Escape: How to Avoid Being a Product of the System

Intro.

The system is a terrible thing. It draws you in by advertising a false sense of security and stability. It hijacks your life and holds you hostage. It hinders your thought process, stifles your creativity, and leaves you feeling frustrated. Consider your imagination murdered.

This is what being a product of our current education system is like. And it hasn’t been getting better. In fact, it’s been getting worse.

But I’m not here today to discuss how to make it better. I want to share how you can escape.

First, remember one fact.

If you had to remember one thing from this article, please let it be this. Regardless of the quality of our educational institutions, we are always in control of our life. We control our destiny. We are what we make ourselves. As students, this is something we never hear. We never hear that we can do whatever we put our minds to. We never hear that we can be the change we want to see in the world. I believe it is the most important realization in our life.

A quote from Steve Jobs exemplifies this fact perfectly:

“When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and
your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into
the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money.

That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people who were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.

Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

No matter how terribly our educational institutions may prepare us for life. We are ultimately in control of our destiny. No, this isn’t on the test. But, remember it anyway.

The System.

Homework. Testing. Memorization. I just summed up today’s education system in 3 words. If it isn’t on the test, it doesn’t matter. If it is, you better write it down so you can memorize it. When the test is over, who cares what you do with the meaningless information. It only exists in test form. Never is it applied in the real world in real context. Memorizing theory is no way to properly raise a generation.

Consider this: Why do most people go to college? I’ll bet my life that it’s not to gain a “well-rounded education” or to merely learn theory without context. Is 12 years of schooling not enough to make us well-rounded? Then why are we forced to take courses such as Humanities and Biology when our major is Engineering or Computer Science!

Most people go to college because it is considered a safe investment. It is still the safest route to the middle class even when 50% recent college grads are either unemployed or underemployed. Nevertheless, society continues to think highly of those with a degree. [see: The Problems With College]

Want to attend school or college, but avoid being a product of them both?

Escape.

I don’t believe that doors open up to us as we mature and gain experience. Rather, all of the doors are open at birth and close one by one as we mature and make choices. Choices must be made and doors will have to close. College is still the safest investment. But it closes many doors and reduces one’s overall potential success.

How does one minimize risk and maximize life potential? It’s a process of experiencing the best of both schooling and real world experience. You must manage your time effectively to be successful with both.

School is the easy part. Shut up, do what you’re told, and you’ll be fine. Avoiding the trap is the hard part. You must realize that formal schooling isn’t the best way to success. It may be the safest way to the middle class, but if you really want to excel, it takes much more than just a piece of paper. Make the effort in school, but realize that it’s just the beginning.

It’s time for the real world. Experiencing the real world when in high school or college is not difficult. Go volunteer. Get an internship. Start a company. Publish a book. Do independent projects. Lead a movement. This may sound like a lot of work. That’s why you choose something you’re passionate about. Only then will work be fulfilling and feel like play.

Be an autodidact. Learn every day. Read every day. You can learn anything on the Internet and in libraries. Write down what you learn and keep track of your progress on a blog.

Meet new people whenever you get the chance. You can learn something from anyone. Search out industry veterans and beg them to be a mentor. [see: The Future of Networking]

Closing.

Don’t be a cog in the machine. Be a linchpin and do something meaningful. Escape the system and take control of your destiny!

[HuffPost] UCF Student Open Forum: Where’s the Innovation?

[Originally appeared on the Huffington Post]

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would have been. Hosted by the University of Central Florida’s executives, there was something I immediately noticed that made me mad when I glanced around the room. There were more university administrators attending than students. This definitely needs to change if students want to see progress.

Excuses.

Cost and budget cuts were recurring themes in the answers of the university executives. Colleges and universities are clearly going through hard times and honestly, I don’t think it will get any better in the near future. Education is going through what I like to call a “modernization phase.” It’s been the same for the last century and it’s substandard at best in the 21st century. Higher education institutions need to adapt or fail. Almost every excuse I’ve heard regarding money could have been solved using student innovation.

