designbivouac

Don't Text and Drive...Please Stay Focused on Safety

 

More BMW Motorrad Innovations on the Horizon

Yes please. The sooner the better.

 

Witty Knitting

Vík Prjónsdóttir is a collective of Icelandic designers that one day decided to start collaborating with an old knitting factory in the countryside of Iceland. View more here. http://www.vikprjonsdottir.com/

New York Times Budget Puzzle

Sometimes I find myself noting something as interesting but it takes a while to really appreciate it to its fullest. That was the case with the New York Times Budget Puzzle which came out last November.

While in an information visualization brainstorm today, this came back to me as a great example of how to empower users to relate to a very abstract concept...our federal budget deficit. Its minimalistic approach and small details like representing 1 billion dollars with small blue squares that tally up in real time depending upon decisions users make is a nice touch. 

BMW Breaks New Barriers with Entry Level M Model

BMW has long been breaking performance barriers with each successive model in their M range and the new 1 Series M is no exception. In this nicely choreographed video they take things to a new level which would no doubt make Tanner proud.

 

 

An Empathy Exercise for Those That Really Build Things

For those that could swear that their car had to have been built late on a Friday afternoon or clearly bought a pure lemon, try building an 8070 in a weekend. The latest super car from Lego Group's Technic division includes a free floating differential, a visible 8 cylinder engine with working pistons tied in to the transmission, double wishbone suspension components and various power goodies.

Putting one of these together sans a bunch of spare parts lying around once the job is done is a nice accomplishment. It's also a great empathy exercise to help us realize, even if on a much smaller scale, some of what a day is like for those putting together the things that move us every day. A special thanks goes out to you, the builders of the world.

Automobile Manufacturers Lighten Things Up

As evidenced by many new carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts on display at BMW Group's Innovation Day 2011 event, car manufacturers are going to great lengths to reduce the weight of their vehicles. Diet programs include innovative techniques for removing the core of wheels which are traditionally solid metal and replacing them with new, lighter, high-strength materials as seen in BMW's Naturecore wheels. For BMW, no doubt much of what was on display will find its way into their new BMW i Division of vehicles. Fore more visit World Car Fans.

What Does Your Project Space Look Like?

And how are you getting on with your mates in it? We all know that space matters...and so does gravity as Paul Harrison and John Wood so delightfully illustrate in Tate Shots Issue 12.

 

 

BMW Activates the Future

With rolling weekly releases, BMW has invited a rich mix of personalities to discuss the future of mobility. As cited in the first film, with every car having an average of five parking spaces dedicated to it, and considering that everything that is rigid seems to fail while things that can adapt and grow tend to succeed, it is refreshing to see themes like this taken on and folks talking responcibly and optimistically about redesigning the way we live on earth. It is nice also to see the views of those that would like to drive around in bubbles or original Hemi-powered Daytona's all figuring in the mix. Take a look at the first film "The New City" which is viewable now on BMW's Activate the Future site. Thanks to Scott P for the heads up on this one.

Quality Time in Seacrest County

Lately, my nephews and I have had the opportunity to spend some quality time in Seacrest County, the fictional land featured in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit.  Thankfully, designers of this racing game have foregone obsessing over telemetry and torque curves generated on the world's most famous race tracks. Leaving that to those crafting Grand Turismo 5, NFS creators instead made the solid decision to offer up a dynamic new twist on a childhood favorite: Good Guys vs. Bad Guys.

 

Adrenaline levels run high as convincing near photo-realism is placed in just the right places. It starts with the diverse and beautifully rendered vistas of Seacrest County, which span coastal roads, open desert highways and snowcapped alpine routes. These stand out as heros of the title alongside the fastest police response units. Creators of the game follow through with a great range of the world's most exciting vehicles. I for one was most happy to see the BMW Z4 sdrive3.5is and the Lamborghini Reventon among the list of beautiful cars one can try their had at. 

The game delivers on a few well-honed gaming principles:

1. Support immersion- Convincing visual details in the landscape and vehicle modeling are convincing and invite drivers into the world of Seacrest County.

2. Cause and Effect Loops- Dramatic and sufficiently detailed damage simulation reinforces just enough cause and effect consequences to keep things interesting.

