Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide (Jason Mesut)

Bridging the Physical-Digital Divide !23 July 2014 UXPA 2014

!Jason Mesut Head of User Experience, Plan

Local Leader, IxDA London !

I N T E R A C T I O N D E S I G N A S S O C I A T I O N

Uh-oh!

Dancing to one beat

In the same room

For a common purpose

Different tribes coming together

!

I want 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 do I think this is relevant?

What are the things you ?

People

Activities

Apps?

Technics 1200 SH-101

OP-1Tenori-On

I love objects

Q-Bert

Technics 1200

Q-Bert

Technics

Roland SH-101

Q-Bert

Technics

Milo Mesut

Yamaha Tenori-On

Teenage Engineering OP-1

Technics 1200 SH-101

OP-1Tenori-On

I love objects

5 years !Industrial Design

years !Digital User Experience

15

3 years Local leader

Interaction Design Association

L o n d o n

Subjects over 3 years Internet of Things Future of publishing Urban environment Smart materials Mobility / Automotive Clinical applications !Upcoming… Smart home Music interfaces Consumer healthcare

I joined

A product strategy consultancy

!

We help companies

work out what to do next.

I joined

!

We help companies

work out what to do next.

Helping innovation

and design teams

raise their game

Bringing clarity to

the front end of

innovation

Bringing clarity to

the front end of

innovation

Helping innovation

and design teams

raise their game

Bringing clarity to

the front end of

innovation

Helping innovation

and design teams

raise their game

Consumer

electronics

Automotive

!

Materials

What should we

do for our next

smart phone?

!

How will we

engage gen Z?

!

!

How can we

compete with

the no.1 in our

category?

Industrial Designers

Industrial Designers Digital / UX Designers

I’ve interviewed over 30 designers

Experiences with familiar names

Consultancies Manufacturers Education

Some key questions

—Why should we care?

—What are we aiming for?

—What are the challenges?

—How can we tackle them??

Some key questions




—How can we tackle them?

!

Screens dominating

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

http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/fisher-price-ipad-apptivity-seat.jpg

!

Emerging hardware revival

The internet of things is hitting the mainstream

Niche Mass

In odd ways

http://www.beamtoothbrush.com/toothbrush/




Tech companies buying hardware companies + skills

Service companies selling hardware

Wearable excitement

Something other than a smartphone to design

Even if they make us look ridiculous

!

Industrial Design seems

to be losing relevancy

Digital designersUser Experience for web, GUI expertise

Software technologistsUnderstand infrastructure and web services

MakersPrototype, 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

Industrial Design doesn’t engage

Industrial Designers have their heads in the ground

Ian BachSenior Interaction Designer Method

Doesn’t include freelancers

£350-600+ a day

Industrial Design

User Experience

Huge pay gap

Some key questions





!

Greater harmony between

physical and digital

A recipe for integrated products?

+ +Physical Product

Digital Interface

Digital Service

Integrated product

=

+ +Physical Product

Digital Interface

Digital Services

!Aesthetic

Visceral. Visual, sonic, feel.

Interactive Behavioural. Distribution of inputs and controls.

!Experiential

Reflective. Fit with person’s context and ecosystems.

!!Key levels of harmony

Components of integrated experience

Unite product and graphic language

Nokia and Microsoft Windows mobileSeparated at birth

Physical form and interaction design

Nokia and MeegoA touchscreen curved at the edges to aid friction for swipes from the edge

iPod The original integrated product?

Appropriate interactions — Hardware and software

interface working together — iTunes store — Aesthetic mismatch

Clunky car interfaces Screen clash

Dangerous disparity — Aesthetic mismatch — Interface not tactile — Doesn’t create a better

experience

Integrated automotive interface

Texas InstrumentsImmersive AutomobilePhysical controls designed in concert with graphical user interface

Nest Rare harmony?

Coherent product-service — Elegant hardware — Slick UI — Intelligent services

Nest Rare harmony?

We need to seek

1. Quality balance

2. Connected design language

3. Appropriate interactions

4. Consideration of overall experience

Some key questions





!

Why harmony is rare

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 Lenox Ex-User Experience Director Lunar !Kim Lenox

Objects, like apps, are becoming transient — like kettles that don’t last or phones we replace regularly !Jeremy Offer Design 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

Delivery timelines

are different

1/2/3/4

UX is very much focused on the near term — it’s less reliant on supply chains !Mark Delaney Head of Design Forward, Nokia

UX focuses on the short term

Software design often begins later in the cycle. !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 Myers Director User Experience Design, Fitbit

Software added in later

Different delivery timeframes

18 months+

3 months+ initially Then monthly, weekly or daily

Hardware

Software

Problem framing Tooling

Tuning production

Manufacturing development

!Ideation

!Design development

R C D

!Production

2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W

C D C D C D RCD RCD

Research Concept Design

RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD

Disciplines don’t

understand each other

1/2/3/4

UX has done a pretty good job of making itself complicated in a short period of time with all the different sub-disciplines: IA, IxD, etc. !The more compartmentalised, the worse the result. !Marcus Hoggarth Industrial Design Director, Native

UX is confusing

Teams are

separated

1/2/3/4

Hardware and software teams often separated

SW HW

SW HW

In-house

In-house Agency

SW HW

Agency 1 Agency 2

SW HW

Agency

Design silos inhibit collaboration

ID UX VD SD

Should we destroy design silos before organisation ones?

