Lem Bar Stool

I have finally completed my Lem Bar Stool, designed and made by Lapalma. I'm relieved i have now got this project out of the way as it has been difficult to get into the workshop and actually make this chair. The chair is 5th scale model of the actual Lem bar stool with some slight modifications to give more character and detail. I'm disappointed with the grade i got as i just scraped into the 'A' / 1st category. Plus i prioritised this quite heavily over some of my other work and to barely get a good grade is very distressing.

Despite all of that my chair has made it into the cabinet of fame and i'm very pleased with the out come of my model. I think the finish looks really good and as i still have the jigs for the chair i want to try and make another model over the summer to try and improve the quality again.

I should also mention that the chair has other features such as it swivels on its base as well as goes up and down. 

Presentation

I had to do a presentation of how i have found the course for my first year of Product Design BA. The short answer would be stressful. But i have learnt a lot and do feel like i'm that one, large step closer to becoming a proper product designer.

The Brief 

This submission is an individual presentation, where you will need to present, to a panel of staff, your standpoint on design. The presentation should last 10 minutes plus 5 minutes for questions.

Prepare slides including sample pages from your journal to demonstrate the following:

a) what you have learnt over this year

- structure this around design history, theory and research

b) what subjects you have found useful

- both positive and negative

c) and the motivations & ethics that drive you to design

You may also refer to the article that was written about you – whether you agree or disagree with part or all of it. Also refer to your original goals and skills that you started your journal with – how have these changed? 

The presentation went well, i haven't had my grade back for it yet. But the lecturers were very enthusiastic towards it and enjoyed the presentation. So think i will be alright. However the presentation did make me realise that i do need to do more theory work as that is my weakest point. This is probably because i never did an art course so i know very little about art movements and famous designers. So my plan over summer is start an influence blog and record things i've seen that interest me as well as put topics of design i'm interested in.


You can view my presentation however there is very little writing as i winged most of it.    


Product BA Year 1

Article

We got set a brief to mimic an article layout but to write it about a designer in our class. James was my partner and he wanted Core77 as his magazine.

I found it quite difficult to do James as BSC students haven't done as much as us and generally don't know much about  typical design topics like sustainability. However James shares a lot of interesting views within graphic design and typography. This was quite interesting and it has spurred me on to look further into graphic design and in particular illustration. I'm quite fond of the illustration within the magazine monocle as it's simplistic and elegant and i'm looking into this and maybe i'll use it as an influence for one of my projects.

A lot of my friends found this project really annoying because it's unfair as you have to design an article for another student and then they do the same for you. But the annoying thing is that if you spend a lot of time doing a really good one for that person then they get a really good CV/Article to show future clients whilst if they did half heartedly then you get a bad CV/Article. So it seems a little naive to think this would work well as there are a lot of people on my course who don't turn up often and don't really care. But i can't really see how you could improve this apart from letting people choose there own partners but it then doesn't let us experience what other people do within other courses. However maybe making the Article Brief for second years would be better as that would filter some of the people away.

I feel this project went ok i'm not happy about it as we hardly got any lessons on it and what lessons we got on it were so far in advance that i had forgotten about most of the rules. Also i'm not very happy with how this section of the course is running it seems very unorganised. 

James Nightingale Core 77

Lem Bar General Arrangement

I finally finished my General Arrangement for the Lapalma Lem Bar Stool it's pretty accurate but i did have to guess some of the other measurements. 

Sketches

We were given a brief to recorder our journey from our University to Nottingham Castle. I really enjoyed this activity as we got to use what we had learnt in the drawing lessons, such as how to control the depth of field with using different media.  

Lem Bar Stool

I'm still putting the final touches to the GA for my Lem Bar Stool. It's quite difficult gaining accurate data for the stool as it has a lot of variations but i have a accumulated a lot of pictures and information from a variety of sources.  

On the right is the underside of the chair, there are lot more components than what i though as you can see there is a large metal plate. This wasn't illustrated in the 3D CAD drawing they had on their website so i've had to work this out by layering it on top of my auto cad.



