Wendell Walker is noted for his entrepreneurial endeavors as the owner of Wendell Walker Design LLC

Keith Wyndel Downey is a talk show host and board member of the Galveston International Juneteenth Museum

La Tanya Nicole Louis is a distinguished expert in her field as an entrepreneur and professor

The home renovation industry in 2024 is focusing on innovative and sustainable materials.

Jennifer Barden is an expert in her field as the founder of Jen-X Website Design and Strategy

Maria Ilinca Browne is a noteworthy entrepreneur who has excelled in creating creative solutions and experiences

Amptive creates the best website for your jewelry industry business through effective organization and a digital marketing plan.

Experience the incredible craftsmanship of beautiful custom designed jewelry by the in-house teams in their Milford and Brighton jewelry stores.

P&T Interiors, the high-end interior design firm lead by Pol Theis, is featured in Nicole England's latest book Resident Dog Vol.II, a great coffee table book that showcases amazing architecture and the lucky pups that get to be the "Resident Dog".

Pol Theis, the notable eclectic interior designer, is featured in Nicole England's latest book Resident Dog 2, a great new coffee table book that presents amazing homes and the dogs who live there.

Anne-Laure Fayard, associate professor at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, was studying the effects of workplace design on employees long before the Covid-19 crisis. Now, she says, the trend of flexible schedules and hybrid offices - where some people come in, others work from home, and many do both - is here to stay. This means that businesses need to reimagine offices as places built less for individual knowledge work than for learning, collaboration, and culture-building. Fayard is the coauthor of the HBR article "Designing the Hybrid Office."

Buffini & Company is launching a new training program for real estate professionals to win business as they face the new rules of real estate. The company stated the new Certified Full-Service Professional (CFSP) designation training program is aimed at helping real estate professionals attract and keep customers, communicate their unique selling proposition and stand…

The post Buffini & Company Launches New Designation Training Program appeared first on RISMedia.

To me, the gaming market is a lot like the EDC market: It's fascinating to see what developmental lengths people will go to, to push the UX of some object with highly specific functions. A case in point is this Elitech Protean Space Quick Control Swap Gaming System.

The idea behind it, is that gamers have multiple task-dependent UI's on their desks: A keyboard for typing, a joystick and throttle for playing flight simulators, a steering wheel and a shifter for driving games. For gaming accuracy these need to be mounted, and juggling the mounts is apparently a hassle. So what this design does is, provide a modular platform on which to securely attach different controllers.

The heart of the system is this keyboard base, with two wings.

The keyboard base slides rearwards, revealing aluminum channels.

The wing pieces can be slid towards each other along these channels, adjusted to your preferred width.

The "X" in the top of the wings is stainless steel. This allows you to attach magnetic controllers.

Furthermore, there are clamping attachments that allow you to attach a steering wheel and shifter.

Thus the gamer can quickly achieve the set-up that they want:

This isn't yet in production; the developer is planning a crowdfunding campaign.

Dorel Juvenile is the world's leading juvenile products company. When they wanted to develop a new infant car seat, they turned to Pennsylvania-based ID firm DesignThink.

DesignThink as the Innovation Incubator for the Ultra Lightweight Maxi Cosi Coral XP

A Cold January Day in 2017

The team at DesignThink was asked to visit Dorel Juvenile Group USA to review a "Special Project". The development team at Dorel JG wasted no time introducing us to their latest infant car seat (ICS) project. They were experimenting with the idea of developing a seat that would reduce the struggles parents faced when trying to transition their baby from the car and carry their baby in the removable seat portion of the ICS. The team at DesignThink has designed several car seats over the years and we instantly recognized the unique opportunity, as well as the challenge that this project offered, and were eager and excited to get started.

Our Role as the Innovation Incubator

We partnered with Dorel to act as the innovation incubator to lead the project team through the fuzzy front-end and define the product's overall features and characteristics of use. Upon successful concept definition, the project would be positioned under the Maxi Cosi brand and ultimately transferred to the Maxi Cosi team in Europe and a European design group to carry the innovation to production.

The Problem at Hand

By removing the seat from the base that is installed in the car, parents can take the baby with them while running errands or visiting people and places. However, a problem associated with this system is that some removable seats can weigh up to 16 lbs. and the baby can weigh up to 35 lbs. for a combined arm-crushing weight of 50+lbs.!!

We established two primary goals: 1) reduce the overall weight of the seat to lighten the load, while maintaining structural integrity as to achieve a top crash test rating, and 2) develop new methods that enable parents to more easily lift the seat when moving in and out of the vehicle and when transporting the child in the seat.

Our Approach (Decades of Experience and User Understanding Put to Test)

DesignThink is one of the leading firms in car seat development having brought several seats to the market and has a long history of creating break-through innovation, but this project pushed our team in new ways. The structure for the project utilized DesignThink's simplified "DEEP" process;

Define that for which we will solve

Express possible solutions as quick thumbnail stories

Explain the "what – why – wow" related to user needs

Prototype to demonstrate the merits of the idea

How the Project Unfolded

A series of innovation workshops were hosted at our studio to enable the team to think and problem solve with product at hand. The objective was to think in the "ideal" (do not worry about cost and construction initially) and to "fail fast" (explore, evaluate, and evolve). The following provided the high-level framework for how the team identified and pursued their ideas.

