The Russians Used a Pencil

Cute. (via Core77 and Scholz & Friends)

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:42:42 -0400

Cute.

Vehicle Key Fob Design - A Follow-Up

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:47:00 -0400

Earlier this year I posted about the incredibly flawed design of the Lexus key fob. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the antithesis. Last week I rented a Nissan Altima, and this is its key fob:

Lock, un-lock (with little bumps to feel for in the dark), trunk (hold to open), and panic. Simple, straightforward, no ambiguity.

Battery Hand Wall Clock

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:34:36 -0400

Really clever, if somewhat unfeasible, idea for a wall clock. Use the batteries as the hour and minute hands:

I question how fast the batteries would run down if they have to power the weight of their own rotation. Regardless, an elegant idea.

(via Gizmodo and The Wrong Objects).

Spotted at a drug store. Didn’t catch who makes these,...

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:02:36 -0400

Spotted at a drug store. Didn’t catch who makes these, anyone know? I dig it.

Simplified Privacy Controls on Facebook

Tue, 25 May 2010 08:22:14 -0400

I’m digging Openbook’s proposal for simplifying privacy controls on Facebook: place a “Privacy Slider” on every user’s homepage, ranging from completely private to completely open.

Clicking on the slider invokes a popup which breaks down the privacy settings and allows for more granular control (if desired). I think this is a nice, transparent solution… and probably nothing like what Facebook will unveil on the coming weeks.

(via Wired).

Via curvedwhite: “Hold On Tight” book shelf designed by Colleen...

Wed, 19 May 2010 19:24:17 -0400

Via curvedwhite: “Hold On Tight” book shelf designed by Colleen & Eric.

The $0.69 iPad Stand

Sat, 08 May 2010 12:49:12 -0400

drewvigal:

Bought a wireless keyboard today to eventually replace the iPad Keyboard Dock I ordered online with my iPad. One really should try out a product before buying peripherals. But what I was really looking for was a stand that kept my iPad upright in either landscape or portrait. Neither the Keyboard Dock nor the iDock does this… granted, those do charge the iPad while docked. And I saw Griffin’s A-Frame: Tabletop Stand for iPad in stock at the Apple Store. But at $49… it’s ridiculously expensive.

Then I went to Office Depot and found this: Business Card Holder for $0.69.

Of course, this isn’t made for the iPad. So don’t expect the stability you’d want from rough handling or turbulence on a flight. And when used in tilt mode for on-screen keyboard typing, the curved top and smooth surface don’t really give enough traction to prevent from the occasional slippage. I ended up putting some gaffers tape to improve the friction.

But it’s less than a buck. And it keeps my iPad screen tilted enough for easy viewing. That’s what I need while writing on a wireless keyboard. Oh… a mouse would be nice. But more on that later.

BTW, I twittered last week that I found another device that can tilt the iPad for easy typing: my iPhone.

I’ve tried this out and it works splendidly. I would team up with some friends if you plan on ordering online, however. The stands are $0.69 but shipping is 10 bucks, even if you buy just one.

Just look at that image on the right. It looks like a laptop from the future.

Never Miss the Key Hole

Wed, 05 May 2010 21:56:22 -0400

Clever.

OneZero: Parsons DT Thesis Symposium

Sun, 02 May 2010 18:20:00 -0400

The Design and Technology department at Parsons (of which I am an alum) is holding their second annual thesis symposium this weekend, titled OneZero. I had the privilege of seeing a few of the talks and checked the gallery out this Saturday. The show is described by the students as a “way of sharing research and work as designers, programmers, developers, gamers, storytellers, animators and social entrepreneurs. [Their] work is wide ranging but grouped within a variety of themes.”

A really solid and impressive showing this year. Specifically:

Not for Bots, by Kunal D Patel.

Not for Bots is “ a collection of online software that playfully demonstrate how the Internet is shaping human behavior.” As of this writing, there are two Twitter services in the collection: Transito.us and Penultim.it. Check out those links for more info, they essentially both subvert the user’s expectations of URL shortening services.

Pennant by Stephen Varga

Pennant is “an interactive exploration of baseball data that allows users to quickly and accurately recreate and investigate the history of the annual race to be the best team in Major League Baseball.” Really cool iPad app, with awesome data visualization (notice the Tufte inspired Sparklines). Check out the video here for a demo. Should be available in the App Store soon.

Data by Zach Gage

Data is a series of projects that “explore a number of discrepancies surrounding our use of data, and how that use is, or could be, shaping our lives for the better or worse.” They are all worth checking out in detail. My favorite is Lose/Lose, an Asteroids-style shooter game that links enemy ships to files on your computer. Thus, killing enemies slowly destroys the user’s hard drive.

Simplicity isn't that simple

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 13:16:00 -0400

52weeksofux:

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” —Leonardo Da Vinci

Simplicity, by definition, is freedom from complexity; the absence of luxury or pretentiousness. Sophistication, on the other hand, often implies a sense of style, cultivated beauty and refinement. So is Da Vinci contradicting himself here?

