This morning things got started a little earlier than usual (ugh, 7:30am)--the annual portfolio review. This year it was bigger and badder than ever. On the official docket there were over 40 employers present (biggies like Smart, Frog, IDEO, Motorola, Reebok, and even Target), each looking for the next design wunderkind. There was definitely an energy and excitement in the air--the sweet smell of potential employment--I think I even saw what appeared to be a few optimistic interviewees writing their first college loan re-payment checks.

Alan Cooper, president of Cooper Interaction Design, and author of recent books, "About Face" and "The Inmates are Running the Asylum", gave a highly entertaining and informative talk on the software industry. In his first book he tells a story of a ride he took in a friend's new Porche that has a computer glitch that causes the engine to shut down when it is low on fuel and you take a corner hard. The "smart" system that wants to protect the engine from a potentially deleterious restarting then forces the undoubtedly well-dressed operator to get out of the car and with a wrench (unfortunately not a standard feature) disconnect the battery cables to "reboot" the car. So, you can see that we need smart guys like Alan to save ourselves from ourselves.



As the only person to ever sell Bill Gates software without being bought out by the Microsoft juggernaut, Alan knows Silicon Valley and how to work it. His humorous monologue began by speaking to the inherent differences between interface design and interactive design, and the problems that common ignorance of this distinction creates in the information industry: (with a construction analogy) "It's like they [programmers] are pouring the concrete before you [as a designer] build the wooden forms." From Alan's perspective the code writers and programmers are at odds with the interactive designers--I sensed a bit of a mechanistic vs. humanistic subtext. Anyway, his prescription for success is "goal directed design," where the user comes before the task and technology. Read his books...if you dare to be informed and amused.

Next was the best of the Education Conference presentations--the National IDSA Education Conference takes place the three days just prior to the National IDSA Conference (see CORE-e-spondent, Scott Lundberg's insightful description here). The committee chooses what they feel are the two most distinguished academic papers/presentations appropriate for the national conference audience. IDSA Education Committee chair, Ron Kemnitzer, of Kansas State University introduced this year's selections. Unfortunately, Paul D. Rothstein, from Arizona State University could not be present to present his informative and provocative "The 'Re-emergence' of Ethnography in Industrial Design Today." So, Tad Toulis (a Pratt graduate I.D. alumnus!) got more time for his "Service as Product." Tad spoke of his experience with winning a Fulbright Grant and spending a year in Italy working with some big-time designers in Milan and also at the American Academy in Rome. The product concepts he developed emerged out of his investigation of information as materiality itself. Tad works for Lunar Design in California, who graciously permitted his little European hiatus, and they are now working with Tad to develop some of his concepts. Tad's story is a strong example of how industry and education can work together for mutual benefit.

While there were other concurrent break-out sessions just before lunch, I chose to sit in on the Environmental Responsibility and Furniture Design Sections' seminar. It turned out to be all about manufacturing materials...and oh how we designers like to see new stuff that we can use to make other new stuff. Speaking first was the founder of Materials Connexion, a New York based materials library. It may be the only one like it in the US. In their Soho space they have baskets upon baskets of the newest offerings from industry that you can pick up and feel--definitely worth a look if you are in the neighborhood.

Then...a Material Science Ph.D. from Franhofer, USA (a research and development company that is based in Germany with offices all over). With a distinctively German accent (an unfortunately with distinctively German wit) this scientist described the wonders of their latest technological development--metal foams. Yes, metal foams. He spoke most of an aluminum foam that must be felt to be believed. Basically it is like a sheet of paper foamcore (CORE!) only made of aluminum. To simplify the description of the production process (which is really quite fascinating), basically powdered aluminum and a catalyst are sandwiched between two thin sheets of aluminum; then, it is put into a big oven and baked to rise. Wallah! a lighter metal substance that can be used in myriad ways--welded, bent, machined, and you can even drive a screw into it. It has half the weight, by volume, and has 8-10 times increased stiffness--it's like Viagra for the over-the-hill metals industry. Metal foams, yeah baby!

