bridging the physical-digital divide: for ux
DESCRIPTION
In a future where digital services and physical products come together, it seems like the tech community is having the greatest influence on our world. In some ways, this is great, but we seem to have forgotten those designers with the talent for crafting physical forms that can fit into our hands, our homes and our lives. For a future Internet of Things, the UX community needs to better engage Industrial Designers in what we do. This talk explored how we do that. NB, this is a talk intended for a UX audience, and is meant to be a starter of an ongoing discussion between both UX and Industrial Design fields. If you want to be part of the discussion, please get in contact.TRANSCRIPT
Bridging the Physical-Digital DivideJason MesutHead of User Experience, Plan
@jasonmesut
slideshare.net/jasonmesut
slideshare.net/planstrategic
Uh-oh!
Dancing to one beat
In the same room
For a common purpose
Different tribes coming together
I believe in a future where physical
products and digital services work in
harmony
Where Industrial Design and
User Experience practitioners
dance to the same beat...
...in the same room
...for the common purpose of improving
the products and services of the future
The UX community needs to start
connecting, calibrating and collaborating
with Industrial Design
A hypothesis
Why is it important?
What are the things you ?
People
Activities
Apps
Technics 1200 SH-101
OP-1Tenori-On
I love objects
Q-Bert
Technics1200
Q-Bert
Technics1200
RolandSH-101
Q-Bert
Technics1200
Milo Mesut
YamahaTenori-On
Teenage EngineeringOP-1
Technics 1200 SH-101
OP-1Tenori-On
I love objects
Trained in Industrial DesignCareer in digital User Experience
Industrial Design
Digital User Experience
96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14
Five years of education
Fifteen years of commercial experience
I knew I needed to speak to
some experts in this space
I spoke to people who have deep experience
Primarily digital
1. Matt Webb
2. Kim Lenox
3. Scott Jenson
4. Oznur Ozkurt
5. Nick Myers
6. Dave Malouf
7. Heather Martin
8. David Sherwin
9. Steve Taylor
10. Ian Bach
11. Mike Walker
12. Pete Hamblin
Primarily physical design
1. Jeremy Offer
2. Mark Delaney
3. Nick Foster
4. Jim Blyth
5. Duncan Fitzsimmons
6. Marcus Hoggarth
7. Paul De’Ath
8. Alex Bradley
9. Richard Green
10. Jeanne Marrell
11. Kevin McCullagh
12. Chris Liu
Industrial Designers
Jeanne Marell
Nick Foster
Mark Delaney Alex Bradley
Kevin McCullagh
Duncan Fitzsimons
Jeremy Offer
Marcus Hoggarth
Jim Blyth
Digital designers and technologists
Pete Hamblin
Heather Martin
Kim Lenox
Matt Webb
Scott Jenson
David Sherwin
Nick Myers
Ian Bach
Dave Malouf
Experiences across some big names
Consultancies Manufacturers Education
Why do we need to be involved?
Screens seem to be
dominating our future
Screens on everything
Screens replacing tactile controls
Screens in front of babies
http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fisher-price-ipad-apptivity-seat.jpg
Is this really the future?
I’ve felt like i’m swimming against the tide
of waving hands, and screens everywhere
A hardware revival
is emerging
The internet of things is hitting the mainstream
Niche Mass
Unfortunately in a rather odd ways
Unfortunately in a rather odd ways
http://www.beamtoothbrush.com/toothbrush/
http://www.beamtoothbrush.com/toothbrush/
Tech companies buying hardware companies
http://techguygadgets.com/google-buying-nest-labs-at-3200-million/
Service companies selling hardware to sell services
Wearable excitement
People are getting excited by wearables because it’s something else, other than a smartphone
Even if they make us look ridiculous
Maybe the tide is turning?
People are realising that
physicality can be good
There is a lack of harmony
between physical and digital
A recipe for integrated products?
+ +Integrated product
=Physical product
Digital interface
Digital services
Levels of harmony
Physical product
Digital interface
Digital servicesKey levels
of harmony
Aesthetic
Interactive
Experience
Components of integrated experience
Clunky car interfacesScreen clash
— Aesthetic mismatch— Interface not tactile— Doesn’t create a better experience
Little printerAll about the platform
— Web-based software interfaces and services
— Hardware interface— Quirky design
NestRare harmony
Beautiful integration— Beautiful hardware— Based on dial of thermostats
of previous eras— Slick UI— Intelligent services
iPodThe original integrated product?
