3? 3.14? 22/7? What is the best approximation of Pi? In this article, Dr. Chris Mattson explores this question and its implications to the world of design.
What your Filenames Reveal About your Design Mindset
From very prominent and obvious choices to the very small and seemingly inconsequential choices, design is everywhere. In this article, learn about what other people may conclude (correct or not) about you and the quality of your work based solely on the way you name your files.
Product Development Lessons from the NES Controller
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Controller is an icon of the 1980’s and a symbol of the video gaming industry. This article describes the history of Nintendo as it relates to the NES and derives general product development lessons from the design of the NES Controller.
This Concept Changed the Way I Think About Ideation
This article presents an idea that has high influenced my way of thinking about design. The article is centered on ideation and focuses primarily on how to do it well. It introduces the concept of design space, design exploration, and the trade off curve.
What I learned when I let AI render my hand sketches (2024)
I let AI render my hand sketches, and in the end I am simultaneously amazed and sorely frustrated. Generative AI has its place, and preparing this article helped me learn when and were to expect value out of this powerful tool. In this article, I share various examples (good and bad), describe the software I used, list 4 ways this kind of AI is powerful, and give several tips on trying to use it in your own work.
Bring Your Sketches to Life with Simple Shading and Shadow
Relatively simple things can be done to liven up your sketches. This article presents a number of common techniques to try.
Design Thinking Part 5: Tips and Anecdotes
In this final part of the Design Thinking series, I highlight empathy development as a distinguishing factor in the Design Thinking approach and describe 6 reasons why some people fail to find success with Design Thinking.
Design Thinking Part 4: Framing and Reframing Design Problems
Problem framing is about uncovering the actual problem worth solving – which is often hidden to everyone when the design process begins. A key part of framing and reframing is to see the problem from various perspectives and to search for best match between the problem frames and the solution candidates. This article provides the basics of problem framing and positions it as the backbone of Design Thinking.
The Rules of Work
In this article, I share direct quotes from six of Templar’s rules of work. These rules are all centered on one of the book’s ten themes: “Act One Step Ahead”. If you are going to move up in the company you have to practice the “mannerisms, attitudes, and managerial traits of the position above the one you currently hold. If you already look as if you’ve been promoted, chances are you will be.”
Why Designers Make Prototypes
Have you been asked to make a prototype, or feel like you should be doing more prototyping, but you’re not quite sure why, or not quite sure how to get the most out of prototyping? This article presents 4 reasons designers make prototypes. Understanding these reasons and mapping them onto your project will unlock the power of prototypes and speed up your development efforts.
Visual Thinking Exercises for Engineers
Visual thinking skills enables good sketching. Good sketching facilitates rapid design iteration. Good design emerges from significant iteration. Based on this logic, visual thinking skills are foundational to good design.
Good Design: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, and The Phonetic Alphabet
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo… this is the NATO phonetic alphabet. What made this design so enduring that it survived the analog age, and the onset and proliferation of the digital age? Why was this design so universal that it is used throughout the world with only minor regional adaptations?
Useful Acronyms and Abbreviations in Product Development
Professionals use abbreviations and acronyms all the time in their communication. Come up to speed on over 60 Product Development abbreviations defined in this article.
From Chaos to Clarity in the Design Process
It's the nature of design to be messy and complicated. Eventually what felt chaotic in design becomes clear. Making that transition from chaos to clarity is greatly facilitated by checking four things about your process. This article discusses those four things.
Three Unexpected Tips for Writing Better Technical Papers
After you have done good technical work such as discovering something new, or developing a new technology, your goal in a technical paper is to share those findings with other people. This is not as easy as it sounds. In this article, I share three tips for refining your technical writing that you won’t find anywhere else, but that I am sure will make your writing more readable and trustworthy.
Learn to Sketch: Shading and Shadowing Cylinders
Until recently, how to shade and shadow cylindrical objects has been a mystery to me. I had known there should be areas on the surface shaded lighter and others darker, but I didn’t quite know where those should be. Understanding the physics and practicing the sketches in a detailed way (a few times) helped me lock in the core concepts. Now I can sketch them quickly without trouble. This article shares the physics and provides a step-by-step process for skill building.
Shigeru Miyamoto: Nintendo’s Super Power
Discover six ways to emulate the world’s most respected video game designer. Whether you’re an engineer, and artist, a coder, or an entrepreneur, these universal designer attributes are sure to power up.
Good Design: Fender Precision Bass Guitar
The Fender Precision Bass Guitar has been a best selling bass for 70 years. What made this design so good?
Design Thinking Part 3: Design Thinking as a Mindset
This part of the Design Thinking series describes the mindset of expert designers. The article argues that the mindset of Design Thinking is enabling and freeing because it represents the beliefs that the designer uses to choose good design actions at appropriate times given the unique characteristics of the problem being solved.
Design Thinking Part 2: Design Thinking as a Step-by-Step Process
Design Thinking is not new. It’s been around for decades. The first attempt to turn it into a process was in 1969. Contemporary forms of that process still exist today, the most popular being the 5-step process introduced by the Stanford Design School in 2005. This article describes that process and other techniques that will help you try-out Design Thinking.