By Rain Noe - Jan 04

The "Bitten Biscuits" Puzzle: Can You Figure Out How to Arrange These Three Pieces to Form a Symmetrical Shape?

As designers we're supposed to be good with geometry, so let's see if you can figure this out. From puzzle designer Jin-hoo Ahn comes this three-piece one called "Bitten Biscuits," which won a Jury Honorable Mention at the IPP Design Competition (International Puzzle Party) in Kyoto, Japan in 2016: The

By Rain Noe - Dec 18, 2017

An iPhone X Game That You Play With Your Eyebrows

Nathan Gitter's "Rainbrow" puts the "face" in "interface"

A buddy of mine got the iPhone X. He likes the screen size, but is still getting used to the fact that for the facial recognition to turn it on, he has to pick it up, bring it up to his face, and stare at it. That doesn't appeal to

By Rain Noe - Nov 08, 2017

Combining Dominos With Pyrotechnics

Although dominos are a great and engaging way to teach patience to children, one problem is that they are entirely too safe. You can spice things up in your house by introducing the elements of open flame and pyrotechnics, as YouTuber Kaplamino has done: If you recognize the name

By Emily Engle - Sep 27, 2017

Designing a Colorblind-Inclusive Version of the Classic Card Game, UNO

With the help of ColorADD's color identification alphabet

When designing for the overall population, it can be easy to overlook the effect our work will have on smaller subgroups of people. Case in point: you may not encounter many openly colorblind folks on a daily basis, but they actually account for around 13 million people in the US

By Rain Noe - Sep 19, 2017

U.S. Navy Incorporating Xbox Controllers on Nuclear Fast Attack Submarines

When a $30 interface design proves better than a $38,000 one

For decades we've seen the military develop expensive technology—radar, GPS, microwaves—that trickled down to the consumer sector and became affordable. Now the consumer sector is apparently returning the favor. The U.S. Navy's Virginia-class submarines are $2.7 billion nuclear-powered fast attack vessels bristling with the latest technology. Old-school periscopes have been

By Emily Engle - Sep 07, 2017

Yves Béhar is Now Designing a Smartphone for Gamers

From juicers to phones, real quick

It looks like Yves Béhar has moved on from the Juicero catastrophe and is now working with gaming technology startup Wonder to design a smartphone specifically for gamers. The company and designer announced via Twitter and Wired that they are on a mission to tackle the challenge of designing a

By Rain Noe - Aug 11, 2017

A Fun "Eye Test" for Designers, Part 2

Spot the visual inconsistencies

As designers, we're supposed to have sharper visual acuity than most of the population. I'm guessing most of you aced the previous two visual tests we posted about, Matthias Wandel's "Eyeballing Game" and the popular "Which color doesn't fit?" test. Well, here's another one, branded an "OCD Test," and

By Rain Noe - Aug 03, 2017

Hi-Tech Version of the Boyfriend Couch: "Husband Storage Pods" for Shopping Malls

The waiting game

As the stereotype goes, women love shopping and men hate it. Thus Shanghai's Global Harbor mega-mall has installed two "husband storage" pods where wives can drop their bored husbands off. The single-occupancy glass pods are kitted out with a chair and a gaming rig loaded up with "retro 1990s games;"

By Rain Noe - Jul 28, 2017

Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator: 300 Jedi vs. 60,000 Medieval Soldiers

Plus T-Rexes vs. zombies, Chuck Norris vs. everyone & more

Now that computer processors, graphics cards and software have become both powerful and affordable, we can simulate all manner of important scientific scenarios than would have been possible just a few years ago. Many of us have wondered, for instance, whether 1,000 Tyrannosaurus Rexes could beat 100,000 zombies in

By Joel Moskowitz - Jul 19, 2017

Tools & Craft #56: A Visit to NYC's Amazing Chess Forum

Where else can you checkmate your opponent with Frank Lloyd Wright?

This past weekend the weather was gorgeous, and I found myself doing a walkabout in the village. On Thompson Street, the Chess Forum is a Greenwich Village fixture where you can buy chess sets and paraphernalia, books and videos, and most importantly, you can rent a table to play chess.