Beautiful integration— Hardware and software
interface working together— iTunes store— Aesthetic mismatch
Teenage Engineering OP-1All-in-one music workstation
Beautiful integration— Resilient hardware— Slick UI— 3D printed accessories
Disharmony manifested
1. A disparity in quality
2. Disconnected design language
3. Inappropriate interactions
4. Lack of focus on the overall experience
We need greater harmony
We’ve got to get involved
Why the lack of harmony exists
Hardware is being
commoditised
1/2/3/4
Industrial Design given away
In China, they are giving away the ID for free as part of their manufacturing services... Their skills in CAD and product design are being undervalued. Kim LenoxEx-User Experience Director Lunar
Kim Lenox
Objects, like apps, are becoming more transient — like kettles that don’t last or phones we replace regularly
Jeremy OfferDesign Director, Great Fridays
Objects becoming transient
Clients are more focused on what’s on the touchscreen rather than how good the case quality is
Jim BlythManaging Director, TheAlloy
Focused on the touchscreen
Digital designers
User Experience for web,
GUI expertise
Software technologists
Understand infrastructure
and web services
Makers
Prototype, and play with
combining technologies
Graphical User Interfaces
Systems thinking
Human behaviour & experience
Web technology
Data
Infrastructure
Prototyping
Human behaviour
Connection with the arts
Mike Kuniavsky, author of Smart Things Matt Webb, Berg Kate Hartman, artist, technologist, educator OCAD
Digital natives seem to be driving the future
Graphical User Interfaces
Systems thinking
Human behaviour & experience
Web technology
Data
Infrastructure
Prototyping
Human behaviour
Connection with the arts
Digital designers Software technologists Makers
Physical form
Materials and manufacture
Thinking beyond screens
Products that last
Consumer culture
Lacking some important skills
Industrial Designers
Graphical User Interfaces
Systems thinking
Human behaviour & experience
Web technology
Data
Infrastructure
Prototyping
Human behaviour
Connection with the arts
Digital designers Software technologists Makers
They don’t seem engaged
Industrial Designers have had their head in the ground
Ian BachSenior Interaction Designer Method
Industrial Designers are struggling to articulate the value of their work
Jim BlythManaging Director, TheAlloy
They can’t justify their importance
Production methods and timelines are
completely different
1/2/3/4
Software design often begins later in the product cycle or can be heavily iterated later. You’re given a spec of controls and it’s very hard to adjust the hardware in the midst of development without long delays.
Nick MyersDirector User Experience Design, Fitbit
Software added in later
It will take 12-18 months to get something to market. It used to be 2-3 years, but component selection can still take that long. UX is very much focused on the near term — it’s less reliant on supply chains
Mark DelaneyHead of Design Forward, Nokia
UX focuses on the short term
We still need to finalize firmware a couple of months before launch. And then it’s locked into the device and harder to update.
Nick MyersDirector User Experience Design, Fitbit
Firmware lockdown
Different paces
18 months+
3 months+
Hardware
Software
Problem framing
ToolingTuning production
Manufacturing developmentIdeation
Design development
R C D
Production
2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W
C D C D C D C D C D C D C D C D
ResearchConceptDesign
We don’t understand
each other
1/2/3/4
Noone knows what to call anything any more.
One title can mean one thing in one organisation and something completely different somewhere else.
Nick FosterAdvanced Design, Nokia
Title confusion
UX has done a pretty good job of making itself complicated in a short period of time. All the different sub-disciplines: IA, IxD, etc.
The more compartmentalised, the worse the result.
Marcus HoggarthIndustrial Design Director, Native
UX is confusing
Teams are separated
1/2/3/4
Hardware and software teams are often separated
SW HW
SW HW
In-house
In-house Agency
SW HW
Agency 1 Agency 2
SW HW
Agency
Silos in design are making collaboration hard
ID UX VD SD Architecture
Should we focus on breaking down design silos rather than wider organisation ones?
Causes of disharmony
1. Hardware is being commoditised
2. Timelines and production methods differ
3. We don’t understand each other
4. Teams are separated
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide
to improve the experience of
integrated products?
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
We need to
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Find the common ground
Connect on a personal level
Respect differences
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Adapt ourselves
Change our team organisations
Translate our language
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Unite under a common purpose
Share between teams
Sketch and prototype together
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
ID PhysicalIndustrial Design
UX Digital User Experience
Product Design
Mechanical Engineering
Ergonomics
CMF
Product visualisation
Interaction DesignInformation ArchitectureContent StrategyUser ResearchVisual DesignExperience strategy
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
ID PhysicalIndustrial Design
UX Digital User Experience
Product Design
Mechanical Engineering
Ergonomics
CMF
Product visualisation
Interaction DesignInformation ArchitectureContent StrategyUser ResearchVisual DesignExperience strategy
What language is used to communicate what we do with others.
