Entrance to a rural health clinic. Notice the physical form and style of the mobile phone. This will become a pretty interesting artifact as the form, functionality, and meaning of mobile phones shifts. What if the phone is not associated with worries in the future?
A famous temple at Nanjangud
The juxtaposition of old & new as workers prepare for a festival
A few photos and thoughts from time in Bangalore, India.
Follow Lane Discipline. A street sign that everyone absolutely ignores. People regularly jet across lanes and weave around the lane markings to speed up travel. Lane discipline in the US is a given; people signal when changing lanes and use their horn sparingly. In India, honking your horn means so much more. It could be a warning, an outcry of annoyance, or "Watch out! I'm going to pass." What cultural insights might be drawn from these observation? I think my initial tendency was to assume that things are just disorderly. But does lane discipline makes sense in this specific context? First of all, many of the vehicles do not fit the standard lane size. Rickshaws are just wider than half of the lane width and motorbikes/scooters are closer to 1/6 the width. With the amount of traffic on the roads, I'm sure it would be incredibly inefficient to maintain strict lane discipline. I feel that the fast pace, volatile nature of traffic in India produces better drivers.
Full Service ProviderAn advertisement on the back of a rickshaw for comprehensive weight solutions. This made me laugh.
The thing that I love about this design is that the physical interaction maps directly to the mental model of the user. If I want the mp3 player to play, I fold it to look like the classic play icon, a triangle pointing to the right. See below:
In order to fast forward, I fold the mp3 player into the classic fast forward icon. I envision these signature moments surprising and delighting users. It's an interesting combination of iconic representation and mapping that make operation quick and very intuitive. Hopefully, our interactions with digital devices will continue to go in this direction.
What's not clear is how you maintain the current state without having to hold the small device continuously. For example, will I be able to put this in my pocket without having it get accidentally folded into shapes that interrupt my listening experience. I imagine this is key to making those signature moments worth it.
One of the coolest things (in my opinion) going on at the olympics right now is an interaction experiment called WeBlimp. The WeBlimp is a remote controlled mini blimp. At they olympics, though, this miniature blimp is controlled by multiple people who stand in a space and work cooperatively to direct the blimp. People must work together to direct their collective center to direct the blimp. However, the blimp is in a completely different room and has a camera so those steering it can interact with those who are actually near it. It makes for some pretty interesting (and I'm guessing, at times, some funny, foolish, and frustrating) interactions.
How many of you let out an audible "awwww" when you saw the following commercial?
Google does an incredible job of advertising their search engine in this advertisement. I love this video, because it leverages the power of storytelling. It just resonates with me. It gives a tangible demonstration of Google's their search service is useful in a number of contexts, and uses the power of story to tug at our heartstrings.
The music builds perfectly (it makes me shudder, but in a good way) as the video progresses to the climax when the search "How to assemble a crib" is typed in the search bar. The subtle sounds in the background give some added guidance as to what's going on and help people imagine the progressing scenes. Why is this video so appealing? Everyone wants to find love in this world and be loved. Google makes an emotionally appealing case that they can help you on that journey.
The video makes good use of the design principle called closure to tell the story. We observe the parts, individual searches (which taken individually would less meaningful), but perceive the whole, the connected story, and construct a continuous story in our head. In this case, we are given the freedom to imagine the in-between steps. And the music and structure of the video lead us to construct an ideal and positive story. I think storytelling is such an essential part of understanding the context to design within and communicating design solutions. Here it is employed as a useful advertising tool that builds Google's brand. And the kicker? This video probably cost them very little in comparison to other Super Bowl commercials.
Follow Lane Discipline. A street sign that everyone absolutely ignores. People regularly jet across lanes and weave around the lane markings to speed up travel. Lane discipline in the US is a given; people signal when changing lanes and use their horn sparingly. In India, honking your horn means so much more. It could be a warning, an outcry of annoyance, or "Watch out! I'm going to pass." What cultural insights might be drawn from these observation? I think my initial tendency was to assume that things are just disorderly. But does lane discipline makes sense in this specific context? First of all, many of the vehicles do not fit the standard lane size. Rickshaws are just wider than half of the lane width and motorbikes/scooters are closer to 1/6 the width. With the amount of traffic on the roads, I'm sure it would be incredibly inefficient to maintain strict lane discipline. I feel that the fast pace, volatile nature of traffic in India produces better drivers.
An advertisement on the back of a rickshaw for comprehensive weight solutions. This made me laugh.
