Social Awareness Week at HFI - Dec '07

As a part of CSR efforts at Human Factors, we recently concluded a Social Awareness Week at our workplace. This small effort helped in giving light to some of the less-talked-about issues (especially within India) like global warming, corporate community development and other social and environmental effects.

We tried to convey the theme of "being socially aware" in every part of the campaign.
1) The paper used across the campaign was single-side printed paper that is otherwise thrown away or shredded.
2) The posters stuck in the office were made by cut-outs from old newspapers and magazines.
3) The prizes for the competetions were made by NGO's and a part of the total cost was contributed to their cause.

The award winning documentary by Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, was also showcased as a part of the event. The "Awareness Quiz" where the participants were divided into two teams turned out to be the major crowd-puller with almost 100% attendance.

Pankhudi All India Meet 3 - Dec '07

Pankhudi All India Meet 3 - Reflections

An event Pankhudi volunteers wait for, year after year, was hosted this time by Bangalore Chapter.

Pankhudi Foundation's All India Meet 2007 on child-related issues was attended by speakers, volunteers and representatives from different parts of India.

Hours of discussion sessions were followed by an overnight team outing to 'Nandi Hills' which rejuvenated the participants on the concluding day of the conference.

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

Green-wash (green'wash', -wôsh') – verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.



Terrachoice - an environmental marketing firm - describes the 6 sins as:
1) Sin of Hidden Trade-off
2) Sin of No Proof
3) Sin of Vagueness
4) Sin of Irrelevance
5) Sin of Fibbing
6) Sin of the Lesser of Two Evils

Increase your Gyaan about the 6 sins ...

CII to launch CSR Rating Programme for Indian firms

Click on image to read full article.

Going Green: What can you do?

From daily smog to the rising threat of global warming, it’s pretty obvious that we all need to clean up our act a little.

Morgan Stanley releases Little Green e-Book with a daily dos-n-donts to make your life greener and help tackle climate change.

Much has been said about how to go about doing this at home, but what about in the workplace? Copiers, computers, even old floppy disks, can make a huge impact on the environment. Working Green explains 50 ways to reduce your office’s waste.

Fastcompany gives another half-a-hundred options, from the universal (catch that rainwater!) to the specific (lose the plastic bowls!).

Time to GO GREEN guys !!!

Education at Primary School in Punjab

I was amazed to see how kids are taught English language in some rural areas in India. Learning English by reciting poems in morning school assembly seems shocking.

10 ways Design can fight Climate Change

A British design firm "Thomas Matthews" has released a design manifesto (PDF) for sustainable design. It’s worth thinking about, and here`s a summary:

1. Re-think
2. Re-use
3. Use eco-friendly materials
4. Save energy
5. Share new ideas
6. Design to last
7. Stay local, buying ethical
8. Support what we believe
9. Inspire, have fun
10. Save money

Design and Responsibility

Finally after giving it a lot of thought, I plan to change the focus of my blog. With my growing interest in the social sector, I found myself reading lots of stuff in social domain and hence would like to share with you guys.

The name "Design and Responsibility" comes from my intimate affair with Design and passion to work in Social Responsibility domain.

Hope you find the forthcoming posts interesting and thought provoking :)

Gesture Keyboard case study released

Our work at HP Research Labs showcased at the cover page of Human Factors website. HP’s Gesture Keyboard was recognized by the Wall Street Journal’s Technology Innovation Awards in the consumer electronics category.



HFI collaborated with HP Labs to refine the design of the Gesture Keyboard, a text input device for not English computer users. Based the success of this design, HP is rolling out new versions of this keyboard for different languages at the rate of one per month.

Read the full case-study

~Pankhudi in Hindustan Times

Pankhudi Foundation
Pankhudi Foundation @ Bangalore

Ref: Hindustan Times

Karma Tube

KarmaTube is an inspiring collection of short "do something" videos coupled with simple actions that every viewer can take.

