May 2013

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 30 may 2013

'The Design Accelerator', a partnership between Caltech and Art Center College of Design, intends to develop and support design driven start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures. It seeks to create convergence of design and technology in entrepreneurship. It has already been established that design-driven corporations are better stock performers. Now this experiment would bring design into the core of entrepreneurship. An initiating point for high level user experience, the most important aspect of design, could be user interface design, industrial design or service design. It is well recognized that design contributes substantially to the success of businesses. Read on...

Huffington Post: Entrepreneurship Driven by Design
Author: Soren Petersen

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 30 may 2013

Use of medical devices at home is becoming more common. According to experts, their designs are also getting more focused on basic aspects like color and ease of use. Designers are trying to bring simple feel to these devices inspired by the gadgets like smartphones, tablets, ereaders etc. They want users to be comfortable with them without any specific medical training. Use of colors is an important part of design and healthcare industry has utilized it significantly particularly in hospitals. Medical device manufacturers are utilizing skills of expert designers to understand customer requirements and use them in the devices. The challenge that the industry faces is that of longer time to bring the devices to market due to regulatory requirements which is not the case with the other home use gadget manufacturers. Read on...

Plastics News: Designers put appeal into medical devices for home use
Author: Gayle Putrich

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 29 may 2013

An architectural design firm in Germany has created a 'three dimensional architectural tile' that can be installed on buildings to reduce air pollution and enhance air quality around it. The tile also has aesthetic appeal and decorates the building due to its unique design. Moreover there are various factors related to the surroundings like solar level, wind speed and direction, that are considered for the architectural design of the tile. The company has recently installed the tiles on the outside of a hospital in Mexico City (one of the five most air polluted cities in the world). This is exptected to reduce NOx (nitrogen oxide) from around 86,000 cars driving by the building per day. Another project is on trial where the paint with depolluted coating is applied on the inside surface of a highway tunnel to reduce NOx levels. Also flat paints with depolluted coating can be applied to building surfaces for reduction of NOx from smog impacted urban areas. Read on...

Triple Pundit: New Architectural Design Battles Air Pollution in Mega-Cities
Author: Jan Lee

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 may 2013

According to research by Prof. Dilip Chhajed and Prof. Yunchuan Liu, when consumer preferences are 'nondominating' (meaning that consumers have no extraordinary preference for specific product attribute) then manufacturing products using common components can reduce product line cannibalization and can improve profits. Most marketing managers consider product differenciation as important element of providing consumer choice and reduce product cannibalization. But this research provides a contrary view and can help managers design a better product line with common components and attributes, keeping in mind the consumer preference structure. Researchers say that this strategy may backfire if proper study of consumer preference structure for a particular market is not done before embarking on it. Read on...

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Common component strategy could improve profits
Author: Phil Ciciora

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 may 2013

Social scientists, Jennifer Stellar from UC Berkeley and Robb Willer from Stanford University, suggests that ethics and morality are important aspects of economic decision making. According to them people are highly motivated to be perceived as good and morally strong in business transactions and as a result would dissociate and distance themselves from money that is considered as 'dirty' or have negative moral associations. This is the reason why some people avoid profits from unfair labor practices or insider trading. Similar psychology leads to people supporting socially responsible investing and boycotting goods manufactured in sweatshops. Moreover their study also suggests that morality even alters how people perceive the value of money. Read on...

University of California at Berkeley: People care about the source of cash, attach less value to 'tainted' wealth
Author: Yasmin Anwar

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 may 2013

Group led by Prof. Brian Cunningham of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering, has developed a handheld iPhone biosensor (uses iPhone's built in camera and processing power) that can be used to detect groundwater contamination, can combine GPS data with biosensing data to map the spread of pathogens, can provide inexpensive and immediate medical diagnostic tests in mobile clinics or can perform contaminant checks in food processing and distribution chain. The research group is interested in biodetection that can be performed outside the laboratory and is further collaborating with Prof. Steven Lumetta of Computer Science and Prof. Juan Andrade of Food Science to expand the scope of biological experiments that can be done with the phone. Read on...

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor
Author: Liz Ahlberg

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 26 may 2013

According to Raymond Loewy, the first 'Industrial Designer' to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, the purpose of the design is to keep "the customer happy, his clients in the black and the designer busy." But over a period of time the concept has evolved and now includes more aspects to it like consideration for the environment, utilizing science and technology to people's advantage etc. The design can make people happy by - pleasing them, entertaining them, surprising them and astonishing them. The article provides design examples considering these mentioned 'happiness parameters' suggested by the author. Read on...