3. Collectibility- An impressive range of vehicles each with their own overview provided by an ecosystem of manufacturers keeps one engaged and moving forward in the game as does the addition of technological enhancements.

While there are surely a number of alternative driving games out there with more realism that would be far better to use as training platforms for your next trip to the Nurburgring, few can match the levels of sheer joy that come along with busting bad guys or racing at high speeds across the deserts of Seacrest county. Thanks goes out those who put quality time into creating the vistas of Seacrest County and Need For Speed Hot Pursuit.

BMW Concept C Focuses on Crowded Urban Commuting

As featured on TopSpeed, BMW revealed the new Concept C at the EICMA Show in Milan. The Concept C is BMW’s vision of the big scooter with the C in the name standing for "commuter." It is aimed a alleviating some of the crowding on urban streets associated with shorter daily errand running and shorter commuting routes. This concept is BMW’s response to that increasing traffic situation. They say the Concept C represents "the prospect of an innovative, sporty big scooter for the future premium segment." The concept is enhanced by several innovations to the scooter market, including video camera rear-view monitors.

BMW Motorrad Factory Video

Catch a rare glimpse of what goes into making something like the new K1660GT motorcycle through this unique on-the-line video from BMW Motorrad's Berlin production plant. An impressive balance of assembly technology and good, old-fashioned hand building to be sure.

 

Happy holidays...

Artist Chris Burden creates a toy freeway with 12,000 cars in a work entitled "Metropolis II". Depending on how you look at it, the work is either a powerful statement about what it feels like to live in Los Angeles or the best gift an eight year old could ever find under...er...make that over the tree.

Happy holidays and here's to more shared commuting rides in 2011.

 

Getting Creative with the iPhone

The Hitchcock Mobile Storyboard Composer by Cinemek is a great example of a wave of new content creation tools (versus content consumption only apps) that we hope to continue to see being released for the iPhone and iPad. The application allows for those visualizing storyboards to use photos and markup icons as an alternative to sketching.

Hitchcock Mobile Storyboard Composer from cinemek / Hitchcock on Vimeo.

 

Cadillac Urban Luxury Concept: Small is the Next Big Thing in Luxury

 
Cadillac's Urban Luxury Concept which debuted this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show is just the kind of product that will continue to fuel General Motor's emergence from bankruptcy. For those that took part in a fairly strong IPO this week, this is another encouraging sign of solid design thinking taking place at GM these days. With room for four, estimated fuel economy ratings of 56 mpg city/65 mpg highway, and a number of innovative features in store beyond the scissor-style doors, the bivouac says bring this to market ASAP! This is "Art and Science" that's great for both the senses and the planet. See more photos via World Car Fans.

TikTok+LunaTik: Ideas Whose Time Has Come

In a classic example of building on the ideas of others, Scott Wilson has come up with an elegant solution that transforms Apple's iPod Nano into a multitouch watch. You can help fund his project via Kickstarter.

Great Revelations: Checking out Apple's Checkout Accordian Fold Interface

From Luke Wroblewski on A List Apart and thanks to Arjun for passing this one along. Wanted to get this on the Bivouac in the Interface Hall of Fame as an outstanding example of reducing percieved complexity and how, through great design, we can help pull users through transactions that can otherwise seem overwhelming.

By stripping away the form elements as each section of the form is completed, Apple helps reinforce a sense that users are making progress through the check out process. Along the way, should users leave a required field of information blank, a yellow prompting box appears right next to the field letting them know it is needed to continue. Stratification of information in clear zones serve as landscape "mile markers", letting users intuitively sense where they are in terms of completing their task.

Design Thinking in the Field: Learnings From In Extremis Negotiators

In today's tough business climate, negotiations can often be stressful. As today's design and business challenges become more interconnected, the number of stakeholders and the complexity involved in leading towards the right solutions is increasing. And the time in which to do so is often short. That said, it is nothing like was U.S. military officers are facing daily in Afghanistan and other regions of conflict across the globe.