Established Design Targets

Led by our usability team, along with team members from Dorel, we hosted a several day innovation workshop at our studio. We began with a collaborative defining of the design targets based on use, expectations, pain points, and opportunities, which we affinitized and moved directly into physical prototyping to address and evaluate how well the concepts improved the user experience during day-to-day interactions.

DEEP: Innovation Workshops to prototype your idea. You are encouraged to be chaotic and messy! Fail fast! Dorel made sure plenty of product was on hand to fuel the innovation.

Inutitive Carry

Enhanced Confidence

Improved Transitions

Development of Design Targets

Role-Play is the Best Way

To truly understand and empathize with users, we role-played, exploring typical use-case scenarios to inform our ideation. Placing ourselves in the same situations helps us quickly evaluate and improve our concepts.

Handle-Carry:

Evolution for improved ease when attaching the seat to the base and removing the child from the vehicle

Cradle-Carry:

Exploration to improve how parents can bond with the baby in a more natural holding position

Cross-Body Strap:

Exploration to provide alternate ways to carry the baby while reducing the effects of weight and fatigue on the parent

Iterative User Evaluation Cycle

Our early thoughts and ideas were evaluated by the team and with parents in our research lab. These ideas were then refined to strengthen the evolving direction. The learnings obtained through this method enabled the team to focus on the most meaningful directions and build their value. Listening, understanding, and empathizing allowed our team to develop new ideas in this category that were previously unexplored.

DesignThink presents the refined design direction.

A series of prototypes and user evaluations enabled us to reach a stage of concept definition for an ultra lightweight car seat that provides parents with improved ways to carry, hold, and secure their baby.

Our Results

User-Centered Insights lead to Market Defining Solutions

Having developed many juvenile products such as car seats, strollers, and highchairs, DesignThink understands the day-to-day challenges parents face, both physically and emotionally. We embarked on this project with Dorel to define a new car seat with features that take into account those challenges and offer relevant and meaningful solutions. Exploring innovation that is rooted in user insights enabled our team to quickly define those solutions and overcome technical hurdles to deliver new experiences to address real problems faced by parents when using an ICS.

Defining the Direction

As mentioned, DesignThink was hired as the innovation incubator in the fuzzy front-end to develop and define a new architecture for this seat. Our work was documented and handed off to the Maxi-Cosi team in Europe. The output of our innovation incubation became the driving framework used by the teams in Europe to create a truly meaningful and relevant solution for parents in this category.

The DesignThink team is very proud to have been selected by Dorel to play such an important "behind the scenes" role in setting the direction for, and contributing to the success of, the Maxi Cosi Coral XP.

It takes a Village to Design a Car Seat

Snapshot of the iterative concept development that led to the final product

You can see more of DesignThink's work here.

I have no idea who the target market for these is. Chinese tool manufacturer Arrowmax sells these Black Golden Honeycomb tools: Drivers, Allen wrenches and reamers.

They're sold individually or in sets.

On the company's website, there are literally no product descriptions for any of the tools—no explanation of the handle design, nor even what any of the tools are made out of. The only thing I was able to learn about the tools, was in the company's thin bio: Apparently these were featured, somewhere in the background, in the Marvel movie "Ant Man & the Wasp." Of course they were.

Perhaps you’ve noticed how cottagecore has recently become one of the most popular interior design styles. Cottagecore is a design aesthetic that idealizes rural life. It includes homes decorated in earthy colors, nostalgic patterns, and wood tones, it’s a style that’s a nod to the English countryside. Cottagecore is also a lifestyle focused on simple…

Google's new Learn About tool offers an interactive approach to learning about topics, including heady questions like whether money buys happiness.