The New York Times: Pleasurable Design
Author: Alice Rawsthorn

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 25 may 2013

Relationships between customers and companies are build over a period of time as a result of many interactions. This transforms into a buying behavior of customers due to which they prefer one vendor over the other. A recent research study identifies 10 things that customers would want from the sellers- (1) Bring new ideas and perspectives (2) Collaborative approach (3) Confidence in providing desired results (4) Ability to listen patiently to customers (5) Fully understand customer needs and requirements (6) Assist the customers in managing and minimizing potential risks (7) Build a compelling solution (8) Clarity in communicating the purchasing process (9) Build a strong trust and personal connection with the customer (10) Provide the best value compared to other competitive alternatives. Read on...

Michigan Chronicle: 10 Things Every Customer Wants
Author: Randy Greenberg

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 18 may 2013

'Design Psychology' is being applied to provide customized living spaces for individuals by matching their likenesses and lifestyles to a high level of detail with the architectural and interior design. Developers and designers develop models that specifically fit a certain demographic and their lifestyles and behaviors. Thus making them more attractive for specific buyers. Read on...

Chicago Tribune: Condo, apartment developers using design psychology
Author: Mary Ellen Podmolik

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 18 may 2013

A healthcare system in US is proposing three steps for accountability in healthcare. (1) Partnering with patients and families to make decisions- facilitates improvements and redesign in the healthcare delivery. (2) Connecting with patients before, after and between visits to the doctor- makes patient visits more productive and valuable. (3) Taking a broader view of the health of communities- by sharing health knowledge through community engagement programs. To become more accountable in delivering healthcare, partnerships between professionals, patients, families and communities are essential. Read on...

HealthCanal: Becoming More Accountable - Three Ways Health Care is Changing
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 17 may 2013

Packaging plays an important role in enhancing attractiveness of the product and can substantially facilitate its consumption. A global design firm in one of its projects that is intended to cultivate an open and active design culture and to encourage experimentation, focuses on 'packaging design' this year. The design ideation process considers two aspects- relationship (how the user interfaces with the product and its impressions) and tensions (identifies the disconnect between the user and the product). The design process included three steps- (1) selection of an ordinary object from daily life (2) selection of verb that may or may not correspond to the object (3) imbue the project with an emotion representing reason for design. The process lead to some very innovative packaging designs. Read on...

Fast Company: Ideo Imagines 18 Packaging Concepts For The Future
Author: Sammy Medina

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 17 may 2013

To ensure food security for the total world population, conventional methods of farming and cattle breeding are insufficient as they have adverse effects on environment and are not sustainable. According to a researcher, the main problem is not with distribution and logistics as generally perceived but it is with the food production itself particularly in regions of the world where it is needed the most. He suggests that ecological intensification of agricultural production should take place in developing countries where small farmers produce about 50% of the world's food production. More research on farming methods and productivity enhancement has to be done. Organic farming has to be encouraged on a large scale. Read on...

Phys.org: Feeding the world population sustainably and efficiently with ecologically intensive agriculture
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 15 may 2013

According to a recent study, 90% of professionals who participated mention 'entrepreneurship' as a mindset or attitude. This signifies an evolution of how entrepreneurship is perceived amongst professionals. Out of 2000 Millennials surveyed, 58% consider themselves as 'entrepreneurs', someone who recognizes and pursues opportunities. Young independent professionals consider freedom as one of the most important aspect of their work. They expect flexible work environment and are more inclined towards freelancing then pursuing a traditional job. Organizations that intend to tap into this sector of the skillful workforce have to reconsider their work policies and hiring strategies to benefit from this valuable professional group. Read on...

Forbes: The Re-Definition Of Entrepreneurship And Rise Of Freedom-Seeking Freelancers
Author: Dan Schawbel

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 15 may 2013

According to recent data from United Nations, by 2050 about 70% of the world's population will reside in cities and to make these cities as healthy and beautiful places to live, importance should be given to development of open spaces and town squares in our urban planning strategies. Open spaces like gardens, parks etc provide gathering points for residents and humanizes and brings life to the city environment. One of the design firm is advocating just that by creating examples in currently existing larger cities that can be replicated in other cities in different parts of the world. Research also suggests that the price of property in cities is directly proportional to the proximity to the open spaces, meaning that people will pay a premium to live closer to the open spaces. Read on...