On the contrary. I believe the ultimate level of sophistication happens when the refining process is so complete that there is truly nothing else to add and nothing else to take away; when the nature of a thing is perfectly represented and understood by its state and appearance. To behold it is to know and understand it.

This may seem overly philosophical, but as my co-author, Josh Porter, said recently, “Simplicity is much more than the trite “less is more” we so often hear. Simplicity is… about clarity.” And clarity comes from constant refinement.

John Maeda’s First Law of Simplicity states: The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction. Refinement that is thoughtful, calculated, and whenever possible and appropriate, based on data is one of the fundamental tools of any designer.

Anyone who occupies themselves with the task of creating truly usable products becomes instantly aware that achieving simplicity is not that simple. For any single feature in a product we must take into account the way it looks, the way it functions, its place in the overall system, affordances to help convey context of how and why it is to be used, as well as taking into account the motivation of the user.

Designers are in a constant process of weighing each decision against previous ones, against common conventions and against the user’s goals in order to create an interface, a product or a service that is clear in all its meaning and function. There is no denying the difficulty in this process. There is a delicate balance between the simplicity of use and the complexity of usefulness. But it is true the product that is clear in its purpose, elegant in its execution and simple in its use will set itself apart from the competition and endear itself to the user.

Designing for simplicity is a process of calculated refinement.

Elegance and The Art of Less

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 19:31:59 -0400

Matthew E. May:

The singular thought that what isn’t can often be as or more powerful than what is presented me with a completely different view of the world. In fact, it offered an altogether unique reality—and a life-changing one at that. I embarked on the journey I’m still on, in search of solutions that derive maximum effect from minimum means, ideas that are elegant by virtue of their ability to achieve two conflicting goals at once: profound simplicity and surprising power.

It turns out that if you know where to look and what to look for, the “stop doing” strategy can be found at the heart of elegance in a wide range of fields— from the arts to athletics, from manufacturing to architecture, from science to media. Elegance is a widely sought-after quality, and it can take many forms. A few individuals, teams, and companies have become quite adept at exploiting the principle of subtraction to better sculpt their ideas, performances, and lives.

Scientists, mathematicians, and engineers search for theories that explain highly complex phenomena in stunningly simple ways. Artists and designers use white, or “negative,” space to convey visual power. Musicians and composers use pauses—silence—in the score to create dramatic tension. Dancers and elite athletes deliver their maximum performances by minimizing unnecessary exertion. Physicians draw on Occam’s razor principle—or diagnostic parsimony—to find the single cause of a patient’s myriad symptoms, shaving the analysis down from a sea of possibilities to the most likely explanation.

Delightful. Read the full article here, an excerpt from his book In Pursuit of Elegance.

(Full disclosure: I work for frog design, who publish Design Mind).

Wieden + Kennedy for Nike

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:56:00 -0400

The blogosphere et al. has been buzzing in the past couple days about a new Nike spot for Tiger Woods, by Portland based ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. In case you haven’t seen it already:

Predictably, the extreme simplicity appeals to me here. Personal opinions about the man aside, I think the commercial is pitch perfect, which is quite a feat considering the circumstances. I seem to be in the minority on this, however. My favorite quote: “I find the use of his dead father’s voice … out of context by definition … grotesque and in some ways more tasteless than his sexual transgressions.”

I’m actually glad this commercial popped up recently, because it gave me an excuse to post another super-simple ad that I’ve been keeping in my back pocket for a while. I believe this comes from Wieden + Kennedy as well, but don’t quote me on that.

Brilliant. All it took was some archival footage and a dash of dramatic irony to create one of the more emotional commercials I’ve ever seen. However, I’d imagine this ad, as with the other one, creates a fairly divisive reaction. What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts over @RussianPencil.

The iPad User Manual

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:55:52 -0400

How you know a product is easy to use: when the ‘user manual’ is a single index card.

Bloodbuzz Ohio

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:04:24 -0400

A track off the forthcoming album from The National is available as a free download from their website. I really like the way they’ve presented the download options, being as blunt and transparent as possible. Want the 192 kbps version? Download here. Want a bit higher quality plus some artwork? Well, we’re gonna need your email first. Simple and straightforward.

Granted, there is a bit of opacity in that you don’t know what your email address is being used for if you opt for the higher quality download. I assumed it was for the mailing list. But seriously, this is The National we’re talking about. I’d give them my social security number if they asked for it.

PS. Download this track immediately.

37signals

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:00:31 -0400

I’ve been meaning to make this post for some time, and their new book, Rework, has eliminated any excuse not to. 37signals is, according to Wikipedia, “a web design company with a self-described focus on usability, simplicity, and clarity in design and writing.”

