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March 30, 2004
on pens
I don't trust designers who do not have either a notebook or a pen fetish (like I don't trust designers who have no interest in food or drink). It means that the stuff you use everyday doesn't matter to you.
I tend to use very thin pens, because it forces you to write well, or everything tends towards a scrawl. I have many books of scrawls.
My pens:
daily pen - edding 1800 profipen, 0.1mm, black.
Mainly because they're the best and thinnest things in our office supply catalogue. Warning, these don't take kindly to flying (but weirdly only European flights). I've had 4 of these bad boys explode on me in the last month. Plus point: you can remove the long name sticker to have a totally blank pen.
old daily pen - Staedtler pigment liner, 0.05mm, black.
Although it sounds thin, this line is as big as the eddings, and far far bigger than the Rapidograph. Never let someone else use one of these, they will press down too hard and ruin the nib. In one stroke.
occasional pen - Pilot Fineliner (old style), black.
A classic, for thicker, sculptured lines, and very very not waterproof. I love scrawling on other peoples' presentations and documents with these. I might even bust out with blue, green and red.
fine pen - Rotring Rapidograph, 0.10mm, black.
Yes, pen fans, 0.10mm (hard to get). Crazily thin lines, I use these when writing small on very large pieces of paper. Easily the thinnest line I have seen in a moderately-priced pen. This pen is under lock and key.
I still have not found a propelling pencil (or other) that satisfies me; a pity, as sometimes only carbon will do.
(link via foe)
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March 27, 2004
cebit
I'd wondered why so little had been written about Cebit this year. It's big enough, there's plenty of exhibitors, quite a few product releases, but after spending a few days there, it was clear that pretty much all the industries there are glad to have weathered the last few years, are taking no chances, and become ever so slightly complacent.
There were no great shakes for mobiles (maybe I'm just too close to them - full disclosure: I've been working with quite a few of these manufacturers). If I wanted a silver flip phone, I'd have bought one already. However, as an open OS phone, the Panasonic X700, running Series 60, is really quite impressive. It's the year of the slide, with many manufacturers taking a lead from the 7650 and the SL55. Swivel is back, again, with Sony Ericsson and Motorola.
Interesting to see the 3G/UMTS phones coming out. Most are still comically huge. Some manufacturers (notably LG and Samsung) who sat out the first round of phones have come through with, well, normal looking devices. I finally got my hands on the Japanese FOMA phones - and they are not small face on, but very thin and very light.
Sanyo and Panasonic were showing concept phones - Sanyo concentrating on mobile TV reception, Panasonic on segments (kids, fashion).
The only different form factor is the ultra-mini, which Panasonic have turned into a complete range of devices.
My killer phone was the Nokia 5140. There just aren't enough rugged phones in the market, and this comes with the added potential of active covers - currently a GPS shell and an RFID reader shell. It was good to be able to try it and take these apart. There's no wires between the shells and the phone; there's a cheeky set of 5 contacts on the naked phone that match up with similar on the shell. My bet would be that this is a serial interface, which means it should be quite easy to hack together other shells. It might even replicate pins on the Pop-port, allowing even easier connection. It's a Series 40 phone, so no Symbian apps, but Java programs have access to this shell interface. The only thing missing on this phone, for most people, is Bluetooth.
I couldn't find anyone at Sony, Nokia or Philips to grill about Near Field Communication (NFC). This is so exciting, a handshake protocol based on similar human actions (physical contact). It has a ragbag of interesting features, including compatibility with many RFID cards, so I would have liked to get a good grounding from some of the people involved. Anyway, you can read a backgrounder, go to the forum, or download the spec itself. One immediate application I can see is an implementation of a folk computing idea: when people meet for the first time, they will often take turns offering the name of someone they know who they think that the other person will know. This continues until a person is recognised, or they run out of people. An electronic aid for this was mocked up at MIT, but a combination of NFC and LOAF will allow something similar.
Cebit is ostensibly a trade show, but it's really kept alive by the German public. All the operators, and some ISPs, have huge stands (or in the case of Vodafone, their own specially constructed pavilion), and the biggest queues are for the phone manufacturers' customer service and repair.