Again on the right is the side profile this hight adjuster was also not on the 3D CAD but it was simpler to workout than the under plate as the angle of this photo is quite good although you do have to be careful of perspective when drawing round these photos. 

It took me a while to find these photos because as i said before there are a lot of variations. However thanks to people posting on blogs i've been able to get an accurate technical drawing which i will post after the hand in (6th may).

http://www.mypolysense.blogspot.com/
http://www.diytrade.com/china/4/products/7392460/Lem_Piston_Stool.html

Communication Report

The research report has finally been completed.
Overall I’m pleased with the way this research project has gone, I believe I have reached a good outcome although I do feel I would have like to go into more depth and to make this product a lot more useful. I would have like to of conducted more primary research with observations and questionnaires as they are the most useful to giving answers and opening new questions to think about. But I do feel this has been a good project and that the task of changing the handset of a product that hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years was difficult as there was a clear reason companies didn’t want to do it. This was because the handset is something everyone understands and breaking away from that can cause isolation within groups of people. However I still believe development is need as companies like Siemens may find themselves pulling out of the telephone market if they don’t act soon enough to revitalise it.     
Final Essay Layout Blog

The Results are in!

It was very interesting and helpful doing this questionnaire as it was useful to see how people really felt about talking to other people on the phone. Now i can use this research for my essay. Thanks for your helpful if you filled the survey in below. 


Results

Skype Video

I decided to film myself talking to my family so that i can study how people interact with the service Skype. When i called my parents i found that they were using the TV computer to talk to me, this is unusual as they usually use the laptop. This gave a good point of view of what I'm trying to accomplish for Siemens with a video calling unit so that you don't have to leave the computer on for anyone to call you. It was good to see the interaction with the possibility of being engrossed into the family despite being miles away, also video calling allows for me to see what's going on in the family with work they have done. Also the ability of seeing body language gives a great benefit over traditional methods of communication. 

The video is at a really low quality for upload speeds and i have a longer video on my computer with sound.

Survey

I made a quick survey, please feel free to fill it in. Thanks

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Siemens

I've been meaning to put this up a while ago. It's my Siemens Rationale board.

Telephone Advert Boards

I looked into old advert boards for the telephone as it's interesting to see how the shape of the phone has still stayed the same and nothing has really changed. However I know i'm looking into this to see what changes can be made but from the adverts i quite like the idea of keeping the same elements of the phone. For example you have a dock, where the phone sits and you dial the number in or charge your phone if you have a wireless phone. Then you have the handset that you talk into and listen.

I think these 2 components work well together because when the phone rings you pick up the phone to answer it. This is quite a nice physical action and i don't want to loose this to pressing a button if necessary. However does it have to be a handset? Could it be a headset? Does there only have to be 2 components could you have 3 or just 1? These are things i need to explore further into.


 


http://www.myinsulators.com/commokid/telephones/telephone_ads.htm

BT Ads

I've been looking into British Telecom adverts to see how BT portrays people using the telephone. This was quite interesting because it shows the freedom and flexibility of being able to pick up the phone and dial the number. However in comparison to modern forms of communication that are now becoming more computer based this seems like an advantage for the average handset. Also the ability to walk around the house is a very appealing idea when calling someone as you can do your work whilst talking or just relax whilst talking. This may not be available for people video who are video calling as this demands you to keep visual contact.

