From the New York Times via the IHT via Herman Miller DesignLink comes this article which looks at how LEDs have opened a whole new world for designers. Take for example this application from Brighthandle where the door handle changes colour according if the door is locked:
Illuminating stuff.
In this fascinating podcast Tom Kelly talks about the 10 Faces of Innovation as he has observed at Ideo.
The most interesting part of the conversation is almost near the start, when he starts talking about ‘unfocus groups’. In this process Ideo recruits the opinions of those on the fringes, the extremists and the rabid fans. Tom makes the point that most companies run focus groups that look at the normal consumer which fits in the centre of the bell curve.
However in unfocus groups, the people on the edges bring their wacky ideas and passions to the fore, thus acting as a catalyst for new directions of thought.
“If you’re looking for new ideas that don’t yet exist, don’t talk to normal people because they’re just consuming what is available today – find the weirdos and see what they’re doing, what they’re making on their own and say gee – is there something I can mainstream from this?”
New Zealand company Bloomsberry has linked gourmet chocolate with cheeky original design to create a product with instant appeal.
Forget all the branding of chocolate as creamy, dark or tasty – these guys cut to the chase with images of chocolate as medicine, an antidode to PMT… the list goes on.
Such is the appeal of the brand that it has attracted worldwide attention.
Purple cow anyone?
A quick link to an article I wrote for the Stanford University d.School magazine. It’s about innovation and product design. More specifically – how do you create new products to appeal to the customer, not to the marketing department.
You can see the preview issue here or click through directly to a PDF of the article.
Yesterday I met with Geoff Cranko, one of the directors of Strategy Advertising & Design. It’s based in Christchurch (New Zealand) and develops worldclass branding for a range of clients.
What impressed me was the amount of effort that had been invested into making a creative work environment that would not look out of place in NY, London or Tokyo.
From the ‘2001 Space Odyssey” room through to the Christmas parties (which are a whole different story) it was the sort of place where people could be inspired.
The proof is in the pudding. Or, in Strategy’s case – it’s in gold coloured frames on the walls.
A free flowing, free standing wall which has potential for all sorts of things. Great for use in creating flexible and infinitely configurable innovation spaces.
Taking content generation to the next level is Comvu, which has developed an application to enable you to send live streaming video from your mobile/PDA.
Once setup, you then send notifications to your prospective audience via SMS, IM or whatever channel they select. Here’s how it works :
Hey presto – it’s a new instant news station. Mobile computing power meets citizen journalism. How long before someone called it “iNews” ? However news won’t be the only application once Generation Mobile get inspired.
As a ‘discerning music consumer’ (or should that be music-snob?) I’m always looking for new sources of interesting music. A few years back there was this great site called GigaBeat. It sadly shut but was replaced by was then usurped by other similar services such as MusicPlasma
However the new champion of music referral does not just point out new sources of music/influences, but actually customises a radio station based on these.
Beware, it’s addictive. And inspirational for discovering new sounds.
UPDATED – 22 Dec 2005
After using Pandora for a while, it strikes me that it’s a shining example of the web-as-a-platform. In the dial-up world this type of application would not be possible. However in the broadband world it’s a virtual jukebox anywhere you can get a fast connection. When mobile devices get fast wireless connections, it’s bye-bye iPod. The idea of carrying your music on one device, and only accessible from one device will seem quaint.
New Zealand manufacturer Design Mobel has come out with the worlds first iPod compatible bed.
I bought a Design Mobel bed a year ago based on the asthetics – in a world of bland beds the design was outstanding. It was only after we got it home that I noticed the other things about the company – for example its programme to replant native trees and its environmental policy.
The new Pause bed obviously raises the profile of the company in the market. Even if they only shift a few units, people will start to recognise them internationally for their great design.
It’s a pity they used Bose speakers for the playback. An audiophile I met a while back praised Bose as the only company in the world that can sell a $99 speaker for $999.
However the bed is interesting and signals the move of the little white devices into yet another part of peoples lives. Storing music – and lots of music – on small devices is disrupting more than just the personal stereo/walkman market. First BMW integrates iPod docking (another way to amplify the shortcomings of low quality MP3 via expensive stereos), then it comes to the bed. Where next – the toilet?
After all, it would colour match.
It’s interesting to see the effect generated by a cleverly written eBay auction. Recently there was a pair of leather trousers up for auction. These normally would get lost among the other thousands of clothing items for offer. Instead, this auction turned into a bit of meme, which in turn, attracted a lot of attention. So much so that it ended up getting requests from a magazine editor wanting to use it in print.
Why is this interesting? It illustrates the power of breaking out of the norm, and creating a Purple Cow auction on eBay.
You can see the auction here.
Just in case it has been taken down, here’s the first few lines :
You are bidding on a mistake.
We all make mistakes. We date the wrong people for too long. We chew gum with our mouths open. We say inappropriate things in front of grandma.
And we buy leather pants.
I can explain these pants and why they are in my possession. I bought them many, many years ago under the spell of a woman whom I believed to have taste. She suggested I try them on. I did. She said they looked good. I wanted to have a relationship of sorts with her. I’m stupid and prone to impulsive decisions. I bought the pants.
The relationship, probably for better, never materialized. The girl, whose name I can’t even recall, is a distant memory. I think she was short.