By Rain Noe - Jun 23, 2017

A Video That Finally Explains the 4th Dimension in a Way We Can Understand

Geometry was my best math subject, and it served me well during my CAD jockey years. But one thing I could never wrap my head around was the notion of a 4th dimension. People smarter than me would try explaining it to me at a bar, and while I could

By Rain Noe - May 22, 2017

Design Entrepreneurs, Take Note: There is a Market Designing Furniture for Geeks

Geeks have money, love Star Wars figures and need furniture

As we saw with Geek Chic's beautiful tables for playing Dungeons & Dragons on, designing furniture for geeks is a good business model. Now we see that this furniture designer/builder on Etsy is addressing another segment within the geek market: Collectors of Star Wars figurines. The creator uses hardwoods like

By Rain Noe - Apr 11, 2017

Daniel de Bruin's Biometrically-Controlled Amusement Park Ride

The Neurotransmitter 3000 responds to your body's pulse rate, temperature and muscle tension

Your average County Fair amusement park ride is controlled by some ex-con pushing a joystick and looking forward to his next cigarette break. But what if riders could control the machine themselves, in a hands-free way? Artist/designer Daniel de Bruin has actually developed such a machine. The Neurotransmitter 3000, which

By Ray Hu - Apr 10, 2017

Milan Design Week 2017: Everyone is a Winner at HEAD Genève's Salone Ludico

An impressive showcase of interactive projects by Media Design Masters students is a highlight from the Fuorisalone

As of last year, mobile gaming revenue surpassed that of console and PC. Angry Birds or Pokémon Go may be great ways to kill time, but digital games need not be solitary pursuits confined to screens—on the contrary, distraction can aspire to reveal something more profound. Case in point, a

By Kat Bauman - Feb 01, 2017

A Graphic Grid-ish Take On Dominos

A Pantone-y game you'd want to show off

I'm a sucker for color based entertainment, and this game is even better than those anxiety producing chromatic puzzles from Clemens Habicht. While similarly nice to look at, the geometric tiles offer a functional and tonal take on dominoes. The game, creatively called the Grid Game, was designed by Mexico's

By Rain Noe - Oct 24, 2016

Nintendo's Switch: A Mobile Gaming Unit With a Social Design

Wii the people...

It's been a while since Nintendo launched the monster hit that was the Wii. Can the company innovate on that scale again? Perhaps—their forthcoming Switch looks promising. While the Wii was designed to get couch-sitting players up on their feet, the Switch is designed for those who are out and

By Rain Noe - Sep 30, 2016

The Fascinating World of Japanese Videogame Arcades

...and how they cleverly integrate both technology and physical solutions

This is hilarious, and a prime example of how Japan is able to perfectly blend old and new things to create unique experiences: They've got a virtual reality videogame called "Fear of Heights" where your sole mission is to rescue a cat that has crawled onto the edge of a

By Kat Bauman - Sep 09, 2016

Forging A Steel D20: When D&D Gets Metal

This tough icosahedron takes a test run on a glass table

Nerds come in a lot of flavors, and many of us double dip. Blacksmith tabletop gamer? A natural combo. Even if you don't personally have a high elf alter ego or a dogeared copy of the Players Handbook, you might appreciate the wholehearted creativity that D&D and similar pastimes can

By Rain Noe - Aug 24, 2016

Super Nintendo Turns 25! Look How the Original Commercials Focused on the UX

Also, who knew Paul Rudd started out doing a SNES commercial?

In the 1980s, if you wanted to play videogames you had to clear some hurdles. First you had to save up some quarters. Then you had to journey to a smoke-filled arcade, and avoid being punched by a kid named Seth who smoked cigarettes and wore a bandanna and a

By Rain Noe - Jul 14, 2016

Stage Your Own Epic (Virtual) Battles with the "Totally Accurate Battle Simulator"

It's like low-res "Game of Thrones"

While videogames often feature castles, this one was actually developed by people working inside of one. Last week Örebro Castle, a medieval island fortification in Sweden, hosted Castle Game Jam 2016, "a rapid result driven game development event where teams create prototypes over the course of 1 week in a

By Rain Noe - Jul 11, 2016

Pokémon GO Phenomenon Takes U.S., Australia and New Zealand by Storm

The breakthrough augmented reality game has people running around outside and losing their minds

Of all the things that have gone viral, the Pokémon GO app might be the strangest. Released less than a week ago in the U.S., the augmented reality game has already spawned countless sore muscles, burned untold collective calories and even been used to commit crimes. For those of you