Super Adaptability

The Possibility ...

Some Inspirational Stuff ..
Check it here: http://www.thepossibilitymovie.com

Lucid Touch Interface

Touch is a compelling input modality for interactive devices; however, touch input on the small screen of a mobile device is problematic because a user’s fingers block the graphical elements he wishes to work with. LucidTouch is a mobile device that addresses this limitation by allowing the user to control the application by touching the back of the device. Check out the video.


Read more ...

Kinetic Sculptures

Shot in the Netherlands utilising the moving sculptures of world-renowned artist Theo Jansen, this commercial, entitled "Kinetic Sculptures" forms part of a broader campaign which serves to highlight BMW's market leadership in the fields of technology and innovation. Source: www.bmw.co.za/innovations

When in Doubt, Act as If...

A recent Michigan State University grad was clueless about what career he wanted and was living on his parents' sofa, unemployed. So, when a relative asked, "Do you want to work in a dashboard manufacturing plant?" he said yes–even though he had no particular interest in dashboards. However, he acted as if he were passionate about dashboards: He carefully observed his coworkers, asked questions, and read articles on dashboard manufacture. He pursued dashboard expertise like an unleashed tiger pursues a cross rib roast. Soon, coworkers started coming to him with questions, and he eventually became the go-to guy on the factory floor. Not surprisingly, our dashboard dude soon got promoted. Now, also not surprisingly, he's passionate about dashboards. Lesson: Act as if.

Ref: USnews.com

Video on ‘Stanford Design Thinking Process’

Eco-friendly Web Design

Eco-friendly search launched - Blackle

As noted, an all white web page uses about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts. Take at look at Google, who gets about 200 million queries a day. Let's assume each query is displayed for about 10 seconds; that means Google is running for about 550,000 hours every day on some desktop. Assuming that users run Google in full screen mode, the shift to a black background will save a total of 15 (74-59) watts. That turns into a global savings of 8.3 Megawatt-hours per day, or about 3000 Megawatt-hours a year. Now take into account that about 25 percent of the monitors in the world are CRTs, and at 10 cents a kilowatt-hour, that's $75,000, a goodly amount of energy and dollars for changing a few color codes.

Ref: ecoIron

Web Conference on Second Life

Interesting to see how internet trends are affecting communication mediums. Check out the following conference happening on Second Life.




I'll go for the balcony seat ... [;)]

More pics here

HFI Usability Buttons

HFI is famous for its colorful and popular usability buttons, the first one being released in 1982. I designed two of its recently released collection.



Know more about HFI Usability Buttons.

The World's Thinnest Notebook

Behold the Razr of laptops. The thinnest notebook computer ever, this new machine created by Ziba Design and Intel, packs enough futuristic features to make a geek's head spin.

On the outside, from its no-rim screen to its groovy keyboard, the notebook is gloriously smooth and streamlined. A special accessory - a leather-like folder that wraps around the laptop and attaches with magnets - serves as a wireless charger and an external screen that lets users check e-mail without opening the computer. Add a strap, and the whole thing turns into a bag that can be adorned with a favorite picture on the screen.

If it catches on, Intel's sleek laptop could be a game changer for PCs

Check out the images

Map of Online Communities

Click Image for bigger version.

Crucial for guys who are sailing in the choppy seas of Online Communities - a map of Online Communities. It draws a gamut of social networks as nations and represents the size of each according to its member base.

Ref: Blogging4Business

Data Visualization Methods

Check out the table of all Data Visualization Methods. Although the page is not very easy to use but it contains some really interesting information.

A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

Mercedes - Web Experience Redefined

Mercedes - A to S

The site uses one of the best visuals and techniques to give you the best web experience .. Feel it here.

Thanks to Mudit Mittal for qouting this amazing site.

BarCamp Bangalore 3

Next BarCamp Bangalore planned on March 31 & April 1, 2007 (Sat-Sun)

Time : 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
Venue: IIM Bangalore

Join the revolution .. Register here.

