October 2009
34 posts
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The value of "inquisitiveness"
Interesting interview in the Harvard Business Review with Jeff Dyer (BYU) and Hal Gregersen (Insead). They recently concluded a study on creative executives and have identified some key traits they share.
check it out: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hbr/hbreditors/2009/09/how_do_innovators_think.html
September 2009
31 posts
ID work makes it into public
Feedback and critiques are among the top five characteristics of a design culture, but it’s hard to show anybody outside the immediate group - or at best, the class - what you’re working on before it’s done. Then, at the end of every semester, there is such a rushed panic to finish everything up and get to the beach, who has time to browse through all their friends’ and...
need a web portfolio?
In case you want a little more freedom than the various free and easy-use services offer for getting your portfolio ready to show recruiters: I saw on metropolis a sterling endorsement for this clean, designerly website building app:
http://staceyapp.com/
Let us know your experience if you have time to try it out!
WatchCheck out these “Profiles of Creative Pros” videos Adobe put together.
This one is my favorite but the life of a typographer is also funny.
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Glimpses of Chicago past: Siskel Center explores...
A chance to catch ID’s Bauhaus history on film. Bonus includes meeting Maholy-Nagy’s daughter!
http://www.chicagojournal.com/News/09-23-2009/Glimpses_of_Chicago_past
The Gene Siskel Film Center’s early October program Vision in Motion: Filmmaking at the Institute of Design, 1944-70 examines one of the first art-film programs in the United States. Now part of the Illinois...
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No computer required / Lo Fi Hi Access prototyping
With technology permeating every aspect of our life, sometimes we may feel to see the low tech options. This is probably truer for our generation who has embraced technology very deeply.
I like this concept of UI magnets that can be used for brainstorming / ideating about UI prototyping. The cool thing is that this can allow a non tech person to explain how they would like to see an interface...
Remote design: user testing for Jstor
Yes, I’m a nerd: I’m a fan of JStor on facebook. It’s paid off, however, as they’ve got an active and vocal interface development group. Check out their latest testing and learn a thing or two about user testing (as well as how to confuse testers!):
Current Activities We’re currently conducting quick exercises to get feedback on some page designs. There are two...
The Ripple Effect on Prototyping
The Ripple Effect, an Acumen Fund/IDEO collaboration, shared ideas about prototyping after reflecting on a workshop with 11 Kenyan organizations.
“Prototyping can be done quickly, and doesn’t require any special skills or materials. ANYONE can prototype, and the more common pitfalls are easy to avoid.”
Link to the post: Getting the most out of your prototypes
Absurd functionality
From Lost In The Supermarket, by Dmitri Siegel over at Design Observer
“today’s ornament, at least in the packaged goods arena form a visual language of absurd functionality. Designers have taken the notion of function and exaggerated to such an extent that it is as baroque and indulgent as any third-rate Art Nouveau pattern.”
Well, personally, I love third-rate Art Noveau!
And...
Overheard at ID
“If you just had a word for ‘Users’ that starts with an ‘f’, you’d have a new framework!” - jeremy
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Design thinking, 1992 style
Here at the Institute of Design we’ve been committed to the concept of design thinking for some time, but we’re not the only ones.
Adam Richardson has dug up an essay from 1992 called “Wicked problems in design thinking” and written by Richard Buchanan (former professor at CMU, now at Case Western) in the journal Design Issues.
Here are some choice excerpts from his blog post:
Despite efforts...
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Cheese or Font? →
I wonder how many of these fonts are “ID approved”?
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Twitter founder speaks in Chicago on Oct 6 @...
Free Event. Biz Stone is co-founder of Twitter, a real-time, one-to-many network that is changing the way people communicate around the world. Previously, Stone helped build other popular social media services Xanga, Blogger, and Odeo. After launching the journaling service Xanga in 2000, he went on to publish two books about the origins and social significance of blogging. Advance online RSVP is...
core77 hacks
At ID we’re all students, but most of us have been working professionals too. Core77 offers a little something for everyone.
Check out core77’s newly published “hack2work” http://is.gd/37vfI
And an oldie but a goodie, their “hack2school” http://is.gd/37vDO
Grocery Store of the Future
My favorite is slide 14.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/06/0608_grocery_innovation/16.htm
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HCI Conference in Atlanta
CHI 2010, the 28th ACM conference, will be in Atlanta in April; the lottery for student volunteers is currently open - if selected, you get free registration and some other cool stuff. If you think you might want to work in an HCI-related field, this would be an excellent way to meet people. Details below.
Who do we need? Students who are willing to be shiny helpful and happy people for at least...
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Your Logo Makes Me Barf →
Filed under Design Crimes.
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WatchFrom my notes:
31:48 - Funny theatrical representation of user research.
35:50 - Different video taking styles. He was able to categorize the different styles but wasn’t able to answer the question of how the different styles impacted research results.
78:50 - Demonstration video of a tangible business model.
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Standards -> Suffocation?
Even such simple inconsistencies as a mirror transformation can spark a chain of events leading to fatal medical errors, according to a hospital design project in Iowa:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090826/LIFE02/908260328/1042#pluckcomments
(via core77.com)
A subtle and astute observation, this makes perfect sense in light of the value we gain from standardization across the built...
Open Source Innovation versus Incubating...
The design process is all about collaborating, communicating, and sharing. The free flow of ideas - in addition to being a core principal of academia - creates new synergies by bringing new ideas and new perspectives on old ideas. Design consultancies are well-known for breaking down silos and building diverse coalitions as a way to generate value.
Our culture at ID is also heavily influenced by...
Typedia: Like a mix between IMDb and Wikipedia,... →
A new and very cool resource for typefaces. You can learn about the anatomy, classifications, and formats of typefaces. Check it out.
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Latest Ikea Design Has Critics Fuming
Some are passionate about packaging. We saw this with Tropicana when consumers complained about the package re-design. And some are simply passionate about type. A change in Ikea’s typeface has resulted in a full-on backlash. Read on!
http://www.wbur.org/news/npr/112389977
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Entrepreneurship and Design
For those of you interested in Entrepreneurship, the following site is a great way to stay up on new ventures launching out there:
www.springwise.com