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Posts on innovation, user experience, research and design 
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January 12, 2010
 

Apple Sets the Bar for Ford

Ford_focus_3

Core77 had a short but interesting interview with Moray Callum, Ford's executive director of design. An interesting tidbit:

Core77: Stefan Lamm [executive designer, Ford Focus exterior] mentioned earlier today that things like the iPod and iPhone have changed how Ford approaches vehicles, because consumers are now used to these highly designed, really refined products. Do you find that to be the case?

MC: Absolutely, it's the point of entry for us now. Consumers are much more aware of fit and finish, quality.
I've had many conversations with business partners and web service providers concerning customer expectations in which I've mentioned that the bar isn't set at what's expected for industry X, the bar is set by Google and Amazon and eBay - the companies that have defined what the web is supposed to behave like. It's interesting here to see the same disruptive power, this time from Apple, extending far beyond competitors in the iPod's adjacent fields (consumer electronics). 

Great design not only has the ability to disrupt the industry it applies to, but also any number of other seemingly unrelated industries and interfaces. Ten years ago, who would have ever thought that an MP3 player would be a driving factor for design decisions made about Ford's flagship electric vehicle.

Filed under  //   Apple   Ford   design   ergonomics   human factors   innovation   interface   ui  

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November 25, 2009
 

Razorfone Interactive Retail Experience

Quick post on the new Razorfone Interactive Retail Experience. Fantastic use of the Microsoft Surface to enable better retail buying experiences. While the jury is still out on the revolutionary qualities of the Surface, there’s no denying the cool factor of the demo/concept that Razorfish has put together.

From Emerging Experiences:

The Razorfone solution is focused around providing an experience where customers can learn about wireless products. Phone and netbook features and associated wireless plans are presented in a rich interactive environment. Accessories are presented to the customer as a cross-sell opportunity. The use of 3D allows for customers to view their device in any color and from any angle, regardless of availability of the physical device within the retail store. The customer can validate the wireless coverage where they live, work and play through the use of the interactive coverage map using simple pan and zoom gestures. Customers can personalize their device after purchase with ringtones, games and applications through the use of QR technology, increasing sales and helping to eliminate buyer’s remorse.

View the video and read more at Emerging Experiences

Filed under  //   Microsoft   haptics   interaction   interface   retail   surface  

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