Category: Design

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Mobile communication in the developing world – a design challenge

Neil Clavin has written the latest contribution in the ongoing series of emerging markets articles that are on a weekly basis being published Vodafone Receiver’s magazine.
In his paper for receiver Clavin argues that for better design, we must first of all understand different user needs around the world. The prime design challenges he sees are: richer communication, social tools and reconfigurable interfaces.

“Current mobile interfaces and services are not designed for the developing regions of the world – many users have problems reading and writing, some services are not relevant and native languages not always supported. Many users complete only the basic functions of dialling a number or answering an incoming call.” […]

“The current mobile experience is designed for a literate section of the world who can expect interfaces in their native language. Another section of users have problems navigating text-based interfaces and need to reinforce links with the families they have left behind.

For successful mobile experience design we must provide alternative interfaces, social tools and better native language support. The mobile experience for developing regions will be rich with audio-visual communication, genuinely useful social networks and reconfigurable interfaces.

Designing for these user needs creates better experiences also for advanced countries. Simpler audio-visual interfaces will benefit children, elderly people and users with learning difficulties. Social networks will mature from hipster hangouts into tools for achieving meaningful and progressive goals. Touchscreen devices will become cheap enough for anyone to afford and the languages of cosmopolitan populations fully supported.”

Neil Clavin is a design manager for Vodafone Group User Experience. He worked as a user experience designer for BBC New Media & Technology and as a research assistant for Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art, London, before joining the Vodafone User Experience Concept Development Team based in Düsseldorf, Germany. There, he leads concept design for mobile communication, information and entertainment experiences.

Read here

vivek

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My article on Adobe DevNet: Designing for mobile devices using Fireworks CS4 beta

Designing for mobile devices using Fireworks CS4 beta

My another article published on Adobe Devnet “Designing for mobile devices using Fireworks CS4 beta”. This Article is on importance of designing for mobile devices and why its so much important to think on that 🙂

“The visual elements that comprise the user experience on mobile devices are themselves becoming more important as devices become more complex and users become more adept. I believe there is a great opportunity at this time to help shape the future of user interfaces on handheld devices and promote intuitive interaction as a standard. Making something beautiful, as well as functional, will result in an application that is useful and offers a more interesting and compelling experience for consumers.”

“Put simply: small is beautiful. When interface design effortlessly fulfils the purpose of an application while also enhancing its aesthetic, there is a greater chance that the end product will be successful. Users are naturally more drawn towards an application that they view as enjoyable and engaging.”

i2fly-designing for mobile devices

From Pre planning to final application even the smallest design elements is very important to place.

I use Fireworks CS4 beta almost exclusively on every project I create for mobile devices. It is my first choice because I find it to be much more user friendly in terms of creating graphics and exporting files to a wide variety of formats. Additionally, the integration between Fireworks CS4 beta and Adobe Flash is just fantastic. This article provides real-world considerations and tips for creating assets for your mobile development projects using Fireworks CS4 beta.

You can read this article in following below links

Designing for mobile devices using Fireworks CS4

http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/articles/design_mobile_devices.html
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/fireworks/

As usual love to know your feelings. Feel free to post your comments/suggestions/views anything. Curious to know about it 🙂 .

vivek

Conversation with Raphael Grignani of Nokia Design about Homegrown

Nokia homegrown

An Intresting interview with Raphael Grignani of Nokia Design about Homegrown project. Must read to know about new design thinking on sustainability.

Rachel Hinman, mobile design strategist at Adaptive Path, has conducted an interview with Raphael Grignani of Nokia Design about “Homegrown”, a long term research project looking at how Nokia can help people make more sustainable choices.

mobile_homegrown_nokia

“With Remade, Andrew Gartrell (Homegrown project lead and Remade father) pushed design beyond skin deep aesthetics. He considered covers, key mats, and displays but also engine, connectors, and other components. We discovered that a typical mobile phone contains around 44 of the 117 elements currently known to science. Andrew’s approach was to de-construct everything and rebuild it from scratch using recycled materials and sustainable technologies — from the inside out.

mobile_homegrown_energy_saving_concept

50% of a phone’s energy demand is backlighting.

mobile_homegrown_people

Energy saving graphics “concept”

Another aspect of Homegrown that is really interesting is the work we did around prototyping. Andrew designed in CAD over 100 versions of Remade and prototyped 36 — which could be considered obsessive — but it was through that constant consideration and iteration that we were able to arrive at something that was great.

mobile_homegrown_unplugged_charger

At present, phone chargers waste 300mW of standby power when left unplugged.