For example, one student rightfully complained about the way UCF’s transportation services informs students about bus pickup and dropoff times. The app that is supposed to update bus times “hardly ever works.” The man in charge of the bus technology was in the crowd and put forth excuses that the application is in trial mode and that the bus service and technology are in a transition period that will last until 2014. He said that it would cost too much to build the app when it would be scrapped anyway when 2014 rolled around. That’s more than a year from now and it doesn’t even offer a solution for the student who uses UCF’s transportation services every day.

Innovation.

Instead of making excuses for the problem and avoiding the question, an innovative solution would be to organize a weekend app-building competition where the best working app would be used by UCF’s transportation services. Invite all of the entrepreneurship, computer science students, and design. It won’t take a year — just a weekend. Hackathons are famous for creating innovative solutions a short time. But why stop at one weekend? Why not hold one every month to better the websites and applications (myucfcomes to mind) of the university? Only when you give students the chance to surprise will they exceed your expectations.

This is just one innovative solution. I thought of it on my drive home.

My Question.

As you know, there is a huge difference between what we learn in college and what we do in the real world. I have two questions: What are the unemployment numbers of UCF graduates and what will UCF do to make higher education more applicable to the real world?

Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop and Vice Presidents Maribeth Ehasz and Bill Merck responded.

Provost Waldrop discussed the many partnerships that UCF has with local and national companies saying that the companies agree with the current curriculum. I do agree that UCF has exceeded my expectations for what a college can offer in terms of career connections. But the divide between what we learn in class and what is expected from us in the real world is still wide. The learning in class should be more relevant and geared toward success in the real world.

Vice President Merck discussed the importance of a well-rounded education and said that while classes like humanities may not seem useful now, they will be later in life. From my experience studying (on my own) seemingly unrelated subjects from product design to marketing to Biocentrism, I have to agree that a well-rounded education has allowed me to connect the dots between different fields. As a result, this insight has helped me more than a few times in my work experience. However, we cannot deny that the best thing to learn is how to think and learn for oneself.

Vice President Ehasz encouraged me to visit the Career Services and Experiential Learning department to learn more about the internship and job opportunities that UCF offers. However, I have already visited the department and submitted an introductory application which only looked at credit hours, graduation date and GPA. Being a first semester college student, my application was declined. Past work experience and personal projects were never even considered. She admitted that it was a problem that it needed to be fixed. Dr. Ehasz later met up with me after the forum to give me her card and told me to email her so that she can take a look at it later and fix the freshman dilemma.

Other Things.

A rather passionate student attacked President Hitt for implementing four straight year 15 percent tuition increase when his salary and benefits rank in the top 10 of university presidents. He cited a dismissed Orlando Sentinel article then later cited UCF’s own records of the President’s salary and benefits. Dr. Hitt didn’t have much to say.

I honestly forgot who said this but it went along the lines of “we need to increase tuition to maintain a quality education.” Again, this sounds like an excuse for a lack of innovation.

The forum was scheduled on the worst day possible, election day. The forum lasted from 11:30 until 1 p.m. Average wait time to vote at UCF was four hours. This could have been a factor in the low student turnout to the forum.

President Hitt looked uninterested — just being honest here. He checked his watch more than a few times and just looked bored at times. Maybe it’s just me?

There needs to be less excuses and more innovation. President and Vice Presidents of UCF, if you are reading this, I am willing to work with your team to come up with innovative solutions for the future of UCF.

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UCF President and Vice Presidents, I hope you’re listening, please accept my offer to help better the university. Shoot me an email at imtiazmaj@gmail.com

Priority vs Efficiency

Do you focus on priorities first? This seems like an obvious question. But, what makes a certain task a priority? And do you categorize them by importance?

Focus, not on priorities, but on efficiency.

I will purposefully put off homework until later in the night when there is more pressure to finish. Why? Because I finish homework much faster and more efficiently knowing that the deadline is just a few hours away. This gives me more time for other tasks.

When I focus first on priorities before the deadline, I found myself spending more time on them. Just knowing that I have the rest of the day makes me go slower.

Without pressure, there is no growth. How can you take advantage of this fact? Give shorter deadlines. Ask how long it would take to comfortably finish and move the deadline a bit closer.

“The only pressure I’m under is the pressure I’ve put on myself.” ~ Mark Messier

Feel Good Marketing

What comes to mind when you think of today’s marketing? Annoying advertisements? Cheesy commercials? Modern-day media manipulation?

