Slashdot Mirror

This!!!!!!!!!!

What everyone on Slashdot who hates Jobs forgets, is how critical he was in one of the most massive transformations in technology of the past forty years: It's about the user stupid! Prior to his near manic obsession with his "perfect experiences," most technology companies, run by engineers, focused on the cool technology. Jobs helped to make technology a tool for the masses. Now, in a post-Jobs world and thanks to very smart people at companies like IDEO, which exists in large part because of Apple's impact, some tech companies focus on customer experiences.

Regardless of your feelings about Jobs, our world would be a VERY different place if "human centric" and "customer experience" concepts didn't exist or were introduced later by other people. There was no one in tech at the time who, like Jobs, understood how to sell and how to push people to care about customer's wants and needs. That's why Apple is one of the largest and most successful companies in American history.

3% loading...
Page with 3 icons loads. Click on first icon. Background sound loop of birds chirping with wihite noise and gap at the end of the loop starts. That's all that happens.

Firefox 33 on Ubuntu reports: Media resource http://automobility.ideo.com/a... could not be decoded. automobility.ideo.com
TypeError: e[0].play is not a function main.js:1
TypeError: e[0].pause is not a function main.js:1

Don't they test their code?

Will the Google Car Turn Out To Be the Apple Newton of Automobiles?

seriously?

First PDA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...

Are we going to, yet again, perpetuate the myth that Apple has ever invented anything on their own?

First Personal computer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...
First MP3 Player: http://www.ideo.com/work/mobil...
First SmartPhone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I...

I just found a picture of one:

http://www.ideo.com/images/uploads/work/case-studies/large/Logitech_Cyberman2_cd.jpg

Doesn't look like much, but man was it functional. You can do more with this, with less effort, than the X-Box controller ever dreamed of. But without adequate software support, it just doesn't work with very many programs.

I actually have one in the other room, but I didn't want to dig it out just to take a picture.

also not related particularly to User Interfaces but you may try using Ideo Method Cards. These are an aid to designers in a variety of projects and they help to prioritize design elements and classify user requirements. the cards are divided into four categories Learn, Look, Ask, Try and each card outlines an exercise the designer may use to get closer to her design goals. some of them are quite fun as well. http://www.ideo.com/methodcards/MethodDeck/index.html

The Series3 went for sale a few hours ago on Tivo.com for $799.

According to TivoBlog, some Best Buy stores are taking preorders showing a delivery date of 9/17/06. There have also been rumors over the past few weeks that Best Buy and CircuitCity will have the Series3 Tivo in stock on the 17th or 19th.

Despite the heavy price tag, the need to rent 2 CableCARDs from my local Cable Company, and the expensive $12.95 Tivo monthly fee, I placed my order within a few minutes of Tivo making the change to their website. I bought one of the first 14-hour Tivos when they went on sale in 1999, and in all that time I have not seen another DVR that has a UI as good as the Tivo one. I finally abandoned Tivo in favor of a Cable Company DVR in 2004 when my local Cable Company started to offer HD programming. Finally Tivo is catching up 2 years later.

By the way, you can thank design firm IDEO for many of the UI innovations of the Tivo (and early Macs as well).

As a starting point, I'd like to suggest designers read, "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink, and check out some articles at: http://www.danpink.com/. Furthermore, I suggest visiting IDEO http://www.ideo.com/ideo.asp. Pay special attention to their "method card" deck. Lastly (for purposes of this discussion) I suggest visiting http://www.mcdonough.com/# . The common thread in all this is DESIGN. William McDonough says that the need for regulation indicates a failure in design.

The design of the product goes 'way beyond just cosmetics. There is only so much you can do with an enclosure for a PC board, but there is LOTS you can do with the system as a whole. Case modding is just a place to start. Functional design improvements are being made in everything from the input devices ( http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1112012 ,00.asp http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/ ) to really innovative interfaces ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquet_project http://www.sun.com/software/looking_glass/).

The IDEO method cards are different from the "Creative Whack Pack" or "Thinkertoys" cards, in that they redefine the product design domain. The jobs of the future are going to be design jobs requiring both high creativity and high technical ability. If someone in India or China can do your job as well and cheaper than you, or if a computer can do your job better and faster, your job is obsolete.

It sounds to me like you have some basic hardware specifications and some ideas of how the device will be used - which will influence the hardware design. But need guidance in getting it from a rough pile of wires to a slick finished product.

Unless you have all the skills - board design, human factors, industrial design, materials engineering, etc. etc., you're best served by working with some professionals. Try Nectar, Frog, or IDEO for starters.

