#visualdiary7

[akcadle]

The Nest Thermostat is a shining example of innovation in the field of home automation and a testament to enhancing user experience through intuitive design. At its core, the Nest Thermostat's innovation lies in its ability to learn and adapt to user preferences, optimizing energy consumption and comfort seamlessly. One of its key features is the ability to learn users' schedules and temperature preferences. Over time, it creates a customized heating and cooling schedule that maximizes energy efficiency while ensuring a comfortable living environment. This learning capability not only reduces energy bills but also simplifies the user's interaction with the thermostat. The device's user interface is another highlight. It boasts a sleek, minimalist design with a vibrant display that provides real-time feedback on temperature settings and energy usage. Its compatibility with smartphones and voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa further enhances user convenience, allowing remote control and voice commands. The Nest Thermostat integrates with a wide range of HVAC systems and smart home devices, making it a central hub for home climate control. This interoperability contributes to a holistic and interconnected smart home experience.

[laurennbradford-blog]

Since taking Design Thinking at Georgetown and now Design Leadership, I’ve been thinking of how to easily (and with the least amount of conflict) to add design thinking tools to our workflow. On our dry erase board, I write a topic at the beginning of the week. While people come in and out of the office, they are encouraged to place a sticky next to the topic with their opinion. At the end of the week, the post-its are categorized and I attempt to come up with a solution to the small design problem. While the topic is never anything serious, it is a way to introduce some of the cross-collaboration innovation techniques. 

[creativecollectionnk32-blog]

Visual Diary #7 | It’s the Little Things

Today, the press we use at my work decided to not allow the staple mechanism to work. Considering these are due by Friday and I’m in charge of the project, I began to dread the possibility of stapling them all by hand. I tested my accuracy on a few, just to find out I couldn’t reach the center of the booklet to saddle stitch because the average stapler wasn’t long enough and it wouldn’t staple properly when in the open position.

*Enter Staple Board* My life saver today. Such a simple yet brilliant tool. It allows for 3 sizes of staples and to staple anywhere on anything. After a quick search on the internet I was able to get to the craft store to buy this. I was skeptical, as it was about $14 all-together. I went from being super stressed out this morning to grateful as all get out, for the simple things in life and in the design world. Who knew StapleBoard would save my sanity today, because I sure as heck didn’t! Thank you to the people who created this! 😂😍

[nice-lines]

Visual diary #7 | Robinhood

Robinhood is an investing platform that allows users to make trades commission-free.

They entered an already crowded market but separated themselves by promising to simplify and demystify the world of stocks. Robinhood is marketed for newcomers and seasoned investors. They offer a wide variety of powerful tools and present them in a way to not intimidate people new to investing.

If you take a look at other investment products alongside Robinhood, the difference is clear. Other platforms expect users to arrive with a deep understanding of a very nuanced space. Robinhood simplifies the entire process and makes it easy to learn more.

Robinhood also offers all trades commission free, which means you can buy and sell stocks without paying a company to do it. This was unheard of (and still is!) which makes Robinhood a leader in bringing value to its customers by redefining the product category altogether.

[insowmnia]

Facebook creator, Mark Z., is a social innovator. He saw a wicked problem around human interaction and built an interface to connect like people. Eventually, this platform connected the entire world. He changed the way people think about social platforms, communities and the world of media. 

[akcadle]

The Tesla Model S is a pinnacle of automotive innovation and an exemplar of user-centric design in the electric vehicle industry. Innovation is woven into every aspect of its existence, offering a transformative driving experience and setting new benchmarks. At the heart of the Model S's innovation lies its electric powertrain. The car's all-electric architecture eliminates tailpipe emissions and reduces the carbon footprint. With cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries and advanced energy management systems, it boasts an impressive range, redefining EV capabilities and addressing range anxiety. The Model S also leads in autonomous driving technology. Tesla's Autopilot features offer adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, and even self-parking capabilities, pushing the envelope of self-driving possibilities. The vehicle's interior is a testament to user experience design. The minimalist dashboard features a massive touchscreen interface that controls nearly every aspect of the car, from climate control to entertainment. This not only reduces clutter but also allows for over-the-air software updates, ensuring continuous improvements and new features. The car's sleek and aerodynamic design enhances both aesthetics and efficiency, offering a low drag coefficient and industry-leading performance. The Ludicrous Mode option allows the Model S to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 2 seconds, redefining the perception of electric vehicle performance.

[creativecollectionnk32-blog]

Visual Diary #7  |  Steps to Becoming a Design Leader

I have been looking into the content from InVision more and more since I posted about it last week and I came across this and thought I’d share it. While a lot of it seems obvious, it is information and opinions like these that are enlightening for me. Since we are able to post whatever we’d like this week, I thought it’d be nice to share something that’s design leadership guidance, rather than just my own opinion of why something is design leadership related. Sometimes it’s nice to gain some raw knowledge from experienced professionals!

I find comfort in reading blogs and articles like this and it inspires me to be better when it comes to my new aspirations for design leadership. Hopefully this short read provides some insight for all of you as it did for me. InVision is really proving to be a great design leadership tool!