It has this unethical ring to it, doesn’t it? There’s something about it that just doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel good. I’m not talking about making the consumer feel good. I’m talking about the marketer. And when a campaign doesn’t feel good with the marketer, it won’t feel good with the consumer.

Feel Good Marketing is ethical. It’s relevant and flows through life. It’s marketing without the marketing. There’s not way to describe it other than it feels good. This feeling will translate well with consumers who won’t feel like like they’re being talked at, but rather being conversed with.

Start with the product and end with the consumer. Focus on creating a Purple Cow and let the consumers do most of the work. Word of mouth is king.

The Problems With College

I just started college at the University of Central Florida 3 weeks ago and have already experienced some of the problems with higher education.

Very picturesque. See that building to the right? That’s the library. I spend more time in there than I do in my classes.

Applicability and Relevance

Chances are, I will never use anything I learn in my first semester. And I think that’s ridiculous. Classes aren’t relevant enough to engage students. I thought test-taking was over and I couldn’t be more wrong. The entire focus of college, besides moneymaking, is on test-taking. I fill up more tests than I deliver speeches in my public speaking course.

Gen Ed Courses

Why are they still required for a degree?  Thankfully I have AP credits which get me out of the large majority of these. But I’m still stuck with Humanities. I would much rather learn about career and life skills than I would Greek and Roman literature. No one in my class chose to take the class. We’re all there because it satisfied the history requirement.

Textbooks

This is the 21st century. Literally everything is online. I don’t see the point in requiring students to purchase $500+ in textbooks EVERY semester.  And don’t even think of buying that old edition for $10, the new edition is required. What’s the difference? The book publishers switched the chapters around. Unethical business is what this is.

Cost and Payment

The University of Central Florida (UCF) offered me loans as financial aid. Their interest rates were higher than those from banks. What foolishness is this! Yes, you can put off paying for college loans until after graduation. But the interest will pile up over those 4+ years and the bill comes the day after you graduate. Don’t have a job? Oh well. Can’t pay up? Too bad. And you can’t remove them by filing for bankruptcy either. The only way out is to pay. College, first and foremost, is a business. A very successful, yet unethical, business.

Degree Options

A UCF advisor told me that I couldn’t major in both Computer Science and Design and still graduate within 4 years. I believe that if you’re paying to attend an institution, you should learn whatever you want and get credit for it as well.

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My vision for the future of higher education will tackle these major problems in detail. So look out for that at a later date. ~ Imtiaz Majeed

The Future of Networking: Online Meets Offline Interaction

Online networking is one thing. Offline networking is another. But I believe the future of networking will be a hybrid form of both online and offline interaction.

Such an example is LetsLunch.

Founder Institute graduate, LetsLunch connects you with entrepreneurs and industry professionals in your area. Connecting online and then connecting over lunch is much more effective than just another email in an inbox. This one-to-one interaction where attention is devoid of online distractions is powerful. An email is weak and isn’t likely to make an unforgettable impression. Personality and passion can’t be expressed through email.

LetsLunch has more than 15,000 users registered in the US, Italy and New Zealand. It is launching in the UK September 22 and in the Netherlands September 27th. I recommend this to anyone interested in expanding their future opportunities. You don’t have to know anyone, just find someone you think is interesting on the LetsLunch website and invite them for lunch. You never know what might happen.

Join LetsLunch and share ideas, meet new people, pitch your startup, and get ahead in your life. If you’re in the UK, get your invite today and an exclusive launch party ticket. There are fewer than 50 free tickets remaining at the time of writing.

~ Imtiaz Majeed

What Would the Interior of a Self Driving Car Look Like?

Self driving cars are inevitable. It’s a good money making idea and it would save 100 hours each year for the average American driver. (10+ hours each week in my case) Many companies have already started the mechanics and programming aspect to the self driving car.

But what about the interior? You don’t expect us to just sit there and watch the road roll by. I envision a mobile “living area”. One where the line between home and car are blurred. One where transportation doesn’t interrupt our life but rather flows with it and accommodates our daily activities.

Instead of this.