Beginning January 2023 or August 2023   Game Art Department   Environment Artist/Modeler   Full-Time Faculty Appointment with Benefits    The Game Art (GA) Department is a nationally respected program with a highly collaborative teaching environment that merges the aesthetic of feature film with today’s most current interactive gaming hardware and software. Game students design, create and analyze the visual components of games.   Facilities: Ringling College’s GA Department has facilities designed to replicate a professional studio environment, and boasts the highest-end, state-of-the-art computers, graphics cards, and is complete with ergonomic furniture. Full-time Institutional Technology staff support the Department.   The Position: The Game Art Department is seeking an environment artist with Maya and Unreal Engine 4/5 (UE5) experience to join a dedicated faculty teaching Game Art. The primary responsibility of this position will focus on providing quality instruction, and teaching students to create the visual assets that make computer games.   Included among the duties and responsibilities, this position requires experience in world-building, modeling, texturing, and lighting in a 3D application as well as in Unreal Engine 4/5 (UE4/5). The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching three courses or nine credits per semester using high-end resources. Assignments include teaching introductory through advanced courses in creating level and environment art assets, and game engine integration of those assets. Ongoing commitment to creative work/scholarship in the profession is expected. Active participation with faculty, department, and college service is required.   This is a full-time appointment with benefits. The salary will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. The anticipated start date is January 2023 or August 2023. The College has a supportive, collegial faculty, a curriculum that strongly values excellence, and a robust support system dedicated to using the most current technology.   (Minimum Qualifications) Include evidence of: A Master’s degree in Animation, Illustration, or a related field, OR a 4-year professional degree in art or design and equivalent professional experience, training and expertise with an appropriate record of achievement in the field. Ability to teach introductory through advanced classes in creating levels, environment art assets, 3D modeling, lighting, and texturing. Experience with Autodesk Maya. Experience with Unreal Engine 4/5 (UE4/5). Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.   (Preferred Qualifications) Include evidence of: A terminal degree in an appropriate discipline. Advanced experience with level design. Experience with Zbrush. Experience with Substance Designer and Substance Painter. Expertise with Unreal Engine 4/5 (UE4/5) or a comparable game engine. Ability to create visually-sophisticated environments in UE4/5 Experience with game design.   (Special Instructions to Applicants) Required materials include cover letter incorporating experiences that address the position requirements, resume or CV, employment history, contact information of three references (names, titles, email and telephone numbers), examples of personal work and an unofficial transcript copy of the most relevant degree. Official transcripts will be required upon hire. Student work examples may also be submitted, if available.  Candidates may be asked to submit additional materials if needed. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.   For portfolio, you have the option to upload electronic documents/images, up to 5 MB, or a URL.   General questions regarding the job application process may be emailed to aamail@ringling.edu.   Apply on-line https://ringling.simplehire.com Ringling College of Art and Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington invites applications for a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, or Professor of Practice position in game design (appointment dependent on professional experience and impact in the field). We seek candidates with senior experience in the game industry as well as a deep understanding of game design and/or systemic design. The ideal applicant will have some teaching experience and technical skill in some portion of the production pipeline. Applicants with little or no classroom experience are still encouraged to apply and should discuss their interest and preparedness to teach students at the college level. A bachelor’s degree is required and an advanced degree preferred, though significant professional experience will be considered in lieu of an advanced academic degree. The candidate may teach courses on the game industry, advanced design classes, special topics courses based on their expertise, and support students through their sequence of capstone courses. Duties will include teaching and service to the game design program with the potential for leadership within the program, including directorship of the degree.    Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, teaching statement, diversity statement outlining contributions and commitment to equity and inclusion, and a list of academic or professional references. Applications will be reviewed immediately, and the position will remain open until filled. Applications received by October 28, 2022, will be given full consideration. Interested candidates should submit application materials online at https://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/13810. The expected start date is August 1, 2023.    Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual qualifications. Indiana University prohibits discrimination based on age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status. Diversity and inclusion are central to The Media School’s mission.    Indiana University is located in Bloomington, Indiana, a vibrant city full of cultural life, diversity, and opportunity, with a population of some 85,000 people from all over the world. It is not uncommon to bump into world-renowned poets, professors, musicians, and researchers at one of the city’s notable local restaurants, cafes, or breweries. IU Bloomington is home to a lively arts community, with independent local theaters, university orchestras, and one of the best university cinemas in the country.     Questions regarding this position or the application process should be directed to the chair of the search committee, Will Emigh, Interim Director of the Game Design Program, at wemigh@indiana.edu. See more about The Media School at https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/index.html.  

The Game Design department of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts seeks to fill a full-time faculty position starting in the 2023-2024 academic year.   Join the NYU Game Center—a passionate community of game creators, researchers, and educators who are committed to building the world’s greatest game design program, to teaching the next generation of game innovators, and to furthering games as a meaningful cultural form via game design as creative practice.   We are seeking applicants for an Assistant Arts Professor (non-tenure, continuing contract) position to start in September 2023 and serve as part of our faculty on an ongoing basis. Applicants must have professional experience in one or more of the following domains: game design, game development, and creative direction. Ideal candidates should have creatively led and released multiple game projects, whether in large-scale commercial games (AAA), indie games, and/or artistic projects centered on play. Hands-on familiarity with game engines such as Unity, GameMaker, and Unreal is preferred.   As part of Tisch School of the Arts, Game Center faculty are expected to combine teaching with an active, ongoing professional practice and/or research in the world of games. We are looking for candidates who are active participants in the field, doing original and innovative work as independent developers in solo/consulting practice or as part of larger teams. Ideal candidates would have experience speaking or writing about their own and/or other game creators’ work from a critical perspective and should be able to draw on their professional experience to create a compelling and effective learning environment. Previous teaching experience is not a requirement, but it is a strong plus. The NYU Game Center is a highly collaborative environment where decisions about the operations of the department are made collectively whenever possible; leadership and consensus-building skills are also highly valued.   We are actively seeking applicants that have a commitment to equity-forward teaching practices and who recognize and embrace the values of inclusivity and diversity, both in the classroom and in game development.   Whether you are an industry veteran with triple-A experience who wants a chance to share your knowledge of the complex craft of game development or an independent developer exploring the experimental edge of game aesthetics, we want to talk to you about joining the NYU Game Center. . Duties: Duties include teaching five courses a year, student advising, and participation in departmental and school-wide committees. On-going professional work while teaching is expected. Includes an excellent benefits package.   Applicants must provide a cover letter, full C.V., and three letters of recommendation with contact information for each recommender. All these materials must be submitted by November 1, 2022.   For more information, please visit: https://tisch.nyu.edu/faculty/faculty-positions.      Finalists will be asked to submit a portfolio of creative work, to provide selected course syllabi and teaching evaluations if applicable, and to give a short lecture on a topic of their choice to NYU Game Center students and faculty.   NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.