What is interesting is that voice over IP is becoming just something to add on to broadband. Several ISPs or pure-play VoIP operators were busy signing up people to flat rate telephony. There was also the faint rumblings of voice over WLAN for consumers. In fact, VoIP/WLAN could be sold and designed just like cordless phones: a base station that plugs into the wall (in reality an ADSL router and wireless node) and a cordless (wi-fi) handset. Looking further, video over IP (and video over WLAN) are becoming a not-too-distant commercial reality.
Most of the consumer stuff wasn't that interesting - especially from an industrial design angle. I did notice that everything is really getting smaller, the only limits being battery, input and output. I saw it like this:
* everything will be digitized
* once it's digitized, it will be stored and copied
* when it's stored and copied, it will be made wirefree (or mobile)
There were quite a lot of small tablets, from 5 to 10 inches, being used for media playing, data collection, and mobile computing. This seems to be an interesting area for consumer electronics in the next few years. See also Christian Lindholm's writeup.
I don't find consumer electronics that interesting because it's available now. You can look to the OEMs for next year's products, and to the component makers for the year after that, but to feel the vibes over longer periods, you have to look at other markets. I spent a lot of time trawling round the printer manufacturers, the heavy-duty sorting machines, the banking equipment.
I made a beeline for the barcode reader companies. I was interested to see how they're reacting to the threat of cameraphones, and also any thoughts they had about what happens when you turn this technology from business to personal use. The answer was simple: they're blinkered. It doesn't concern them, and it's not something they think about. Phones like the 5140 could decimate the cheaper low-usage end of the machine readable markets - and they have a nice Internet and communications stack thrown in for free.
I spoke to Denso (creators of the 2d QR Code), but they really couldn't see the potential for personal use of barcodes. They did mention, however, that several European operators are trying to agree a standard, so that bar code usage could become as prevalent as in Japan. What was nifty was that all their readers could read bar codes displayed on a mobile screen, which could make ticket and coupon delivery easier.
What else?
I didn't get to see Qrio, or its pirate elf friend. I did see other robot overlords.
Some of the computer technology on display was amazing.
Worst giveaway in practice if not in theory were inflatables - on two stands I saw a queue of people waiting for an inflatable surfboard or lilo to be blown up. Round the corner from the stands were large groups of people trying their hardest to deflate the inflatables. Crazy.
I didn't get to see much of Hannover, and from what I could tell there aren't many major landmarks to see. One feature are lots of red lines on the streets (cycle paths?), that were obviously drawn round any obstacles, by someone who didn't particularly care about their job.
(more photos here)
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March 26, 2004
argumentation
... the way in which an argument is carried out: claims, evidence and reasoning.
This is a fascinating area of logical analysis that I'd never heard of before. How are arguments constructed? How can you tell if something is logically argued? How can a computer tell if an argument is correct? How can you (or your computer) draw diagrams and maps to help you argue? How can computers argue with each other?
This can be used in many fields - genetics, law, urban planning, pseudoscience debunkery, business analysis, politics... anywhere with hard, multi-dimensional problems and lots of disparate information.
A good starting point is this list of logical fallacies, which neatly gives ways of rebuttal (proofs), this critical thinking tutorial, and some theory.
An example makes it clearer. These crazy fantastic argumentation maps explore the debate "can computers think?", with over 700 claims made by 380 protagonists. Check in particular their explanation of the cartographic metaphor (the project director was also resonsible for social messes and mess maps). Crack! Crack I tell you!
(with big thanks to bioinformaticist ben for pointing me at all this)
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March 16, 2004
art redux
I've finally got around to revitalising the art aggragator... apologies if you're been planning your London soujourns from it.
Current recommendations - the Lichtenstein is fantastic, in-a-gadda-da-vidda is stolen by Angus Fairhurst (and the eels), the pre-Raphelites are just a bit too bright for me, and the two Tate Modern exhibitions complement nicely: expect complete brain clearing by the end. Last weekend of the sun, open all night.