More of this. (without the mini bar…)

The future of automobiles will be centered around the user (who is no longer referred to as driver). I foresee a future where “empty” cars are sold, and furnished almost entirely by the user, much like that of buying a house. The user would buy a chair, desk, and television made specifically for a car and “install” it herself, similar to that of connecting Lego pieces. The car would serve as the foundation (or baseplate in terms of Lego) where everything would latch onto. This would give users the freedom to create any space to fit their needs.

The “automobile” aspect of the car should be hidden away. A steering wheel with standard PRNDL controls should be easily accessible in case of emergency. Otherwise manual controls should remain hidden as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised if seat belts and airbags were abolished from these cars. This will definitely take time. With self driving cars, accidents will be nonexistent, countless hours would be saved, and humans can once again focus on what we do best: creating.

~ Imtiaz Majeed

Feedback Signals

I got a Sunpass transponder recently. It’s a really convenient device to have when commuting on the highway daily.

And it’s gotten a lot skinnier and sleeker since the original transponder.

One obvious design fault, however, there are no feedback signals to let you know if I paid toll or not. No beeps, no sounds, no lights. Nothing. I barely notice its presence when driving. Which is a good and bad thing. For example, I pass through multiple tolls each day and if the transponder stops working one morning, I’ll have to pay a fine for every toll I pass through unpaid. This makes for an unhappy customer.

This problem has occurred before. This story, from Tampa Bay Online, describes a man who got his license suspended because the transponder’s battery was running low and he wasn’t aware.

A simple tone or beep when passing through a toll would be sufficient to reassure drivers that the toll has been paid for. A flashing red light or recurring negative tone when the battery is running low would also help.

How I Got Lost In a Library: Restroom Signs

First day of college at UCF. One more class to go. Going great so far, I’m liking the big campus and large student population.  I have a lot of time, in between my classes, and I chose to spend it at the library. I had just finished replying to emails when I wanted to use the restroom. Where was it? I had no clue. (I just came back and still have no idea where it is) I walked aimlessly through the endless rows of library shelves looking for some sign directing me where to go. Nothing. Instead I followed the walls around the room, since the designers almost always have it toward the exterior area of the room. I mean, I had to find it eventually. And I did.

While on this mini adventure, I thought about how there should be signs pointing students to the bathroom so they wouldn’t have to search aimlessly. The 8 foot library shelves prevent any way of knowing where the bathroom is offhand. And the awkwardly shaped room doesn’t help. The only signs that I could find were the ones that were directly in front and next to the restroom.

One solution would be to have multiple restroom signs placed around the room in such a way that one would always be in sight. This is much more convenient than having just two signs directly near the door.

Another solution would to have a small directory as soon as you enter. In my case of the UCF, this would be as soon as you enter the room coming up the stairs. This way there is always something to refer back to when you need it. At least you know where to go and can go there for directions rather than searching aimlessly.

Yes it might cost more to do this, but at least “navigation” of the building would be in order. Students wouldn’t have to ask the librarians where the restroom is. This would save valuable production hours and time in the long run.

My Talk with Don Norman

I recently had the privilege to speak with one of the most influential designers in the world: Dr. Donald Norman. We spoke for over an hour and I must say that I learned a lot about design psychology in such a short amount of time. His thought-provoking words left my brain feeling refreshed.

We discussed the suggestions that I offered him for the revised version of “The Design of Everyday Things”. He even shared just a glimpse of his personal stories from Apple and from his experience in design in general. I even taught him a new word! (skeuomorphism)

Don discussed how easy it was to find design problems in the world but how hard they actually are to fix. He also explained how the economy and differing company standards were the culprits. But how the differing standards are also what make life interesting. We talked about Apple, Google, Amazon and their control freak ways. It may have seemed like the most random conversation ever. We discussed everything from windows and coffeemakers to ceiling fans and keyboards. But everything was linked together by a universal theme: design and the psychology of design.

I want to share Don’s advice on how to pursue design sans degree (which relates to Project Summer 13) since it can be applied to any field. “Focus on your strengths,” he said, “you can’t compete with real design students. They’ve had 4 full years worth of experience and portfolio material. You’ve had a couple classes at best” Instead he recommended that I emphasize my computer science experience and relate it to design. This way, my unique experience and perspective would stand out in a pool of just design applicants. He also advised that I audit classes that interest me and become friends with the “interesting professors”. Golden advice.

