unknown unknowns

The Artikcar

Nice little behind-the-scenes film of Mr Wilson's Artikcar.

I want one. It would be perfect for the commute.

The imaginable v. the feasible

The bike project has been a revealing window on the realities of the product development process. The last few month's prototyping has been a constant push and pull between the imagineable and the feasible: what we want to do isn't always physically possible. Or, more accurately, it's either not economically viable or there are no suppliers willing or capable of delivering it.

So even when planning we're constantly thinking about how things will physically be fabricated. Inevitably, and quite rightly, executional considerations inform the planning process.

To force a parallel with the world of communication, this may be an argument for allowing greater creative involvement in strategy development, or greater planning involvement in the creative process. Or even that these silos are increasingly irrelevant.

But really it's just a good excuse to share this great little video from Parker Steel. It shows their computer-controlled laser cutting machine making lace of a couple bits of steel tubing. Call me a geek, but a part of me could watch this all day.

(Please forgive my gonzo coding. Parkers didn't stick the video on YouTube/Vimeo so I've had to cut and paste as best I could. As you can see, I don't really know what I'm doing. But right-clicking will give you some control over the video.)

Fork test #3

Thanks, Ben.

Fork test

Fast prototyping

For the last few months I've been working on the development of a new product, a new type of bicycle no less. The client got me involved to do plannery sorts of things and it makes a refreshing change to be able to apply that to an actual object.

My first contribution was recommending Ben Wilson. Ben is a talented product designer who also happens to be a vehicle nut. And he particularly likes bikes, so he was a natural choice for the gig.

The added bonus of working with Ben is that he is a very hands-on designer, and by that I mean he likes to make the things he designs, usually the prototypes but sometimes the finished article. So rather than spend days drawing what the thing might look like, he just got on and made it. That's not to say Ben doesn't draw, I can personally vouch for his abilities with a CAD file. It's just that he has approached the project like an agile software development process: plan a little, build a little.

Whilst this working style doesn't suit everyone, we've found it hugely helpful. Not only do you get to something tangible much sooner, you also learn what won't work much quicker too.

Lastly, it suits a more collaborative approach to working. Because if the initial drawings are less definitive, it helps if you're around to provide regular feedback during the build.

More to follow, NDA permitting.