There are actually two questions here: 1. Should pollsters share all the information on their design, data collection, and analyses? 2. If yes on question 1 above, should this information be made public ahead of time, before the survey is … Continue reading →

We are happy to invite you to the Open Presentations... more

After years of watching clients struggle with clunky, one-size-fits-all designs, we’ve learned that a great website needs to fit perfectly into any screen it meets, no matter how great the design is. Many see responsive design as a technical maze, but in this post, we’ll try to guide you through some of the challenges (and […]

The post Responsive Design: What Is It & Why Is It Important? appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

This course is essential for any professional in workers’ compensation who creates, reviews or processes PR-4 Reports or QME/AME Reports. In this informative webinar, the attendee will learn how to…

Today I have a really exciting update, sharing exactly what I've been working on for the past year. At my other website Design Cuts, we've just launched the most curated, high quality marketplace anywhere for designers just like you!

Did Apple just disrupt Healthcare?  More specifically, Health Tech? I would say Healthcare is one of those industries ripe for innovation disruption.  It is a mature industry lead by large slow-moving organisations, that have been around forever.  They have built their equivalent of the Great...

The post Designing Clarity 03 – Did Apple just Disrupt Healthcare? appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

Design Sojourn is a proven Design Led Innovation Consultancy passionate in radically transforming lives. We are growing our team in 2021!

The post We are Hiring Experience Designers and Design Thinkers (Closed!) appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

    The hiring for this position is now officially closed! Design Sojourn is a Design Led Innovation Consultancy that loves to inspire, impact and create better lives. We are currently looking for smart, dynamic, self-motivated Junior Experience Designers with strong verbal/written communication skills and...

The post We are looking for Junior Experience Designers! (Closed) appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

  If you have been working from home the past year or so, you are not alone!   As you know, since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted, remote working has started to become a norm (due to safe management measures to mitigate the risk of wide-spreading...

The post How to Work From Home as a Designer appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

I am honoured to be invited by Shih Chien University College of Design to give a keynote speech during their Lens International Design Conference 2022 on January 7th 2022.   In the conference The Lens, design is interpreted as a multi-perspective lens that transforms all elements...

The post Lens International Design Conference 2022 Keynote: Redesigning Design appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

  I was honoured to be invited last Friday (4th Nov 2022) to speak at the Singapore Fintech Festival’s Talent Pavilion organised by our partner WSG (Workforce Singapore). I shared why Fintech needs Design. But before I get into that, let me share a few...

The post Fintech uses Design but not in the way it should appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

ESC, the leading sustainability consultancy in Asia, and Design Sojourn, a renowned design thinking and innovation consultancy, have partnered to launch the Innovating for Sustainability Programme (ISP). This new programme aims to help Singaporean companies capture new innovative business opportunities and enhance their capabilities in...

The post ESC and Design Sojourn’s Innovating for Sustainability Programme Offers Grant Support for Singaporean Companies appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

Running a business is widely recognized as challenging, with the average startup lasting only about five years. While starting a business might seem straightforward, maintaining it proves to be the true test, a reality faced even by large multinational corporations.   Consider this: nearly 90%...

The post Design Thinking: A Catalyst for Business Growth appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

What do Design Thinking and boxing have in common? Surprisingly, more than you might think. As an Experience designer who has been boxing recreationally for the past two and a half years, I have discovered surprising parallels between these seemingly unrelated practices. In this article,...

The post 3 Ways Boxing Has Made Me A Better Design Thinker appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

In an era where technology is rapidly advancing, it is tempting to view it as a universal remedy for a myriad of challenges. However, while technology has immense potential, it cannot solve problems by itself. The effectiveness of technology as a solution is influenced by...

The post Why Technology Alone Can’t Solve Problems: The Importance of Human-Centred Design appeared first on Design Sojourn. Please click above if you cannot see this post.

An annual report is a document a company presents at Annual General Meeting for approval by its shareholders, or a charitable organization presents its trustees.

1. Featured showcase: IMC Annual Report

For IMC, Fitzroy designed a unique annual report. IMC – a renowned derivative trading house with over 500 employees worldwide – is an active trader in almost every stock market in the world. They constantly have to deal with stock exhanges’ information and its ever changing highs and lows.

In the annual report, this information is translated in a unique way by showing in 24 pages the 24 hours of a trading day. Which stock exhange opens and which one closes; what information is relevant. By using the green (increase) and red (decline) filters, the data of a hectic trading day are pushed to the background, so that only IMC’s active fields (the stock markets and the arrows) remain visible.

A final detail: based on GMT the stock exchanges trading at night are displayed in blue, while the ones trading during the day are displayed in yellow.