What is their motivation?
What are their values?
What tools and techniques do each use?
What value do Industrial Design and User Experience bring to the table?
What speeds do they work out through the design process?
How far into the future do they look?
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Find the common ground
1/2/3/4
ID
Offer
Understanding people
Conceiving and detailing solutions
Hardware
Mindset Language Tools Time
Manufacture
Software
Flexibility
UX
Making things
people love
Solving
problems
Making Modelling
Functional
Making
solutionsAesthetic
Decoding
Mechanical Theoretical
Instinctive
ID UX
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Industrial designers obsess about physical form
- Aesthetic- Makes a product understandable- Unobtrusive- As little design as possible
Dieter Rams rules of good design
Connect on a personal level
1/2/3/4
I setup a monthly lunch with the director of research and development. It helps that we both care about the same thing. That helped to bring down any barriers. I worked to understand his and his team’s goals, so that we could better support them and work closer together.
Nick MyersDirector User Experience Design, Fitbit
Connect on a personal level
Bond over shared motivations
Learn from different perspectives
Connect on a personal level
Break down the language barriers
1/2/3/4
CMFResponsive design
Tolerance Information Architect
Interaction Designer
Product Product
Service
Experience
UX
UI/UX
Lean UX
Agile
Persona
EcosystemSupply chain
People
Interaction
Design
Brand
User
Interface
Lean engineering
Product language
QA / QC
CMD
Materials and finish
Material bill
Package
(internal component architecture)
Bill of materials (BOM)
Stage gate process
Class A, B, C surfaces ID UX
Similar terms for very different things
Well established terms, but still a
lack of clarity
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Language
IDers often say they don’t understand
[UX], but shifting perspective and
language helps them realise when
they are doing it. As a way to bridge
the gap, I'd often look at their past
work, point to the solutions that
worked well and relate it to [UX].
Kim Lenox
Former User Experience Director, Lunar
Define a common language
Provide meaning for different terms
Respect the differences
1/2/3/4
Sketching
Prototyping
Brainstorming
CAD modelling Wireframing
Manufacturing
Observational
research
Designing in the browser
Experience mapping
Flow diagrams
Rendering
Sampling
Appearance
modelling
ID UX
Manufacturing techniques
Modelling tools to decode, clarify
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Hardware is appropriately named because it’s hard...
...It’s a long, hard, painful, expensive process
... It requires a long term commitment to a design
Robert BrunnerPartner, Ammunition(the guy who hired Jony Ive)
Hardware is hard
Here’s Jony
Come together
Understand how to buildProduct designers need to understand how their designs will be realised
Understand Materials and Manufacturing
Manufacturing means travel
You can’t get away from the fact that you’re going to have to jump on a plane and meet manufacturers in China and develop one-to-one relationships — that’s quite daunting for some people.
Jeremy OfferDesign Director, Great Fridays
Manufacturing happens from the start
Manufacturing is a key consideration, not an activity at the end of the process. Industrial designers consider manufacturing capabilities and constraints from the outset and throughout the design process. This drives and frames the design.
Alex BradleyConsultant, Plan
There’s a lot you can learn about manufacturing
3D printing won’t replace large scale manufacture... yet
Really valuable benefits of 3D printing haven’t really been embraced yet.
3D printed foetus
Don’t dive into manufacturing
Respect the expertise and challenge
Learn slowly if really interested
Long term thinking Rapid releases
Ideas at pace
Immediate
pleasure of an
interaction
Manufacturing lag
Learning curve
Relationship over time
Flexibility to adapt
Form first Form later
Upgrades
Designed to last
Fast-paced
ideation
New products
ID UX
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Industrial Design has to project farther into the future
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Long-term visioning
Seymour PowellAircruiseThe Aircruise concept questions whether the future of luxury travel should be based around space-constrained, resource-hungry, and all too often stressful airline travel.
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Digital focuses on the short term
We’ve become victims of instant gratification — an app can be created within weeks.
Jeremy OfferDesign Director, Great Fridays
Each approach has it's own value, but close that gap and the future will happen quicker and better
Duncan FitzsimonsFounder, Vitamins
Close the horizon gap
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Close the horizon gap
Horizon gap
If you don’t give yourself enough time, you haven’t even got the beginnings of making something good.
