Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide: Industrial Designer Edition
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This document discusses bridging the divide between physical and digital product design. It begins by defining the differences between industrial designers and digital/UX designers. Some of the key challenges preventing harmony are different delivery timelines, disciplines not understanding each other, and teams being separated. To bridge the divide, the document argues we must connect by finding common ground, calibrate by adapting our skills and processes, and collaborate by uniting on common purposes and prototyping together.
Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide: Industrial Designer Edition
- 1. Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide ! 23 May 2014 Product Design and Innovation 2014 ! Jason Mesut Head of User Experience, Plan Local Leader, IxDA London !
- 2. 5years ! Industrial Design years ! Digital User Experience 15
- 3. 3years Local leader Interaction Design Association L o n d o n Subjects over 3 years Internet of Things Future of publishing Urban environment Smart materials Mobility / Automotive Clinical applications ! Upcoming… Smart home Music interfaces Consumer healthcare
- 4. I want a future where physical products and digital services work in harmony
- 5. Industrial Designers Industrial Designers Digital / UX Designers I’ve interviewed over 30 designers
- 6. Experiences with familiar names Consultancies Manufacturers Education
- 7. Some key questions —Why should we care? —What are we aiming for? —What are the challenges? —How can we tackle them? ?
- 8. Some key questions —Why should we care? —What are we aiming for? —What are the challenges? —How can we tackle them?
- 12. Screens in front of babies http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fisher-price-ipad-apptivity-seat.jpg
- 14. The internet of things is hitting the mainstream Niche Mass
- 15. In odd ways
- 17. Tech companies buying hardware companies + skills
- 19. Wearable excitement Something other than a smartphone to design
- 20. Even if they make us look ridiculous
- 21. Industrial Design seems to be losing relevancy
- 22. Digital designers User Experience for web, GUI expertise Software technologists Understand infrastructure and web services Makers Prototype, and play with combining technologies Graphical User Interfaces Systems thinking Human behaviour & experience Web technology Data Infrastructure Prototyping Human behaviour Connection with the arts Mike Kuniavsky, author of Smart Things Matt Webb, Berg Kate Hartman, artist, technologist, educator OCAD Digital natives seem to be driving the future
- 23. Industrial Design doesn’t engage Industrial Designers have their heads in the ground Ian Bach Senior Interaction Designer Method
- 24. Doesn’t include freelancers £350-600+ a day Industrial Design User Experience Huge pay gap
- 25. Some key questions —Why should we care? —What are we aiming for? —What are the challenges? —How can we tackle them?
- 26. Greater harmony between physical and digital
- 27. A recipe for integrated products? + +Physical Product Digital Interface Digital Service Integrated product =
- 28. + +Physical Product Digital Interface Digital Services ! Aesthetic Visceral. Visual, sonic, feel. Interactive Behavioural. Distribution of inputs and controls. ! Experiential Reflective. Fit with person’s context and ecosystems. ! ! Key levels of harmony Components of integrated experience
- 29. Unite product and graphic language Nokia and Microsoft Windows mobile Separated at birth
- 30. Physical form and interaction design Nokia and Meego A touchscreen curved at the edges to aid friction for swipes from the edge
- 31. iPod The original integrated product? Appropriate interactions —Hardware and software interface working together —iTunes store —Aesthetic mismatch
- 32. Clunky car interfaces Screen clash Dangerous disparity —Aesthetic mismatch —Interface not tactile —Doesn’t create a better experience
- 34. Integrated automotive interface Texas Instruments Immersive Automobile Physical controls designed in concert with graphical user interface
- 36. Nest Rare harmony? Coherent product-service —Elegant hardware —Slick UI —Intelligent services
- 38. We need to seek 1. Quality balance 2. Connected design language 3. Appropriate interactions 4. Consideration of overall experience
- 39. Some key questions —Why should we care? —What are we aiming for? —What are the challenges? —How can we tackle them?
- 40. Why harmony is rare
- 42. Objects, like apps, are becoming transient — like kettles that don’t last or phones we replace regularly ! Jeremy Offer Design Director, Great Fridays Objects becoming transient
- 44. UX is very much focused on the near term — it’s less reliant on supply chains ! Mark Delaney Head of Design Forward, Nokia UX focuses on the short term
- 45. Software design often begins later in the cycle. ! You’re given a spec of controls and it’s very hard to adjust the hardware in the midst of development without long delays. ! Nick Myers Director User Experience Design, Fitbit Software added in later
- 46. Different delivery timeframes 18 months+ 3 months+ initially Then monthly, weekly or daily Hardware Software Problem framing Tooling Tuning production Manufacturing development ! Ideation ! Design development R C D ! Production 2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W C D C D C D RCD RCD Research Concept Design RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD
- 47. Disciplines don’t understand each other 1/2/3/4
- 48. UX has done a pretty good job of making itself complicated in a short period of time with all the different sub-disciplines: IA, IxD, etc. ! The more compartmentalised, the worse the result. ! Marcus Hoggarth Industrial Design Director, Native UX is confusing
- 50. Hardware and software teams often separated SW HW SW HW In-house In-house Agency SW HW Agency 1 Agency 2 SW HW Agency
- 51. Design silos inhibit collaboration ID UX VD SD
- 52. Should we destroy design silos before organisation ones?
