More (Talk) is cheap!

I just happen to watch the local news yesterday, about the possibility of the public transportation fares being increased due to inflationary pressures. Nothing new really, in fact it IS to be expected! One thing that struck me though was the the answer given by the spokesperson (I think, or was it one of the Minister?) when he said that overall the average price of one's bus journey should be low if one were to take into account more bus journeys that one makes. But I mean really...for a small country like us, I think it would not take more than 2 connecting bus journeys for a typical Singaporean to reach his destination. So does that mean that on average, our bus journey fares would never ever get cheaper, as claimed by the spokesperson! Unless the individual in particular really take the effort to take in more bus connecting bus journeys to reach his destination! I mean seriously, who will be moronic enough to do that? Hmmmm.

Design Quotient

What is your Design Quotient?

I had a review session with one of my officers the other time and during the session, I did ask her on the outcome of her research topic for her post-graduate degree. After moments of discussion, I did propose to her on perhaps looking at this idea of a Design Quotient (DQ) of sorts, an index for the purpose of perhaps indicating the level of Design Intelligence that one has, much like how an IQ works. I did blog about this a couple of posts back, and interestingly, this idea of a DQ was brought up again when I came across articles on the use of Multiple Intelligence (MI) in the various articles on general education. After years since Howard Gardner propounded the idea of the multiplicity of intelligences, more have come out to reaffirm the belief that there is indeed a deep-rooted belief that perhaps there is some truth in all these hoopla about looking at Man's 'usefulness' as more than just the mere quality of how well his neurons are connected!

On a similar note, perhaps there could be this untapped potential in knowing how well or intelligent one is in the area of design. Whether it is explicitly shown in his or her choice of fashion, living spaces, gadgetry or even in his ability or inability to sketch and draw, there is I think this nagging belief that there is somewhere, inside all of us, that switch or indicator, that would reveal how well one's innate design ability is!

Just take a look at the preponderance of products that are currently available to consumers! I mean, with a dizzying array of design and products, each with their own niche capability, a regular human would have taken at least some steps of comparison to at least be able to discern what he or she wants, given that he has limited resources in the first place. By virtue of this comparisons and perhaps, by the sheer ability to visually be able to differentiate a 'good', 'bad', 'sexy', 'minimalist' and all the other adjectives, wouldn't it at least be a good indicator of perhaps one's capacity to appreciate good design!

But in a similar vein to what I have blogged about earlier, perhaps this DQ is also something that might not be, in actuality, something that would run concurrently with the physical or mental age of a person! What do I mean? Seriously, have you ever seen one dressing up so badly, as in like completely out of fashion, or completely out of place in whatever situations that he or she is in! Much like how one would be able to discern one's ability to understand or grasp a concept through tests and exams, wouldn't it then be possible for one to then be sucked in into a low DQ state? So perhaps, one can talk all that one wants about his qualifications, but then again, given a situation that perhaps he or she is required to show his design flair, he or she might simply falter!

And what use would knowing one's DQ be? Well I don't think I want to bore you with some ideas that I have so far, perhaps on my next few posts, I would really love to unravel this!

I want to work in this company!!!

I happen to get hold of the ABC Nightline's 'The Deep Dive' episode aired in July 1998, where they did a feature on IDEO's design process over a span of 5 days, to come out with a modified shopping cart. Mind you, this was a design process and deadline that was really really tight and compressed, even for an innovative firm like IDEO.

But what strikes me during the course of the program is not the creative or innovative practices adopted by the staff themselves, but more importantly, the mantra that in order for them to succeed, they need to fail more often! Somewhat oxymoronic, but looking at it contextually, I do think that this is true.

The other mantra that they subscribe to was to just do IT first, and seek forgiveness later, rather than seeking permission to do things beforehand! I guess when it comes to that level of understanding and professionalism, it is indeed okay to go ahead first if we are able to ensure at least a certain degree of learning points! And even if one fails and seek forgiveness later, at least some learning points can be gained from it. Who can forget the story of Thomas Edison and his 6000++ experiments?

So WHAT IS your experiment? And what are you seeking forgiveness for? ;)

Useful Design Idea 2

Being a regular commuter to shopping centres here in Singapore, I can't help but wonder about the relevance and efficacy of the information that is displayed by the management of these buildings where the parking charges are concerned. Usually the display of the information is pretty much packed, so much so that its relevance in the context of the time (and place) of the point of entry and exit of the vehicle becomes blur. I guess sometimes it doesn't really help if we are bombarded with TOO MUCH information, within a short period of time. I mean wouldn't it just suffice if the driver of the vehicle, especially in the context of where I am staying, are given only the necessary information at the point of entry (or exit, if relevant), i.e. the parking charges, whether by hourly or by entry, rather than a whole gamut of information, which is well good, if you so decide to plan for your visit the next time round, but not necessary most of the time! It doesn't help too that where I am residing, the electronic system allows for only a very short period of time for the driver to discern the relevant information, should he or she chooses too, from the information display boards. Hmmm.

Useful Design Idea 1

I was doing my monthly digital data backup on my main hard disk when I suddenly realise that there was insufficient space in it. Hmmm, and then I realise, my main hard disk, the one that I use and assign to be the mother of all my hard disks, is actually of a smaller capacity compared to my portable versions! Hmmm, now that is quite a situation I have there. An idea came to my mind, as you can see in the picture above. Can a design be incorporated that is so simple so that the user or owner of the hard disk would be able to tell, at a glance, and without needing to connect the disk to a computer, the remaining space in it. I remember we have something simple and similar in the Energizer batteries, you know the 'power remaining' indicator. Why not then we have a similar indicator, somewhat similar to the water-level indicator versions as seen above, that can be placed alongside the hard disk? A simple idea, don't you think!