Challis Hodge’s UXblog

Aurora is a concept video presenting one possible future user experience for the Web, created by Adaptive Path as part of the Mozilla Labs concept browser series. Aurora explores new ways people could interact with the Web in the future based on projected technological trends and real-world scenarios.

Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.

Sometimes an idea just feels right. Maybe I’ve spent too much time in airports!?

Imagine bringing your own shopping cart to the supermarket every time you needed groceries. According to Franco Vairani, driving your own car in the city is just as inconvenient, which is why he, along with MIT’s Smart Cities think tank, developed the Bit Car concept. Ideal for short distances, the compact two-seater features an outer shell that collapses like the legs of a baby carriage and enables the cars to fold into one another when parked. Stored in parking lots or other high-density spots, the vehicles would be available for borrowing, like airport luggage trolleys. Williams pointed out that the option would be especially attractive to drivers who are averse to public transportation. “People love their cars, but this way they can keep a private enclosure without having to own it,” he offered. “It’s proposing a radical new set of behaviors, but it could definitely work.”

P&G has put a new twist on coffee with Folgers Simply Smooth(TM), the first nationally available stomach-friendly coffee.

Estimates suggest that 35-40 million American adults limit their coffee intake due to stomach discomfort. According to P&G…

Folgers Simply Smooth is the first major category innovation since the launch of decaffeinated coffee over two decades ago. The new stomach-friendly coffee provides a very smooth drinking experience, while offering the great mountain grown taste and aroma of Folgers.

On December 7-8 at the Museum of the City of New York, IDSA, Symbol Technologies and BusinessWeek will demonstrate the impact of innovation meeting investment. Hear from powerful industry speakers such as Jim Wicks, IDSA, Motorola’s vice president and director of consumer experience and design, who will share his insights about Motorola incorporating industrial design into its corporate infrastructure.

Registration is now open here!

Learn from Philip Thompson, IDSA, Whirlpool’s design director, global consumer design, where innovative design has helped spearhead profits and set Whirlpool on a strong path of differentiation from others in the home appliance category.

Hear from Dev Patnaik, IDSA, principal of Jump Associates, about how he helps visionary business leaders discover new opportunities for growth and then translate their vision into reality.

Microsoft’s Steve Kaneko, FIDSA, design director of the Entertainment and Devices Division, and Bill Buxton, principal researcher in Microsoft’s Research Division, will share what is important to Microsoft and their corporate strategies.

Rinat Aruh, principal of aruliden, will share insights she gathered as global strategy manager for MINI Lifestyle at BMW Group AG and vice president of marketing for Forth & Towne. And as always, the perspectives shared by Bruce Nussbaum, H/IDSA, assistant managing editor of BusinessWeek, will be invaluable.

Don’t miss this influential line-up moderated by Alistair Hamilton, IDSA, Symbol’s VP of corporate innovation and design, and Ray Martino, Symbol’s chief technology officer, as they share their key learnings in fostering a culture of innovation.

IDSA will also share the corporate effect of the Design and Business Catalyst Awards, which demonstrate how various designs have impacted the market with sound business and financial results. Hear from the winners of this prestigious design award that is gaining even more traction in the industry.

Download the registration form here.

“The designer has now moved from the studio to the boardroom, a transition that will change the way companies think forever.”
–Paul Hatch and Deana McDonagh, REALIZE: Design Means Business

A Chiang Mai University team has developed a motor so small it will power a microscopic robot on an expedition through human blood vessels.

Boffins at the university’s science faculty describe their invention as a “nanomotor”. It will drive a medical robot about the size of a blood cell on a tour of the maze of human veins and capillaries.

A “nanobot” - or nanotechnology robot - developed at Kent State University in Ohio, United States will be powered by a motor made of an extremely fine and pure ceramic created at Chiang Mai University.

In addition to powering the nanobot, the piezoceramic - also known as “smart ceramics” - motor will navigate the machine on its exploration for such things as tiny tumours in internal organs.

It is remote controlled by either low-voltage electric current or microwaves, explains head researcher Assoc Prof Supon Ananta.

The Talent Hunt
Desperate to innovate, companies are turning to design schools for nimble, creative thinkers

Designed in China
With more than 400 design programs in Chinese schools, Asian design education is undergoing its own revolution

Tip Sheet: How To Hire a D-School Grad
Headhunter RitaSue Siegel tells you what to ask — and what to listen for

When MBA Meets Designer
A GE manager learns to think creatively: INSEAD graduate Sameer Agrawal shares his story

Inside the Volcano
Carnegie Mellon graduate Maggie Breslin brings her innovative thinking to the Mayo Clinic

Designing to Help
Georgia Tech design grad Janna Kimel works as a design researcher at Intel

Joining J&J
Justine Dube Donnelly’s joint MBA/Master’s of Engineering Management prepared her for her role in strategic marketing at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals

about, with & for is a collaborative forum hosted by the Institute of Design to discuss emerging topics, methods and issues in design research. The core values of research and discovery methodologies have been embraced by leading companies wishing to increase brand legitimacy, capacity, and impact. What challenges are on the forefront for these leading institutions?

More than ever, companies look to designers to lead the way in strategy and innovation. about, with & for 2006 remains on the forefront of business by introducing and challenging topics such as simplicity in design, do-it-yourself research methodologies, design in education, social responsibility, design thinking in public policy, and structured decision making.

A platform that fosters cross pollination of new ideas and concepts of user-centered research methods, about, with & for is imperative when facing today’s demanding market challenges. This year’s conference will offer insight and meaning through lectures, roundtable discussions, workshops, and networking sessions.

Only a few seats left! Register hear.

MacDonalds is taking advantage of the ubiquity of clell phones in Japan to introduce QR codes on its sandwich wrappers. The codes, commonly used to code business cards for scanning by cell phones, will contain nutritional information for each of 19 sandwiches. They’ve also created cell phone friendly URLs for those with out cameras in their phones.

I think MacDonalds’ is smart to get out ahead of the curve on the nutritional issue. At a time when obesity is creeping around the globe and local government in the US are banning transfats, it makes sense to be prepared to embrace new trends. Placement of nutritional information on wrappers and websites makes it easy to change ingredients in response to local trends without incurring huge printing expenses. Not to mention the opportunities to build their brand through online and wireless channels. I’m lovin it!