Re-examining Design for Open Hardware

Re-examining Design
for Open Hardware
Dave Vondle, IDEO
Open Hardware Summit
9/22/10

Monday, September 27, 2010

The BUGbase UI exploration


the challenge

A short two week exploration into the main UI for the BUGbase module.

The goal was to !nd ways to make the BUGbase more delightful, understandable
and immediately more usable right out of the box without increasing the cost of the
unit signi!cantly.

what is buglabs?

A new kind of hardware company that aims
to allow a new generation of engineers to
express their creativity and build any type of
device they want.

Make mashups as applicable to hardware as
it is to web services.


process vs product

in many ways the process of designing in the open, sharing everything, was as interesting as the
product design itself.

• extreme collaboration
• rapid feedback
• public missteps

see all the gory details: https://client.ideo.com/buglabs/


comments on the first blog entry
(first 2 days)

...


comments on the first blog entry
(first 2 days)

...some ideas...


Mid-Project Concepts

Concept 1 Concept 2 Concept 3 Concept 4 Concept 5
Electronic Ink over Tactile Color LCD with Capacitive Monochrome Matrix LCD w/ Customizable Illuminated NTE Microdisplay with
Switches Touch Multicolor segmented backlight Buttons with Side panel Trackball


icon strip:
Concept 4 - LED Tactile Switches with side status display paper or printable “transparency”
material permits user-customized icon
sets.

button faces:
button fronts join with button tree to
form slot for icon strip.

tactile switches:
mounted to mainboard button tree:
tree provides mounting surface for
button faces, rear of icon strip slot,
and !ex members for tactile switches


Concept 4 - Interchangeable Printable Icon Sheets

included icons:
default icon set may include basic
functions or “numbered” buttons to
support out of box use.

drop-in loading:
full strip drops into button bar slot for
simple change-out


Concept 4 - Icon illumination
tinted button fronts:
optional tinted plastic can make
buttons “disappear” when not backlit


Concept 4 - Button illumination button illumination:
adjustable color/intensity illumination
can be used alone to indicate button
status or function.


Concept 4 - Icon illumination icon illumination:
icon backlighting can delineate
groupings of connected button
functions or highlight active buttons.


Concept 4 - Interaction Design

Separation of functional areas: Status, User, Connectors

Pros
• simplicity
• in!nitely customizable labeling; high resolution graphics
• overt interface; visible buttons, tactile feedback
• glanceable
• does not compete with modules
• obvious boundaries of functionality

Cons
• multiple apps or multiuse scenarios ill suited
• minimal ability to display information
• single level of depth; no menu structures possible


Concept 1 - Fixed Segment Electrophoretic Display w/ Tactile Switches
!xed-segment electronic ink:
!exible "xed-segment electronic ink display for
tactile switches: high contrast. custom 23 segment per letter
mounted to main board eliminate font for readability and brand distinction
daughterboard PCB. provide tactile
feedback for button presses.

tactile bumps:
provide an affordance for locating the
tactile switch below

load distributing plate:
improve button feel and distribute
load from tactile switches over a
larger area.


Concept 1 - Interface


Concept 1 - Electronic Ink Segment De!nition
System Menu Map
comments about interaction design for Concept B
Interaction Flow
• !xed segment limitation; 4 characters per button
• !xed number of buttons (8)
• menu structure and navigation challenges
• information retained without power
• high contrast
• no illumination


Reflections on an Open Design Project



Know your audience, communicate in their language.



Ideally, be your audience



Be prepared to dedicate 20% of your time to documentation and collecting feedback



Openness supports rapid communication



You don’t own your design, everyone does



Community doesnʼt come easy or free



Communication and contextualization takes care



Proﬁting from a community is delicate



Asynchronicity is a 24/7 team member



Asynchronicity is a 24/7 team member
Brutally honest feedback improves quality


What does this mean for Designers?
Platform Design
Look to successful open source software projects, many times there is a
lead architect who creates a framework, or platform that enables others to
participate. This same person usually manages the project trunk to steer the
project

The trunk can exist to fulfill general needs or act as a higher volume, lower
cost object by leveraging economy of scale

The branches can fulfill certain “Long Tail” needs, as a configurable options
or modifications of the trunk. (Peter’s example of design for vision impaired)

Let go
We must challenge ourselves to let go of the reins, and put our talents into
enabling the community to work productively with us. Together we can
create objects that hold a new kind of relevance that can only emerge
from a collective process.


Re-examining Design for Open Hardware

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