• Visit Fitzroy popup: yes for more information.

Out of the box designs

The following design examples are great inspiration for out of the box thinking.

Simply beautiful Annual Report Design

Just beautiful annual report design with great color usage, typography and photo use.

Worth mentioning

_20. Delta Lloyd Jaarverslag, the complete annual report viewable as a website or to download from the website.
_21. Unilever Jaarverslag, download the complete PDF version from the website.
_22.Koninklijke Ahold Jaarverslag, download the complete PDF version from the Ahold website.
_23.IBM Annual reporting, available from 1994 to 2007, download the complete PDF versions from the website.
_24. IMF Annual report, available from 1996 to 2007, download the complete PDF versions from the website.
_25. A complete huide for annual reports, visit the website AnnualReport.com for additional information.
_26. StepInside, a design related website with top 100 company’s and annual reporting, see the website for additional information.

In this roundup of some of the Magazines & Blogs are in Dutch others are written in English. Below each of the screenshot there is language information, please enjoy this list of Dutch Graphic Design Magazines & Blogs, share your favorite Dutch Design blog in the comments below. Thank you and enjoy reading!

iPhone apps are a huge extension to the workflow of every professional designer. This list is a large collection of work apps for your iPhone to manage your online files, create a mindmap, record messages, send business cards, pick a color and convert it into another, make calculations and much more. This list provides over 20+ iPhone applications, some are paid, some are free, let me know what iPhone App you use.

Opinion: Sander Baumann

Every design organization faces a similar issue in 2020/2021. Physical events and conferences are restricted due the corona pandemic. Basically every organization from small to large have transformed into virtual events.

Larger design conferences such as The Next Web did a 2-day live event on Hopin. Hopin is a virtual venue with multiple interactive areas that are optimized for connecting and engaging. You can join different rooms and stages depending on your interests. Other platforms such as Creative Mornings went all in on virtual events.

The events in our wayfinding community also transformed to virtual events. From podcasts, Zoom chats to full day virtual conferences.

The purpose of conferences (pre-corona)

Over the years I had the pleasure of going places for design conferences. Either as participant or a speaker, I went to conferences about typography, technology, wayfinding or design in general.

Conferences bring together the curious like-minded designers in one place. The conferences usually have a mix of speakers, workshops and meetups on small and large stages. In my opinion a unique experience to meet people at conferences which let to business and friendships.

The psychology of going to conferences (pre-corona)

When looking at the experience when going to a conference you enter a mind-set focused on maximizing time and effort out of a conference. When you make the choice going to a physical conference this usually results in creating free time of enjoy a conference. Ranging from 1 to multiple days of physical conferences allows you to connect to peers, have time to reflect on things you heard or learned during these times.

In my opinion physical conferences offer the opportunity to really connect to like-minded people to get new insights or perspectives on the multidisciplinary fields of design.

The now: Virtual events and conferences

Over the last years I have attended anything from virtual meetups to online talks and one day virtual conferences. Also tried many of the available platforms, such as Zoom, Teams, Meetup, Hopin, etc.

Without leaving the house or studio I was able to enjoy the conferences in a virtual way. Although at the start of the pandemic this was a great way to connect to peers and to share thoughts, ideas and reconnect again. Over time I have noticed a lower attention span during the virtual conferences. Even with Hopin, I caught myself being distracted and started doing other things again.

Attention span

During the challenging covid times the (wayfinding) design industry also changed and shifted a bit more towards digital services. Regarding the time spend on physical conferences vs. the time spend on virtual conferences I noticed that virtual conferences does not really excite me in the same way as physical events.

The virtual events are squeezed into the tight schedule and I seem to jump from working with clients to conferences in an instance. This let me to think about how I perceive the information and what my key motivation would be for attending either virtual or physical events.

Main takeaway

Virtual events/conferences are here to stay. I believe a hybrid mix of physical and virtual events will push forward in our design community. On the one hand, virtual events are convenient to keep up with peers in the network. On the other hand meeting in person makes the memory.

The road to a physical conference and spending time with peers in a venue is in my opinion a great way to absorb information in a lively ambiance where you can be free to enjoy content and people.

For future physical conferences, I can imagine it to be more an experiential experience. A mix of meeting in person and connecting digitally would make the best out of both worlds. Physical conferences would take place lets say once a year and periodically supported with virtual events.

Support your design organization

If you want to learn more about wayfinding, information design, typography and design in general. Please take a look at the following design organizations as they have regularly virtual talks/events at the moment.

• SDS Sign Design Society, the have monthly virtual talks.
• IIID The International Institute for Information Design have virtual drinks and talks
• SEGD Society for Experiental Graphic Design organizes virtual talks, summits, conferences and more
• BNO Beroepsorganisatie Nederlandse Ontwerpers have virtual talks usually only in Dutch
• Creative Mornings have virtual breakfast meetups around the world
• Aiga American Institute of Graphic Arts have virtual talks and conferences

The future is bright and I look forward meeting you soon at an upcoming virtual or physical event.

Information design is used in many applications, forms and means of expression. Often in relationship with multidisciplinary design aspects to communicate information to people and environments.