I've known some people who have designed some -really- cool products under the past CEO.
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=11176131
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=88834

I've known some people who have designed some -really- cool products under the past CEO.
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=11176131
http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=88834

Dilbert Cubicle

In addition to Kensington's product that came out in '02, there was at least a prototype displayed at CES a few years before that by Fujitsu. Never saw it for sale in the states, but it looked like production plastics, so it was probably available in Japan.

The interesting point about the Logitech design is their best ergonomic feature isn't being noticed - it isn't even called out by Logitech. The very small sensor they're using lets them push the sensor way up to the front of the mouse. It's long been known that the mice "feel" more responsive the closer you get the sensor to a point midway between the fingertips that are guiding the mouse. Most sensors have been too big to fit up there, so they're positioned farther back, where they don't move as far as the fingertips do.

Real ergonomics is too subtle for marketing, I guess. Maybe it's because the "ball forward" concept was originally used to promote the Microsoft Dove Bar mouse http://www.ideo.com/portfolio/re.asp?x=12328 and the standard Apple ergonomic mouse of the ~90s.

the Dilbert Ultimate Cubicle

Complete with lighting that simulates the sun moving across the sky as the day goes along.

I disagree. While the "over-the-shoulder" thing is a valid arguement, the idea of doing away with area of natural congregation seems ludicrous to me. Some of the best companies in the world have intentionally built such areas into their work environments for the express purpose of encouraging employee interaction. The best example being the oft-cited wunderkind that is Ideo. No one's spent more time crafting culture through office design than they have.

one the same site ... Each dressing room is a simple eight-foot-square booth with Privalite glass walls that switch from transparent to translucent when a room is occupied. Once inside, the customer can switch the doors back to transparent at the touch of a switch, exposing themselves to onlookers waiting outside the room. What if I accidently switch the door back to transparent accidently I am too afraid to go to such dressing room..

Ideo may design a lot of things well, but they have made some mistakes.

They designed the US version of Sega's Saturn controller, which many gamers considered inferior to the Japanese version. The US verison had the same features as the Japanese version but a clunkier layout and more internal parts. Sega eventually dropped the US version and sold the Japanese version everywhere. Plus, Saturn was one of few consoles to put more than four buttons under the right thumb, but that was probably Sega's decision, not Ideo's.

It took "...11 studies by 27 scientists at four universities..." to design --Tah-Dah!-- a chair.

Clap, clap.

I'd suspect they'd be positive, seeing as IDEO also designed Apple products, though all of these were pre-Jonathan Ive.

This guy designed the Duo Dock. Cool ....

I'd suspect they'd be positive, seeing as IDEO also designed Apple products, though all of these were pre-Jonathan Ive.

This guy designed the Duo Dock. Cool ....

I'd suspect they'd be positive, seeing as IDEO also designed Apple products, though all of these were pre-Jonathan Ive.

This guy designed the Duo Dock. Cool ....

Background here and demo here.

Background here and demo here.

Well, first off, these guys only designed the original Microsoft "dove bar" mouse, none of the current designs. Other designs include the and of course the Palm V, which is looking a bit tired these days. Interestingly enough they also designed the Handspring Treo and the the Handspring Edge.

Their design philosophy makes sense, but doesn't always lead to good designs. IMHO, the Microsoft Dove Bar mouse was one of the worst designs as it had a lot of usability problems -- the buttons (esp. the big one) were notorious for sticking, and the odd differently sized left and right buttons left much to be desired.

Well, first off, these guys only designed the original Microsoft "dove bar" mouse, none of the current designs. Other designs include the and of course the Palm V, which is looking a bit tired these days. Interestingly enough they also designed the Handspring Treo and the the Handspring Edge.

Their design philosophy makes sense, but doesn't always lead to good designs. IMHO, the Microsoft Dove Bar mouse was one of the worst designs as it had a lot of usability problems -- the buttons (esp. the big one) were notorious for sticking, and the odd differently sized left and right buttons left much to be desired.

IDEO has done some research on this. Although Dilbert's Ultimate Cubicle is a little light-hearted, they probably also have some very useful results.

IDEO has done some research on this. Although Dilbert's Ultimate Cubicle is a little light-hearted, they probably also have some very useful results.

If your lame management (and if they are not literally lame, I hear that skater's boyfriend is out of jail - you might give him a call) doesn't buy you Dilbert's Ultimate Cube, you should make sure you buy the inflatable cubicle door (with velcro signage) and the Dilbert periscope so you can have the honor of being the first labeled "NOT A TEAM PLAYER!"