Fast Company: Designing A New Town Square For Our Crowded Urban Future
Author: Name

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 13 may 2013

This review of a recently published book on design describes the authors approach of considering design as 'concerned with the whole process of analysis, visualisation, planning and execution' that affects all human lives. The author takes examples about designs from history and tracks its evolution to the present time in a form of survey and observation. The effects of advancement in digital technology on design have modified life-cyle of products. Designers consciousness and concerns for the world are more clearly defined and they intend to contribute for the larger audience and for the better world. The speed of change in human lives have induced contrasting set of behaviors, likenesses and priorities in people. Read on...

the guardian: Hello World - Where Design Meets Life by Alice Rawsthorn - review
Author: Fiona MacCarthy

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 13 may 2013

Effective attainment of 'Work-Life Balance' is a necessity for all employees and it is important for organizations to retain and attract talent. According to experts, with increasing number of women in paid employment then before, the challenge of managing the dilemma of work-life balance seems more in case of women then men. Individuals facing this dilemma generally suffer from psychological and physical disorders like dissatisfaction, depression, ill health etc leading to failed family and social relationships. An expert suggests an approach to effectively overcome the dilemma by preparing Life-Maps. The strategies include: Defining Life-Satisfaction (Happiness) Objectives; Building Win-Win Relationships; Self Management; Learning and Growth; Achieving Financial Independence. Read on...

This Day Live: Resolving the Dilemma of Work-life Balance
Author: Emeka Wogu

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 11 may 2013

Companies and organizations to innovate and grow, need continuous flow of fresh ideas from their employees. Thus to inculcate the culture of creativity and innovation one of the things they can do is to design an ideas competition. There could be many ways it can be done. But the expert suggests that it is better to involve teams to submit ideas instead of individuals. Moreover companies should go a step further and seek a proposal or design for the suggested idea by the teams as it would have a better chance of implementation as compared to a raw idea. Evaluation criteria should focus on the creativity rather then on the 'best idea' concept when communicating the competition guidelines. Selecting teams at random with diversity is an important factor. The reward for the best idea should include a possibility of evolving the idea into an actual project. This kind of design would have a better chance of innovation for organizations as compared to the typical individual idea based competitions. Read on...

Innovation Excellence: Designing the Perfect Ideas Competition
Author: Jeffrey Baumgartner

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 11 may 2013

Building knowledge economy is essential for sustainable growth and providing individuals with increased income and meaningful work. To have a knowledge driven economy countries would need accessible quality higher education; advanced technology enabled information infrastructure; research and development focus; creativity and innovation; better economic institutions and freedom to collaborate and share knowledge and information. ASEAN countries are struggling to evolve into knowledge-based economies with an exception of Singapore. There are multiple challenges particularly in the higher education and skills development, adoption of advanced technologies and innovation. More consolidated and cooperative approach with focus on knowledge economy is required by ASEAN countries to reach their full potential. Read on...

The Nation: How to build Asean's knowledge economy
Author: Bindu N. Lohani

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 03 may 2013

'Componentized Building' for school that can be assembled in 90 days with affordable advanced facilities is promised by a design firm. One classroom prototype is already on display. The firm intends to streamline prefab to a higher level and simplify all aspects of the building - design, architecture, supply chain etc. The main concept is to reduce complexity and increase repetition. Fast replication of this model with customization would be a great advantage in the world where cost saving in projects is the single most important thing. Read on...

Wired: The 'Componentized' School of the Future, Built in 90 Days
Author: Nathan Hurst

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 01 may 2013

The design is moving beyond mere products and specific systems and is evolving into the design of the whole ecosystem with diverse components all tied together in creative ways. In such a scenario the issues of intellectual property - patents, trademarks, copyright - are finding new meanings. The intellectual property is converging into the larger concept of design. Companies are leveraging this convergence of IP disciplines to deliver differentiating brands, inventions and content. Organizations are creating ecosystems with diverse set of products and services all tied together in a unique design form established over a period of time, protected by a integrated set of IP components and using it as a source of competitive advantage. There would be enormous challenges for the current IP system to protect these larger designs spanning diverse disciplines and a set of diverse innovators. Read on...

Daily Report: The New Frontier of Intellectual Property
Author: NA