A recent Harvard Business Review article entitled "Extreme Negotiations" highlights some important learnings from the field, outlining 5 major learnings that can serve those operating in business contexts just as well as officers. U.S. military officers in Afghanistan often are balancing making progress and proper decisions while maintaining a stance of strength. Over the past six years or so, HBR studied how they resolve conflict and influence others in situations where the levels of risk and uncertainty are extreme.

They discovered that the most skilled among them rely on five highly effective strategies...all of which, as it turns out, are grounded in solid design thinking.

1. Understand the big picture.
2. Uncover hidden agendas and collaborate with the other side.
3. Get genuine buy-in.
4. Build relationships that are based on trust rather than fear.
5. Pay attention to process as well as desired outcomes.

These strategies, used in combination, are characteristic of effective in extremis negotiators, to adapt a term from Colonel Thomas Kolditz, a professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the author of In Extremis Leadership.

- Photo credit: The Washington Post

2010 College of Design Commencement Address at North Carolina State University

Last spring, I had the honor of giving the commencement address at the 2010 College of Design at North Carolina State University. Recently I visited the College of Design again, now as a member of the College of Design's Leader Council. It was a real pleasure to be back walking the halls, meeting with Dean Malecha and other council members and most importantly, having an opportunity to view student work.

Notable digital animations, examples of graphic design and textiles design, compelling architectural work and stories of students making a difference in rural settings through real-world projects that are improving the landscapes in which children learn and grow were all shared. All of this served yet again as a strong reminder that design thinking is truely alive and well at the College of Design. 

The commencement address I gave last can be viewed in the context of the College of Design's Design Influence publication or here after the break.

The Warmth of Great Ideas

While perhaps not entirely ideal in that BioLite still draws on buring wood as a source of fuel, it is nonetheless a revolutionary stove that makes cooking on wood as clean, safe and easy as modern fuels while generating electricity to provide illumination and cell phone connectivity to those that are off-grid.

Like other carefully designed stoves using fans to blow air into the fire, BioLite dramatically improves combustion. However, other stoves require small amounts of electricity to power their fans. BioLite stoves solve this problem by converting a fraction of the fire’s thermal energy into electricity to power our combustion improvement system. Excess electricity is made available to users for charging small electronic devices such as Cell phones and LED lights. A bright idea indeed.

The New Face of BMW Motorrad...Yes Please!

A recent study indicates that people love cars with angry faces. This finding has long been recognized by automotive designers. In fact, shaping the faces of vehicles to make a statement has been an important aspect of the design process for many car companies over the years. With the release of the K1600GT and K1600GTL, BMW is migrating some of the most recognizable "facial" elements from its automobile division to its motorcycle group.

Here's hoping that this new face of motorrad propegates throughout BMW's motorcycle lineup. Not only is it distinctive and instantly associated with the power the brand has had on offer for decades, but it also brings welcomed innovation to the motorcycle industry in the form of the world's first adaptive headlamp for motorycles. Critics might feel this new look is a bit too agressive but when you are moving down a dark and rainy pacific coast highway, one is hard pressed to think of a better way to ward of any potential threats lurking in the darkness.

Shown above is the new facia of the K1600GTL. Illuminating even in full daylight from a design perspective.

 

BMW 6 Cylinder Legend Finds its Way to Touring Bikes

It's on the way...and ready for the touring motorcycle of the future. Anxious to see what they wrap around what seems to be an impressive bit of engineering.

 

Looking Ahead and Defining the Designer of 2015

What skills and competencies will designers need to help bring about positive impact in the world moving forward? Take a look at the Designer for 2015 project and the helpful list of competencies put together by the Visionary Design Council in conjunction with the AIGA.

