2 years, since then...

Its been exactly 2 years since I last posted on my blog. Hello!

Interface Design - UI for Printer with Touch-based screen display

Being experienced in designing UI for music player, sometimes I asked would it be similar that I try to design for different hardware display UI? The above its a little assignment to design a new interface layout that took advantage of the touch-screen display. In this case, the hardware is a printer. As you may know today a home printer can do more than just printing graphics and documents. Some of the product range focus on making it home office equipement. Therefore being able to perform a task directly on the printer is crucial. e.g. copying documents/graphics or printing photos directly from inserted medias (e.g SD card) would be necessary without doing it through PC.

Having a display with touch-based technology indeed help to close this gap. The UI above uses tactile button design for key functions and took advantage of the big display. Overall the UI its tab-driven and colour tones were uses to group tasks. It also try to use familiar metaphors, e.g. for COPY mode - references UI from a actual documents copier. PHOTO mode - references UI from a actual digital camera.

Let me know your comments, if any.

Trees + Shades + Car

Wombat

My Photos featured in BMWUSA.com

In August, received an invitation through flickr.com to submit some of my photos to bmwusadotcom for used in their interactive showcase on bmwusa.com as they get ready to launch the new 2009 3 Series Sedan. Very happy and honored that a few of my photos made it.

Its basically a compilation of what BMW as a company built, vs what we as the consumer moded and built.

'Ubiquity' from Mozilla Labs

Come across this source from a blog (http://www.kungpowthinking.com/) I read today.

Very interesting thoughts and prototype demo by Aza Raskin, Mozilla Labs

The overall goals of Ubiquity are to explore how best to:

• Empower users to control the web browser with language-based instructions. (With search, users type what they want to find. With Ubiquity, they type what they want to do.)
• Enable on-demand, user-generated mashups with existing open Web APIs. (In other words, allowing everyone–not just Web developers–to remix the Web so it fits their needs, no matter what page they are on, or what they are doing.)
  
• Use Trust networks and social constructs to balance security with ease of extensibility.
  
• Extend the browser functionality easily.

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

more @ http://labs.mozilla.com/2008/08/introducing-ubiquity/

The demo video seem promising to address the project goals, but I doubt its ease to learn. Maybe its like using google search edit box on the firefox browse. It empower you many hidden calls that its beyond just serach.

My 1st impression is that users need to remember lots of shortcut, command line and many typing to activate and complete tasks. It felt like an expanded 'Run..' control under 'Start' pop up menu that continue by running>edit>complete.

But I'm very impressed with the experience empowered to the user to be able to complete what they wish to do with simple command lines on Ubiquity.

Signature in O'Learys Sports Bar & Grill

Park SHOT!

This morning while parked and waited to pass ERP after 9am along ECP (to city) @ East Coast Car Park B1, East Coast Park Service Road. I suddenly got the mood to take some random quick shots using NOKIA N81 8GB to test out that 2 megapixel camera feature. Out of my surprised, it turns out not bad. Here are 2 most interesting shots that I really liked cos it show off the fierce front of E90, shot over hang of our car and that 'nong nong' front bonnet that was designed to tuck in that award wining in-line 6 engine. The photos its colour corrected with Adobe Photoshop CS3 but with no cropping nor sharpen during the correcting process. The photo was originally taken in black n white too.

I liked this most, the angle and frame are just towards my liking.

This shot show off more of the 'nong nong' front bonnet of BMW's car (too bad MINE isn't 6pot inside :( sigh!)

BMW-SG Decal Design

Toyota 'Winglet'

Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today development of the "Winglet", a personal transport assistance robot ridden in a standing position.

The Winglet—still being refined—is one of TMC's people-assisting Toyota Partner Robots. Designed to contribute to society by helping people enjoy a safe and fully mobile life, the Winglet is a compact next-generation everyday transport tool that offers advanced ease of use and expands the user's range of mobility.

...

TMC aims to realize the practical use of Toyota Partner Robots in the early 2010s by furthering its robotic development and strengthening collaboration between industry, government and academia.

Wow! very nice and I personally think its better design than Segway's version. Hope they will be able to compete in price too! Can't wait its available. I'll be very interested to understand to friendly its to operate one of this gadget. I understand Segway's uses body force, e.g. lining forward to move forward and stand still to stop.

You may download the press released here

Source from 'Japan Times Online'