Content is Context

"The defining experience of any new technology today is all about context. The software interfaces we use to perceive, access, and engage digital workflows are evolving to be more simple and direct. Until recently UI was expressed as an abstract enclosure (or “chrome”), but now it is recessive and getting out of our way to expose the plain fact of physical place or network node. There can no longer be an abstraction: the content is the context and the context defines the interface." Pretty great article, read it here: http://designmind.frogdesign.com/blog/chromeless-the-content-is-the-interface.html

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HandUp

HandUp is a relatively new service that lets you donate directly to homeless individuals in your neighborhood. VentureBeat first covered the startup back in August. 100 percent of the donations go to the essentials, like food, clothing, and medical care. What stands out about HandUp is the human touch: Individuals can share their stories and ask for specific items, like dentures or a new phone. - VentureBeat

 

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Always Be Knolling - Tom Sachs

"To some, an art form. To others, common sense. To the messy outsider, pointless de-jumbling. As a savvy designer or design enthusiast, you're most certainly familiar with the principles and outcomes of knolling, even if you had no idea it deserved its own word. As the story goes, knolling got verbed by the fastidious janitor at Frank Gehry's furniture shop, who would make sure all tools and materials were 90-degreed at the end of the day, mirroring rigid angles and clean lines of Knoll furniture they produced. It was picked up by the artist Tom Sachs while he worked there. Sachs institutionalized the principle in his own work and defined in his virally adored "10 Bullets"  

http://youtu.be/s-CTkbHnpNQ

 

via Core 77

Hobonichi Techo Notebook Crush

"This one's for the Japanophiles and notebook nerds: Hobonichi Techo planners are finally coming to an English speaker near you. (Pronounce it "tetch-oh" or look a fool.) These addictive planners are one part sketchbook, two parts calendar, three parts diary, and 100% obsessed over in Japan. They've got the good bits you can't leave out of a decent planner: multiple attractive calendar views for your yearly/monthly/daily/hourly calibration, gridded paper with plenty of room for notes or drawings, and a binding tough enough to take a year of questionable treatment. They also offer niceties like moon phases, space to write weekly goals, printed month tabs for easy navigation, customizable daily timeline, and vital information like international sizing and global tea types." - Core77  

http://youtu.be/iWMQ0M_FSL8

Species of Illumination

[vimeo 76950335]  

[The] two lights...act and react like autonomous creatures. Wallace responds to changes in light intensity in its environment and brings light to the darkest corners. Having done that, it's no longer the darkest space, so he moves on, constantly bringing light where it is darkest. Meanwhile solar-powered 'Darwin' searches for sunlight during daylight hours to charge his battery, and in the evening wanders around the house seeking movement - accompanying people with his light. The interaction and emotional relationship they bring contribute to our well being. They behave like pets. They are lively lights you can play with.

 

via Core77

Designing for Women

http://youtu.be/eCyw3prIWhc During my senior year at Parsons, I attended a fantastic lecture on "Designing for the Female Consumer".

The speaker was a creative from Femme Den, a design lab part of Smart Design. She presented a few case studies, walking us through the design process and sharing insights their team had discovered through the years. The big reveal of the lecture was that  people had strong misconceptions about designing for women. Product development, for many of her clients, was about taking a product and modifying it:

1. Shrink it.

2. Pink it.

3. Add glitter and/or flowers.

What the Femme Den team revealed was that by researching women, they discovered insights that translated to many users groups - not just the ladies. Products with improvements specifically for women worked equally well or better for children, elderly, and sometimes even men.

One case study was a car concept they had created that was highly praised by men. They too enjoyed the larger mirrors, extra adjustable seating, and designed functionalities for attending to children while driving. During testing, the men were all enthusiastic over the improvements.

Yet, the minute the client marketed the new concept as a "car designed for women" all user groups stepped back. Men were no longer interested (it wasn't for them!) and women felt ostracized for "needing" a car specially designed for them.

Most ironically, women really didn't like the "shrink and pink" mentality presented to them. They really didn't want their cars, cell phones, or cooking appliances smaller and pink. They wanted quality and smart design, features that improved their lives and didn't trivialize it.

All this leads to a great piece I stumbled upon last night. Ellen Degeneres did a hilarious monologue on the ridiculousness of the Bic "For Her" pens. Her point of view and humor presented so much of the Femme Den team's learnings.