Why harmony is rare

1. Hardware commoditisation

2. Delivery differences

3. Don’t understand each other

4. Teams are separated

Some key questions





How can we bridge the

physical-digital divide?


physical-digital divide

First, we must

Define the divide

ID Industrial Design Physical

Product Design

Mechanical Engineering

Ergonomics

CMF

Product visualisation

Offer Mindset Language Tools Time

ID Industrial Design Physical

UX Digital User Experience

Product Design

Mechanical Engineering

Ergonomics

CMF

Product visualisation

Interaction Design

Information Architecture

Content Strategy

User Research

Visual Design

Experience strategy

Jargon !Documentation !Communication

Motivation !Values !Principles

Methods !Software !Approaches

Value !Uniqueness !

Horizons !Timelines !Pace

Which factors affect how we work together?



What separates us?

Bespoke

vs.

Universal &

documented

!Design

+

Experience

Mechanical

vs.

Theoretical

!!Solving

problems

+

Making

solutions

Manufacturing

vs.

Modelling

!!Researching

+

Sketching

+

Prototyping

Hardware

vs.

Software

!!Understanding

people

+

Conceiving

solutions

Long term

vs.

Short term

!!Fast-paced

+

Immediate

interaction


What unites us?

Bespoke

vs.

Universal &

documented

!Brand

+

Design

+

Experience

Mechanical

vs.

Theoretical

!!Solving

problems

+

Making

solutions

Manufacturing

vs.

Modelling

!!Researching

+

Sketching

+

Prototyping

Hardware

vs.

Software

!!Understanding

people

+

Conceiving

solutions

Long term

vs.

Short term

!!Fast-paced

+

Immediate

interaction





We need to

Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate



We need to

Connect / Calibrate / CollaborateFind the common ground

Connect on a personal level

Respect differences



We need to

Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate Adapt ourselves

Adapt our processes

Translate our language

!



We need to

Connect / Calibrate / Collaborate Unite on common purpose

Share between teams

Prototype together

!

Find common ground Connect on a personal level

Respect differences

Connect


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 Brunner Partner, Ammunition (the guy who hired Jony Ive)

Hardware is hard

Software is slippery

1. Hidden impacts from changes

2. Multiple releases

3. Integration challenges

4. Multiple platforms

5. Legacy code

!Some large organisations have terrible legacy code — it can take months to change a word or button on a site

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 Offer Design Director, Great Fridays

Manufacturing 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 Bradley Consultant, 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

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 solutions

Aesthetic

Decoding

Mechanical Theoretical

Instinctive

ID UX


Industrial designers obsess about physical form

!- Aesthetic - Makes a product

understandable - Unobtrusive - As little design as

possible

Dieter Rams rules of good design

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 Myers Director User Experience Design, Fitbit

Connect on a personal level


Respect differences

Break down language barriers

Adapt our skills

Adapt our processes

Connect

Calibrate


CMF

Responsive design

ToleranceInformation

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


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

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


Adapt our skills and teams

Shifter Hybrid Partner Neutral leaderMoving from ID-to-UX Blending skills across ID + UX ID + UX working closely

together Solution agnostic leadership

+

No Learn skills, but don’t expect to do it all

Yes Find ways to work with specialists to create excellence

Maybe Rare few able to do this Are you ready to walk away from the craft?

Maybe ID to UX is possible, but the other way is tougher especially for seniors

Shifter Hybrid Partner NeutralID + UX working closely together

Partner or shift

+

Long term thinking Rapid releases

Ideas at pace

Product experience

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


Industrial Design has to project further into the future

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Long-term visioning

Seymour Powell AircruiseThe Aircruise concept questions whether the future of luxury travel should be based around space-constrained, resource-hungry, and all too often stressful airline travel.

Each approach has it's own value, but close that gap and the future will happen quicker and better !Duncan Fitzsimons Founder, Vitamins

Close the horizon gap

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Digital focuses on shorter term

Horizon gap


Respect differences


Adapt our skills

Adapt our processes

Connect

Calibrate

Collaborate

Unite on a common purpose Share regularly Prototype together

Develop shared vocabulary


I’ve found the best way to get integration is to get away from the features and unite on the higher goals !Scott Jenson Product Strategy, Google

Unite on a common purpose

We structure projects so industrial designers, interaction designers, mechanical engineers, and strategists can do the research together. !David Sherwin Interaction Design Director, Frog

Research together

Photograph by Misha Miller

Sketch together

Sketch together

Sketch together

Product designers can come up with a hundred ideas in the time that UXers come with ten !Dave Cronin Director, Interaction Design, GE

Share work in progress

Catch issues early

Explore and experiment

quickly. Prototype with

different materials

Prototype together

We prototype 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 Fitzsimons Co-founder, Vitamins

Prototype together

Hardware prototyping Tinkertronics

Share regularly

At Palm, we did 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

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

Hardware

Problem framing Tooling

Tuning production

Manufacturing development

!Ideation

!Design development

!Production

2-6W 4-8W 4-8W 26W 12W 3W 4-8W

Adapt our processes Cadence and relationships

Software

C D RCD

Research Concept Design

RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCD RCDDetail design C D

Physical interaction design

Beo A9Physical volume control

Physical interaction design




Respect differences


Adapt our skills

Adapt our processes

Connect

Calibrate

Collaborate

Unite on a common purpose Share regularly Prototype together

Develop shared vocabulary


!Why?

!Seeking

!Against

!!We must

!

Losing relevancy !

Greater harmony !

Commoditisation, silos,

processes, language

Connect

Calibrate

Collaborate

Dancing to one beat

In the same room

For a common purpose

Different tribes coming together

Just bring your own moves and be careful of treading on other people’s toes