General

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 01 dec 2013

Jonny Ives of Apple, acknowledges the influences that Dieter Ram's (of Braun) work has on his designs. Often these influences are visible in his designs for Apple's products. Article explores some of the comparisons of the works of both designers. Jonny Ives considered Dieter Ram's designs as 'bold, pure, perfectly-proportioned, coherent and effortless'. The ten principles of 'Good Design' described by Dieter Ram are - (1) It is innovative; (2) It makes a product useful; (3) It is aesthetic; (4) It makes a product understandable; (5) It is unobtrusive; (6) It is honest; (7) It is long-lasting; (8) It is thorough down to the last detail (9) It is environmentally friendly; (10) It is as little design as possible. Read on...

Forbes: Jony Ives' (No Longer So) Secret Design Weapon
Author: Anthony Wing Kosner

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 11 nov 2013

Customer participation in the design process is becoming an important part of the innovation and creative strategy. Though most organizations are still struggling to fully incorporate the concept of empathy and customer-centeredness in their business practices. In their book, 'Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All', authors David Kelly (Founder of IDEO and d.school at Stanford University) and Tom Kelly (Partner at IDEO and executive fellow at Haas School of UC-Berkeley) share their design experiences and how companies and organizations can build their creative competence. The excerpt from the book focuses on empathy (understanding what people need and incorporating them in products and services) and how over the years they have used anthropological field research at every stage of the design process to empathise with the end users. Authors suggest 'hybrid insights' an approach that integrates quantitative research into human-centered design. They cite a successful example of a bank that utilized these concepts to understand the needs and wants of the millennial generation (GenY) and created specific financial products for this target segment. Read on...

Slate: Why Designers Need Empathy - Designing better online banking for millennials
Author: David Kelley, Tom Kelley

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 08 nov 2013

Design influences and participates in almost every aspect of human life - from mundane to extraordinary and directly or indirectly. Design continues to evolve and is becoming more personalized and individualized and emphasis is given to understand the needs of specific users and consumers through observation, data and feedback to design the customizable products and services. In a recently concluded Roadmap 2013 design conference in US a vast array of products and services were showcased that emphasized how design is part of everyday life. Some of the examples from the conference are - Maps (Google Maps- tailored for each person based on behavioral data and preferences); Money (Square- online payment transaction focused on buyer's needs and not seller's); Dating (Tinder- aims for 'organic' experience and uses glanceable interface that facilitates quick decision making); Photos (Instagram- use of data for enhanced emotional and visual photo viewing and sharing experience); Clothing (True & Co- using online data and questionnaire to design specialized women innerwear for specific body types and preferences); Driving (Tesla Motor's Model S- in addition to focus on driving environment it intends to provide a emotional connect and welcomes by extending handles when driver approaches). Read on...

Gigaom: To each her own, in product and in design
Author: Rani Molla

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 oct 2013

'Design Fiction (DF)' is a design concept that envisions an imaginary future and builds objects around it. DF is part of the design process and designers often use fiction as a starting point to create their work. Author, Matthew Ward, who teaches design at Goldsmiths (University of London) suggests the use of DF in the design education and advocates that it should be a critical part of the curriculum. He proposes a preamble of a manifesto towards a design education that embraces and interrogates the role and importance of fiction in design - (1) All design is ideological (2) Fiction as a testing ground for reality (3) Re-inscribing behavior and responsibility (4) The decisions you make have consequences: prototype them in the stories you tell (5) Normalize to persuade (6) Make space for experimentation (7) Think through making (8) Things that work don't create interesting stories (9) Build from ideas to aesthetics (10) Things live in their interaction with their context (11) People are the protagonists in the production of reality (12) Craft the narrative (13) Don't mistake the training for a race (14) Understand what your fiction is doing in reality. Read on...

