Godrej Appliances: Compact Design for the Growing Heart of India
Company IA Collaborative
Introduction Date May 15, 2016
Project Website http://www.iacollaborative.com
Why is this project worthy of an award?
The Godrej Semi-Automatic Washing Machine is the ultimate in function, design and cost efficiency for Indian families aspiring to get their first washing appliance. It is the first washing machine to design for and respect the specific needs of the modern Indian consumer. India’s middle class is expected to double to 547 million individuals by 2025. With that comes tens-of-millions of families that can afford moderately-priced appliances like washing machines for the first time; a significant alternative to washing clothes in rivers and drainage ditches. One of the first appliances typically sought are semi-automatic washing machines costing in the range of ₹ 10,000 (~$150). However, entry-level appliances often sacrifice utility and beauty for cost – and fail to accommodate the way Indian families actually live in their homes. IA Collaborative, for our client Godrej Appliances, designed an entry product that is both inspired by and respectful of the specific needs of the modern Indian consumer – needs that we witnessed firsthand during observations of families in their homes.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Unlike others that are bulky, unattractive and difficult to move, IA Collaborative’s design is inspired by the needs of the Indian household, including: **Extreme Space Efficiency and Mobility: We observed families that already owned washers and uncovered a pattern of behavior we called “appliance commuting.” The family’s washing machine would live in one place in their small home, but then be moved (often dragged by multiple family members) to wherever they needed to use it. This is because homes often had only one power outlet and a shared water source. Additionally, washing machines were commonly the largest item in these two-room dwellings. Families would even store their washing machine outside to maximize space. We created a solution that would minimize space required – especially when the appliance was not in use – and easily travel from room to room. **Usability: Through observation, we noted that the product needed to work even if the user could not read or had no experience with modern appliances. Our design includes controls that require no instruction – just simple, clear, graphic indicators. **Respect: Every detail of this design is inspired by insight gleaned from actually spending time with families and observing patterns of daily life in their homes. **Affordability: This concept makes beautiful and functional design affordable for millions of families for the first time.
Who worked on the project?
IA Collaborative, for Godrej Appliances
View the project video:
GOOD.B Family of Magical Goods
Company GOOD.B
Introduction Date May 10, 2018
Project Website https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5fa6oo19r1bxgp8/AAA2ChVSNWbtV04SlZSrJhU5a?dl=0
Why is this project worthy of an award?
The GOOD.B Family of Magical Goods is worthy of an award because the coverage and exposure from IBD will allow GOOD.B access to the right brand partners who can help bring my entire portfolio to market, so that we can change the lives of millions.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
My life’s work is vast and inseparable spanning many industries. Touching on a few items… The convertible outerwear will make the changing and unpredictable weather more bearable, while also allowing the masses to buy less – each product is a 2 for 1 bargain. The convertible jacket will serve most as it covers the user for the spring, summer and fall seasons -- please note this jacket was launched on www.betabrand.com in August of 2017. The entire apparel line covers the streetwear, fan wear, work wear, rural and high-end fashion markets: ---- The goggle hats and hoodie/masks will keep NFL and NCAA fans in the stands longer and provide eye and facial protection to inner city dwellers that would not typically carry ski goggles or a neck gator. ---- The hoodie can also be worn as work wear for a job cite or in the field. ---- The cowboy hat with the built-in mask will also provide ranchers with protection from the elements. ---- All of the pieces can be worn by models on the runway (male or female) – picture a model pulling the sleeves off the jacket or the legs of the pants as they come down the runway. Or picture them wearing the bold goggle hat leaving the lens resting above atop of their foreheads. Not only is all the convertible apparel functional, but also it has a built in magic, that allows the user and onlookers to smile as the pieces transform. The transformation of these items makes them highly shareable via social media. ---- 2 patents have been issued on this line and 3 more are pending. As a product of the 90’s I was used to seeing big, bold clothing movements or trends. In regard to moving pieces or change in function, this line might be one of the last bold statements in apparel – putting aside wearable technology. Further, the medical mask will save lives in disaster zones and 3rd world countries. Typical medical masks (with the side sting loops) don’t always fit right as they tend to slip or fall down. The GOOD.B medical mask allows for quick, accessible secure fit from the onset as the user can delegate the tension when pulling it cross his or her face. The masks can also carried by safety personal for “on the spot” necessity. The VR/AR headsets will differentiate themselves from the masses, as the lens is stored to the side. They also allow for a hand’s free mouse as well as a retractable selfie camera. The Dating Beer Label will, again, pull us of our phones and allow us to interact as humans again. The jumping logos will make us all smile. --------------------------------------- To read further about the benefits of my line, please see the full deck (PDF) in the link below. As well, please watch the video past the hoodie to see the jacket, pants, and goggle hat in action: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5fa6oo19r1bxgp8/AAA2ChVSNWbtV04SlZSrJhU5a?dl=0 Thank you so much for this opportunity! Enjoy!
Who worked on the project?