Prototyping allowed us to confront our designs — asking ourselves, “Is this the best we can do? What can we reduce? Have we found the essence? What can we make better or what can we make differently?” We questioned every bit of the concepts throughout the prototyping process. Now we can explain every bit of the design; we can rationalize every aspect of it.”

Read interview

Read press release “Nokia”

vivek

Adobe releases 3 new public betas of Creative Suite (CS4)

Adobe releases 3 new public betas of Creative Suite (CS4)

Adobe today release a sneak peek of three applications from the next release of Adobe Creative Suite (CS4), its award-winning collection of graphic design, Web development and video editing applications.

Application released (beta): Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Fireworks and Adobe Soundbooth
Duration: active for 48 hours only.

Download here

Note: To get the serial number that will unlock the CS4 beta applications you will first need to enter your serial number from your copy of Adobe Creative suite CS3.

vivek

Nokia’s London design event: listen podcast from the UI design team

nokia london design event

Just found this podcast via core 77 of Nokia’s recent London design event which offering a curtainpeek at their design process, ethnographic wanderings, sustainability initiatives, and plans for the future. Nokia has over 300 designers worldwide, and ships over 1.2 million products everyday. So it’s really keen to know what their designers intake for their creative food 😀

Listen now(31min.) | iTunes

vivek

Nokia and Design, What mobile phone means to you!

nokia global phone design

Nokia Design Studio they calls “open studio.” Works really closer with local experts such as NGOs or even students, Nokia designers went into each city and set up a community based competition asking people to design their dream phone.  Results sometimes lead out some interesting concepts and sometime unusual.

“In the not so distant past, the end game of design for Nokia was the phone, Nokia’s head of design Alistair Curtis says. Now the phone is a springboard to all sorts of services, he says. Developing relevant services, he believes, means creating an open platform. Then consumers can eventually bolt on applications as needed. ”

check out this slide show for some concepts of phone model.

vivek

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Sweet little “Flori” out of the i2fly studio: with Flash lite Screensaver and Wallpaper :)

Sweet little “Flori” out of the i2fly studio

Sweet little “Flori” out of the i2fly studio

Have a look to my new character design straight out of the i2fly studio, She is playing around my creative studio for quite a few months so I thought to release it and show the world.
I name this character as “FLORI” I really love this character very much. Flori is sweet, cute, innocent and naughty too 😀 .

You can use “FLORI” as a screensaver/wallpaper in your mobile phones, it looks just beautiful, i really love it. And I am sure you will love too 🙂

Download this content to your mobile phone here.

Flori as an character is also available for license worldwide, kindly get in touch with me at design@i2fly.com

As usual love to know your feelings. Feel free to post your comments/suggestions/views anything. Curious to know about it.

vivek

Mobile designers “Hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip”

hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip

A nice article on The New York Times, what mobile designers think behind the scene and workaround for “hoping to Make Phone Buyers Flip“. Forecasting what consumers will want next year, and into the future. Designing a Mobile phone is just not an easy task there are many things to see, evaluate and analyze around the people. Jotting down feelings about features  what users are looking for, share their emotions about mobile phone, understanding the psyche of consumers and why they pick one phone over another.

Even interesting designs do not necessarily spell success. The group is the first of its kind at Nokia, the world’s No. 1 seller of mobile phones, bringing together 14 designers and researchers from California and Helsinki, where the company is headquartered. Their charge is to tell Nokia’s top executives not only what consumers will want next year, but 3 to 15 years from now.

“We have the ability to clarify the needs of real people,” said Rhys Newman, who heads the team.

“Design used to be inconsequential: just make it pretty, make it sell,” said Mr. Newman, who, along with three members of his team, was interviewed at Nokia’s design center near a strip mall in downtown Calabasas, north of Los Angeles. Now, he said, “we have to think about human fundamentals.”

When asked if they felt pressure to design new phones more quickly in an increasingly competitive market, Mr. Jan Chipchase responded with a quizzical stare. “Why do you want to innovate faster?” he asked. “Are you innovating something gimmicky just to sell a product? Or is it saving the planet you are after?”

So what you think about your mobile phone, how you use it, Do share your emotions, feelings, and what you want in your phone? 🙂

vivek

Nokia future phone “Morph” look into this intresting video

Morph is a concept looking at the potential applications of nanosciences in future handsets.
From nanowires that can sense the chemical properties of compounds in the air to nanowire grass that can turn the sun’s rays into electrical power, and nanoelectronics with greater computing power than today’s fastest computers, Morph is a beguiling vision.Read the BBC Technology Story to know “what Nokia’s scientists and researchers at their lab in Palo Alto to talk about the future of mobile phones in three, five and eight years.”