- 53. Why harmony is rare 1. Hardware commoditisation 2. Delivery differences 3. Don’t understand each other 4. Teams are separated
- 54. Some key questions —Why should we care? —What are we aiming for? —What are the challenges? —How can we tackle them?
- 55. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide?
- 56. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide First, we must Define the divide
- 57. ID Industrial Design Physical Product Design Mechanical Engineering Ergonomics CMF Product visualisation
- 58. Offer Mindset Language Tools Time ID Industrial Design Physical UX Digital User Experience Product Design Mechanical Engineering Ergonomics CMF Product visualisation Interaction Design Information Architecture Content Strategy User Research Visual Design Experience strategy
- 59. Jargon ! Documentation ! Communication Motivation ! Values ! Principles Methods ! Software ! Approaches Value ! Uniqueness ! Horizons ! Timelines ! Pace Which factors affect how we work together? Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
- 60. Offer Mindset Language Tools Time What separates us? Bespoke vs. Universal & documented ! Design + Experience Mechanical vs. Theoretical ! ! Solving problems + Making solutions Manufacturing vs. Modelling ! ! Researching + Sketching + Prototyping Hardware vs. Software ! ! Understanding people + Conceiving solutions Long term vs. Short term ! ! Fast-paced + Immediate interaction
- 61. Offer Mindset Language Tools Time What unites us? Bespoke vs. Universal & documented ! Brand + Design + Experience Mechanical vs. Theoretical ! ! Solving problems + Making solutions Manufacturing vs. Modelling ! ! Researching + Sketching + Prototyping Hardware vs. Software ! ! Understanding people + Conceiving solutions Long term vs. Short term ! ! Fast-paced + Immediate interaction
- 62. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide?
- 63. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide? We need to Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
- 64. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide? We need to Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate Find the common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences
- 65. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide? We need to Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate Adapt ourselves Adapt our processes Translate our language !
- 66. How can we bridge the physical-digital divide? We need to Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate Unite on common purpose Share between teams Prototype together !
- 67. Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Connect Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
- 68. Hardware is appropriately named because it’s hard... ! ...It’s a long, hard, painful, expensive process ! ... It requires a long term commitment to a design ! Robert Brunner Partner, Ammunition (the guy who hired Jony Ive) Hardware is hard
- 69. Software is slippery 1. Hidden impacts from changes 2. Multiple releases 3. Integration challenges 4. Multiple platforms 5. Legacy code ! Some large organisations have terrible legacy code — it can take months to change a word or button on a site
- 70. Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Break down language barriers Adapt our skills Adapt our processes Connect Calibrate Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
- 71. Adapt our skills and teams Shifter Hybrid Partner Neutral leader Moving from ID-to-UX Blending skills across ID + UX ID + UX working closely together Solution agnostic leadership +
- 72. No Learn skills, but don’t expect to do it all Yes Find ways to work with specialists to create excellence Maybe Rare few able to do this Are you ready to walk away from the craft? Maybe ID to UX is possible, but the other way is tougher especially for seniors Shifter Hybrid Partner Neutral ID + UX working closely together Partner or shift +
- 73. Each approach has it's own value, but close that gap and the future will happen quicker and better ! Duncan Fitzsimons Founder, Vitamins Close the horizon gap
- 74. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Digital focuses on shorter term Horizon gap
- 75. Find common ground Connect on a personal level Respect differences Break down language barriers Adapt our skills Adapt our processes Connect Calibrate Collaborate Unite on a common purpose Share regularly Prototype together Develop shared vocabulary Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
- 76. I’ve found the best way to get integration is to get away from the features and unite on the higher goals ! Scott Jenson Product Strategy, Google Unite on a common purpose
- 77. We structure projects so industrial designers, interaction designers, mechanical engineers, and strategists can do the research together. ! David Sherwin Interaction Design Director, Frog Research together Photograph by Misha Miller
- 78. Share regularly At Palm, we did show and tells across ID and UX. IDs would bring their models and we would offer suggestions and opinions. We would bring our interface concepts or prototypes and they would share their ideas too. ! Kim Lenox Former Director of User Experience, Lunar
- 79. We prototype in physical and digital - it's easy to do fast, and there is a lot to be said for tangible design - it might not be shippable, but it is experiential and experimental ! Duncan Fitzsimons Co-founder, Vitamins Prototype together
- 81. Hardware Problem framing Tooling Tuning production Manufacturing development ! Ideation ! Design development ! Production 2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W Adapt our processes Cadence and relationships Software C D RCD Research Concept Design RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCDDetail design C D
- 82. ! Why? ! Seeking ! Against ! ! We must ! Losing relevancy ! Greater harmony ! Commoditisation, silos, processes, language Connect Calibrate Collaborate