What is BarCamp: A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos, and interaction from participants. Read more ...

HP Labs - Key Research Areas - updated

HP Labs has launched new webpages containing details several interesting projects going on here. Some of them include Halo collaboration studio, Commercial Printing and Interactive media experiences.



Our work at HP Labs India is inside the Emerging international markets section on the Mobile Personal Computing page.

Check out the following link, you might find some more cool stuff.
HP Labs - Key Research Areas

A Closer Look At The iPhone

Podcast: Unlocking the human factor in gadget design

Researchers, corporations and universities all are taking a new look at the relatively overlooked field of human-computer interaction. CNET News.com's Stefanie Olsen explains what it might herald for the future of tech design.

Listen to the Podcast here

Google's secret research project on YouTube

Just for fun .. Common mistakes pointed out in a lighter vein.

ref: www.rashmisinha.com

HFI releases its 2-day Comprehensive Course on Contextual Innovation

Learn how to gain a deep understanding of user needs and cultural context to drive design ideas, business models, and technological investigations.

Contextual Innovation - Create breakthrough products and services

Contextual Innovation is ethnography with a consumer-driven spin. Check out various Innovative data-gathering techniques while learing how to ideate tools and services during the course.

Test your Contextual Innovation knowledge: Try the 10-question quiz.

Check here for more details about the course.

A Nice Quote

"Design must be optimized for body or brain, it has to be deeply human, something that you desire and aspire to. That's meaningful design."

- John Maeda, a computer scientist at MIT's Media Lab

Let Your Fingers Do the Writing

A new typing technology developed by IBM researchers, ShapeWriter lets users type on a touch screen using a finger or a stylus. Rather than pressing individual keys, a user would move their finger around the screen's keyboard to point out words, lifting a finger to indicate when a word is complete. Software would then match the pattern traced from letter to letter with that in a dictionary database.

IBM is in talks with carriers and handset makers about using this technology.

Ref: Businessweek

Innovation Podcast - Design in China

In China, design is about Form. It has nothing to do with Content and Interaction. Where you sit on the table is really important, than what you really say.
But it is changing rapidly and Design is becoming like a national initiative in China.

Check out this 15 min Businessweek Podcast about Innovation and Design in China with Gordon Bruce.

As a young designer, Gordon Bruce worked in the office of the pioneering designer who built the first-ever corporate design programs at IBM and Mobil Oil. Now Bruce is doing the same for the equivalent companies in Asia. He is currently working with many Chinese companies like Lenevo and ChanHong (Chinese TV major).

The Power of Thought

What are u thinking about this guy wearing a helmet and sitting before a computer ??

This is a mental typewriter, so no need of using keyboard and mouse. We have to think what we want to do, by sitting before the computer, that will automatically be done by this mental typewriter.

It was exhibited at some German IT exhibition (Hanover) in March 2006.

'Mental typewriter' controlled by thought alone - New Scientist

Sometimes .. even websites need a break .. :-)

Apple iPhone finally arrives

Hope you would have already heard the news ...
NOOO !!! Gosshhh, check it now.. http://www.apple.com/iphone

Seems people have already started posting the reviews too.
- Top 10 things to love about the iPhone
- Top 10 things to hate about the iPhone

Steve Jobs Keynote at Macworld 2007 about iPhone is here.

Best Product Design 2006 - Slide Show

All the winning entries from this year's competition for Industrial Design Excellence Awards(IDEA). Check out the Slide Show.

Easy 7 Conference, Bangalore : www.chi-si.org

It was a nice conference and interaction with following speakers. Some of the talks were really interesting ones.
- Sarah Bloomer
- Jeremy Ashley (Oracle)
- Bill Scott (Yahoo)
- Surya Vanka (Microsoft)

See Pics here

Bike for Winter Season

I got this in some email. Not sure who innovated this but the idea seems surely nice and cosy for the winters .. :-)