All in all, the most stimulating conversation that I have had in a long time. ~ Imtiaz Majeed

Project Summer 13

I’m going to do something I think no one has ever done before. In today’s economy, it is risky to pursue any career without a degree in the area of study. No one wants to hire you. You are looked down upon in society and you rarely amount to anything in your field. I will prove this accepted “fact” wrong and take charge of my education. My only limit is myself.

Introduction.

This summer was incredible. I learned more this summer than I ever have in school. I got to work on many challenging projects with simply wonderful people. (look over my resume to see what I mean) But I want to take my learning to the next step.

I want to develop a more versatile startup skill set to better succeed in a competitive entrepreneurial environment. I am currently majoring in computer science to build my coding experience and working with a tech startup to further my business skills. The next step is design.

Project Summer 13.

During the summer of 2013, I want to immerse myself in the field of design. My goal is to learn as much as I possibly can and more.  To do this I will be interning with a top design consultancy/firm to get first hand experience in the world of design. My efforts will be focused on industrial design, product design and prototyping for entrepreneurial reasons. Graphic design and sketching also appeal to me. I want to get a taste for other aspects of design as well. I will soak up everything.

The Problem (and solution).

I have no experience with design. No portfolio. Not a single sketch.

But what I do have is passion. I am passionate about great design. I appreciate products that have been well designed. I take a second to admire spectacular design feats. Not only do I gripe over poorly designed products, but I think of ways to improve them. Don Norman recently contacted me for revisions for his book, “The Design of Everyday Things”.

This isn’t the first time that I’m stepping up to the plate as an amateur. I started a social media consulting business after creating a Facebook account a couple months before. I made the company website with no previous experience. And after it was all set up, I decided that social media wasn’t for me. When everything in place, I wasn’t learning as much as I thought I would. I stopped immediately and started learning something else. Today I work as social media manager with startup expanding into the UK. And I build websites for different causes in my free time.

I tend to get bored quickly. Without a challenge, I lose interest. I want to learn by doing and by overcoming obstacles. It’s only impossible until it’s done. What I lack in experience I make up for in passion. My love of learning has gotten me this far and I believe it can take me even further.

The Ideal Experience.

I want to get as close to this experience as possible.

• Top design consultancy/firm that encourages creativity and innovation
• Work (and learn on the way) on real projects with pressing deadlines
• Perform market research
• Learn the basics of sketching
• Participate in brainstorming sessions
• Create a prototype
• Present a final product to a client
• Get a taste for every design position

The ideal internship would require me to travel, preferably somewhere in California or New York, but I’m open to anywhere. The ideal internship would pay my travel fare, housing, transportation, stipend, etc. If this can’t be done, that’s ok. Remember this is the ideal. Compensation enhances the experience and reduces the hassle of travel/commute.

Closing.

I have about 10 months until Summer 2013. It would seem like a stretch to get an internship with a top design firm with no experience. I must admit, it won’t be easy. It can be done. It may seem impossible. But it can be done. ~ Imtiaz Majeed

Skeuomorphism

I didn’t understand the concept of skeuomorphism when I read the definition. (apparently WordPress doesn’t either, it keeps telling me to fix my spelling…) Skeuomorphism is the concept of reiterating something that was necessary in an old version, into a newer version. Yes, it is confusing to think about. But when you see it in action, it’s obvious.

On the iPad, it isn’t necessary to turn the pages like you would when reading a physical book. But Apple is notable  (some may say notorious) for implementing skeuomorphism into their software. To make reading a book on the iPad more familiar, they kept the feeling of turning the page of a physical book in digital device.

I was oblivious to this before. But, I think most people are unless they study a little design.

It’s completely unnecessary, but this feature is very popular in tablets and e-readers. Book worms just love the feeling of turning the page, it creates suspense for one. And it’s also something that they’re very used to. I’ve even seen book lovers choose an e-reader based only on this feature.

More examples of skeuomorphism.

iCal looks like a calendar. Even down to the ripped page effect. Suede is even added.

Piano app is a piano.

Notice the bumps? Now look at your keyboard.

Newsstand is exactly that – a shelf with magazines and newspapers.

More suede.