Next came a member of KAFUS, a materials research and development company concerned with utilizing sustainable and alternative resources. They are doing some wonderful environmentally conscious work for the chew-em-up-and-spit-em-out 'real' world of big time industry. He's a tree-hugger in a slick suit. One project they are working on now, and have realized in Los Angeles, is the use of waste wood to make an MDF substitute. They have wood factories in urban areas! Basically they take scrap wood (old pallets and waste building materials, I guess) and turn it into a uniform sheet wood product that has no off-gas. They take 400 tons of scrap wood a day (in the L.A. plant) and wash it, and process it, and give it another useful life. By the way the washing process is so clean that they use the waste water to water the plants around the outside of the factory.

Another of KAFUS' new products is a biocomposite that uses the Kenaf fiber. Basically instead of a synthetic fiber they use this plant which is similar in some ways to hemp (I said in 'some' ways). Traditionally it has been used in the paper business (it is big in China) and is dirt cheap and grows fast and has long, strong fibers. Oh, and they grow it in the states now so they don't have to import it. The Kenaf is combined 50/50 with a polypropylene to make a material that is lighter and stronger than what is out there. The automobile manufacturers are using this for the interior panels--as one example. It has no off-gas and is 100% recyclable. Go KAFUS!

Each day after lunch the afternoon sessions have opened up with the dramatic ranting of Mike Albo. He is a monologist from New York City who juxtaposes cultural commentary with conference themes (consumerism, I guess) and has been called by the press a "Huck Finn for the 90's" (only months away from being out of a job?--he better get some new material). His monologues are delivered at a feverish pace and are barely discernible, yet chock full 'o funny. They are a nice break from the normal conference tenor. I don't really know how to describe Mike's work--you really need to experience it.

John Cain, one of the founders of the Chicago-based E-Lab, discussed the work that this product research and design firm conducts. What is unique about E-Lab is that they are heavy into social science like user research...you know, ethnography. John calls what they do experienced based design and they follow a formula of Think-Do-Use in their research process. What is really cool about them is that they assign an anthropologist (or other social scientist) along with an industrial designer to work on a product development project until completion. They have a great office space in Chicago and seem to foster an exciting and healthy corporate culture. You should check them out for yourselves at www.elab.com. Oh, John is a comfortable and witty speaker that doesn't cheat you on content.

The chief creative officer of Razorfish, a strategic digital communications company with eight offices in North America and Europe (in case you have been living under a rock or are Amish), Peter Seidler, let IDSA know what was new with them. Peter, who I am sure is normally pretty creative and fun-loving kind of guy, talked at great, great length about their recent work for Charles Schwab. Basically the work that Razorfish completed for them has made Schwab an industry leader in on-line investing--what was only 3% of their business is now some ridiculous percentage. Peter set the tone for the future of e-business (and apparently e-life) with his soothsaying, "Everything that can be digital will be." Perhaps there will be a Razorfish office opening up next to the Starbucks near you.



My final event for the day was a discussion panel on Integration Management hosted by the IDSA Design Management Section. Here the five distinguished panelists, each with diverse specialties, gave a brief presentation of what it is like where they work and how they are able to get different experts--researchers, strategists, marketers, branders, designers, etc.--to form a functional team. Steven Kaneko of Microsoft discussed the relatively small (within Microsoft) product development group and what it is like working within a corporate culture dominated by software geeks. (My normally keen reporter-like concentration on Steven's talk was blown after he told us about the new mouse they had developed that has an "back" button on it for surfing the web!--now if there was only a "soul-mate" function for chat rooms). Brian Matt, principal of Altitude design consultancy wowed us with his visual aids (that he bought in the hotel gift shop) in describing the uncontrollable ball of people and specialties that was once your company if you veer too far from your core (CORE!) competencies. Steve Russak spoke about what was going on with Smart Design and Tim Parsey described the recent invigorating work done to save a tired Swingline product line. Elizabeth Sanders, Ph.D. (yea, one of those academic types) is president of SonicRim and talked about their unique user research company and how social scientists enter the product development mix.

The evening ended with a walking tour of some of the design firms in the downtown Chicago area: E-Lab; Herbst LaZar Bell; Insight Product Development; Sundberg-Ferar; and Joss. Buses were there as a convenience to take people from place to place but in the downtown Chicago rush hour it backfired and it would have been actually much more quicker to walk. At least the bus's on-board computer did not shut down the engine as we took that hard right from Michigan Ave. to State St. like all the Porches strewn about the sides of the road.


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