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| Design |
We have all used simple touch-screen devices. Order kiosks, ATMs and smart
phones use them. But they all tend to operate with rudimentary menu taps that
react to simple YES/NO questions.
The Apple iPhone is changing consumer perception of what touch screens can
do, since they allow the use of limited 'gestures' to do some tasks, like the
popular image resizing by 'pinching' a picture.
HP has advanced touch-screens a bit with their latest PC, although acceptance
has been slow.
phones use them. But they all tend to operate with rudimentary menu taps that
react to simple YES/NO questions.
The Apple iPhone is changing consumer perception of what touch screens can
do, since they allow the use of limited 'gestures' to do some tasks, like the
popular image resizing by 'pinching' a picture.
HP has advanced touch-screens a bit with their latest PC, although acceptance
has been slow.
Apple has now filed a patent for a 'Multi
Touch Gesture Library. This system consists
of a specific spread of fingers (called a 'chord'
by Apple) combined with some hand rotation
or other movement.
This leave little doubt that the next big Apple
announcement will be for complex software
that needs no mouse or keyboard.
Will it be genuinely better to use? Or will we
just spend more to clean our screens?
Touch Gesture Library. This system consists
of a specific spread of fingers (called a 'chord'
by Apple) combined with some hand rotation
or other movement.
This leave little doubt that the next big Apple
announcement will be for complex software
that needs no mouse or keyboard.
Will it be genuinely better to use? Or will we
just spend more to clean our screens?
Bad Design of the Week. A hotel in Taipei
with two massive sets of elevator buttons.
The top panel is for normal folks, while the
lower one, inches away was for the
handicapped.
Of course the lower panel could be used
easily by everyone, and if the extra set had
been eliminated, it would have been less
confusing, cheaper, and look better.
with two massive sets of elevator buttons.
The top panel is for normal folks, while the
lower one, inches away was for the
handicapped.
Of course the lower panel could be used
easily by everyone, and if the extra set had
been eliminated, it would have been less
confusing, cheaper, and look better.
I recently visited The
Glass Museum in Taiwan. It
had tour buses of locals
parked outside.
Operated jointly by several
glass manufacturers, the
Glass Museum had a lot of
interesting exhibits.
It starts off with a walk
above the 'beach' with a
rather unsettling plate glass
floor.
Glass Museum in Taiwan. It
had tour buses of locals
parked outside.
Operated jointly by several
glass manufacturers, the
Glass Museum had a lot of
interesting exhibits.
It starts off with a walk
above the 'beach' with a
rather unsettling plate glass
floor.
Within the museum
there were galleries of
glass. Ornate stained
glass windows,
sculptures of animals.
Insects were
replicated with an
amazing delicacy, and
silicone crabs has fine
claws and legs.
Massive
kaliedescopes with
huge lenses were
operational.
A centerpiece was
a 'garden' of glass
fauna, down to bits of
glass soil, and, of
course, a glass
walking bridge.
there were galleries of
glass. Ornate stained
glass windows,
sculptures of animals.
Insects were
replicated with an
amazing delicacy, and
silicone crabs has fine
claws and legs.
Massive
kaliedescopes with
huge lenses were
operational.
A centerpiece was
a 'garden' of glass
fauna, down to bits of
glass soil, and, of
course, a glass
walking bridge.
Bad design of the week! This time, a shower in Southern China. There is a red
and a blue button that obviously represents Hot and Cold. Obvious, except for the
fact that when you point the top pf the handle to the color, the effect is the opposite.
The bottom of the handle is the temperature compass, a great example of
counterintuitive design.
Along with that, the buttons are tiny, and difficult to see.
The lever above the handle activates the shower - not by pushing it in, but by
pulling it out and holding for several seconds until the shower starts.
All avoidable bad design that ignores aging eyes, logic, and the desire to avoid
surprise bursts of water.
and a blue button that obviously represents Hot and Cold. Obvious, except for the
fact that when you point the top pf the handle to the color, the effect is the opposite.
The bottom of the handle is the temperature compass, a great example of
counterintuitive design.
Along with that, the buttons are tiny, and difficult to see.
The lever above the handle activates the shower - not by pushing it in, but by
pulling it out and holding for several seconds until the shower starts.
All avoidable bad design that ignores aging eyes, logic, and the desire to avoid
surprise bursts of water.
Popbang Colour. That's the name given by British painter
Ian Cook to his unusual creation methods. He uses
radio-controlled replicas of GM cars with tires carefully soaked
in paint. He uses full-sized tires as well.
The result are images of Camaros and other classics,
shown off at the London Motor Show.
See he at work by clicking here.
Ian Cook to his unusual creation methods. He uses
radio-controlled replicas of GM cars with tires carefully soaked
in paint. He uses full-sized tires as well.
The result are images of Camaros and other classics,
shown off at the London Motor Show.
See he at work by clicking here.
I often use paper bags at the market. My wife like reusable, but you need
bags to put out paper recyclables in my community.
Acme Markets, a large division of Albertsons recently reduced the size of
their paper bag by about 20%. They also have forgone the printing of any logos.
There is no doubt that in going with the smaller form, they are saving
millions annually compared to a standard sized bag.
But are they? I wonder if they took the time to study how many shoppers
need only one bag. Families would use more bags to take home the same
shopping order. Possibly, they are using about the same amount of paper, or
maybe more.
And saving a tiny amount by giving up a logo or any other attempt to
communicate to the user on bags going into thousands of homes cannot be a
wise design choice.
bags to put out paper recyclables in my community.
Acme Markets, a large division of Albertsons recently reduced the size of
their paper bag by about 20%. They also have forgone the printing of any logos.
There is no doubt that in going with the smaller form, they are saving
millions annually compared to a standard sized bag.
But are they? I wonder if they took the time to study how many shoppers
need only one bag. Families would use more bags to take home the same
shopping order. Possibly, they are using about the same amount of paper, or
maybe more.
And saving a tiny amount by giving up a logo or any other attempt to
communicate to the user on bags going into thousands of homes cannot be a
wise design choice.