800.324.1613
Contact Us >

EVENTS

Insight & Ideas_In Here and Out There

Our observations of the world around us

  • Is the tablet PC really what the doctor ordered? by Colette Vardeman on April 09, 2008

    One of the things that’s always bugged me about medical visits — doctor, dentist, you name it — has been the paperwork. In an era of digital everything, why must all our records and insurance info and background and prescriptions be in handwritten hardcopy? No one likes to deal with it: patients, admins, no one. (Well, maybe HIPAA regulators.)

    So I was surprised and delighted during a recent visit to my doctor. For the first time ever, I was presented with a tablet PC to fill out my paperwork. I was able to quickly describe my history and symptoms, review some related medical information, and even print a healthy recipe. Finally, I thought.

    Then I noticed an older lady who was clearly unfamiliar with this “new” technology.

    But before she could even think about using tablet she had to figure out how to carry it. In one hand she carried her purse and assorted medications. Her other hand was wrapped around the grip of her cane. A pleading and flustered look prompted the receptionist to help her to a seat.

    Seeing technology used in new ways, and by people of all ages, is an education and an inspiration. I wondered how this lady felt about this new tool. Did she miss the familiar paper forms? Did she struggle to find the stylus like others I had observed? Was the text on the screen legible? Did she understand how to navigate it? Could she comfortably balance the device in the lap of her small frame and interact with it to provide the information necessary to manage her health care? Had anyone given her instructions? Or a choice?

    As I was summoned for my appointment I was reminded that observing people in their environment defines a user experience framework made up of cognitive, emotional, and physical interactions that can only be observed in person. These observations are the foundation of a designer’s frame of reference and are the springboard for innovation.

    Permalink
  • The Kaossilator by Dan Rockwell on April 09, 2008

    I’ve discovered a new product that’s grabbed my attention – and my spare time – like no other in recent memory. It’s called the Kaossilator, and described most simply, it’s a handheld music synthesizer and drum machine. But it’s much more than that. For me, it’s a bit like therapy; a quick, creative release. And for the music industry, it could be a game changer.

    From a design stand point, Kaossilator does just about everything right.  It’s remarkably easy to use – it has just three small dials and a large touchpad. If you can use a laptop, you can use this thing. It’s also battery operated, lightweight, and semi-rugged. It embodies freedom. But the best aspect is, it gives anyone –talent or no – a way to create original music in seconds. And it sounds good!

    Can’t read music? No problem.  Can’t play an instrument? Big deal. If you can wave your finger around, you can now create original music in seconds.

    It’s so simple to use that you start to wonder who…just who is this company, Korg, that makes it? (A maker of otherwise high-end sound equipment.) The Apple fanatic in me wonders, why didn’t Steve Jobs come up with this? It’s that good.  I think the Kaossilator is a game changing product for Korg.  In the past, Korg catered to a specific music-industry audience, but this $200 gem could be tomorrow’s iPod. Creative, improvisational, portable, and totally addictive. 

    Kaossilator songs have become an almost instant sensation on YouTube, where newfound composers are sharing their works with the world.  Here’s just one example.

    The Kaossilator may or may not become the must-have gadget of the year. But I’m certain it will inspire similar interactive possibilities for iPhones, handheld games, and other devices already in the hands – large and small – of people everywhere.

    Permalink
  • How Aspirations Fuel Innovation by Chris Rockwell on April 09, 2008

    Customers are your biggest assets — if you let them express themselves. People experience a product not just with the usual five senses, but with a sixth: emotion.

    True innovation comes from digging deeper than the typical focus groups and ethnography studies. You need to see beyond the current experience into the consumer’s aspirations. Increasingly, this kind of research insight is simply the cost of entry for many businesses.

    If research ends with merely watching how customers interact with products and situations, you’ve short-changed the value you can tap from them. We use participatory methodologies to involve customers in a way that reveals their aspiration — what they wish for. When they start to think about how it ought to be, they become a source of tangible inspiration for innovation.

    By putting people in the center of the design process, through early research and into the completed product or service, it helps ensure their experience will exceed their expectations.

    Emotions and aspirations? Check. Now what?
    We find that research into user experience provides lots of insight, but communicating that insight in a way that empowers a design team can be a challenge. Research outcomes need to be actionable, meaningful, and descriptive of the design opportunity. You can’t explain a design problem in the form of a solution. The communication challenge increases when the team that needs to act on the findings includes many disciplines.

    We find that we can help in translating the insights by communicating them in an inspirational manner. For example, if customers want durability and light weight, we show the team design metaphors that exhibit these qualities in the customer’s terms. This approach provides a framework to focus innovation.

    We also help clients align around insight and not lose buy-in as they proceed to develop the product or service. This consensus building is a key piece of the puzzle.

    Permalink