Information design

The book Information Design: Research and Practice by Alison Black, Paul Luna, Ole Lund, and Sue Walker is one of the most complete works around information design.

The book covers everything related to information design from wayfinding, map reading, form design, layouts to instructions. This book combines design theories and methods with professional practical case studies from leading information designers around the world.

The book has 4 main parts each with sub-chapters on topics related to the main part. Each chapter is well written and illustrated to research, explain the topic.

Part 1: Historical perspectives

A brief overview of early visualizations of historical time. The invention of statistical graphs. Ship navigation and the history of technical and scientific illustrations. The history part continues with Isotype for information design. And Marie Neurath about designing information books for young people. This part closes off with documents, graphics and text about the history of information design.

Part 2: Theoretical approaches

This part shapes the mind for graphic literacies for a digital age. With a visual rhetoric in information design for multimodality and genre. Interesting chapters in this part are about Interactive information graphics and Social and cultural aspects of visual conventions in information.This part closes off with in-dept research about Textual reading on paper and screens. And how to apply science to design.

Part 3: Cognitive principles

This part goes deeper into understanding information design. Whereas chapters cover topics such as:

• Does my symbol sign work?
• Icons as carriers of information
• Warning design
• Diagrams Chapter
• Designing static and animated diagrams for modern learning materials
• Designing auditory alarms
• Design challenges in helping older adults use digital tablets
• On-screen colour contrast for visually impaired readers
• Contrast set labelling
• Gestalt principles
• Information design research methods
• Methods for evaluating information design
• Public information documents

Part 4: Practical applications

The last part of this extensive work focusses more on design elements and sorting of information. All of the following chapters are interested if you are into wayfinding, urban design and information design in general.

The topics include: Choosing type for information design and how to design Indexing and information design. Interesting research about when to use numeric tables and why covers on how to communicate the information in a effective way for complex and large data sets.

For wayfinding the next chapters give insights on the following topics:

• Wayfinding perspectives
• Designing for wayfinding
• The problem of ‘straight ahead’ signage
• Park at your peril
• Indoor digital wayfinding
• Visualizing storyworlds
• Exhibitions for learning
• Form follows user follows form

The final part resumes on information design & values which explains the LUNAtic approach to information design.

The importance of information design in healthcare and medical information is explained and researched in the following chapters:

• Information design as a (r)evolutionary educational tool and
• Design + medical collaboration
• Developing persuasive health campaign messages
• Information design in medicine package leaflets
• Using animation to help communication in e-PILs in Brazil
• Medical information design and its legislation

For who is this book?

This is such an excellent resource. Covering the complete field of information design and its multidisciplinary aspects of it. Also referred as the Bible for Information Design.

This book is for everybody who wants to learn more about concise and comprehensive information design. How to design for complex applications, how to sort information, what to show and what not to show, and at what time.

From graphic design students to experienced designers, there are things to learn from the book.

Key take-aways include history of information design, understanding the theories behind information design and how to improve the way to communicate from simple to complex topics in a visual way.

Conclusion

The book is carefully researched and put together, a true bible for information design. A recommended buy if you are into learning more about information design, graphic design, wayfinding and structural layouts and design strategy.

There could be somethings said about the consistency of writing throughout the book, although it didn’t bother me while reading topics. From my person experience, I am reading topics upon required to learn something about a topic in information design.

Wayfinding

Finding your way in a hospital setting can be tricky. The stress of finding a department or destination in a (unfamiliar) building can a challenging experience.

What is there was a way to make finding your way in a hospital easier? This is where design discipline wayfinding comes into play and has the potential to improve the patient experience.

Wayfinding is a multidisciplinary design field that combines principles of cognitive psychology and human behavior for a better understanding of the surroundings.

For hospitals, wayfinding aims to address the following critical issues:

• How can we make it improve wayfinding for patients?
• Which design principles can assist to enhance the visitors experience?
• How can we create an accessible environment for all users, including people with disabilities?

In this article we will explore the importance of wayfinding principles in hospitals. The challenges we face along the way and the innovative solutions that will improve the way patients navigate healthcare settings.

By exploring the role of both traditional and digital wayfinding tools, we will highlight the potential of well-designed wayfinding to improve wayfinding in hospitals. The goal is an improved patient experience and ultimately to contribute to reduced stress when visiting a hospital.

The challenges of hospital signage

Orienting and navigating a hospital environment can be challenging for patients, visitors and even medical staff. With wayfinding research we can look through the 'eyes' of the users and understand the bottlenecks and success factors of effective wayfinding.

In this chapter we explore the main challenges of signage and take a closer look at why these problems can arise.

A. Complexity of buildings

Signage 'shows' people the way in buildings and environments. A hospital building is usually a large building with several floors, wings and departments. A hospital can have more than 100 different departments, from Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Surgery, Internal Medicine to Orthopedics, Radiology and Oncology. This can include many subspecialties.
A hospital usually consists of many departments and specialists, located throughout the hospital building, connected by squares and corridors.

Why can a hospital building have a complicated or confusing layout?