Apparently I forgot to add a link to Ideao.

My friend is a 'software guy' and confusing Chicago with "the midwest" is a joke. There are people from the suburbs that say they're from Chicago, and, truth be told, a lot of the Corp. HQs in Illinois are in the burbs of Chicago (Shaumburg, mostly) but we're definitely in a big "fish sucking up all the little jobs just to stay alive phase" here. You've got massive firms here as well as some more specialized and user centered design firms.

Chicago is more expensive than, say, Pittsburgh, and yeah it's a bit cutthroat right now where corps are hiring straight out of school robots at low wages who are no threat to their job security but the difference between some of the big firms here and elsewhere is *gasp* they'd encourage a digital resume being sent in, will fly you out and meet with you, and etc.

No shopping cart discussion would be complete without mentioning Ideo. They designed a shopping cart for an ABC News broadcast. They are very much a company that works hard to understand value. When I grow up, I want to work at Ideo.

Link to a clip of the show:
http://www.ideo.com/media/info.asp?x=3

No, the Palm V was IDEO, the same people that did the Treo. I really think palm needs to go back to them, as they really haven't had a good design since the Palm V and Vx.

uh, apple hires IDEO and/or Frog
all the other companies are cheap-a** bastards who won't pay for the best... except Palm, who hired IDEO.

I'd like to see a time limit on selling patents. Something like 3 years sounds good to me. I think that would stop all these silly and expensive lawsuits. No longer could company X buy company or patent Y just so they could sue company Z. Like wise 3 years is enough time to find a buyer for a patent. For all those /.ers that think selling patents is wrong first look at IDEO. Selling patents are a good idea as it keeps researchers and sales seperate and lets everyone perfect there respective industries...IMHO of course...

Man.

If that's not enough of a reason to love these guys, I don't know what.

The Logitech CyberMan II was the king-hell perfecto par excellence of game controllers. And it was gorgeous and sexy.

But of course, nobody bought it so nobody developed for it so no body bought it...

It will come back. The world continues to spin, and lost clues are merely buried to be discovered anew when we rebuild our civilization.

--Blair

Here's a radio interview with Tom Kelley, their general manager. And here's a fascinating web page showing all the cool stuff they've worked on.

Here's the cubicle described better.

If you go to IDEO's site they have some goods pages with animation describing some of the features. It's a pop-up so I can't link to it directly. I looked there before reading the CNN article, so I actually liked the CNN article. YMMV.

Don't laugh. The popular design company, Ideo, does just that in one of their offices. In fact, if you pick up the book about Ideo's innovative practices, The Art of Innovation, you'll read pulleys described as a technique for increasing office space and creating office decor. A photo of this technique exists here - second row, middle selection in the gallery.

Yeah...but that thing looks like garbage compared to the Transmeta Webslate concept. That thing looks like it's right out of startrek. I would gladly pay what a basic laptop would cost for one...and they can't cost THAT much to make.

If only these companies would get off their asses and actually MAKE some of the good stuff...all these demo/prototype units are good for is a good corporate prick waving contest in my mind. They sure aren't doing me any good other than showing me the cool stuff they aren't going to sell me for years to come.

Besides it was designed by IDEO so it looks really cool as well. Since having it, 5-6 people have sat in it and then gone out and bought their own.

.jonah

IDEO created a prototype webpad for Transmeta - looks pretty cool to me. Check it out:

http://www.ideo.com/studies/transmeta.htm

--
Here's my mirror

rant { To start off I would like to say that making personal attacks is no way to begin a logical (or any kind) of argument. Everyone's (well maybe not that Gate's guy's) opinions are valid. There are ignorant consultants and ignorant programmers. } All management methodologies have a place in business. The one that fits a situation is the one that breeds creativity and positive attitudes. This is a hard goal to reach with a large number of people. At IDEO the management is very liberal: small randomized teams work on projects (under little supervision), no one gets fired...that sort of thing. Because it is a company made up of very well educated (and slightly eccentric) people with IT backgrounds, a nd it is in Silicon Valley, this methodology fits. At QED Consulting (I know it's a consulting place...bear with me!) has a moderatly liberal workplace, and because it is made up of well to moderatly educated Gen-Xers to Baby Boomers (about 15-20) this older style of management fits. I am not very well informed as to the variety of methodologies or their implementation, but success depends not only on the person who is in charge, but the type of people and the way the people work together. Pardon my lack of knowledge.