Tim Brown On Current Design Challenges

prostoalex writes "Tim Brown is the CEO of IDEO, design company that is quite famous for its work on designing office chairs, Palm computers, Microsoft mice, Nike shoes, etc. MIT Technology Review interviewed Tim Brown on current challenges in the design world, exciting fields for a designer to be in, current annoyances in the user interface design."

it's time to retire

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean, I like Tim Brown. And Jerry Rice as well. But after the severe ass-kicking that the Bucs delivered in the Super Bowl I fear it *may* be time for the Black & Silver Assholes to rebuild.

Make Ergonomics Open Source!

[Lieutenant_Dan]

I think that the designs implemented could be further enhanced by having the blueprints and patents available to the Open Source developer community. Their dedication and strict attention to detail would allow these corporations to tap into new markets.

We must consider what the impact on the global market that these products will have. Will they be able to reduce the inflation while increasing the gross national product? Only with a strong currency can a country have a voice.

By communication with its neighbors, any country can forge alliances and trade agreements that increase its population's well-being. Their health is one valuable asset when one wants to compete against some of the established powers.

Medical progress in turn will be accelerated by the sharing the knowledge and a strong investement in R&D. Only then can we liberate the world from all the ails and diseases.

So in summary, if the patents are made open source, we can probably find a cure for cancer.

..a pretty neat idea.

[Anonymous Coward]

The other classic example is digital watches, where the cost of adding extra features is so low, that you end up with all these features through this incredibly low bandwidth interface that nobody can ever remember.

Insert Douglas Adamas joke here.

Re:Cool! This guy works down the street from me...

[Salamander]

Heh. Same here. Why, just this morning I was making the turn onto Maguire, and I was thinking "what is the natural nickname for people who work at IDEO, anyway?" I don't think they'd appreciate the answer I came up with.

Thanks for Clarification...

[superdan2k]

Good lord, I'm glad you clarified who Tim Brown was, otherwise I would have thought he was an aging wide reciever [yahoo.com] for the Oakland Raiders.

Double plus good that that name wasn't attached to an article about black holes, then.

Disclaimer: If you don't watch football, you won't find this funny and shouldn't waste your mod points. You might not even find it funny if you do watch football because, well, I'm half-awake right now and can't be a good judge of what's funny.

Re:Computer interfaces

[skaffen42]

A computer will never be truely user freindly until it under stands plain spoke words and gives us what we want, not what we asked for.

Dude, you just described my relationship with my ex-girlfriend! I thought we were incompatible, but now I realize she just wasn't user friendly enough!

Re:Typical arty bollocks

[jonathan_ingram]

He's probably a designer in the 1970s mould -- those who gifted my home town (Birmingham, in the UK) with innumerable pustules of architecture in 'hunt the entrance' concrete form.

Butt Placement Device

[pipingguy]

It took "...11 studies by 27 scientists at four universities..." to design --Tah-Dah!-- a chair [ideo.com].

Clap, clap.

Xerox Park

[BigBadBri]

You're either thinking of Xi Rox Park, the infamous Korean design guru, or Xerox Parc, the noted egghead concentration in Palo Alto.

Sorry - just had to do it.

Re:Computer interfaces

[Space_Nerd]

Maybe you should have bought her new hardware, that always help.