• Due to expansion and renovations, buildings can be adapted over time. Expansion of wings and/or, for example, an attached building can lead to a confusing layout.
• Due to functional requirements of departments, part of the hospital may not be accessible. As a result, to reach a certain department, you can get there via a detour.

How does (building) complexity affect patients and visitors?

• A complicated layout brings increased stress. Can I find the department? Am I on time?
• Difficulty finding departments. Where is department xx? How do I get to the department?

Why are hospital environments naturally stressful?

• Due to health problems and emotional nature, a hospital can be experienced as stressful. What do I have? Can the doctor help me?
• Due to time-bound appointments and procedures in a hospital. Am I on time? Where is...?

How does this stress affect signage?

• Due to increased stress, people (usually) have a reduced ability to process information. Where should I look?
• Due to an increased reliance on intuitive references. How does the signage work?

What are the unique signage challenges that different users face?

• Patients, visitors are not familiar with the layout of the building. Where's what?
• Patients, visitors have cognitive or physical limitations. May have difficulty processing the information.
• Non-native speakers and/or have difficulty reading the signage.

Why is it important to consider user needs when designing signage?

• Ensuring accessibility and inclusiveness principles, design-for-all concept.
• Reduce the risk of disorientation
• On time for an appointment
• Consistent information provision towards a patient and visitor gives peace of mind in orienting and navigating in an (unfamiliar) environment.

Why can it be difficult to maintain consistency in hospital signage systems?

• Due to the variety of systems and information provision around patient information.
• Information such as on the website, call letter, reception desk, ticket, referral letter and signage must be consistent for a clear picture towards the patient, visitor.

By examining these challenges in wayfinding research, we understand the user and thereby identify bottlenecks and success factors.

Wayfinding strategy for hospitals

In this chapter we discuss different ways of referring that can help improve orientation and navigation in the hospital. By implementing these strategies, hospitals become more user-friendly and accessible, reducing the stress associated with navigating healthcare facilities.

1. Well-thought-out signage
   This includes clear, concise, and easy-to-understand signage at key decision points, such as at entrances, hallways, elevators, stairways, and wards. Ensure consistency in design, colors and typography for clear communication.

Example: A hospital can create a wing layout for different departments such as A, B, C, D, etc. making it easier for users to track their destination.

2. Landmarks and Visual Recognition Points:
   Including landmarks and visual identifiers in the hospital environment can aid orientation and make it easier for users to remember the route.

Example: Placing distinctive artwork, architectural features or color schemes as landmarks in the hospital.

3. Digital Wayfinding:
   Digital wayfinding, such as interactive kiosks, mobile apps and touchscreens, can provide real-time information and personalized directions to help users navigate the hospital more easily.

Example: Digital screens in the hospital for displaying relevant information for users. Where am I? Where can I find department xx? And how do I get there?

4. Staff training and support:
   Ensuring that medical staff and employees are well aware of the signage system and tone-of-voice towards patients and visitors.

Example: A hospital could offer training sessions to employees to familiarize them with the signage and teach them how to effectively help visitors navigate the hospital.

5. Inclusive Design and Accessibility:
   Hospitals should be accessible to everyone, including people with reduced mobility, the visually impaired or the hearing impaired.

Ensure that (digital) signage takes these groups into account by using clear, high-contrast fonts, tactile elements, Braille and audio signals where appropriate.

Example: Tactile markings on the floor or braille signs assist to the help the visually impaired to navigate the building and find the right department.

By implementing these signage strategies and addressing bottlenecks and success factors, healthcare facilities can significantly improve the user experience of patients, visitors and staff. This leads to less stress, increased satisfaction and ultimately better healthcare outcomes.

Digital wayfinding in hospitals

Digitization in signage is important for improving the overall user experience in a hospital. Digital tools provide real-time information, personalized routes and additional resources to assist patients and visitors in navigating complex hospital environments.

In this chapter we discuss examples and use cases for digital wayfinding.

1. Real Time Information:
   Digital signage can provide real-time information and updates about, for example, waiting times, routes and where you are in a hospital.

Example: Digital information signs can display the current waiting times for departments and/or other hospital services.

2. Integration with Social Media and Online Communication:
   A social media integration platform to assist patients and visitors plan their visit, receive (route) information and share feedback.

Example: A hospital can implement a (AI) chatbot to assist users for navigating questions, ask for directions, and for instance scheduling appointments.

3. Digital Screens:
   Interactive screens can provide patients with real-time information about their destination, directions and additional services such as finding a nearby restroom or coffee corner.

Example: A hospital can place interactive screens or a kiosk at the entrance and install it on every floor, where visitors can receive personalized route information.

4. Mobile Information :
   Show relevant information on digitale signage screens, such as routes and destinations in the hospital. Think about including a "you are here" on a map and/or use directory signs for an overview of departments.

Example: A hospital can display the information in a mobile environment, which is linked to the hospital's website.

5. Augmented Reality (AR) Signage:
   AR technology could overlay digital information in the real environment, such as arrows and text, using a smartphone's camera.

Example: An overlay that guides users using digital cues that overlap with the real environment.

The implementation of digital signage in hospitals creates an integrated patient experience and approach. The starting point is to use technology for a more personalized route and real-time updates, resulting in an improved user experience.

