The guys made a depressing impression, or maybe clueless when I joined them at the bar. They seemed to have all agreed on the fact that something was changing fundamentally – and that it would involve all of them.
But as much as they were in for a change, like in all those endless debates with clients and commissioners, the change happening right now was quite something different, and they didn’t have a clue how to deal with the situation: it seemed that their very existence was at stake!
We all want superstars, supermodels – or an ‘idol’!
Millions of TV viewers are following seemingly ordinary people in their battle against competition and aim to shine in the limelight – and with that to gain fame and fortune! It seems to be irrelevant what these people actually do; they just have to convince ‘the jury’ with features others don’t have: if you’re not the prettiest, then be the ugliest; if you can’t sing like Pavarotti, why not name the cat food brand by sniffing at your kitties’ poo? To be at the top of the ladder, it’s essential to be unique and deliver uniqueness; it doesn’t matter if the uniqueness doesn‘t add to anything; it just has to add to yourself. more…
How great that we have a designer who can view the issue from another angle and generate new, relevant insights, isn’t it?
True, not only designers can do that – it just needs a design thinking, which is driven by curiosity and empathy, and wants to improve the existing for the better – and frankly, this can be done by all of us, in principle. But what you have to bring along for the ‘better’ to truly be perceived as such by others is a creative and empathetic mind that can envision how this ‘better’ will take shape and have the desired impact on others. This poses that such a beautiful mind is not within everyone’s reach… more…
It was a terrifying sight: a clutter of cables, tubes, and pipes was hanging down from the ceiling and gave the scenery the impression of a torture chamber, just like you know from these old b&w horror movies – hello from Dr. Frankenstein!
Somehow, it seemed that the grim atmosphere had no influence on the personnel working there: they were completely focused on preparing the patient for an intervention. As I had still to learn: with ‘the patient’ they were referring to the medical case, and not necessarily to the person himself – a subtle but crucial difference. more…
It’s the time of year, so I was strolling the local Christmas market and passed by a craftsman weaving a basket. Somehow, I was instantly impressed and stood still, observing the basket-maker: his movements were swift and confident, and he even managed to hold a conversation with other observers whilst craftily weaving this basket. All of a sudden, he paused – he was about halfway finished with his piece – as if he felt something was not right: and indeed, the basketwork at the bottom had a different color from the one at the top, also the braid seemed thinner. So he pulled it all apart and started over. Upon which an old lady couldn’t resist and mentioned how pitiful this was, and that she’d never noticed, and that he was almost finished anyway. “Dear Madam, he replied, you have to this work with conviction!” Baskets, he added, should only be sold if they’re tip-top. “If you can improve, you have to improve, even if it means starting all over. You can’t sell inferior crap!” he finished off in a truly convincing manner and continued weaving. The older lady patiently waited until he was done, then bought the basket. more…
It was the time of year, and the obligatory visit to the largest consumer electronics trade show was on schedule. For many years, I have paid a visit to this temple of electronic gadgets, and along with me many colleagues and former colleagues in design. And every year, the industry leaders and those who want to push the big ones from their thrones meet up to showcase to the world what they are capable of and how much better they are than the competition. more…
Hard to find these days, the old-fashioned post-order catalog. Mostly you’ll find copies of this almost distinct species on kitchen tables, in crowded newspaper baskets, and for sure it’s to be found at the restroom, true?
You can browse for hours and sniff up all those beautiful products featured on glossy pages… more…
The project team met, and the representatives from the various departments gathered in the so-called war room. This room showcased the progress of the ongoing project through posters stuck on a wall. My contributions to the war-room – the design proposal – were covered with neon-coloured post-its, which made me wonder if this meant any good…
The classical design job: a technical platform was given by the OEM, and not very outstanding compared to market standards (except for the new ultrafast laser optics) and also the features were not really differentiating from the competition (no wonder, being it an ordinary PC mouse..), so the design needed to make the difference!
Together with product management and development, the designers tried hard to come up with a proposal, which would answer to all the requirements concerning usability, as well as clearly fit the brand language the company had established.
A quick visit to the electronic store around the corner, including a benchmark session, revealed an overcrowded shelf with lots of similar, very competent and technological looking stuff. Well, it seemed just right to base the new design on the renewed brand values, and with that to create an authentic and outstanding form language to set this computer mouse apart from the pack! more…