Much better than his last appearance at TED, Dean Kamen makes the story behind his process more personal.
Archive for the 'business' Category
One of my personal favorite sites, Flowing Data, recently broke down chart types and best practices for each. Also posted are perfect examples for each, broken out into (typically) concise sections. I threw the gif together on a whim….now back to cowering under my desk in all of my nerdiness.
In a classic case of releasing product that caters to the high end ProSumer and implementing a ‘top-down’ approach to building demand (mostly seen in the sports space) Astro Gaming has released a follow-up to their A40. And I want one now. Not only is the design rock solid but it scales well; use it for team-based gaming and remove the boom mic to take calls using it’s in-line 3.5mm mic cord, then take it on the road for listening to .mp3s with a decent pair of cans. Can’t wait to see what their product lineup looks like by the holiday season since it’s easy to platform allot of the components into the pure audio space. Not bad for a brand built by San Francisco ID consultants Astro Studios, part of a recent trend set by FuseProject and Jawbone. Check out the full article on Astro in fastcompany
for some reason this facial hair says 'shut-in' much more than it does ' ironic hipster'
Image nonwithstanding, Flowing Data really knocked it out of the park with this brief article. It acts as a good referance for critiquing research results and the like just as much as it is for supporting them. That chalkboard is wicked.
When considering a new city to live in (Domestically) it’s a good idea to do your homework outside of identifying your comparable salary. I have always considered commuting (or lack therof) to be a significant element of the ‘quality of life’ equation and find this chart to be particularly useful. 
Via the Infrastructurist
I find that User Experience is something difficult to explain since it seems to mean something different to everyone involved in the process. Sure, it’s a little difficult to read at this size (ok, nigh impossible), but I came across this randomly on ffffound and wanted to share. The work can be attributed to UI badasses Information Architects Inc. Larger image can be found on iA’s Flikr photo pool here.
Tasty Data (I couldn’t help myself, sorry)! Another in a long series of awesome data visualizations from Weather Sealed. Check out the full post for the way by which the inverse-square law was used to map the data in question, as well as the odd comparison drawn to all things Star Wars.
How do you take a disposable product that most of us take for granted and make it become more engaging to the consumer—while looking cool? Art Director, DJ Neff, answered a whole bunch (pun intended) of questions online related to the process. In particular I like the thought of preloading via research on context and cultural underpinnings of the fruit, where it comes from, it’s role within the region’s economy, and then taking a subsequent shotgun approach to creative.
These solutions work on a variety of levels but at their core are appropriately playful. First and foremost they take advantage of the mundane (and somewhat benign) nature of the status quo by subtly tweaking it. The art director did not completely reset with another size or color palette–he took the existing approach and altered it enough to call attention to itself. This can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy, leading to increased purchase intent given a true ‘viral’ approach to the space. Kids love stickers so why not make them want to collect all 25? Which can only be done by purchasing them all…….
Sure, it’s a bit ‘Pokemon’ in strategy but with a relatively inexpensive commodity Chiquita has revamped effectively. Plus they accomplish the goal of increased exposure without a massive, multichannel marketing campaign. But of course there is a nice microsite to boot. Retain identity by changing it ever so slightly? Way to keep everyone happy….I’m looking forward to seeing these in person. Read the entire interview at designrelated.
Crux of the argument is a stance on our education systems that has been attracting a great deal of attention as of late. He argues that we are being educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Whereas this isn’t groundbreaking (rather Pink Floydian) it’s great to see this being accepted by the mainstream in today’s age of globalization. After all, one way to differentiate is to supplant the West as thought leaders, instead of witnessing it’s erosion. Don’t get me started on failures to protect domestic IP…..Via GOOD.
Hot off the presses is The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don’ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures, a killer book which allows those with little to no background in graphics but deal with data a fighting chance at concise presentation. About time someone taught the research crowd a lesson or two in terms of visual organization instead of endless graphs and charts. Multiple boutique firms that put together annual reports and press releases may not be affected….this shows a department how to get the job done internally. $20 well spent on Amazon if you ask me. Via Flowingdata.