Medium: Design Fiction as Pedagogic Practice - Towards a fictionally biased design education
Author: Matthew Ward

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 28 oct 2013

Although Jugaad's (Indian creative or innovative way that provides a quick or alternative way of finding solutions) value in the Indian design space is often considered and mentioned but when it comes to high-end and brand-worthy design requirements India is often found lacking in aesthetics and design sensibility. Author, an innovation and design consultant, explores Indian design processes and how they compete with global design standards and what can be possibly done if India has to upgrade its design offerings. Some suggestions offered - Incorporate 'design thinking' principles in the ideation and design process; Start with a vision or goal as this approach focuses on the improved future state and work back to get the solution thus making the elegant design inherent part of the solution process. Read on...

The Economic Times: The obviousness of 'jugaad': India's aesthetically challenged industries
Author: Roopa Unnikrishnan

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 21 aug 2013

Digital culture is driving design with a new perspective focusing on creating technological 'ecosystems' that are developed through the convergence of hardware, software and services. These ecosytems like Google, Amazon, Facebook etc provide users with tools and mechanisms that influences their daily lives in number of ways. Digital space provides people to store and share information anytime and anywhere and it may include both public and private data. The power of design can be utilized to develop open-access leading to 'digital democracy'. It can also be used to obtain individual's personal and private information by governments and other organizations like the National Security Agency's PRISM program that is an example of a design thinking concept used to obtain solution for national security. The article explores the various aspects of digital culture and design thinking. Read on...

Wired: One of the Culprits Behind PRISM? Design Thinking (Really)
Author: Sam Jacob

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 25 jul 2013

As consumers become more health conscious, globalized and sophisticated in their food tastes it becomes very challenging for food designers to bring innovative food products that satisfy their palates. To identify latest trends and get ideas for future innovations designers have to participate in a global environment and avail opportunities for collaboration. 'Anuga' is one such annual global event that brings all elements of food industry at one platform to showcase and share their innovations and at the same time explore possibilities of partnerships to define the future of food industry. Read on...

Food Product Design: Designing for Global Marketplace
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 08 jul 2013

The article explores the story of a designer couple and their motivations to start a design and art studio. They have a unique business model that includes not only creative works for clients like visual communication and branding, but also self-initiated projects like paintings, illustrations, animations etc. For bigger projects they partner and collaborate with individuals in their friend and professional circles. Read on...

Sun Star: The joys of design redefined
Author: NA

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 05 jul 2013

Technology has transformed the way artists express and accomplish their designs. Three dimensional softwares provide them with tools to create, study, manipulate and refine their designs. Faceted forms and surfaces, that are difficult to create and visualize, are gaining new importance in architecture and designs. 'Facets' are a combinations of flat planes, generally with three sides, or with edges that connect to adjacent surfaces at different angles. Designers are using facets to provide futuristic look to cars, fashion accessories, interior and exterior architecture. Read on...

Inquirer: Design Dimensions-Design's many facets
Author: Isabel Berenguer Asuncion

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 04 jul 2013

A school in US is utilizing 'Design Thinking', concepts developed at Stanford University, to create learning schedule and classes for students to prepare them to adapt to the changes happening in the world. Design thinking starts with empathy and then to brainstorming of possibilities, then to design and testing of prototypes and finally to formulating a solution. According to the principal of the school, design thinking is a teaching and learniing tool that helps students develop skills like creativity, innovation and adaptation. These skills will better equip students to meet the challenges of the future. Moreover students are provided with iPads for information and learning purposes and are taught the responsible use of technology tools and ability to differentiate between the reliable and unreliable sources of information. Read on...

MIT Technology Review: Redesigning Product Design
Author: Renee Batti

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 20 jun 2013

Innovative companies focus on connecting and building relationships with the customers at a meaningful level, says a chief design officer of a global company. He suggests adopting 'design thinking' and creating an organizational culture where innovation can thrive - Invest in dreams and aspirations, not just function and create emotional connection between customers and the product; Listen to customer but focus on their most critical problems to develop solutions; Align everyone around the same goal and vision and create a collaborative environment. Read on...

Entrepreneur: How to Inspire a Culture of Innovation
Author: Kathleen Davis

Latest             ⊲ Newer Posts             General             Older Posts ⊳             Last