Marcus HoggarthIndustrial Design, Native
Got to give yourself the right time
We must work at different cadences
Think longer-term
Encourage agile and lean approaches for
early concepting and exploration
Offer Mindset Language Tools Time
Complex but documented jargon vs. bespoke and instinctive
Translate
Hide, protect vs. open sharing
Form vs. usabilityTimelessness vs. in the now
Bond
Similar concept design process
Massively different methods of production
Concept together
Similar offer, but focus on hardware vs. software
Relate
Different paces
Schedule differences
Adapt cadence
Four ways to connect
1. Find the common ground
2. Connect on a personal level
3. Break down language barriers
4. Respect the differences
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
So, what can you do?
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Calibrate yourself
Some archetypes for personal calibration
Shifter Hybrid Partner Balanced leaderMoving from ID-to-UX Blending skills across ID + UX ID + UX working closely together Solution agnostic leadership
+
Which way do you want to go
NoLearn skills, but don’t expect to do it all
YesFind ways to work with specialists to create excellence
MaybeRare few able to do thisAre you ready to walk away from the craft?
MaybeID to UX is possible, but the other way is tougher especially for seniors
Shifter Hybrid Partner Balanced leaderID + UX working closely together
+
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Unite under a common purpose
1/2/3
I’ve found the best way to get integration is to get away from the features and unite on the higher goals
Scott JensonProduct Strategy, Google
Establish shared goals
We structure projects so industrial designers, interaction designers, mechanical engineers, and strategists can do the research together.
David SherwinInteraction Design Director, Frog
Research together
Photograph by Misha Miller
Unite product and graphic language
Nokia and Microsoft Windows mobileSeparated at birth
Physical interaction design
Beo A9Physical volume control
Physical interaction design
Beo A9Physical volume control
Beo A9Physical volume control
Share between teams
1/2/3
Show and tell
At Palm, we used to do show and tells
across ID and UX. IDs would bring their
models and we would offer suggestions
and opinions. We would bring our
interface concepts or prototypes and
they would share their ideas too.
Kim Lenox
Former Director of User Experience, Lunar
Sit together
We have the disciplines sitting together. They shadow, they share terminology, they learn from each other. Anything to spread the knowledge.
Heather MartinDirector, Interaction Design SmartDesign, Barcelona
Collaborate away from project work
We run Interaction Labs events and people collaborate across the studio
Heather MartinDirector, Interaction Design SmartDesign, Barcelona
Collaborate away from project work
Sketch and prototype together
1/2/3
Sketch together
Sketch together
Sketch together
Product designers can come up with a hundred ideas in the time that UXers come with ten
Dave CroninDirector, Interaction Design, GE
Share what you’re working on
Catch issues early
Explore and experiment quickly.
Prototype with different materials
Prototype together
We prototype fast in physical and digital - it's easy to do fast, and there is a lot to be said for tangible design - it might not be shippable, but it is experiential and experimental
Duncan FitzsimonsCo-founder, Vitamins
Prototype together
Hardware prototypingTinkertronics
Physical form and interaction design
Nokia and MeegoA touchscreen curved at the edges to aid friction for the swipe from the edges
Integrated automotive interface
Texas InstrumentsImmersive AutomobilePhysical controls designed in concert with graphical user interface
Adapt the cadence and relationships between our processes
Hardware
Software
Problem framing
ToolingTuning production
Manufacturing developmentIdeation
Design development Production
2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W
Detail design C D C D C D C D
ResearchConceptDesign
Explore solutions together
Improve your own visualisation skills
Unify thinking throughout concepting
Push the envelope
Three ways to collaborate
1. Unite under a common purpose
2. Share between teams
3. Sketch and prototype together
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
It’s worth the effort
It’s worth the effort
There’s nothing all that tangible about an app — In my experience, digital designers get excited about having a part in the design of a physical object. It’s like when you made something at school. Your parents will keep it for ages.
Jeremy OfferDesign Director, Great Fridays
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Find the common ground
Connect on a personal level
Respect differences
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Adapt ourselves
Change our team organisations
Translate our language
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
Unite under a common purpose
Share between teams
Sketch and prototype together
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate
How can we bridge the
physical-digital divide?
Dancing to one beat
In the same room
For a common purpose
Different tribes coming together
Just bring your own style and be careful of treading on other people’s toes
www.plan.bz
Thank youPlease contact me to discuss further
t: @jasonmesut
s: slideshare.net/jasonmesut
s: slideshare.net/planstrategic
f: flipboard.com/profile/jasonmesut
w: www.plan.bz