Any shape or size…
“when an object can be any shape or size, what shape or size should it be?”
I love following Jan Chipchase’s Future Perfect blog. It documents an amazing level of ethnographic research that most companies simply don’t have the luxury to participate in. The quote above is a closing slide in one of his presentations. It stuck me because of it’s dual use as both a design meditation, and a serious question designers of any product should be able to answer. It also begs the reverse question for existing design:
If this object could have been any shape or size, why did it end up like this?
(Via: Insight & Innovation: Design Research, Nokia Connection 2007 [ppt])
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A few books I'm reading now:
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What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
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The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More
A few books I'd recommend:
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Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
by Charles Wheelan -- A fantastic overview of the field of Economics. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson -- a true tale of scientific thinking throughout history. You'll be amazed by how much we still don't know.
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Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner -- a fun read offering a somewhat different way of looking at society. Answers questions like "Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?", and what qualities in a parent matter for the success of a child later in life?
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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen. I'm a bit of a GTD freak since reading this, but productivity == $$ (whether you can simply get more work done in a given time, or work less by focusing on the right tasks.)