BlueAnt Digital Talks

Design thinking in everyday life

Presented for BlueAnt Digital, New Delhi -India: 23/5/2014

Form follows Function. (Luis Sullivan, 1896)

Form follows Meaning. (Reinhart Butter, 1989)

Lacie ‘petite key’ by

5.5 designers

Shujoy Chakraborty

Ph.D (Design), M.Des, B.Arch

design thinking | design research | product innovation

Presented to

Living in a designed society

Wake up to design everday Experience design

everywhere

Walk through designed

streets

Study in designed universities

Above: EPFL Zurich, Switzerland


Living in a designed society

Use designed spaces Use designed services

Above: BikeMi, bike sharing

Milano

Experience designed systems

Above: Milan (Italy) Metro- yellow line

Experience designed

systems


Living in an un-designed society

Walk through un designed

streets

Study in un-designed universities

Above: IIT- Delhi

Eat un-designed food

Eat in un-designed restaurants


Living in an un-designed society

Experience un-designed services

Experience un-designed shopping

Above: MotherDairy outlet

Accept un-designed products

Above: wheelchair in Ahmedabad

airport


Standardisation in a designed society

For each service a standardised icon

Consistent usage of colors and fonts

Consistent usage across locations


User experience becomes intuitiveConsistent indication for every street

All important city layers are indicated


Non-standardisation in an un-designed society

Critical services are non-uniformly

indicated

Improvisation ‘jugaad’ is accepted No clearity of communication

Concept of iconography is weak



Improvisation ‘jugaad’ is accepted

Above: Ahmedabad airport

Emergency indications are poorly

designed

Above: 2° AC compartment- Indian

Railways

Life threatening warnings illegible



Problem runs even into manufactured

products


Clearity of form and communication

1° generation Bajaj pulsar

2002


2013


2014

Simple and clear product

communication

Complexity increases,

clearity reduces

Highly conflicted,

confused, and incoherent


Too much detailing

Over detailing leads to

confusion

Cartoonish proportions


Lack of resolution

Ill resolved forms

Ill resolved geometry


‘Hard vs Soft’ spaces

Un-designed is ‘Hard’

2° A.C. Indian Railways

designed is ‘Soft’

Treno di notte- Trenitalia (Italy)


Sensitivity to details

Thought out details lead to consistency

reducing stress on the user

Inconsistent details lead to stress on the

user


Sensitivity to consistency

Systemic level design leads to

consistency


Logo Digital identity

Smart cardPhysical identity


Piecemeal design leads to inconsistency


Sensitivity to simplicity


Do not use conflicting

fonts and colors

Use large fonts and

coordinated colors

Sensitivity to information


Metro map of ATM service Milan- all facilties are

indicated

Metro map of DMRC service Delhi- no facilties are

indicated

Sensitivity to usability


lack of usability Thought given to usability

Sensitivity to Design


Rubbish bin Plastic chair Ice-cream brick

Sensitivity to packaging


Quality packaging

communicates trust

(olive oil €4)

Usability increases

pleasure

(spices€2 each)

All critical information present

(chicken €3)

Sensitivity to packaging


Material selection is important

(bottle €2)

Graphics are important

(spaghetti €1)

Protection is important

(6 eggs €2)

Sensitivity to clearity


Too much information

No heirarchy

Structure and layer the information

Clear heirarchy

Make functions visible


Do not hide the obvious and basics

Above: 3 step operartion to remove a

contact

Consider symmetry and simplicity


Proper use of geometry is

important

Don’t introduce unknown symbols


Do not hide critical functionality behind arbitary icons

Critical functionality should be clearly mapped and visible

Reduce is not always simple


Less is not always better Google page 2014

Google page 2004

Reduce is not always clear


Iconography should be recognisable Too much reduction can take away clearity

Reduce can be archetypical


Icons should communicate clarity of thought and purpose

Affordance


Flat design shouldn’t take away from affordance

Consistency


Consistency is critical for everyday use

Above: Android 3.3

Consistency is critical for everyday use

Above: Android 4.2

Further Reading


Laws of Simplicity- John Maeda Emotional Design- Donald Norman

design thinking | design research | product innovation

Delhi | Milan

Sound logic behind great design.

Disclaimer: All content in this document is copyrighted intellectual property of DesignLogic India.