Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Moving from a 'User-centric' to 'Green-centric' designs

The mantra "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" seems to pervade more and more of the media right now, as the world population realizes the fragility of the state of health of this planet, and the subsequent major adverse effects that would happen if no remedial steps were to be taken. But can design do anything about this state of affairs, and perhaps, just perhaps, if even though it doesn't have a Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point effect, can something be done at the designer's point of view in order to make this world a better place to live in?

One idea that perhaps might just work, is to move away from the concept of user-centred design that seems to be the 'in' thing right now, and really, move into a more 'Green-centric' design. In fact, I would actually say that perhaps being green is in 'fashion' right now, so one might not really think this as something that is something that revolutionary! But before we draw the conclusion that this convergence is just an issue of renaming a particular design-centric approach to product design, I do believe that designers can do their part in more ways than one in order to make products really GREEN!

One idea that I would like to offer is to do away with customised parts for each model of a particular product line, so much so that a few product lines are actually using some common components within the overall make-up of the final products. If I'm not wrong, I have read somewhere that Xerox (I think!) actually did something like this for their product lines of copier machines. So their engineers, when coming out with designs of their copiers, has an explicit intent to enable some components of these copiers to be 'future-proofed' in any newer product models or lines! So old models that have either gone to the junkyard due to wear and tear, or simply being replaced by newer models, would be able to be cannibalised! Cost savings..check, being green...check, faster product 'design-to-market' time...check. Well, I suspect that companies are already doing this, but can we then have even more companies to do this, companies that perhaps this simple business/design model can actually apply, and of which the impact is more public? Like what you may ask? Perhaps we can start off with the pens that we are using! I mean do we really need the fanciful cylindrical plastic outer casings, when the main writing tool is actually the ink-filled cylindrical centre-core!

Or how about our water bottles, the bottles that come along with the purchases of our bottles of Coke, Green Tea, and other drinks! Would it be ok if we have, instead of drink stalls, 'refill' stations instead...stations where a drink consumer would be able to get his refill, without ever the need to buy another bottle. Well there's always a new bottle if he wants to get one, but he would need to exchange it with his old bottle! Is that being a little green, or what!

Another business model that perhaps might just work is something that I had in mind for a couple of months now. You know how when one purchases an electrical appliance from any major appliance store, just like (in Singapore that is) Courts, Best Denki, Harvey Norman, or even in other places, the after sales service is just dependent on the warranty that is provided and perhaps ends there totally! Right? Well how about a better business model, that is both a win-win situation for both seller and consumer, and at the same time, sustainable as a business profitable model and 'green-centric' too!

Hmmm, to know more, stay tuned then!

The 'Roti Prata' Theorem...Redux

I've blogged about this 'Roti Prata' theorem a long while back, back at my old blog...just being jolted to blog about this yesterday as I was enjoying a few of these crispy pancake-like pieces with my colleagues.

The basic premise of this theorem is that, given say an X number of slices of prata, regardless of 'with or without egg versions :) ', what is the minimum number of times that one has to turn over these slices in order to get each of these sides slathered with the gravy/curry. Some pre-conditions/assumptions that I have come out with are:



- Each 'turnover' need not necessarily be done using one slice; it can involve a few (integer) slices at one go too
- It is assumed that the gravy/curry is being introduced only from a singular source point
- The intent is on having both sides of the pieces being slathered with the gravy/curry, regardless of the 'absorbability' of the surfaces or the pieces

Now to make this a little more wicked, let us introduce some parameters into the 'theorem', if I can even call it so:
- Can there be N number of source points for the source of the curry/gravy, theoretically speaking of course?
- How about if we decide to break up the slices into smaller pieces, perhaps into halves or quarters, how then would the theorem consider these non-integer conditions, hmmm, maybe perhaps by reintroducing integers within this integer conditions (is there such a thing at all?)
- What happens if the initial assumption that one wants both sides of his slices doesn't hold true, meaning for example, what if I want only the first slice to be doubly-coated, but not the second one?
- What happens if I want more than 1 gravy/curry type then...and this must not be mixed on any particular sides of any of these pieces, where there is only 1, or two distinct and separate source points!

- And how about if the prata slices are NOT flat, but perhaps comes in various shapes, such as the 'Crispy' or 'Paper'-version on the right? Hmmmmm.

