User Generated Design

To say the fashion industry is cut-throat and out for the cash in our wallets could possibly be one of the biggest understatements of all time, but the UK fashion brand  AllSaints has done something which is particularly interesting.  Think back to the last time you went shopping online. You might have looked around the site, added a few things to the basket, looked at the price and thought again. That's it right? Not any more. On the  AllSaints website, once you fill your basket a timer starts. If you don't make a purchase in the next hour, an emails arrives in your inbox gently reminding you that not only is you basket saved, but it is there waiting for you to complete it. This is a very simple prompt, but potentially powerful. Remember of course, we live in an age where email is not a service in your office, but a ping in your pocket  courtesying  of your friendly smartphone. Why is this important? In his model of behaviour motivation, B J J...

Take a look at "Nike+ Running" So the other day the Nike+ app finally dropped for the masses of Android users out there (ignoring those lucky guys on O2 who got it last year) and the excitement is paramount. Track your own run, share it with friends, get a detailed breakdown of the exercise and receive encouragement from friends whilst running. But there is one little hurdle that I find difficult to sing the praises of; the first time experience. The key elements of Innovation Diffusion (how well ideas spread through society) are: Relative Advantage Compatibility Complexity Trialability Observability Now, the one point I am having a slight gripe on is trialability. When you open the app for the first time, it asks you to sign in. This is a hurdle to get over, a barrier to snooping around the app that when you think about it, doesn't need to be there. Sure, the advantages to having every single action undertaken within the ap...

The Smart Car Is Needed!   There is this one thing that has been on my mind for some time now, but I have always assumed that it was coming, maybe at the next apple Keynote or Google IO... But as the last few years have rolled over no word has come. So I have to ask myself, where is the smart car? Yes, smart car stereos do exist, kind of.. One example from a quick Google search is the Kenwood  DNN990HD , which while does bring some interesting features over and above the traditional DAB/ FM/ CD/ tape deck (yes, there are still some out there), does not exactly bowl us over. But more to the point, should we really be labelling things as smart? What would a smart car be like? Before we go any further, lets just think about what happens in the car? As the driver you are doing that manual thing with pedals, a steering wheel and a gear stick, but all kinds of information are coming at you as well! What is your speed, revs, acceleration and braking? All of these impact upon ...

A few weeks ago I took part in running the Loughborough branch of the Global Service Jam. It was a truly fantastic weekend for everyone involved, and luckily for us, it was professionally shot by the great Andre Brito! So to get a brief insight into some of the Service Design work I am involved with alongside my research (especially 1:49), check out the video below:

Ok, the core issues of usability are functionality, efficiency and satisfaction, bare that in mind. For the last few weeks I have been thinking of getting a tablet, but I keep asking myself why? My smartphone already does everything I need on the move, and when it doesn't I have my laptop for office work. So why? Thinking further, there is only one killer reason I can think of; magazines. Try reading any magazine on a smartphone, even the rather large galaxy S3 and your experience is defiantly not efficient or satisfying. So I made my mind up, a tablet it is! But then I thought, hang on, there is a newsagents fought around the corner, and while my interests may not be as mainstream add most, I'm pretty sure they stock everything I would actually read. So why shell out hundreds of pounds for that little piece of led enhanced plastic? Maybe it's the 'I want' factor, but I feel there is more to it, marketing. So as we face a future where smart technologies pervade ...

Ok, so according to a new report published by the European Commission Joint Research Committee, music piracy and illegal downloads don't harm the music industry, and in some ways give it a boost http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21856720. Should this be surprising? I don't know. Coming clean (to a degree) there have been countless times when I have been given USB sticks loaded with music in the past, and what has happened. Most of the bands on there are ones I would never listen to, and some remain unlistened to even now years down the line. This is mainly due to small things like their name or CD art looking unappealing to me, something that doesn't slot in line with my tastes. In short, stuff I wouldn't buy normally. But occasionally, there are a few gem discoveries. Without my friends at uni there is no way I would have given The Birthday Massacre another thought, yet I did and now I am a fan! So sure, there mig...