HyperIsland & Skype 2011

A brain dump for the students at HyperIsland Stockholm. What I believe a designer is, what influences him, how does he solve problems, preserve beauty and craft, and how is all this done at Skype.

Transcript

1. Hello, I’m Buzz and I’m a designer
2. Mind of an engineer
5. and the heart of an artist
6. Make beautiful things - work beautifully
23. Sorry, I easily get distracted
24. skype’s story
25. Tone of voice
26. Tone of voice
27. skype logo
30. but this is just the lipstick... ... just the lipstick
31. We’re rather odd...
32. Care more about looks...
33. ...until we interact with it
34. Looks are extremely important...
35. “To be different is easy, but to be better is hard.”
36. Brand = behaviours
37. 20% Visual 80% Interactive
38. Brand is interface
39. Interface is brand
45. in flight
46. phone
48. lego
49. Best interfaces feel inevitable
50. ...but the world isn’t seamless
55. As a designer, I try and create beautiful seams
56. Understanding the seam
57. Understanding the seam
59. 10,000,000,000
60. Cultural differences
61. Expectations are higher than ever
62. People are wilfully ignorant
63. Do more with less
64. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Clarke’s 3rd law
65. Quickly lose the wonder
67. It’s universal
68. It’s useful
69. We try and be wonderful
70. Doing things together, whenever you’re apart
81. Real time
84. 80 Fragmented experiences
87. Number of features User happiness
88. Number of features User happiness
89. Number of features User happiness Nice, wish I could do more
90. Number of features User happiness Happy they added this!
91. Number of features User happiness Cool!
92. Number of features User happiness I rule!
93. Number of features User happiness Happy User peak
94. Number of features User happiness Happy User peak Better look at the manual
95. Number of features User happiness Happy User peak Where did they put that?!
96. Number of features User happiness Happy User peak I suck :(
98. Number of features User happiness
99. Number of features User happiness
100. Number of features User happiness
101. Number of features User happiness
102. Number of features User happiness Product 1
103. Number of features User happiness Product 1 Product 2
104. Number of features User happiness Product 1 Product 2 Product 2
109. Element
110. properties actions events Element
111. properties actions events first name last name title middle name nickname gender birth date language(s) nationality occupation, marital status description interests website(s) networks/memberships services/apps tags/categories notes country city state street + number, post code picture video avatar more/previous pictures availability status message current location local time skype ID (skypename) phone numbers email addresses third party send invitation to connect call (on available channels) videocall send video message send audio message send text (on available channels) send letter/mail share media (consume together) share activity (do together) share screen (show/present) send (file, contacts,…) (give) share activity (do together) nudge poke schedule conversation open last conversation show history of conversations search history of conversations delete all history of conversations delete part of history of conversations save/delete block/unblock rename tag/categorise annotate edit/add contact details add to group merge with view/edit schedule contact request call alert nudge first new message (no distinction of kind) subsequent messages missed call poke new invitation birthday reminder mood update properties actions events Element: contacts properties actions events Element
112. Contacts =
115. Activity sharing Media sharing Video call Call States Idle Active communication IM Browsing Watching Organising Preparing Media sharing Video call Call IM Video call Call IM Call IM IM
116. Activity sharing Media sharing Video call Call States Idle Active communication IM Browsing Watching Organising Preparing Media sharing Video call Call IM Video call Call IM Call IM IM
117. Activity sharing Media sharing Video call Call States Idle Active communication IM Browsing Watching Organising Preparing
119. Postures
120. Immersive The application supports an immersive experience. People can give total attention to the task and forget the rest. Postures
121. Immersive The application supports an immersive experience. People can give total attention to the task and forget the rest. Multitasking The application supports alternating the focus of attention. People can do something else and keep an eye on Skype. This is great also for supporting collaboration. Postures
122. Immersive The application supports an immersive experience. People can give total attention to the task and forget the rest. Multitasking The application supports alternating the focus of attention. People can do something else and keep an eye on Skype. This is great also for supporting collaboration. Background The application supports running in the background. People can immerse in other tasks or be away and receive notifications or quickly access Skype. Postures
124. Idle, Immersive
125. Messaging, Multitasking
126. Call, Background
130. Continuity = the new consistency
131. GUI = distributed meaning
132. Art direction
133. 1 2 Art direction The maths
134. 0º 15º 30º x.32 y.-88 x.88 y.-32 1 2 Consistency
135. All icons are constructed using only straight lines and perfect Making
136. All icons are constructed using only straight lines and perfect Making
137. Making
138. Making
139. Uniformity... When there’s a need for a curve, we use the same one It’s 225px in diameter and sits on the co-ordinate x: -64px The uniform curve is 225px in width, which although being in contradiction to the rule of keeping circles as 2px divisions, means it can sit on x: -64px (dead center). To ensure a consistent curve, icons must be re-drawn when resized. Uniformity
140. symbols carry specific and universal meaning Error Failure Problem Attention Warning Critical or fatal Rejected Blocked Inactive No-Entry Non-critical Missed Timed-out Away Non-critical Taxonomy
141. Testing scale
143. Get yourself
155. Nothing will ever be simple again
156. stevebuzzpearce @stevebuzzpearce steve-pearce.com