Well, it doesn't help that I love the series 'Numb3rs' :), perhaps there is more inspiration to be had when you watch 'Numb3rs' over a plate of prata for dinner!? ;)

Organically-designed designs: the next phase of design thinking?

Without a doubt, the design of any product is a key element in the sustainability of a product beyond its initial life-cycle. What more with form taking over function in more ways than one, where technical specifications are just mere secondary features that could easily be replicated anywhere and everywhere, what defines a product as THE product to have, and must have, is its design. Clean lines, minimalist approach, and simplicity rules the Apple product lines, superb GUI and its consistency across its models catapults Nokia to the leading handphone brand, well at least in this part of the world. How much better can then design be? Is there still room for innovation in design itself.

Well one possibility is in looking at design as something that is just beyond straight lines and forms. Making design more organic...much like what organic plants do! Clean, pure, without any rationalised forms and defined lines, not easy perhaps, but definitely revolutionary if I may say so.

Some examples perhaps! Look at the pebble-shaped MP3 player by Samsung, and I think you would get what I mean.



And how about Theo Jansen's BMW ad. The smooth motion of the wind-powered contraptions (hell yeah, IT IS WIND-powered!) is a real masterpiece of sorts, of what organic design can do to not only a form, but perhaps, a function!

Possibilities, possibilities, possibilities...

a noob in photography

I have just begun to indulge myself in photography early this year, and the results so far has been a mixed bag of surprises and disappointments. But that is to be expected, isn't it? Here's one of my favourites, something that took me 6 shots on a tripod, and stitched together using Photoshop. There is so much more to learn...and I do hope that I can spare the time to learn as much as I can, within whatever time that I can spare! I'm still a noob (newbie), and hope to take better and better pictures. Enjoy!

The case of the 'Social Plateau'

I read with interest the observations of one Straits Times reader in the Forum Page of the papers yesterday (Wednesday), regarding the less than sterling developments made by the Malay/Muslim middle and upper classes, vis-a-vis the widening income gap observed between the various races in Singapore over the years! Kudos to the astute observations made by the reader, a quiet thinker I must say, a point supported by my significant other, since she actually know him from a previous working place.



Anyway, in a nutshell, the observations pointed out by the reader is that whilst great efforts and resources have been put in place by the local Malay/Muslim bodies and organisations to address the widening income disparity between the Malay and other races in the lower income groups of the community, what seens to be more of an issue here is the 'social plateau' (a term that i coined myself, :) ) that are observed within the upper strata levels! Facts and figures don't usually lie, and have in fact been a validating indicator of this. While gaps have been addressed at the lower economic levels of the community, these have sadly been an creeping issue and have in fact been a plateau'ing phenomenon for the middle- and upper-classes of the community. But the reader is quick to point out that short of extending the latter a handout of sorts, or for that matter, ANY handout at all, the community should look at equipping them with the necessary tools to at least enable them to move up the economic ladder and value chain! A point of which I am totally in agreement upon.

Which does bring me back to the recent findings by the Malay Chamber of Commerce regarding the significantly large majority of Malay-Muslim-based local businesses who seems to be happy at making only between $100k to $500k a year, even after years of having established themselves. The fault? Well I am not a businessman myself, although I do have plans of my own, and neither am I fit enough to criticize, but for the sake of my 2 cents worth in the blogsphere, I do think that one should start to think of going just beyond the local Malay-Muslim market for a start, and offering services that also goes beyond the 'traditional' ones, like wedding, catering and stuffs like that! Perhaps a business model that transcends beyond just a 'traditional Malay-Muslim-based' feel and even practices, but then this is another entire matter that perhaps I can elaborate further once i am more, hmmm, established?

Back to my earlier point then, I do feel strongly for a dose of 'Revolusi Mental' (Mental Revolution) of sorts, a little something that the community really need to have a shot of, regardless of whether they have made it, or not, in the economic ladder! Satu 'anjakan paradigma' (paradigm shift), of helping others so that you can help yourselves, of the community looking at issues from a systemic rather than a systematic view, working across silos rather than in silos, of contributing to liberate the thinking that 'I have made it when my annual pay is beyond the average pay of my fellow community members'! It is not easy to tell people who seems, or have actually made it, that they still need to constantly improve themselves with skills and knowledgeware, but then, isn't the first revelation asking us to 'READ!'?

Hmmmm?


For the full article of the above, use the URL below:
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_232493.html