Gregory Saladino
View the project video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oct861eqyoa40ds/Video.mp4?dl=0
Google Earth VR
Why is this project worthy of an award?
The world has so many beautiful and amazing places to visit. If we're lucky, we're able to travel and see a few of them. But even the most active travelers can only see a fraction. What if we could see them all? Google Earth VR is the first virtual reality experience designed to let users freely navigate the entire planet, see the world from impossible perspectives, and demonstrates VR’s empathic ability to trigger memories and feel connected to the world. Bringing Google Earth to virtual reality was an immense challenge. In addition to the technical difficulty of rendering the entire earth fast enough keep players immersed, virtual reality required us to discard what we knew about screen-based design patterns and interaction models. We had to dive deep into human ergonomics, physiology, and perception in order to rethink navigation and interfaces for VR. We also designed Earth VR to work in both seated and standing positions, allowing nearly anyone to experience flight. In doing so, we have paved the way for users to fly, move, and explore in VR in an accessible, comfortable, and delightful way. The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Users have reported using Earth VR to help improve their grandparents’ well-being and mobility by flying around the world. Teachers have used Earth VR to take students on virtual field trips. Researchers have used it to study the powerful emotional effects of awe-inspiring events, and many have been brought to tears by the experience of traveling back to their childhood home. Google Earth VR has not only pushed the boundaries of user experience design, but has given us a glimpse of what time travel and human flight might feel like.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
In 2015, our team at Google embarked on a 2 year journey to bring together the world-scale imagery of Google Earth with the depth and immersion of virtual reality. Previous versions of Earth were limited to a small viewing window, but none of them gave you the experience of being there. We wanted people to relive memories of their childhood homes, visit places that they have never visited, and experience the world from impossible perspectives. What made Google Earth for virtual reality so unique and innovative was the sheer scale of the Earth dataset, human perception challenges, and the lack of existing design patterns. Designing for consistency regardless of where the user is on Earth meant our solutions had to be procedural. Moving users around the virtual world induced a form of nausea called simulation sickness, so we had to invent locomotion techniques that considered human physiology. Designing 2D interfaces in a 3D world meant considering distance in addition to angular size for comfort and legibility. Finally, creating a believable and immersive environment meant crafting a rich ambient soundscape, playing with the right haptic vibrations, and introducing convincing physics to every interaction. Through extensive cross-functional prototyping, cognitive walkthroughs, and usability testing of our hypotheses, we were able to create a powerful and intuitive exploration experience that appeals to both avid gamers and VR novices alike. Our insights on Earth VR have set the foundation for what makes a delightful, comfortable, and usable VR user experience and will inform future VR applications as the technology continues to mature.
Who worked on the project?
Joanna Kim - Product Manager Dominik Kaeser - Co-founder, Eng lead emeritus Evan Parker - Co-founder, Eng lead emeritus Rob Jagnow - Engineering Manager Matt Seegmiller - Technical Lead Andre Le - UX Lead Adam Glazier - UX Lead emeritus Mike Podwal - Product Manager emeritus Nadav Ashkenazi - Software Engineer Chun-po Wang - Software Engineer Owen Chu - Software Engineer Per Karlsson - Software Engineer
View the project video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RTRIS9ZCYU
H2 Speed 2018
Company Pininfarina
Introduction Date March 18, 2018
Project Website http://pininfarina.com/en/h2_speed_2018/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
The H2Speed is the first-high performance hydrogen racing car born out of the revolutionary technology experimented on the race track by Pininfarina's partner, GreenGT, a Franco-Swiss company that has been designing, developing and manufacturing clean and sustainable propulsion systems since 2008. The H2 Speed is opening a new era in automotive history. The concept becomes reality. The H2 Speed, which was awarded the 2016 Concept Car of the Year Award and named Best Concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, is preparing to go into production in a limited edition by Pininfarina. Only 12 units will be produced for speed and performance loving drivers who also respect the environment and are at the same time attracted by the exclusivity of a Pininfarina designed vehicle.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
The entire H2 Speed is designed on a carbon frame base, which makes it light in weight. At the heart of Pininfarina H2 Speed are four 250 kW electric synchronous motors that can produce maximum power of 645 bhp and can accelerate from 0 to 100kmph in just 3.4 seconds. Moreover, a full tank of hydrogen can be done in only 3 minutes. This technology allows the Pininfarina H2 Speed to be a complete zero-emission vehicle and has a top speed of 300kmph.
Who worked on the project?
Pininfarina and GreenGT
View the project video: https://youtu.be/VL3kbnpWXFY
Hacking Manufacturing
Company MIT Media Lab
Introduction Date October 1, 2017
Project Website http://tangible.media.mit.edu/project/hacking-manufacturing/
Why is this project worthy of an award?
