The safest car ever?

This post came from an article that I read on the design of new cars and the importance of safety in new designs. Today, most luxury car manufacturers,consider that safety is the most important feature, but of course, it has to be embedded in a cool design in order for people to buy it.

According to this article, cars can be even safer than they are now. BMW and Mercedes-Benz are the leaders in innovative safety. One example, is the Mercedes-Benz ESF concept car which is a platform to display advanced ideas in safety. Here are some of the features that both companies are planning to include that I though were pretty cool...

• Both inside and outside airbags to reduce impact
• A "braking bag" under the car. When sensors detect an unavoidable crash about to occur, the bag inflates, pushing a metal plate down onto the road surface, helping to slow the car and reduce impact.
• BMW has a feature that uses infrared night vision to recognize human shapes on or near the road and produce an image of them on a screen inside the car.
• Mercedes is working on a system that shines light directly on pedestrians or animals standing outside the headlight beams.

There are several other safety features that car manufacturers are planning to include in their future models. These were just some that I found and thought were cool...I think that the coolest thing about these companies is that they are making the prettiest cars while being the safest. I think that designing to be the best in both areas is really hard and that they are doing a very job.

Interaction Critique - ATMs

Lexus - Natural Interaction

I couple of days ago, I was watching TV and saw this commercial. Probably many of you have already seen it but I thought that Lexus is pointing out very interesting interactions in its RX 350.

The commercial shows how you do not have to change any of the things that you regularly do in order to control your Lexus. In this commercial they show its users that controlling this car resembles a very natural interaction. For example, they show that in order to turn the car on, the user only needs to press a button, the lights turn on automatically when it senses you close to it, the GPS looks like a map similar to the ones we were used to using a few years ago and the controller resembles a computer mouse.

Lexus wants to show its customer that using a Lexus RX 350 is extremely intuitive because you only have to do what you usually do. As they mention in the commercial: "All we ask is that you keep doing what you always do".

I think that this is a very good advertising campaign because it shares the designers perspective with its customers in order to let them know that the car is really intuitive and easy to use. In other words, it lets users know that they do not have to feel scared or overwhelmed by technology because virtually, nothing is changing in their lives.

What do you guys think about this commercial?

The Stackable Water Bottle

This is one of those designs that’s so incredibly brilliant it makes you feel like a moron. I cannot believe that no one thought of this before.... it is an extremely simple idea but it saves a lot of space and is very convenient.... Especially companies that have to deal with these bottles on a regular basis and on very big amounts. It’s one thing for an average person to overlook this idea, but it’s surprising that no water cooler companies have come up with this.

In Venezuela, you cannot drink water from the tab because it is extremely contaminated. Therefore, we have to buy these big water bottles every two weeks when the truck comes to my house. This means that we have to buy at least 6 bottles which take an exaggerated amount of space.... we even have a small room designated to put these bottles which is not very convenient and it takes tons of space.

The Stackable Bottle, designed by Yujin Kim, would make it possible to stack several bottles on top of each other and save a whole lot of space. Instead of having to use extra materials to make them stack or having to have a special room for these, everything you’d need would already be built into the bottle. Plus for those using these at home or in the office, once these are in the water cooler you could use the bottom as a cute vase. Hopefully this design will get companies to switch to these stackable bottles soon.

Rollup computer - A futuristic design

I am not sure if I like this futuristic laptop called Rollup, but I am sure that they are taking the word portability a step further. The concept design uses minimal materials, OLED technology for the screen, and hopes to be an all-in-one gadget that can sweep aside the need to have a laptop, e-reader, tablet and other devices. This ingenious concept allows you to “rollup” your laptop into a neat package (that I think looks like a yoga mat), while being able to use it in several different formats, from a 13" mini-notebook, to a graphics tablet, to a 17" flat screen monitor.

An important question that we have to ask ourselves is how long will this computer last? It does not look easy to repair but if it is strong enough it could be a very cool device. I think that another good thing that rollup is offering is that it uses an OLED screen which makes it a “green innovation”. I believe that this should be the path that new technologies acquire because we need to start coming up with innovative and sustainable products.

My concern is that the technologies are moving too fast and that maybe, the product will be obsolete by the time it hits the market. I think that there market is not currently prepared to such a futuristic device but in a year or two this is the kind of innovations that people will be looking for. Right timing is the key to success!

I also believe that many people think that it could be a great device and invention but others are skeptic. I read a comment from someone saying “the only problem I see with the unit is portability. There’s no way I’d advertise I’m carrying an expensive computer like that. It gives a whole new meaning to purse snatching”… In other words, I think that they have to clearly define and understand their market before launching it in order to be extremely successful.

The most rugged phone in the world

Sonim Technologies is the maker of the toughest phones in the world. They manufacture phones that withstand the harshest of conditions-- conditions that would break the average phone in just seconds. I learned about this company and the phones that they make because they are my team's client in NUvention web.

