ExperienceLab

Smoke signals

For me a hospital environment isn't usually a happy place. I imagine dreary walls, a quiet, dull, sterile environment, strange smells, boredom of waiting, and more waiting, pain... or is that just me?

However, I recently visited the nicest hospital I've ever been to and for someone like me, who's often waiting whilst another person has treatment, I found enough to do to keep me occupied and remove my worries!

Toyota opens Window to the World

We love this video of Toyota's "Window To The World", displayed at last weeks Our Future Mobility Now conference in Brussels.

The concept was developed in conjunction with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) and uses augmented reality to turn a pane of glass into an interactive display that provides passengers with information about landmarks as they pass. Even better, passengers can draw on the window, creating interaction with the passing environment.

Would be great to think that this type of technology could be the future of car travel, and surely a welcome relief for weary parents!

An appetizing idea

It all started in one corner of the office, but after sending around a free trial code “grazers” have sprung up all around the office. So what is grazing? Well we haven’t started eating grass and walking around the office on all fours, if that’s what you’re wondering. Grazing is the new office snacking. Graze boxes are a type of cool, hip lunchbox and the best part is that they are delivered straight to your desk.

   
 

POWERMAT - an end to cable / charger clutter?

Last summer our family packed in preparation for our holiday. It took most of the day to get ready and load the car, allowing for everything needed by 3 children, 2 adults and 1 dog. A long drive lay ahead and the car was loaded with gadgets and entertainment devices to keep the kids happy. This included MP3 players and handheld games consoles, mobile phones, a camera and a camcorder. Plus, of course, a tangled mess of chargers, cables and power adaptors.   

Stanza/iPhone make strong first impression

Stanza on the iPhone/iPod Touch makes a better first impression than dedicated E Ink devices like the Kindle or Sony Reader. (Stanza is a free book-reading and book-downloading application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as for PCs and Macs. Stanza is now owned by Amazon.)

We're doing some long-term research on ebook readers, and it will be a while before all the results are in, but one thing is clear. Every user we've spoken to, from students to professionals, from 2-book-a-week pleasure readers to people who only ever pick up the occasional nonfiction book, the first impressions favour Stanza on the iPhone/iPod Touch every time.

Why?

Well designed entrance at Sainsbury's

This is the entrance to our local Sainsbury's supermarket, a model of good design.

The supermarket's site is recessed under the level of the road, having replaced an old industrial steelworks site along the train tracks. The designers chose to raise the shop up to the road level and put parking down below, so it's always been a problem how to move shoppers and their groceries around.

When we first moved here, we used to take a dingy stairway up. Then, when a Tesco moved in next door, they decided to posh it up a bit, and did a great job.

They added a big entryway with a handsome glass front, and two long travelators to take people and their trolleys up and down. The travelators are like escalators but without steps, and have a clever arrangement so the trolleys don't roll down the slope even if you let go of them.