In August 2017, we brought 10 researchers from the MIT Media Lab to two factories (a digital knitting factory called K-Tech and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) called King Credie) in Shenzhen, China, for a month-long “Hack-a-thon”: Hacking Manufacturing. The overall goal of our Hacking Manufacturing month was to explore how to do academic research on the factory floor. Specifically, we wanted to see new outcomes from using manufacturing machines to prototype, rather than traditional prototyping tools. Usually, when people go to a factory, they want to produce something that has been well-planned and has clear economic value. Instead, we wanted to bring the spirit of a lab to the factory: What if we could collaborate with its workers, directly prototyping and trying out ideas on the very machines that are used for production? What if curiosity were our only pressure point? 4 weeks, 2 factories, 10 researchers and 8 projects. The intensive experience we had in Shenzhen was summarized in a documentary video in the link. While some of the projects later result to be an art piece (https://design-lab.fun/mind-in-machine ) or academic research (to be published in Octorber 2018), we believe the Hacking Manufacturing program as a whole should be shared with others. What would be the new relationship between citizen and factories? On August 28th, 2017, we hosted a final presentation of the Hacking Manufacturing at Huaqiang Plaza hotel in Shenzhen. We invited the representatives from the two factories that we worked with; representatives from Design Trust and Design Society; representatives from companies like Huawei, TCL and International Flavor and Fragrance (IFF); and Shenzhen maker community like x.Factory. In the presentation, we both orally presented and physically demonstrated the 8 research projects that came out in four weeks in Shenzhen. On September 19th, we submitted a research paper of “Hacking Manufacturing”. The goal is to summarize our experience and lesson learned in China, and encourage researcher in the field of Human-computer Interaction to explore the research possibility directly on the factory floor. Soon after that, we released a video documentary of the Hacking Manufacturing online. The documentary explains our goals, surprises, frustration, and outcome during the stay in the two factories. On the same day we also published an in-depth article to discuss about the journey in China and our long-term goal of Hacking Manufacturing. The article is published both on the Media Lab’s homepage and the Medium account. It has been viewed over 12,000 time up to date. On October 18th, we gave a presentation of Hacking Manufacturing to over 80 corporate sponsors of the Media Lab in the lab. The presentation summarized our experience in Shenzhen and pledged member companies to open up their manufacturing facilities for open research and design. After the presentation, IFF was inspired to invited more MIT researcher to their manufacturing plants to conduct similar “Hacking Manufacturing” program.
What else would you like to share about your design? Why is it unique and innovative?
Today, many people talk about interdisciplinary collaboration. For that to happen, there must be a shared medium and shared context for the conversation to start. For us, the manufacturing processes create both the medium and the context. The group members come from different backgrounds — bio-engineering, mechanical engineering, architecture, fine art, neuroscience, to name a few. Yet we all share a love of making stuff, with our hands, with machines, and now with factories. We went to Shenzhen with no preconceived notions. We didn’t expect to see such cross-collaboration among factories, for instance. Typically, they look at the manufacturing ecosystem vertically through a single product, rather than horizontally across product domains. After our trip, we managed to bring together processes and materials from the K-Tech knitting factory and King Credie’s flexible PCB factory, which usually would not experience such exchanges. And, we demonstrated that the blend of these two produces new innovations. In essence, we researchers were like bees, helping to cross-pollinate by doing research that combined the manufacturing processes of two factories. That said, it was also surprisingly difficult to bring the two factory groups together, perhaps partially due to our limited time in Shenzhen, to create collaboration without our direct involvement. This is something we hope to facilitate going forward. Spending a whole month in a factory gave use more than expertise in the manufacturing processes; it also it gave us time to really know the people who work with the machines and find out how the factory operates. We were able to build community and trust with these people. That is, beyond being a source of production capability, the personnel in the factories became our collaborators, so that even now — after we’re no longer physically at the factories — we can continue working and creating together. If we have questions or curiosities to share, our communication channels are open so that we can still pursue these explorations with our factory collaborators. At the heart of Hacking Manufacturing is this question: How can we demolish the barriers between a lab and a factory — for a future where design, development, and deployment are tightly coupled? We hope that our model of “researcher-in-residence” can encourage other researchers, designers, and engineers to go to a factory and focus on playing and innovating with processes. We also hope the projects stemming from our trip could give factory owners greater incentive to be more open to play and to look beyond the bottom line. As well, we hope that the Hacking Manufacturing course might become a new model of industry-academic collaboration, where both sides share the perspective that the process, not just the product, can drive innovation. Ultimately, we hope to be able to create a network of factories, in which students, researchers, artists, scientists, designers, and engineers could freely create and innovate by devising new processes. A factory should not only be a place where products are being accurately manufactured but it should also a playground where creativity can be fully expressed.
Who worked on the project?
Jifei Ou | Project Lead, Instructor | Tangible Media Jie Qi | Instructor | Lifelong Kindergarten Artem Dementyev | Instructor | Responsive Environment Amos Golan | Student | Tangible Media Ani Liu | Student | Design Fiction Daniel Oran | Student | Synthetic Neurobiology Donald Derek | Student | Responsive Environment Guillermo Bernal | Student | Fluid Interfaces Laya Anasu | Student | City Sciences Miguel Perez | Student | Playful Systems
View the project video: https://vimeo.com/236355031
