own". By "Path" here, I mean the design process, or more specific to my statement, the attempt to participate in the entire design and product development process. In other words, coming up with an idea, creating a business plan, working out the marketing story, developing the concept, refining it, realizing it in CAD, manufacturing the product, testing it, packing it, selling it and even shipping the product.

How to be the Best Designer in the World?
2009-07-08 18:01:00
Image: Yo Yo Ma at the World Economic Forum 2008 by Any Mettler Have you ever wondered how you could be the best designer in the world? How to be that money making Design Virtuoso? I know I have. What about you?
More About: Designer , The World

Is this another Apple Inspired Fad in the Works?
2009-07-06 08:50:00
Jabra Go 6400 headsets. Via: Fastcompany When Apple launched their G3 "Bubble Gum" colored transparent iMacs in 1998, the world loved it. And as a result Apple was reborn. Unfortunately, the world loved it so much that almost every other product released was either transparent or in "Bubble Gum" blue/pink/red. The same thing happened with their white/black iPods and Macbooks. Suddenly the world suffered from a color deficiency and far to many fingerprints. The problem was that in 90% of of the time, the application of these elements were wrongly seen as "only just a surface treatment", or even just a fad.
More About: Works , Industrial Design , Inspired , The Works