Many argue against Apple’s use of skeuomorphism, saying it goes against the minimal design of their hardware and that skeuomorphism is just plain bad design. I’ve seen arguments about how it restrains innovation because it uses what was already used before and not something new and fresh. It’s been called a tool that designers use to make life easier without putting forth much effort. Some have even gone as far as to call skeuomorphism an excuse that designers use when they are having trouble coming up with something new.

The reason for using skeuomorphism are simple.

 Things are familiar and, therefore, easier to use in the beginning and all the time afterwards. The learning curve is almost nonexistent if you already have an idea of the real-world counterpart. (ex: calendar and iCal)

The beauty of it is that a 5 year old as well as an 80 year old won’t have much difficulty. It’s universal and something well understood. And since it looks familiar, it will also look and feel familiar. Making the experience seem much easier than it already is.

Even the Apple Developer documents includes guidelines on OS X Human Interface. The use of metaphors and mental models are encouraged which reminds me of The Design of Everyday Things. [see: Design Psychology]

Take advantage of people’s knowledge of the world by using metaphors to convey concepts and features of your app. Metaphors are the building blocks in the user’s mental model of a task. Use metaphors that represent concrete, familiar ideas, and make the metaphors obvious, so that users can apply a set of expectations to the computer environment.

~ Apple’s guidelines on use of metaphors

Some may say that adding skeuomorphism design has nothing to do with actually using the product. But I believe that if it has the ability to make things seem familiar and easy to use than that is a good enough reason to do so. No the suede header on iCal has nothing to do with actually using a calendar. Does it seem more inviting and warm with it? I would say yes.

I haven’t heard any complaints of it detracting from the experience from the “average user”. It doesn’t exactly follow Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design however I don’t think there are clear cut guidelines for these sorts of things. Arguing between skeuomorphic and minimal design is like arguing over red vs blue. (no, this is not a political analogy…)

For a company like Apple, once you have that winning formula, you keep with it. You make small improvements over time. Skeuomorphism always worked for them and I believe it always will. With technology moving as such a fast pace, Apple will be that company that continues to be user friendly.

~ Imtiaz Majeed

Design Psychology

I finally got the books from the library.

Started with “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman.

Seemed like a good book to start with. Already a third of the way through and caught myself thinking: “What in the world am I reading? This isn’t about design!” Which is true, it’s not about design. It’s about psychology. (it was previously published as ‘The Psychology of Everyday Things’) But the reality is, design has everything to do with psychology.

As I said before, design is in the details.

Magsafe power charging ~ So your laptop doesn’t go flying across the room when you trip on the wire

Macbook’s open notch/handle ~ Because slide notch to open doesn’t make sense on a laptop

Macbook’s sleep light ~ Only shines when it’s sleeping, try finding it when it’s not

Details like these can only come from hours of using the device. They’re not examples of cutting-edge technology. They’re examples of human psychology. They’re the details that we don’t notice. But quietly appreciate. Because somehow, they should be there. It feels obvious and questioning them seems out of the ordinary.

They follow Dieter Rams’ principles for good design. They don’t detract from the experience by being there. But taking them away would.

Back to the book. I’m already a third of the way through and I found numerous examples of these details expressing their respect for human psychology.

Such as push and pull door handles.

The subtle cues let you know if you should push or pull and in which direction, left or right.

With good design, labels are not necessary. Don Norman even goes to say that if a label or sign is needed, try a different design.

Mental mapping and models are also recurrent topics that relate to psychology. Really glad I took that psychology class in High School.

More mapping. The controls for the car seats look exactly like the seats. Self explanatory. No labels necessary.

We gripe over bad design. But good design is overlooked. Never looking at well designed products the same way again. ~ Imtiaz Majeed

Hera Competition

Looking into competition for Hera. Here’s what I found.

Telikin

First impression: Looks like a 90s Apple product. (does look a bit aged though)

Haven’t tried out the product itself but looking at the reviews, most liked that it was very easy to use. Followed by the large touch screen. The mix of applications that the computer comes pre-downloaded with is also a plus.

Major dislike was that it had limited functionality and was not expandable. If you needed a simple computer and a specific program, you could not have both with the telikin. Some reviews blamed many bugs and limitations from detracting from the telikin.

Overall ratings were excellent.