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March 08, 2004
lifestore
Today I was back in the office, and so lunch becomes a special thing. After deconstructing the new colourful Zara men's clothing range - American Eagle meets US-style Urban Outfitters (hey, I was waiting for someone to return something), we headed to M&S.
I know the Marks and Spencer's food planogram like the back of my hand. I can tell you the reasoning behind the range choices, the multibuy offers and the cross-sell cabinets. My friend and I have been stopped several times by customers asking for help, suggestions and meal plans. Staff think we're mystery shoppers. (current state of play: like the extension of 'perfect roasting' poultry, not really sure what's happened to the Indian range, cheese selection impressive, product suggestion - individual polypacks of salad and salad dressing)
Clothing has never been considered. Homewares not an option. The financial results of M&S show many people agree. Recently the women's clothing lines have been doing better, but to boost the home business, M&S recruited Vittorio Radice, the chief executive of Selfridges, who had turned a greying department store into a directional leader of fashion and furnishings.
The result of this has just been launched: Lifestore.
It's a mixture of concept store (in Gateshead) and catalogue. Both have potential - John Pawson has designed a complete two-floor house that was built in the middle of the store, and a 'design directory' overseen by Tyler Brule.
As with all projects like this, there's a concept.
"Rather than trying to shoehorn a store into a catalogue or apply a magazine concept to a shop, we've taken a step back and examined the way you live, then built a concept which responds to all the needs and necessities for every day in your life... Marks & Spencer has thought about how we spend our days, nights and downtime. How we consume information. How we entertain ourselves, friends and family. How we shop. How we pull ourselves together each morning and how we do the same for our homes, flats, rooms and retreats."
And so it goes on.
So, impressions. It looks and feels like the Habitat catalogue, and much of the range of furniture has a similar feel and price to Heals/Habitat (with a dash of some quasi-uber-expensive Ikea). This is quite a feat, really, as Habitat has been working hard at bolstering its design image for several years now, and this catalogue feels like it has a much larger range than its mentor.
It occasionally veers into traditional Marks and Spencer patterns, colours and forms (or are they ironic?), but a lot of it is really quite bold for M&S. In fact, many pieces feel as though they're trying slightly too hard to be cool - to the point of having to design the room around them.
The stuff I like, I can't afford. Except this.
One point for attention is that it's homewares++. There's the traditional Habitat-stlye range of cookware, but there's also exercise equipment, art prints, towels, luggage, even hairdryers and irons. I guess this may work better in store, but it feels decidedly half hearted in print.
I'm interested to see how this goes. I wish it luck. I can't see the traditional M&S market (hello mum) wanting this kind of style, and I can't see the stylish wanting to admit they have their ready meal sitting on expensive furniture from M&S. The choice of Gateshead for the lead store is interesting too. There's a lot of money around there, but it will be competing directly with a nearby Ikea, and it's not a notably minimalist area.
(I seem to be part of some spontaneous Grid::Fashion)
OK, that's the last post about shopping. For a short while. Promise.
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March 07, 2004
call of the mall
I've just read Paco Underhill's new book, The Call of The Mall - it was, ironically, the only thing worth buying in the constrained-mall-in-disguise Atlanta airport. It's an easy read, very conversational, and I really enjoyed it. It concentrates on my favourite things, people watching (I am extremely nosy, especially when watching people use technology and products), man-made environments, shopping and its emergent culture. The book is tantalisingly subtitled 'the geography of shopping', which I don't really think the book covers, but is an interesting subject to consider.
This came after spending a few days in the US. My hotel was near a mall (and only near a mall), and of course I got urges straight away to visit. When asking whether it was possible to walk there, the receptionist looked at me oddly and said we could take their shuttle bus. We ran out when they weren't looking, and became the virgin users of the pedestrian crossings.
As a walker, I did several of the things Paco Underhill mentions doing (and forcing his clients to do) - going to the edge of the parking lot and trying to read the building (this photo is taken from quite a bit closer). It's an impenetrable fortress, with no clues as to its depth or size. The only obvious entrances are through the anchor shops themselves.
