quarterly on trends in design winter 1988 digital effect
TRANSCRIPT
Quarterly on Trends in Design
Winter 1988
Digital Effect
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With the trend toward increasing miniaturization in electronics, product design would seem to be on the verge of being freed forever from constraints on size and form. In re-ality, however, designers are strug-gling with totally new problems unique to new technology that no one could have foreseen ten years ago. American designer Gordon Bruce, whose career has grown together with today's new technolo-gies, talked with AXIS about the im-portance of interface design and its role in enhancing the work environ-ment, and shared his ideas on the possibilitles the future holds.
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Creating the Optimal Linl< Between Man and Machine Ttie Design Warl< af Garden Bruce
AXIS How have recent advances in Computer technology — Computer graphics for example — affected the way you work? GB Although a lot of design firms today are moving away from the use of models and relying more and more on computer-generated renderings and Images, I rarely use Computers In my work, and In fact prefer Sketches and models. In large part . th lscomesfrom my training at the Art Center College of Design that focused on developing drawing ablllty not only as one of the maln skills necessary for design work, but also as a prime communicatlon tool. Because drawings are limited in their usefulness In presenting ideas, though, 1 depend on models to take up where drawings ieave off. Models are also very effective for fo-cuslng the design process. Things llke Proportion, feel, accessibllity, welght, color, ease of use, detalling—virlually all aspects of a design — become tanglble when you move from the two dimensions of Sketches and drawings to the three dimensions of models. One of the main strengths of Computers as Support tools for design is the ability to störe and organize large amounts of data and provide speciflc Information Instantaneously. However, many designers who use Computer graphics and modeling tech-niques often get so caught up in the technology that the process takes precedence over the results. It's dan-gerous to let the ultimate design be defined by the llmits of the designer's proficiency with the machine and the capabilities of the machine itself. Of course when a Computer appears that is able to make models based on drawings done by a designer, things will change. Unt i l then, theycanbeused to help the designer with tasks llke billing and record keeping — things
that are handied so much more effi-ciently with a Computer — thereby leaving more time for designing.
Design a s a Team Process
AXIS Would you describe the Steps that you follow in a typical project? G B First, the product specs are set in cooperation with the engineers and marketing statt. We go over factors like welght, disassembly for transport, set up and environmental require-ments, power supply, wiring, and er-gonomic considerations. In this first stage, practically all decisions are based on simple, common-sense guidelines. Once the overall framework of the design is in place, I begin work on idea Sketches, and often even put together some quick models. The results of this stage provide the basis for further dis-cussion and modifications, which drive a new cycle of drawings and models. Next come progressively more de-tailed drawings and models, leading up to full-size models and, finally, prototypes. Product design is a process of going through and thinking out a variety of possibilities, and including the designer in the planning team is one of the secrets of creating a successfui design, I feel. I consider myself very fortunate in that I have almost always been able to take part in discussions from the outset of product planning, instead of being calied in at the end and told 'OK, this is what the product looks like overall, now we want you to just pretty it up a little for us.' For this kind of approach to work, though, the designer must be a good listener. The ultimate aim of the product designer is to see that the design reflects the functions of the product and to ensure that those functions are
"Virtually all aspects of a design become tanglble when you move from the two dimensions of Sketches and drawings to the three dimensions of models."
"Including the designer In the planning team Is one of the secrets to creatinga successfui design."
"A product's appearance should be Intlmately llnked to and reflect Its function."
carried out in the optimal way. AXIS What are some of the general rules you work from when designing the operational interface of a product — in essence the link between man and machine? G B First, that the machine is at the Service of the Operator, and not the other way around. Next is the pursuit of simplicity and cleanness of line. This includes factors like consistency, appropriateness, and safety. Finally, I try to avoid fixed Solutions to Problems. Each design entails a unique set of Problems and calls for unique Solutions. AXIS How did you acquire the techni-cal knowledge necessary for your work? G B A lot of what I know comes from on-the-job experience in my work for IBM, and the rest from extensive read-ing and research on my own. It's obviously important for designers to have a good working knowledge of electronics and Computers. By this I mean enough knowledge to be able to come up with unique ideas and ap-proaches to the problems at hand, without becoming caught up in real or perceived technical limitations. Any-thing beyond that is best left to the engineers. The best designs are produced by teams made up of members whose skills balance and complement each other. A poor balance results in prod-ucts that are too technical and compli-cated; too simplified and, as a result, limited in function; or simply overly decorated.
G B Designers the world over are struggiing to find the forms that these new technologies should take, and there are a variety of approaches to the question of product semantics—what the relation between the appearance of a product and its contents and functions should be. Philips, for instance, takes the stand that a product's appearance should State its function, and IBM's Office equipment line has always had a very Professional Image and feel that com-municates the character and nature of the machines. In contrast to this, a lot of designers today take a more postmodern type View and insist on adding humor and 'warm, human touches' to their designs. Personally, I believe that a product's appearance should be intlmately llnked to and reflect its function, and feel that the latter attitude is better termed styling, not design. Es-pecially in the area of Computer design, there's the risk of having the finished product come out looking like a child's toy ratherthan a piece of Office equipment. As designers, we must constantly ask what the most appropriate Solutions are. In my view, the CPU, the 'box' should be as unobtrusive as possible, even if the keyboard and VDT remain. For example, the CPU could be bullt into a desktop, leaving the workspace clear for other tasks. Because Computer design is still such a young field, people are looking for the best and most attractive Solutions, and there remains plenty of room for improve-ment and Innovation. •
Product Semantics AXIS From your point of view, what effect has the spread of microelectron-ics technology had on product design in general?