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Archives
Interruptions.
Mar 27, ’11
12:15 PM
“Interruptions produce a heavy mental workload. For example, if we were reading, an interruption means we have to find our place and rebuild our mental structures to resume. If we are involved in deep concentration and mental activity – such as might be required in programming, writing or design – the disturbance that results from an interruption can be even more extreme. The psychological literature is filled with studies demonstrating the high cognitive workload caused by interruptions and the resulting inefficiency with which tasks get completed. The research literature on the performance of tasks shows that interruptions lead to errors: people forget where they were, sometimes resuming by repeating a task already done or by skipping a step not yet done. Both can have serious negative consequences. In addition, when tasks interrupt one another, each gets done more slowly due to startup time. The total time taken can be far greater than if none of the tasks were interrupted.”
Living with Complexity, Donald A.Norman
Directions.
Mar 21, ’11
8:08 PM
Take a look at virtually any career guide and the underlying message is “consistency” and “traceability” – i.e. does your career tell a story? Does it show a clear progression and overall strategy? Are you building to some higher goal, or just going from position to position?
In my particular case, it’s a combination of both:
There is an article in a recent issue of Forbes by Tamara Warren that showcases Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles. Mr.Gilles is a talented forty-year old who has had a clear sense of what he wanted from the very beginning and has since risen to the top from his early beginnings at CCS.
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I have always dreamed that there would a day where I would find myself in similar shoes. The work and personal sacrifices I’ve made will have paid off. I will be able to thank everyone who believed in me since the beginning and I’ll be able to finally tell myself that “I did it.”
In some ways my abilities are like a river – some parts of the river are fast-moving and accelerate my progress in ways I had never imagined, while other stretches are dead calm leaving me to wonder if I’ve reached the end of the journey, but I don’t think this “river” has an end.
While I don’t have the benefit of a linear career path, I have many other qualities and talents that continue to open doors for me even today and will continue to do so in the long-run.
Ralph Gilles is a beacon for what’s possible.
Inspiration: DRIVE.
Mar 5, ’11
7:14 PM
Ever since I became interested in concept design in 2006, that interest continues to expand through the work of talented concept artists across the world. One artist and designer who I have learned from via Gnomon DVDs, and met briefly at the Art Center College of Design, is Scott Robertson. Late last year, Scott released a new book called “Drive” which includes a wealth of new and unique vehicle concept sketches and renderings.
Here’s the official description from the Design Studio Press site:
DRIVE features Scott Robertson’s very latest vehicle designs intended for the video game space communicated through skillfully drawn sketches and renderings. DRIVE builds upon the success of his prior two vehicle design brooks, Start Your Engines and Lift Off. Featuring four chapters, each representing a different aesthetic theme, Aerospace, Military, Pro Sports and Salvage, conceptual sports cars, big-rigs and off-road vehicle designs are beautifully represented through traditional and digital media sketches, and renderings.
This is definitely one I will be adding to my concept art collection very soon.