In my opinion these phones are amazingly engineered and designed. As mentioned above they are designed to withstand conditions that would break any phone in an instant. but what does being "the most indestructible phone in the world" mean?. Since no phones as rugged as these existed in the market Sonim had to create the "Sonim 12 rugged performance standards" which are:

1. Extra long battery life
2. Durable keyboard
3. Extra loud speakers
4. Protection from dust
5. Protection from water (they have one fully submersible model)
6. Resistant to shock and vibration
7. Protection from drops (up to 10 stories)
8. Resistance to extreme temperatures
9. Resistance to extreme pressure
10. Impenetrable
11. Resistance to petroleum oil
12. 3 year unconditional guarantee

Sonim phones are bought as a second phone and they cost around $500. They are very expensive but I believe that if you work in extreme conditions or do extreme sports it is a great investment to make. You are probably asking yourself, why is it considered a second phone then? The reason is that Sonim has to tradeoff cutting edge technologies for rugged capabilities. In order to have a phone as rugged as this one you have to let go of some innovative features that other phones in the market have. For example, you cannot have the newest screen in the market because it would not be able to support a 10 story drop as Sonim phones do. Customers are not willing to let go of cutting edge technology from their primary phone.

I think that these phones are going to have a hard time entering the US market because there is no mentality for a second phone in this country, but in the end they will succeed. Even though it is a great phone, a brilliant idea and an amazing design people would debate a lot if they should buy this phone because it is expensive and it is not convenient to have two phones. In my opinion, as soon as word of mouth is spread and people start believing in this product, it will be a very successful product because Sonim understood what their consumers wanted.

What do you think? Do you know anyone that would buy this phone? Would you buy it?

Take a look at this video in their website to see what this phone is capable of standing!

http://www.sonimtech.com/products/rps.php

Cool stuff... check it out

Check these designs out....they are super creative and innovative... I promise that you'll enjoy them

http://www.eatnineghost.com/26-really-creative-and-innovative-products/

Social impact with interaction design

I read an article in cnn.com and thought that you will probably enjoy it. It is a pretty cool and thoughtful initiative to help third world countries with the use of interaction design...

This article talks about how life is for millions of people in the underdeveloped counties with respect to banking. Imagine life if you had no access to banks, ATMs, credit cards, or savings and checking accounts. You just have access to cash; which you needed to hide under your bed or carry around. Imagine how hard it is for these people to save, plan, get ahead, take chances, or feel secure.

In recent years some mobile operators in emerging markets have made a splash by allowing customers to send remittances and pay bills via SMS. It is amazing how something as simple as that changed the lives of hundreds of people. For the savings aspect of it, banks and mobile operators have partnered to come up with a solution. Some companies around the world are planning to launch a mobile-account service that features savings and withdrawals. In other words, you do not need a bank account but only a mobile account to do all your transactions.

According to the article, “The paradigm of the future is: If I want to send you money, the only thing I need to know is your mobile number." I think that this is a pretty amazing idea that is highly correlated with interaction design. I know for a fact that in Venezuela around 80% of the population does not have a bank account but around 60% of it does have mobile service do this idea would be amazing for them and very easy to implement.

Poverty in underdeveloped counties is a cycle that is very hard to end. If you were born poor, the chances that you will die poor are extremely high. In third world countries there are no much tools or services that help under privileged individuals to succeed and improve their quality of life. These are the kind of initiatives that we have to create as designers in order to make a social impact and do our part to make the world a better place.

Great interaction design, bad business model

Let's start by asking ourselves a question. What is interaction design (IxD)?
According to the Interaction Design Association, IxD "is the branch of user experience design that illuminates the relationship between people and the interactive products they use". In other words, it focuses on defining the dialogues and communication that happen between people and interactive devices such as computers, mobile communications devices and appliances. Interaction design is based on an understanding of users and cognitive principles. We need to fully learn what the user wants to accomplish with the system as well as what his goals are in order to design a successful interaction.

Every day that passes a thousands of designs are created. These days, with all the advancements in technology, the majority of these designs are interaction designs. When I YouTubed interaction design, the link shown below was the first one to appear. I wanted to see what people around the world have recently posted. This link takes you to a video called the Musical Coffee Table. In Essence, this interactive table lets you listen to a song, show the lyrics on the screen table and/or show the music video for any song. The amazing thing about it, is that it does not have any buttons. In order to select a song you put a "speaker shaped object" on top of a bubble on the table and the song starts playing. It is amazing how just by moving 3 objects you can play, read and see the song, lyrics and video.

I personally can't find any use for this table other than a very fun, easy and expensive way of listening to music in your livingroom. From a business persepective this idea does not make any sense. In my opinion, the musical coffee table does not satisfy any need that users currently have with respect to music. Music's main feature is that it is movable and you can play it anytime anywhere. Why would someone buy a heavy table in order to play music when they can get a small iPod with a set of small powerful speakers and take them wherever they want. On the other hand, it is a great interaction design. It is fun, easy to use, does not need a manual, it is very intuitive and it provides a good experience.

This taught me one thing. You can have a great design that creates an amazing interaction with your users but you have to be careful that it is not only easy to use but that it really satisfies a need. The product can be extremely user fiendly and provide an incredible interaction with consumers but if it is not needed or wanted by your users then no one would buy it. The Musical Coffe Table is the typical product that you would never buy but would love that your friend had. Is this really what you want your product to be?


VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWhbKHNildM