Wii Controller

Nintendo Wii Controller http://us.wii.com/hardware/

Nintendo Wii nunchuk http://us.wii.com/hardware/

The Holidays are coming and the Wii is on our list! I started thinking about the controller for the Wii and how it really has changed the face of gaming. The designers of the controller not only came up with the idea of a motion sensor controller, but they have upgraded and adjusted the controller according to user needs, comfort, safety, ease of use, performance, and aesthetics. This video is a very enlightening instruction on how to use the controller, but with it came some insights about safety and ease of use. The Wii controller is long and narrow like a remote control for a TV. It has similarities to the controllers of old, but is simpler and held at a different angle. The controller has a directional key and a few different buttons, but what makes it so different is the sensor in the end of the controller. The user points the controller at the screen and can use it like a mouse for a computer. The controller also has motion sensors that can take the physical motion of the user and translate it to action. Meaning you can turn the controller on it's side and hold it with two hands, then by tilting the controller one way or another you can control the way a car (for example) will turn. The controller also has an accessory called a nunchuck. The nunchuck attaches by a cord to the Wii controller and is held in the opposite hand. It has an analog stick that is used to easily move a character within a game, and has additional buttons.

The wii controller has had safety issues including people releasing the controller and cracking their TVs during game play. The Wii controller has a wrist strap that is to be worn to avoid dropping, throwing, or flinging it. The Nintendo Wii company had a voluntary recall of some of it's safety straps, offering a sturdier version. Following procedure with this product is necessary for safety.
The comfort of the Wii controller is easy to see. The size fits nicely in the hand, and the nunchuk is ergonomically shaped to fit perfectly with your hand. The length of the connecting cord is not too long or too short and does not interfere with game play.
The controller is fairly easy to use. A few moments of playing with it and a little background knowledge of computers or video games and one is already an expert. Part of the fun of the Wii is that you have to move. Normal video games are fairly immobile. The user sits in front of the TV and moves only their thumbs and eyes, but the Wii requires full range of motion from arms and even sometimes the whole body. Many people stand while they play. So it is easy to use, but not stagnant which may cause some to say that it is more difficult because they have to use their body. This is a good thing for the next generation of kids as they develop and stay active even as they play their video games!
As far as performance, the Wii does what it should. Anything can be faulty over time, so I will reserve complete judgement until I actually have the Wii for a little while. The Wii responds to the controller effectively and allows the user to play their games in an animated and exciting new way.
Aesthetically the Wii controllers are perfect for what they intend. Their design does not state itself. One focuses more on the use of the object rather than what it looks like which is what a product should do. It should speak to what it does. While functionality is the focus, the design is very smooth, shiny, simple, and indicates its purpose. All of its edges are rounded. Even though the controller is a rectangle there are no hard edges. The nunchuck is curvilinear and small, highlighting it's usability. The white color is very popular for a very contemporary feel as can be seen in things like the iMac, Eve from Wall-E, and IKEA products. Nintendo does offer additional colors, allowing their users to personalize their products to their own tastes. The Nintendo designers are doing a wonderful job. They are coming up with new ways to think about gaming and they listen to the needs of their users, changing and improving their products in a constant design conversation.

Eve from Disney|Pixar's Wall-E
http://myonlinereviewer.com/movies/animated/wall-e-deeper-than-you-think.html

Hey! It is the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Brothers and Wii is having a special-- Check it out for the Holidays

Design Implementation: Brian Fies

Tools have a purpose. Design has many purposes. I think the ability of design to reach other people is amazing. Brian Fies was an inspiring speaker. His work has so much meaning. He used many tools of design to create a design tool. A tool that reaches people. To make a difference in this world is to reach people. By putting a smile on someone's face you can change the rest of their day, or week, or life. In my day to day routine I try to remember this and live by the knowledge that just being polite can help someone. Brian Fies has helped countless people with his book Mom's Cancer. His ability to realistically relate the feelings and problems that a family has as they go through cancer, has made me feel connected and understood. I am sure countless others have taken the same feelings with them after they have read this book. The feelings of guilt and anger, frustration and fear all combine to make a person feel very alone. My mother had cancer and was fortunate enough to survive, although her prognosis was dim. I went through a lot of these things. Brian Fies expresses these feelings with such clarity and humor. His devices make the story beautiful, touching, and real. The Frankenstein's lab scene infuses humor with serious fear, and conveys so much meaning by it's context and simplicity. His attention to detail and truth makes this story REAL. Thank you Brian Fies. You are an inspiration. I hope to one day inspire others in such a significant way.
Buy Mom's Cancer on amazon.com (I bought 2!)

Cover from Brian Fies book Mom's Cancer
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vniiiAEmL._SS500_.jpg
From amazon.com

Word and Image: Separate?

To think about word and image is to separate their meanings, but that is a difficult concept to really comprehend. Signifiers are the mental concepts for signified objects, actions, etc. That seems straight forward enough. A word is a signifier for an object. But the letters of the word and the word itself are signifiers for sounds that represent concepts. These words are images. Their style, shape, size, readability all convey more than their conceptual meaning. A single page of text in a book conveys meaning without even having any knowledge of the content of the book. If the font is large, one can assume that it will be an easier book to read. If the font is very fresh and dynamic, one would assume a more modern book. If a font is heavy and decorative, one can assume an older book or a book trying to portray age. The alignment of the text can indicate the form of the writing. Centered? Spaced out? Could be a poem or a children's story. Numbered? Bulleted? Could be informational. I have at times seen patterns in the spacing of words, or traced swooping lines through pages of text. To analyze word and image as an assignment is to assume that the subjects, are somehow separated from one another. While I do believe a word can portray it's meaning without the visual aspects of the word interfering, meanings are inferred by the form the word takes.

Stele of Minnakht, chief of the scribes. during the reign of Ay (c. 1321 BC)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minnakht_01.JPG

Spoken word is another interesting idea to consider. Analyze word and image? That could be a movie without any text. The spoken word conveys meaning more than it's concept by adjusting tone, volume, or pitch. Even more meaning is added when a visual of the person speaking the words is accompanied with the words. You can perceive attitude, age, or even station, and add symbolic inferences to what the speaker means because of what they wear or look like.
Analyze word and image? In a sense, if one is to really think about the concept that this assignment is expecting, one can almost say... Word and image are the same thing; symbolic representations created by men and women to convey meaning, to tell a story.

Moulin Rouge Film Ending watch here
This has so many meanings that are conveyed through song (word) and visual emotions on the faces of the actors, as well as the sets, and costumes. If a person had never seen this movie, they would be able to glean a lot of information from this one scene.

Lark Pien: Word & Image

Image from blueapplebooks.com

Cover of Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien

In Lark Pien's work word and image combine to tell captivating, cute, and witty stories. She started out creating mini comics and has adapted her work to create children's books. Her 1st book, Long Tail Kitty, is in the format of a comic book, but it is a children's book with a hard cover and soft watercolor illustrations. Her work has taken comic books to a younger level, while still remaining fun for an adult. My daughter is 4 years old and she can understand the story in a basic way without needing to read. This formatting disseminates comic style reading to young children in a simplistic way. There have been other comic style children's books that I have seen, but they mostly take the adolescent version and put it into a board book. Long Tail Kitty has the feel of a child's book. With whimsical illustrations and silly antics, Long Tail Kitty speaks to children. When Pien's words combine with her images there are layers of understanding demonstrating more than 'surface.' The witty attitude speaks to children and adults alike with it's exploration of abstract concepts and creative humor. Lark Pien has brought comic style reading to a younger generation of people and has used her art and creativity to incite a lifelong love for comics. She forges the way for the next generation of Comic Con attendees, and opens the doors to achieving a more widely understood style of communication. I had the pleasure of seeing her original artwork on display at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco in the exhibit Story Time! Graphic Novels for Kids of All Ages. The exhibit had a wide variety of graphic novel and comic artists on display, but none was as captivating as Lark Pien's cute stylized work. Her process and sketch work was on display, along with some original artwork. Reading about her process really demonstrated how she uses word and image to equal so much more than the sum of their parts. She creates while in the process, and learns the story herself as she draws. For creating the book she had to draw word bubbles separately from the illustrations, and the actual words separate from the bubbles. The creative process is so different from the final production process. Freely exploring and then refining combine, just as word and image combine, to make a complete whole. 

Lark Pien's Long Tail Kitty mini comic.
For a full version see her website archives

Read an interview with Lark Pien
Read Lark Pien's blog

Designing Experiences: Thanksgiving Dinner

Photo from Manolo for the Home
http://manolohome.com/2010/11/

It is interesting to think of design in a broad way. Design implies human involvement. Design implies planning. Design implies an expected outcome. Designing experiences involves all aspects that can affect the audience during that experience. I was thinking that Thanksgiving Dinner is an experience that is planned and designed with family in mind. Generally executed by the "mother" of the family, Thanksgiving involves a huge process of planning, adjustment, and multitudes of details to arrange. When you walk in to the traditional house for a big family Thanksgiving, you notice things, but probably fail to notice a lot more. You may or may not bring a side dish or dessert. You may or may not help bring out drinks and hors' d' oeuvres. Each person who helps is contributing to the design "conversation."

Image from Yanko Design
http://www.yankodesign.com/

I will give a picture of my family Thanksgiving and I would assume that many families have similar experiences with variations based on their families' culture and traditions. The location is the home of the "Mother" of the family. When  you walk in the door you are greeted with a sparkling clean house. You can smell the turkey cooking and hear laughter of other family members who have already arrived. The host/hostess has decided where the side dishes should be brought and has organized a way to make sure everything will be heated at the same time for dinner. The host\hostess has organized what the entrees and sides will be, and has arranged who will bring what to the event. Drinks are handed around and available according to the tastes of the family that the host\hostess knows so well. There will usually be music playing. Somewhere a TV will be on. The table will be set with enough places and chairs for all. Dishes will be laid out on a table cloth with candlesticks or other festive arrangements. Little snacks will be out for anyone who isn't afraid of spoiling their appetite. The host\hostess will call everyone together as the turkey gets carved. A table set up for the children will allow adults to have conversations and the kids to be playful. As soon as everyone is seated the huge platters are brought out and passed around until plates are full and everyone eats.
Then the clean up begins. Most people head off to the TV or maybe to play a card game. As many people as can fit in the kitchen are organized into jobs for cleaning. Food is put away and separated for leftovers. Everything is washed and cleared. Later dessert is served to everyone in their respective locations. Eventually everyone rounds up their sleepy kids and their leftovers, gives hugs and kisses and many thanks, and heads out into the cold to drive home for the night. Each and every person full, happy and oblivious to the thoughtful, tedious design that they just experienced. Great design is not noticed as designed. When Thanksgiving Dinner starts to be held at my house I hope I can make it look as effortless as my mother-in-law does.
Thanks to all those designers who make the holidays grand!

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/planning/
An interesting website to help design the Thanksgiving experience 

Plackers Picked Apart

Image from Orbis Distribution Inc
http://www.orbisdistribution.com/products/

Looking at Plackers flossers I started thinking about sustainability and the toothbrush on Objectified. I decided a formal analysis of this simple little daily ritualistic piece of plastic could be an enlightening endeavor. The designer(S) have put a lot of thought and effort into the effortlessness of this simple device. I floss daily. It is very important to do, and thankfully the habit has stuck with me for over two years. It was a long road, though. Flossing is an easy thing to skip. Many people do. One thing that has made it easier is these nifty little Plackers. The ease of use as opposed to rolled and held floss is, for me, priceless. The size of the Placker is perfect for reaching the back teeth and fitting into the mouth. The span of floss leaves enough room to squeeze in between teeth. The angle that the head of the Plackers slants makes it easy to use. There is a textured portion of the handle to make gripping easier, and the tip of the handle is made to easily break apart leaving a pointy toothpick for those really annoying peices of food that you just can't get with floss. The fact that it breaks apart keeps the tip safely rounded until needed. The floss is shred resistant and comes in extra thin versions for tight teeth. They can be mint flavored, and the color is indicative of mint and has associations with cleanliness and good breath. The name Plackers is a clever name as well. Playing on plaque and plucker, the name  is perfect for the device.
As far as sustainability is concerned, these are not very "green." I was thinking that a refillable version could be an answer, but then I found that someone beat me to the punch. I will be looking into a more earth friendly version for myself. Here a few that I have found.
http://www.gripit.biz/index.cfm/id:44
http://www.flossgrip.com/index.html
http://www.goharmon.com/070942304085.html

If you don't floss you should! Plackers are cheap nifty little guys and can be bought anywhere for a couple of dollars. Good Design means form follows function.

FOcontentRM: Objectified

Image from Tech Fresh
http://www.techfresh.net/

The film Objectified takes an interesting look at the culture of consumerism. By looking at Objects, their designers, and their audience, Objectified analyzes people. Designer Jonathan Ive says, "When you see an object you make many so assumptions about that object in seconds. What it does. How it will do it. How much it weighs." The same idea can be applied to looking at people. By looking at their choices in objects we make assumptions about them. Their age. Class. Style. Intelligence. Designer Chris Bangle says that cars are like our avatars. We choose our objects to please ourselves and make a statement. People are defining themselves with their mixture of selection.

Designers represent people. They create for an audience, but also for themselves and their personal aesthetic. Each designer represents the group of people that have a similar aesthetic or need. As Rob Walker says, companies want SKU's. They want more products to put on the shelf and sell. Because of this designers also have a responsibility to future generations. They have an ethical responsibility to create sustainably.

Image from treehugger.com
http://www.treehugger.com/

The film portrays piles of junked products, electronics, plastics, trash. To live in a consumer culture is to create trash. As a designer there are two choices if one wants to create ethically. As Karim Rashid says, Make it cardboard, make it 100% disposable. Design is about what is new and now and since it constantly changes it should be easy to dispose of. Why keep revisiting the archetypes? Designer Marc Newson looks at it a little differently. He says you should design something to last. Something is good design when it is classic eternal and doesn't go out of style. These two opposing views make pose an interesting question. What will the consumers do? The role of designers is to answer this question.

Objectified uses designers philosophies, shots of products, and people using products to ask the question... "What is the purpose of design?" "Where should design be headed?" Form and Content interact in this film by portraying images of new products being manufactured for masses of people and depicting the future resting place of the new products by showing older versions broken down and heading to a landfill. The film uses these juxtaposed processes to portray the content. What are objects? What is the responsibility of the designer? The consumer? What are you (the viewer) going to do with this information?
Watch this video on the evolution of cell phones. Scroll down.
http://cellphones.techfresh.net/evolution-of-mobile-phones/