Method

As I visited www.apple.com to check on iOS 5, I was greeted by Steve. Or, I should say, Steve’s picture greeted me from the home page. It was made all the more poignant by the fact that the dates made it clear that I was looking at a memorial to a man, one who has certainly had a huge effect on my life.

For the past decade, I have continually heard clients talk about how Apple has totally grasped branding, experience design, product design, innovation (insert any variable that matches your context). In his passing, bloggers, pundits, and the media in general have begun to look back on his contributions. NYC Mayor Bloomberg even compared him to Edison and Einstein with regard to how his work has changed our world.

At Method, we live and breathe experience design. We live and breathe branding. We live and breathe innovation. And we live a lot of our work and non-work lives with Apple products. As I think of the contributions of Edison and Einstein, my mind raced to bridge a gap — Steve Jobs’ contribution to our world is not just for the benefit of designers, or “early-adapters” or “Mac Fanboys” or any other demographic/pyschographic segmentation that would allow the contribution to be reviewed with an asterik (*Steve’s innovations changed the world for 60% male/40% female, 24-37 yrs, $150K household income, urban/suburban, creatively inclined professionals).

There is a lot of information, from Steve verbatim, and from those who worked with him, about what the goal of all of this was. And it may be that it shifted over time as technologies matured, digital media disrupted industries and business models, and the nature of the network began to be woven more and more into our daily lives. But as I looked at Steve’s picture on the Apple web site, I had a profound realization for what he had done and how important has been to my life, our business, and the world at large: Steve brought the best of the opportunities enabled by the computer — processing power, digital media, connection to the network affect — and put it at our finger tips. From the early adoption of the mouse and the WIMP user interaction model, to the control wheel of the first iPods, to the iTouch, the iPhone, the iPad, literally everything Apple has done has been creating the best in experience design that brings the power and benefits of technology and putting it at our fingertips.

What a brilliant stroke of genius. While everyone struggles with balancing form and function of technology to deliver technology, Steve went straight to the heart of the matter. We are visual beings who see our environment and use our hands to take control. The hand-eye relationship underlies our specialization amongst animals, it part of the heart of every creative craft on which we have built our cultures and civilizations.

Yes, the iPad is a genius piece of design. Yes the iPod and iTunes changed an industry and will affect future generations — how will you hear that song that marks your first love? But in the final analysis, perhaps the most important thing that has been accomplished has been showing the world what technology can be, how it should approached from human terms. What we see, what we touch, he we manipulate; these are the core components of the human experience.

And Steve seemed to know that if these can be engaged in the right way, the world is your oyster.

At the San Francisco PSFK Conference last week, one of the strongest themes that emerged was that of equitable access…access to content, devices, to the global community, affordable lodging, even to outer space.  As a result of advancements in technology and the recent proliferation of social media, people who have historically been on the fringe of trends in the developed world are now actively contributing to – and thereby shifting – the conversation.  Where the “Western” perspective once dominated the globe, a more diverse story is now emerging, adding a rich texture to what may have become familiar tales for many.

These stories are the underpinning of what may be considered an emerging discipline in the design world – Emotional Design.  Donald Norman wrote a book on the subject, positing that attractive products work better because they make people feel good and put them in a creative frame of mind where they are more apt to solve problems independently.  The concept of Emotional Design goes one step further when we consider the power of infusing emotion into products through storytelling – inspiring brand loyalty, ambassadorship, and ultimately, brand love.

Chris Riley, founder of Studioriley, cited Majority World as a powerful example of an innovative new business that gives a voice to talented photographers in developing countries by providing an alternative to traditional photo stock houses.  This organization fosters a more inclusive dialogue by nurturing talent and ultimately helping its partners build successful creative enterprises.

Patagonia is one company that has successfully embraced storytelling as a core tenet of product design.  The Footprint Chronicles document the good, the bad, and the ugly realities of certain products for their sustainably-minded consumers.  Infused with images and photos documenting the people and places of the supply chain, the company makes it easy for people to forge emotional connections with the brand.

As content becomes more ubiquitous across a steadily increasing array of devices across the globe, we can expect to see the more innovative brands leverage this unparalleled access in creative ways.  Emotional design applied to product development is a nascent space that will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks and months.

This morning, our creative team sat down with an eclectic group of designers work across physical and digital media, an interesting combination for a discussion on craft.

Adidas France created an awe-inducing commercial using advanced 3D mapping, high-power projection, and the veil of darkness.

Adidas France – 3D Mapping Projection from The Cool Hunter.

Compost Modern, an AIGA conference with a focus on “Sustainable Design” was recently held in San Francisco. The conference was split into one day of lectures (5 and 20 minute) and one day of participant generated group discussions. Speakers included a broad spectrum of design practitioners – from storytellers to home builders to educators. The lectures presented an optimistic glimpse into design that is currently making a very real difference in peoples lives around the world.

So, what is next? Penguin tells us the best e-reader. Does Apple have the key to order in Chaos and will Android ever unlock its full power? Questions for us all to consider.

So when does Apple become too Apple and Android unlock the key to content chaos?

In the meantime, we’ve got Angry Birds. This Business Insider article reveals what Angry Birds tells us: “Apple Will Be Number One For A Very Long Time.“

Verizon will soon be carrying the iPhone 4. So, what does this mean for AT&T?

A small team at Method worked on the design of Link TV’s ViewChange.org back in the very beginning of 2010. We are excited that the site is recently launched out of beta. ViewChange.org is a platform for social and global action and is the latest extension of Link Media’s mission engage, inform and inspire viewers to become involved in the world. The website was both socially rewarding and interesting for Method to design. The main challenges in designing the user interface were encouraging discovery of content that was still related to topics of interest and also inspire users to take action at every step. We worked closely with the main stakeholders, involving the client in participatory workshops and design ideation sessions intended to bring their vast expertise into the design process.

The Interaction Awards program is a community initiative spearheaded and powered by volunteers dedicated to interaction design. Over the past few months, I’ve been working with my co-chair Jennifer Bove and a group of fantastic advisors – Marc Rettig, Mark Breitenberg, and Steve Baty – to create this awards program that recognizes and promotes outstanding work in interaction design.