March 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  

Month March 2009

Entries 2 Total

BP’s “Living Lab”.

Mar 28, ’09 10:31 PM

One of the challenges with introducing new products and concepts into an environment is that one never knows how the “customer” will react.  There are, of course, many ways to ensure that new product and service offerings are accepted more readily.  Some basic methods involve customer surveys and usability studies, while more advanced examples involve in-depth “anthropology” – i.e. studying how people behave and react to challenges and designing appropriate solutions to meet their needs.

BP has taken a unique approach to this “anthropology” concept through another advanced concept known as the “Living Lab”.  Instead of simply designing what a “next-generation” gas station could look like, they actually built it.  The formal name of this innovative gas station is the “Helios House”.

In terms of the objective, BP’s web site says it best:

It’s not a prototype “station of the future.” It’s a station for today that’s a little better, a living lab where we can try out ideas for other stations and where people can find ideas they might want to bring into their own lives. It’s a kind of a conversation between BP and people who come into the station, a conversation about how we can both move up a notch on the greencurve.

In looking at the associated PDF (also on the web site) and visiting the station in person, it’s clear that BP met its objectives.  While BP staff may not emulate IDEO’s staff in terms of pure anthropology, the concept of the “Living Lab” has its share of benefits.

helios_2helios_3helios_13

Instead of deploying this new design across the board, they built just one.  This single unit allows them to test in the real-world which will allow them to make better long-term decisions later on.  Another benefit is the “osmosis” effect – the sheer presence of the building can encourage customers (and even competitors) to think more carefully about their environmental footprint, which ultimately benefits everyone.

The numerous concepts employed in the “Helios House” are interesting by themselves, and even more interesting when combined.  Is there a way where you can design and deploy your own “Living Lab”?  What concepts would make up the larger puzzle?  What should the puzzle look like, and can customer interaction with the “lab” allow for the creation of a new puzzle?


Comments Off on BP’s “Living Lab”.

Lessons in Efficiency.

Mar 10, ’09 9:33 PM

I am currently taking “Design Drawing I” – a foundation Industrial Design course at the Academy of Art University.

One of the interesting aspects of this class is that while I am gaining considerable knowledge about perspective drawing, sketching and rendering, one of the foundation lessons involves the development of an efficient sketching workflow.  Understanding the reason behind the prescribed workflow, working within that workflow, and streamlining all aspects of the workflow is key to succeeding in the course (and beyond).

The workflow conveyed in the course typically involves the following four steps:

  1. Thumbnails – very small sketches designed to be created in five minutes or less to determine composition.
  2. Sketching from still life – a loose sketch designed to distinguish light and dark areas.
  3. Drafting – drawing the objects in proper perspective using the life sketch as a reference point.
  4. Final Render – transferring the draft to charcoal paper for the final NuPastel render.

The first several weeks of the course were very challenging for me because while I understood the workflow in principle, I didn’t really grasp the importance of each step until fairly recently.  Because of this lack of awareness, I started to work outside of this workflow.  Not surprisingly, I was less efficient and early on I began to see the class as a “means to an end” vs. the true learning experience I originally signed up for.

Ironically enough, one reason why I originally worked against the workflow was to try to be more efficient.

One of the early lessons in efficiency (i.e. overcoming procrastination) is to “work on the most difficult task first”.  The reasons for doing so are obvious: eliminate your main barrier and everything else will be much easier to complete.  Because of this lesson, I focused on the drafting and render first (the most difficult steps in the above workflow) before spending time on the thumbnails and life sketch.

After realizing my error, I decided to abandon this early efficiency lesson and instead work within the defined workflow.  Due to this change, the past week has been significantly better both in terms of overall (sketch) quality and personal satisfaction.

This concept has applicability to the workplace as well. In general, companies that operate efficiently do better than those that do not.  This is one reason why companies focus their energies on process engineering and process improvement methodologies such as Lean and Six Sigma – i.e. highly efficient processes mean the company can do more with less (e.g. time, money, resources, etc.), and this makes them more competitive.

As with my experience in the classroom, associates who work outside of or against these established processes (for various reasons) can frequently find this behavior to cause them (and others) greater dissatisfaction and efficiency loss in the long-run.

Perhaps the lesson here is not really about efficiency gain – it’s about understanding what you hope to gain from the experience.  If you are treating the activity as a “means to an end” (e.g. a specific result, grade, etc.) then you will likely be less efficient in the long-run, and you may never achieve your objective.  In contrast, if you operate with the mindset that you are working solely for the experience, your satisfaction will increase and you will be efficient by default.

Comments Off on Lessons in Efficiency.