Yves Behar: Designing objects that tell stories

Designing products for designers is more than creating something that looks good but also a product that will enhance the users experience and adapt to suit their needs. Yves Behar, the founder of fuseproject focuses on this topic. One of his many examples is the ‘Jawbone Headset’; it is aesthetically pleasing to eye as Yves believes that if it is not beautiful then it does not belong on your face just as we all take time to find the sunglasses to suit our face. The ‘Jawbone Headset’ feels your skin and knows when you’re talking, which will in turn block out all other noises such as environmental noises. In doing so, this product basically reads your mind and changes to suit what you as a user want.

Yves considers that as designers we need to create different relationships between our work and the world, that is, whether the object is used to bring value to business or to users. These values include environmental issues, sustainability, low power consumption, function and beauty and business strategy. The values designers put into these projects ultimately creates the greater value. This is something that designers should thoroughly think about when creating their object.

* Picture from http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0724_anomaly/image/6_jawbone.jpg

** Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGn8F4j6pH8

Don Norman: Emotional Design

Don Norman talks about his book ‘Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things’. The subject revolves around how consumers are buying products because of its looks rather than its function.

Take for example Philippe Starck’s ‘Juicy Salif’, it is said to be a juice squeezer and looks unique and interesting, however, on the package of the product, it is instructed not to squeeze any juice as the acid would ruin the gold plate. Although most people would think this is an absurd design they do not realise that they themselves are not buying products that work best but rather look the best and is also interesting. It is our curiosity and fascination in the design that chooses the product in the end.

Emotional design has gradually grown to play a big role in the final product. Industrial designers therefore have to consider designing products that are more interesting and enhance the consumer’s experience of the product.

* Picture from http://www.lucid.id.tue.nl/www/images/stories/Emotional%20Design.jpg

** Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS1tyRMviXY

Good Design

Perfecta Cappuccino. A little cafe in your very own kitchen without having to walk out the door!

The Perfecta Cappuccino is an automatic coffee machine that allows the user to set the machine to personalise to what type of coffee they want, i.e. from short, medium or long; strong or extra mild aroma; and warm to hot temperatures.

The exterior of the product has been designed to be simple and yet still look sleek and elegant. It's a straightforward design that easily shows what its function is rather than a complicated design that hides the true purpose of the product.

From this task I have learned that the principles and elements of design play a big part in the overall design of any product. Each principle/element that is present can create different looks and meanings.

Shape of a Scent

David Kelley: Human Centred Design

Design has gone to a new level as creators have approached design in a different way by concluding their ideas on enhancing the world but rather a better environment for the community. David Kelley, a legendary designer and founder of IDEO discusses that design is heading in the direction of a new and an improved future as products are now designed to revolve around humans. The designers approach nowadays is to put behaviour and personality into products rather than creating objects/products that are made to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This new advance approaches each human sense, i.e. see, feel, hear, taste and smell.

Every one of the designs shown in the video are designed to be interactive and benefit the consumer in some way. One of the many interesting designs is the Prada store designed by IDEO; with its liquid crystal glass door for the changing rooms. With a touch of a button, the customer can change the door from opaque to transparent and vice versa. In addition is the “magic mirror” which has a three second delay, allowing the person to see their self from behind. This overall enhances retail experience and makes shopping more enjoyable; perhaps even for men.

On the whole, most of the technology shown in the video has not been worldly introduced, however, it is amazing to see how far some designers have come to make design more human centred. I think industrial designers should watch this video as it would allow them to understand what designed has evolved to and that is that products are more about the user’s experience and not the product itself.

* Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXndL3TNCmo