Wayfinding scenarios

In this chapter we discuss different scenarios for referring users in a hospital building. A new or existing hospital building usually has an entrance, exit, atrium, floors, corridors and wards. Destinations in a hospital can be 'coded' by using a wayfinding strategy. By means of a reference key it is possible to easily reach destinations. Below are a few examples:

1. Route numbers
   Organizing the hospital with route numbers. This means that each destination gets a route number. Patients, visitors use the route number to reach a destination. Route numbers can be ascending or linked to, for example, a floor.

Example: Route 142, where 1 stands for floor 1 and 42 is the sequential number. This way you can always find where you are in a hospital.

2. Wing layout
   With wing layouts, lift points such as elevators or stairs are classified with a name or letters. For example A, B, C, D, etc. With wing layouts, the letters are usually followed by a number, which stands for the floor.

Example: C2, where C stands for the wing and 3 for the floor. An addition of a number can indicate even further specifications, such as C2-12. Where, for example, 12 is the waiting area on wing C floor 2.

3. User-friendly (digital) additions
   This scenario adds tactile and auditory information to wayfinding scenarios for reaching foreign speaking people or for people who have difficulty walking or have reduced vision capacity.

Testing the wayfinding scenarios is important to gain feedback from users. A scenario is building, process and user-related. Implementing a clear and concise wayfinding scenario improves an intuitive way finding destinations in a hospital.

Conclusion

A wayfinding design strategy plays an important role in improving the user experience in a hospital.

Implementing a well-thought-out wayfinding strategy and scenarios, users can orientate and navigate more easily. The starting point is to improve the user experience, which contributes to a positive image of the hospital.

The roll-out of both fixed and digital wayfinding tools, such as signage and digital displays, can help provide an integrated approach and experience tailored to users' requirements and needs.

In conclusion, a wayfinding design and strategy are indispensable for creating an accessible, safe and user-friendly environment in hospitals. It is vital that hospitals and wayfinding design studios work together to implement effective solutions that help patients, visitors and staff navigate and feel comfortable in these complex environments.

Oupas Design, a creative studio from Portugal, has spent over 12 years crafting playful, custom paper art for brands like Salesforce, Hermès, and The Atlantic. Founded by three friends—Cidália, Joana, and Sofia—the studio’s work reflects their passion and expertise in paper art, evident in their detailed, whimsical creations that bring ideas to life. More: Oupas […]

Victorian Sussex showcased remarkable displays of engineering ingenuity, where inventors tackled various cycling challenges from bumpy unpaved roads to the impracticalities of woolen clothing with boundless enthusiasm and creativity. h/t: vintag.es Among these innovators was Horsham architect Edward Burstow, who in 1882 patented the ‘pentacycle,’ an ingenious machine featuring a large central wheel driven by […]

The beginning of a new year is typically a time when we plan to find ways to make life a little better. The same applies to web designers who look for new and better ways to make their designs more engaging and productive. In this post we will look into 5 web design trends that […]

The post 5 Web Design Trends You Need to Be Aware of in 2023 appeared first on WebAppers.

There is a huge variety of free and premium web design tools and resources to choose from to help you create stunning websites. They range from complete website design platforms to design frameworks and wireframing tools to plugins featuring “must have” functionalities. And, a whole lot of things in between. These design tools and resources […]

The post The Best 13 Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies for 2023 appeared first on WebAppers.

It’s 2024 and the number of web design resources and tools on the market seems overwhelming. That’s good news since you need the right tools and resources to come up with competitive designs. The bad news is, rather than sifting through thousands of products to get the ones that best meet your needs you might […]

The post 15 Great Tools & Resources for Designers & Agencies in 2024 appeared first on WebAppers.

The importance of mobile design really cannot be exaggerated these days. In 2014, 60 percent of web traffic came from a mobile device. That’s well over half, and more than enough reason to convince any sane person of the importance of mobile first design.But building a top smartphone app is tough. Contrary to what most […]

The post 6 main elements of beautifully designed smartphone apps first appeared on TECH Intelligence and is written by Drew Hendricks.

In the last few years, the design of the UIs has shifted from flat 2D surfaces into the actual 3D environment and possibly progressing towards the creation of space interfaces. Such change is not only attributable to the evolution of motion design software but also to the changing ways of perceiving digital realities. Therefore, it...

The post From Screens to Space: The Future of 3D and Spatial UI Design appeared first on noupe.

The requirement of safeguarding original presentation designs has never been more crucial as presentations get increasingly interactive, visually appealing, and indispensable in both corporate and creative domains. Your work is valuable, whether you are a tech entrepreneur creating software that changes the way presentations are done or a designer creating fresh slide decks for customers. ...

The post Protecting Your Unique Presentation Designs: IP Strategies for Creators appeared first on noupe.

Creating effective designs for tech-savvy audiences, such as data scientists and software engineers, requires a careful balance between visual clarity, functionality, and creativity. While the complexity of the product must be communicated clearly, the interface also needs to feel intuitive and engaging. Success in such projects doesn’t just come from creativity; it’s rooted in strategic collaboration.