I love to be in Nokia design Center one day to see how they work and what is the process to design or thinking methodolgy for designing a new devices. . .curious 🙂

vivek

Nokia Opens Satellite Design Studio in Rio de Janeiro

nokia

Espoo, Finland – Nokia has opened a satellite design studio in Rio de Janeiro reflecting the increasing impact Latin American style and culture is expected to have on the future design of mobile devices and services. Based at the Design School of UniverCidade, it will bring together Nokia designers, students and established local designers to explore new trends and ideas that will influence products for the Latin American and global markets.

The satellite studio is the second in a series Nokia is establishing in the world’s hottest new design capitals. The first was opened in Bangalore, India

Alastair Curtis, Nokia’s Chief Designer, said, “Brazil is an incredibly vibrant and diverse place and one that is constantly transforming and developing itself in new ways. This makes it a perfect place to inspire designers. It also has a wealth of emerging new design talent that will play a key role in shaping many of the global design trends we will see in the next few years. Combining the experience of our global design team with the local creativity and perspective of the students is a very exciting and creative way to explore new ideas in this important market for Nokia.”

It’s really very interesting that mobile companies are focusing more on design and design trends of local as well as impact of regional culture, trends to the global audiences. 🙂

Unfortunately i haven’t found much information about Nokia design studio, Bangalore!! Where it is located or is this studio is just meant for limited accessibility? It will be great if any one is reading this and post some information about it!!

Read more

vivek

Nokia and University of Cambridge launch the Morph – a nanotechnology concept device

The Morph

The Morph

Very Intresting concept of a device using nanotechnology called “The Morph” developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (U.K.) – was launched on Monday alongside the “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibition.

Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform their mobile device into radically different shapes. It demonstrates the ultimate functionality that nanotechnology might be capable of delivering: flexible materials, transparent electronics and self-cleaning surfaces. Dr. Bob Iannucci, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, commented: “Nokia Research Center is looking at ways to reinvent the form and function of mobile devices; the Morph concept shows what might be possible”.

Morph concept technologies might create fantastic opportunities for mobile devices:

  • Newly-enabled flexible and transparent materials blend more seamlessly with the way we live.
  • Devices become self-cleaning and self-preserving.
  • Transparent electronics offering an entirely new aesthetic dimension.
  • Built-in solar absorption might charge a device, whilst batteries become smaller, longer lasting and faster to charge.
  • Integrated sensors might allow us to learn more about the environment around us, empowering us to make better choices.

    • Exhibitions open: “Design and the Elastic Mind”, on view from February 24 to May 12, 2008, at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

    View Morph video (.mov, 46mb)
    Read more

    vivek

    How to answer your mobile through a tattoo :)

    Digital Tattoo Interface

    Very intresting concept, imagine answering your mobile phone by pressing an area of your skin, its not a sci-fi movie scene but one of the entries in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition.

    The Digital Tattoo Interface works via a Bluetooth device implanted underneath your skin. Don’t worry, you won’t have anything bulging out like a weird growth – the chip is flat, flexible and made of silicone. It lies between your skin and muscle tissue.
    Intrestingly this device electricity powers up by bilogical components of the body “convert’s the blood’s glucose and oxygen from the artery as electricity required”.

    This device communicates wirelessly with the world as well as with other devices implanted in the same body. It is always present, always on, but out of sight and non-obtrusive. It also continually monitors for many blood disorders, alerting the person of a health problem: A human version of the check engine light. Product styling is the latest and coolest downloaded display interface showing on any tattoo on the block. This product is waterproof too!!.

    Great ideas 🙂

    Read more

    vivek

    Get inspired: Adobe Magazine winter issue released

    Adobe Magazine winter issue

    Adobe Magazine winter issue

    Get inspired Adobe released Winter Edition of proxy magazine.
    “Design is a vision, a person’s interpretation of the world, their everyday life, and how they absorb. It is a unique art form that journeys from vastness to fruition and at times, back to vastness. In this issue, Gerwin Schmidt, our guest designer, challenges us to remember this and keep our eyes, minds, and hearts open. And challenge design ideas in order to inspire others to reexamine their own perspectives on art and life.”

    Cool stuff as usual 🙂

    Download pdf here

    vivek

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    White paper: Improving the Mobile User Interface through Touch

    haptics mobile user interface

    haptics mobile user interface

    Just found this White paper about Improving the Mobile User Interface through Touch, a very intresting to read. An Independent research suggesting how haptics can be used to improve the user experience, and how operators can use haptics to increase differentiation and customer satisfaction, enhance brand, and drive additional revenue using high-value, haptic content and services.

    The Word * Haptics, come from the Greek “hapesthai,” meaning “to touch.” Haptics technology used in mobile device user interfaces is also known as haptic, tactile, touch, and vibrotactile feedback.

    Download here

    vivek