Below is the quick list but you can learn more here: AIGA Designer of 2015 Overview

1. Ability to create and develop visual response to communication problems, including understanding of hierarchy, typography, aesthetics, composition and construction of meaningful images

2. Ability to solve communication problems including identifying the problem, researching, analysis, solution generating, prototyping, user testing and outcome evaluation

3. Broad understanding of issues related to the cognitive, social, cultural, technological and economic contexts for design

4. Ability to respond to audience contexts recognizing physical, cognitive, cultural and social human factors that shape design decisions

5. Understanding of and ability to utilize tools and technology

6. Ability to be flexible, nimble and dynamic in practice

7. Management and communication skills necessary to function productively in large interdisciplinary teams and “flat” organizational structures

8. Understanding of how systems behave and aspects that contribute to sustainable products, strategies and practices

9. Ability to construct verbal arguments for solutions that address diverse users/audiences; lifespan issues; and business/organizational operations

10. Ability to work in a global environment with understanding of cultural preservation

11. Ability to collaborate productively in large interdisciplinary teams

12. Understanding of ethics in practice

13. Understanding of nested items including cause and effect; ability to develop project evaluation criteria that account for audience and context

 

Chris Downey Offers a Unique and Inspiring Perspective on Design

Christopher Downey, RA, is an architect, planner and consultant in San Francisco, California. In 2008, he lost his sight after surgery to remove a brain tumor. Today, he is dedicated to creating more helpful and enriching environments for the blind and visually impaired. Chris earned a bachelor of environmental design in architecture from North Carolina State University and masters of architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.  He is currently working on a rehabilitation center blind veterans in Palo Alto, California. Check out his interview with the Wall Street Journal or learn more about Chris's work via his website: http://www.arch4blind.com/

Helpful Guide to Automotive Design Terms

Lest you get your Plenum mixed up with your Tumblehome, Jalopnik offers up a helpful guide to automotive design terms.

The Magic of Small Things and Continued Iteration

It strikes me each time I reach my desk at work. Something is missing. Something core to my daily use of applications and making the rounds through the social networking sphere and the web. Instantly, I realize my experience is less...well...magical. A couple of months back, I recieved an Apple Magic Mouse as a birthday gift. Since then, it has served as a powerful reminder of the power of offering a thoughtfully designed ecosystem to users and of the need to pay attention to even the smallest parts of that environment. Companies that offer extensive ecosystems are empowered to shape both hardware and software touch points in powerfully integrated ways. No doubt, volumes have been written about how Apple has been bringing thoughtful enhancements to their user experience for years. But there is something else inspiring here that has to do with focus and iteration. Sometimes the folks in Cupertino manage to release things that are not accompanied by a special press event in San Francisco or Cupertino but have deep impact on our day to day user experiences nonetheless. The "magic" of the Magic Mouse strikes me as one of those thoughtful additions that has slipped into the offering. While I don't use all the features on offer by the Magic Mouse, I find continually that just having the ability to scroll through deep web pages with the flick of the index finger is magic enough. This kind of synergy between hardware and software is something that many are admirably striving for these days. Sometimes powerfully "sticky" parts of the user experience do indeed come in small packages. Many are made possible through continued iteration focused on making key touch points as good as they can be as new technologies become available. In a world where new to market offerings are so highly valued, it serves us well to click "pause" and pay attention, to double-click if you will, in order to recognize when outstanding incremental innovations do come along. Here's to paying attention to the little things. Indeed there is magic in the details.

More Details Surface Regarding BMW's Megacity Electric Vehicle

Looks like progress continues on BMW's Megacity electric vehicle which is likely to launch under a yet to be named sub-brand some time in 2013. For more details and photos revealing some new manufacturing techniques being explored, including extruded aluminum subframe components and extensive usage of carbon fiber, visit worldcarfans.

Beauty is More Than Skin Deep

For motorcyclists, the image below might set the mind wondering about just what is it that you are riding. Looking somewhat like those circulatory diagrams outlining how blood flows through the body, the image highlights the lightweight integral anti-lock braking system (integrated ABS) and automatic stability control (ASC) system which BMW has continued to refine for its motorcycles.

Although as BMW states, no system can mitigate all road condition risks, it is inspiring to see a company care so much about safety and to see how beautiful (and intelligent) the systems are from an engineering perspective...even if they really are not intended to be seen.

To learn more, see webbikeworld's overview of BMW's Integral ABS and ASC systems. Very informative.

2011 BMW K1600GT - K1600GTL Adaptive Headlight official video

Alas, let there be light (where it is needed) for those journeying forth on two wheels.

The Power of Tiny Things

Dust Breedings...a moving exploration by Jan Goldfub and Sacha Neudeck. Nice.

dust breedings from goaj on Vimeo.