Both of their books, Getting Real (available for free online) and Rework are essential reads if you are looking for a lean, simple approach to business and design. Some choice passages from Rework:

Underdo your competition. Conventional wisdom says that to beat your competitors, you need to one-up them. If they have four features, you need five (or fifteen, or twenty-five). If they’re spending $20,000, you need to spend $30,000. If they have fifty employees, you need a hundred.
This sort of one-upping, Cold War mentality is a dead end. When you get suckered into an arms race, you wind up in a never-ending battle that costs you massive amounts of money, time, and drive. And it forces you to constantly be on the defensive, too. Defensive companies can’t think ahead; they can only think behind. They don’t lead; they follow.
So what do you do instead? Do less than your competitors to beat them. Solve the simple problems and leave the hairy, difficult, nasty problems to the competition. Instead of one-upping, try one-downing. Instead of outdoing, try underdoing.
[…] Don’t shy away from the fact that your product or service does less. Highlight it. Be proud of it. Sell it as aggressively as competitors sell their extensive feature lists.

I love this philosophy, also from Rework:

There’s a beauty to imperfection. This is the essence of the Japanese principle of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi values character and uniqueness over a shiny facade. It teaches that cracks and scratches in things should be embraced. It’s also about simplicity. You strip things down and then use what you have. Leonard Koren, author of a book on wabi-sabi, gives this advise: Pare down to the essence, but don’t remove the poetry. Keep things clean and unencumbered but don’t sterilize.*

And of course this gem from Getting Real:

As things progress, don’t be afraid to resist bloat. The temptation will be to scale up. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Just because something gets older and more mature, doesn’t mean it needs to get more complicated.
You don’t have to become an outer space pen that writes upside down. Sometimes it’s ok to just be a pencil. You don’t need to be a swiss-army knife. You can just be a screwdriver.

(Which may or may not have sparked the idea for the name of this blog).

37signals company blog, Signal vs. Noise, is also worth following. And lastly, if you are not the reading type, here is a video of Jason Fried, one of the founders of 37signals, going over the essentials of the company’s ‘less is more’ philosophy:

Simple Watches (A Reprise)

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:53:39 -0500

I’ve made a couple posts about simple watches in the past, and a new one recently caught my eye, from designer Denis Guidone:

I can’t imagine a watch being any simpler, and yet retain its core functionality. One could argue that the center dot could be removed, but I believe it’s essential; otherwise, the brain cannot draw the invisible line from the center to the hour or minute dots that create the ‘hands.’ Here is the watch in action, along with a few others.

When I made my initial post about watches, some Twitter followers reasoned that the use of watch in general is unnecessary, as it duplicates the functionality contained on the face of a cell phone. I disagreed, arguing that fumbling with a phone every instance you want to know the time makes for a poor user experience. At least in terms of efficiency, Mr. Maeda’s got my back (via Twitter):

With a wristwatch it takes less than a half second to tell the time. With a mobile (grasping time incl) it’s about three.

(via Dezeen)

Flavors.me

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:35:50 -0500

I love the simplicity of this new personal “web-hub” service, Flavors.me. Essentially, it acts as a homepage for an individual, in which they can plug in all of their various online personas (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc) to collect in one spot. Check out the directory to see the cool designs people have created from a very simple toolset. It might finally be time to ditch my personal site for a Flavors one.

Google Chrome OS Tablet Demo

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:25:20 -0500

I have posted previously about Google’s Chrome OS, their move to create a simplified, browser-based operating system. In the whirlwind of the iPad announcement, it seems they wanted to ride the tablet wave (see what I did there?) and released a few conceptual screen shots and demo video. One in particular caught my attention. Look familiar?

Movie Posters for Minimalists

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:05:31 -0500

Twitter user Wearepedistal sent me a link to an excellent collection of minimalist movie posters by Jamie Bolton, and it inspired me to put a post together with a few sets I have found over the years.

Jamie Bolton - Shoot the Glass. The big standout here is the Back to the Future trilogy, very clever. Extra points if you can name all of the years the dots designate.

Oily Moss. Created all the posters with only black, white, and red. Really love the Deer Hunter poster.

Graphic Nothing. Nice use of a similar graphic motif throughout to tie the posters together as a set.

Ibraheem Youssef. Great set of Tarantino posters. These could seriously be the Criterion Covers.

I think the interesting thing about all of these sets is they generally only work if you have seen the film and understand the reference. Thus, they are transformed from a promotional tool to something else entirely.

Any other sets out there that I missed? Let me know and I’ll add them! @RussianPencil

Typing on the iPad

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:40:51 -0500

The issue of how to input text into the iPad has been a heated discussion both before and after the device was announced. Obviously, without having the tablet in hand, no one knows how easy or cumbersome it will be to enter text. I actually believe that typing in landscape mode, using both hands as on a full size keyboard, will be a perfectly adequate way to enter even lengthy messages. The on screen keyboard in portrait orientation, however, seems inelegant.

In this case the iPhone style keyboard doesn’t scale very gracefully. It sits in an unfortunately middle ground: way too cramped to type with both hands, but too large to be able to comfortably “thumb type.” A simple solution to improve this scenario:

Scale the keyboard down so it’s about the size of the iPhone keyboard in landscape mode, and then split it into two halves. I discovered that this method of input is not without precedent; Gizmodo briefly mentioned a variation of this in their write up a couple weeks ago.

The above mockup is crudely rendered and not as visually appealing, but I have to imagine it would provide for a better typing experience for this orientation. What do you think? As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts @RussianPencil.