Features.

• touch screen
• video chat
• email
• web
• games
• calendar
• news
• weather
• zoom magnification
• photo sharing

Price is hefty: ranging from $700 for a 18.6” screen to $1000 for a 20” screen. Hardware specs are lackluster, very basic at most. Another computer with the same specs would cost much less.

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Next.

WOW! Computer

First impression: This looks exactly like the telikin! The layout is the same. Color scheme is almost identical. The design is basically copied. They just changed the logo on the front.

Again, haven’t tried out the product myself. Looked around amazon, no reviews. Even their website has no reviews, not one! So far, it just looks sketchy.

Features.

• touch screen
• email
• web
• photo sharing
• zoom magnification
• games

Price is also hefty. $1000 for a 20” screen. Hardware specs also don’t impress.

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Next.

Kiwi PC

First impression: I like it. Except for the keyboard key colors. They make it look like something aimed at a Preschooler

Tried looking into their website, but the domain is for sale. Looks like this is discontinued.

I did happen to find the original price: $500. Much cheaper than the above 2 options. However considering the hardware specs, similar computers are at least $100 cheaper. The features I found don’t sound too impressive.

If continued upon, I believe this could have been a real competitor in this niche market. The price alone sets it apart.

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There wasn’t much to be found in this market. Only 1 real competitor: Telikin. Which has many flaws. For this reason, I believe this market is ripe for disruption. It’s only at the infant stage right now.

~ Imtiaz Majeed

Thoughts On Design & Dieter Rams

I finally understand this quote from Mark Twain: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” It explains the heart of design. Because design is not the easy process of adding more features. It is the hard process of taking away until nothing else can be taken away. It’s the process of making the complex, simple. Simplicity and design are cousins.

Design is at the heart of every product. But, good design is not about design. It’s about function. It is the function wrapped up in a little package. Only the package is invisible. And the function is obvious. It’s in the details of product design. The ones that don’t intrude. But rather blend in. Details make good design.

I thought Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of good design was a good place to start my learning.

The principles as well as the accompanying text are from Vitsoe.

Good design is innovative

The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.

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Good design makes a product useful

A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.

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Good design is aesthetic

The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.

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Good design makes a product understandable

It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.

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Good design is unobtrusive

Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.

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Good design is honest

It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.

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Good design is long-lasting

It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.

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Good design is thorough down to the last detail

Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the user.

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Good design is environmentally-friendly

Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.

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Good design is as little design as possible

Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.

Back to purity, back to simplicity.

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Dieter Rams has created many masterpieces for Braun.

He designed over 500 products in total during his life! (he’s still alive)

 Personally, I like his universal shelving system for Vitsoe the best. The simplicity is astounding.

His opinions are very thought provoking.

Reminds me of when I read Biocentrism. Very controversial book. But made me view the world through a different lens.

He also disliked the use of “stark” colors for kitchen appliances. He said it was too dominating. And that design should not dominate things. Or people for that matter. It should only help people.

As I try to think like him and view the world through his ideology, the world of design today is really a terrible place. Each individual product is constantly fighting for our attention. It’s for this reason that Apple’s computers are all chrome. They are too big to be colorful. They would dominate easily. But iPods are a variety of colors. They are too small to dominate. All of these factors must be taken into account for great design.

Looking at my room, I can understand why he hates the American way of styling. The design of many dominating objects try to emphasize it and make it more noticeable in some way. People are more comfortable with objects that they can dominate. We like products we have complete control over. Not just in a literal sense, but figuratively as well. We prefer simplicity over complexity. It’s just human nature.

Continuing on with learning design…

Checked the local library for Dieter Rams’ book: As Little Design as Possible. Nothing. Checked for any design books. Still nothing. But I did find 15 books on knitting…

Ended up ordering 3 books from another branch: (but still no Dieter Rams, may just end up purchasing this one)

• “The Design of Everyday Things” ~ Don Norman
• “Fab: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop” ~ Neil Gershenfeld
• “The Art of Innovation: lessons in creativity from IDEO” ~ Tom Kelley

They’re still in transit. But I’ll do a comprehensive review of each one like before.

Learned a lot from Dieter Rams so far. Still have a long way to go with learning design. ~ Imtiaz Majeed