Lem Bar Stool

I've finally decided on a chair i want to do for my next project. I'm planning on making a fifth scale model chair of the Lapalma Lem Bar Stool. I spent a lot of time trying to decide on what product i wanted to do because i wanted to do something metallic as metal is a material i'm not too familiar with so want i to improve my skills in that department. Also i wanted something not too difficult however this will still be a challenge but at least it has parallel lines and a clean shape. I'm looking forward to this and Lapalma have almost full measurements on their website which will be very helpful. Also Luna stock the chair as well so if i find i can't get a measurement then i know at least i can take it manually. 

http://www.lapalma.it/allegati/teckdata/LEM1.pdf


http://www.luna-online.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1488&category_id=85&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=28


http://www.lapalma.it/product.asp?lng=01&m=2&id=87

Microsoft's User Interface Video

I watched Microsoft's lecture on user interface and how Denis Wixon made the user interface for the computer keyboard which is still used today. He challenged convention on how hard it was for people to use the arrow keys on a keyboard. He covered peoples keyboards and asked people to write out the keys in order of how they appear on the keyboard. He found that most people were wrong so he conducted more research on how people interact with such equipment. He studied which direction people move the most on the keyboard and made it so that you would rest your fingers on the 'left' 'down' and 'right' keys so that when you want to move up you would instinctively move your finger up.

This was very interesting and has given me some ideas on what to research for my interface change for the house hold phone. I want to research into how people interact with a standard phone and how people interact with a computer when they're using a video calling device.

Also i need to look at the past to know what the future will be like.Therefore i want to study old handsets to see whether most people would be able to instinctively adjust to a new design.


HCDE521 W10: Dennis Wixon from Human Centered Design & Engineer on Vimeo.

Skype

Research about Skype.

I wanted to research about Skype so that i could see how well it was doing as a business since this would be my main service to combine with Siemens phone. However from this article from the Skype site it seems that Skype is a very popular service which is rapidly growing.  http://about.skype.com/2009/03/skype_opens_up_to_corporate_si.html

About Skype
Founded in 2003, Skype is revolutionizing the way people communicate around the world. Skype has more than 405 million registered users globally who use Skype software to communicate for free through voice and video calls as well as instant messages. Skype generates revenue through its premium offerings, such as calls made to and from landlines and mobiles, voicemail, call forwarding, and SMS. Skype is used in almost every country on Earth, and people have made more than 100 billion minutes worth of free Skype-to-Skype calls. Conversations over Skype can take place on computers, mobile devices and Skype Certified™ hardware. Skype certifies and sells hundreds of hardware products from more than 50 partners, and works with hundreds of third-party developers who have created plug-ins to extend Skype's functionality.

Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY)

Rationale

I want to research into how house phones could be developed into a multi-platform device where it can coexist and cooperate with modern services but to not compete with them.  This is something some companies have already been working on to provide, but they are still constraint with the fact that you need your computer on or that they don’t make full usage of the services available.

Research I want to carry out.

Do we need the telephone? Or is it still a popular form of communication?
I want to carry out a questionnaire to see what is it people most common for of communication.
Can the convention of the hand set be broken, and will it be accepted?   

Research other forms of communication.

How people interact with the communication devices?

Philips VOIP855

The Philips VOIP855 is a Skype phone that doesn't need a computer. From first instincts of this phone it is clearly an expensive piece of equipment, it retails at £150. As this phone uses Skype it does use some neat features such as voice mail and integrates itself with Skype like a phone. However like the Siemens it's still afraid to break through conventions of a standard phone with a limited interface. I would like to research this to see whether a new generation of more technology adapted people would be able to accept a new new interface.  

Unlike the Siemens product this product doesn't mention Email which is a smart move by Philips as this would be a wasted feature on such a small screen. 

Product S685 IP

I'm looking at the 'Next Generation' Product line from Siemens Gigaset as this boast of internet calling, although it doesn't give any popular services such as Skype, Microsoft Live Messenger or Apples facetime which seems odd for an internet phone. However this is because it uses an older form of communication, Email. This is a nice feature to have although made awkward with Siemens bad choice of 'a classic design hand set' meaning no QWERTY keyboard and leaving replying up to the mobile or computer again. Meaning conventional phones could maybe do with a user interface upgrade to break away from that convention of the standard 1-9 buttons.

From further research at http://gigaset.com/hq/en/cms/PressRelease_IP_Services_20100426.html i found that the Gigaset actually utilises other internet applications such weather forecast and Ebay account viewer.     