The book takes the form of a trip to an unnamed mall. To start with, the mall is described, and it's scarily similar to this, and every other US mall.
| This particular mall covers forty-six acres, including the parking lots. | 230 acres |
| It is bordered and nourished by a six-lane state highway and a four-lane country road. | check |
| We're in a suburb that is a twenty-minute drive (baring bad traffic) from a major metropolitan area. | check |
| This is the largest mall in the immediate vicinity, although there is a slightly smaller one exactly four miles away. Ours is known for its high-end stores. The other is more solidly middle-class. | vice-versa |
| There's a record store, a toy store, a video game store and nine stores selling sneakers. | check |
| There's also a fourteen-screen cinema. | 17 screen |
| There's a video arcade. | check |
| There's a rock climbing wall. | check |
| There's an Aqua Massage. | nope |
| There's a funny little 1950s-style hamburger joint, Jonny Rockets. | check |
| There's no bookstore, hardware store, home electronics store, computer store, sporting goods store, or office supply store. | bookstore and sporting goods are anchors |
There's no scarcity of land round here, so everything sprawls. The mall 4 miles away, The Mall of Georgia, is only slightly bigger in terms of shopping area (1.7 vs. 1.2 million sq ft), but on a 500 acre plot, including an 87-acre nature park and residential and commercial facilities.
"Next time you're at a mall, instead of going directly inside, stroll around the perimeter of the place. It will be one of the more joyless promenades you'll ever make... with maybe a security guard or two to keep you company (They'll be watching you closely, since someone who walks around a mall is, by definition, an odd character)."
The book does make it clear that malls are very different in the US from the rest of the world. The few drive-to malls we have in the UK are destinations. Weirdly they are less themed, but the stores are more of a pull. A blank canvas for commerce. Bluewater, Europe's largest mall, has a catchment area of over an hour's drive (the US average catchment is 20 minutes), and has a 300 acre plot, including 1.5 million sq ft of retail, and an additional 125,000 sq ft of food and leisure. We shop differently, we have a different concept of transport, and therefore we mall differently too. It's a pity that we take most of our ideas from the smaller city centre shopping centres, rather than true malls from abroad.
One thing we don't have are mall walkers - people (normally seniors) who get let into malls early, to get their exercise by walking around. After all, in America, the book points out, the only time you now walk is in the mall. There are books, clubs, maps and even special shoes. We also don't quite have the leisure emphasis, with skate parks, video arcades, ice rinks and bowling alleys all part of the US mall mix. No shoppertainment.
The book has some sobering ideas about how transport influences the kinds of customers you get.
"They can almost never be easily reached by public transportation. If you can't drive here, the mall seems to say, you can't come... Are malls racist? It's not such an outlandish question. It seems clear that malls hope by limiting public transportation they can control who may enter and who may not."
It also points out that malls are hard to rob by design: there's no fast getaway when you can't remember where you parked your car.
The book considers everything about the end-to-end experience of the mall - parking lots, bathrooms, information desks, wayfinding, zoning, food courts, places to sit and people to watch. Basics. But all part of the customer experience that most mall developers are not considering. It's also gratifying that different approaches for different customers, shopping situations, and brands are considered. A good designer always knows his target audience, and designs accordingly. Seemingly with retail, the segments are crudely men and women, and then different types of shopper emerge within these most distinct categories.
I think most designers (of anything) will enjoy this book - there's lots of insight into the psychology of people, which is, after all, the thing we have to understand when designing.
Finally, there's a conversation with a store designer that echoes web design, and points to a bleak future for UI and mobile design (we've never even had the distinctive creative UI design agency era):
"Back in the old days, in the 1960s and 1970s, you had big retail executives with big egos, and they sought out creative designers and hired them to come up with distinctive looks. The designers were like hired guns, and they went back and forth depending on who had hired them for what. Then, the trend shifted and the retail chains began hiring in-house design staff. It was a smart move for them because it took the best designers off the market and away from their competitors. Designers ended up being exposed to less, and they were influenced by less, too. As a result of that, the design world became stagnant and even a little stale - you had one client, you came up with something, and then you just worked on refining that. It took some of the edge away. That's why the whole world of retail starts to look the same."