Client

I chose Siemens as my client because they produce well priced phones for a mass audience, although retailers offer more from other companies like Panasonic and BT because they have a larger range of products.I still thought Siemens would be a good client as they are make innovative and quality products. Plus i have been interested in Siemens for a long time as they manufacture products themselves as well as produce products for other companies as they have become renowned for producing high quality products.

As a brand Siemens seem to put function ahead of form for their Gigaset products as they all look like they would work well but in comparison to Philips they don't look as attractive.  But there more expensive range do look a lot more aesthetically pleasing as they use fashionable brushed metals and clean sleek design.

The strengths in the Siemens Gigaset is purely technology based with it being able to connect to the internet as well being a wi-fi host but it doesn't claim to use any of the online services. This is probably because the user interface is quite old considering it is still based around the first digital phone which was made some 30 years ago. Also the phone claims great sound quality and long wireless range.

Brand Research

I went to John Lewis, Currys, PC world and House of Fraser today to research what brands are available to the consumers and which of those brands are most popular.

John Lewis Brands available:
Panosonic
John Lewis
British Telecom (BT)
Seimens
Wild and Wolf
Magic Box Colombo

PC World/Currys Brands Available:
Panosonic
Philips
iDect
British Telecom (BT)
Siemens
Magic Box Colombo

House of Fraser Brands Available:
British Telecom (BT)
Panosonic

This was quite helpful and interesting because I knew BT would be quite high up there in popular brands as they make cheap affordable phones with a aim towards more function than aesthetics. But I found that Panosonic also make I wide range of phones, ranging from 20 pounds to 100. Also iDect is a brand that I had never heard of so I would like to research into them further to see what other products they produce as their phones were quite expensive in comparison to the large companies like Philips and Panosonic. Other brands I want to research more into is Magic Box Colombo, Wild and Wolf and, but they have a more modern take on the telephone classics.      

My Research Brief

My Brief {In this project you will take on the role of researcher for a selected product design brand or company (your client). You will prepare a research report to support that company’s development of a new product targeted towards a specific market area. This product may take the form of a physical object, service or system.

You will produce a detailed rationale and product specification recommending a course of action for your client based on well documented research methods.

In industry, there are many roles a designer takes on, and increasingly design consultancies depend upon well informed consumer focused research conducted in-house, or provide this type of research to a diverse range of other businesses including governmental bodies, multinational brands and SMEs. This project will help you to develop the skills in initiating, defining, researching, and justifying design decisions which are necessary to these types of role.}

I'm thinking of looking at an electronics based company to do with audio as this is what I'm generally most interested in. One of my favourite brands is Philips as they make very stylish products in a new and innovative way. They keep to modern fashion trends so they never really bring a shock to the market but yet this allows them to create something in keeping with the present time so that it will belong with your other products in your home. 
Another possible contender is Creative as i own a couple of their MP3 Players and i think they used to make very good products but the quality of their products has fell and they are now just another struggling company in the shadow of Apple. However with new legislation coming in so that ipods will no longer use the 30 hole pin and instead a micro usb(source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20026874-1.html), this should loosen the strangle hold that Apple has on the market as docking stations will no longer be 'made for ipod' but instead for everything. This market for portable audio devices is a very unpredictable market with products being based on new technologies such as, HD, 3D, touch screens ect, it is very difficult to predict what would be the next new thing. Plus with phones now being able to pretty much do everything you need it seems people probably won’t want to have another device in their pocket just for listening to audio. 

Therefore after doing some quick brain storming i think i might move into communication and in particular home communication. With products like Microsoft’s Kinect and Apple’s iphone this means you can video chat anywhere to communicate; this opens up a whole new media of communication that brings back the face to face conversations but allows the users to communicate from opposite ends of the world.

Things I need to research further,
Services of communication: Skype, MSN, Face time ect
Products of communication: Telephones, mobiles, computers ect
How we communicate?