Pat’s Point of View

Have you ever noticed how car designers can really screw things up when they create a new ‘generation’ of a model? Quite often there’s a serious fuglification factor involved.

It’s like the old adage “never buy version 1.0 of a Microsoft product”, it sometimes takes a few updates/facelifts before the new generation achieves a balanced, harmonious look. And sometimes it never does, just stays plain fugly.

Here are five examples. (I’ll admit up-front, some of these vehicles weren’t absolute stunners before fuglification but they were at least adequate, even handsome.)

Mazda 3: 1st Gen to 2nd Gen

Definitely a case of a lovely looking car hit with the fugly stick. Especially the hot MPS version, which is a real shame. The 2nd gen is bigger (which I think is a running theme here in this list) but looks gangly and is smiling like a doofus. Fail.

Nissan X-Trail: 1st Gen to 2nd Gen

OK when I said some of these cars weren’t that great looking before, I was talking about the X-Trail. The first version wasn’t pretty, but the second is fugly. And bulbous…it’s got a big arse.

Subaru Liberty: 4th Gen to 5th Gen

Ahh the 4th gen Liberty, a really elegant design. But they had to make it fugly with the introduction of the lunchbox styling of the latest model. Sure it’s bigger, allowing Subaru to compete with the large sedans, wagons and SUVs in the family market, but it looks bad. I feel ill.

Holden Commodore: 3rd Gen to 4th Gen

The VZ was a refined evolution of the 3rd generation shape, a very nice looking vehicle. The VE that replaced it may be technically superior (it’s a “billion dollar design” after all) but it’s fugly. The HSV models based on the VE are much better looking, but the standard models look misshapen and boxy. I was disappoint.

Toyota Hilux: 6th Gen to 7th Gen

Where I grew up, real men drove a Hilux. Preferably a 4WD dual cab version. And the 6th generation were nice a design. But they got well and truly fuglified with the next model, especially the 2WD versions which look tubby and moronic. You’d look a right berk doing donuts in a paddock in one of those!

Well what a second day! If I worried that the quality of the first day couldn’t be maintained, I needn’t have. Even the one complaint I had from yesterday (the temperature: in the big room it was freezing, in the little rooms it was warm) had been rectified.

And I thought there was a great line-up of speakers today, possibly better than yesterday. We started with Scott Berkun talking about innovation, or indeed talking about not talking about innovation. This was a great topic considering the myriad of start-ups, mash-ups and ‘new’ ideas that dominate the web industry, and Scott is an excellent speaker.

I followed this with George Oates and her presentation that focussed on Flickr and its history and underlying concepts. Very cool, made me want to have my own start-up and just begin experimenting.

During lunch I spoke to the guys at Gekko Images about Expression Media, and I have to admit I’m pretty sold on it. I’ve tried it in the past and I think it has the right combination of simplicity and functionality to suit the work I do.

After lunch, Lisa Herrod and Stephen Cox gave us two whole user-centred sessions. I particularly liked Stephen’s talk about using ethnographic research methods within a commercial organisation such as News Digital Media. He is the master :)

To finish off the day, and the conference, was Mark Pesce‘s presentation on…well, on lots of things but most importantly the destruction of the ‘hierarchy’ by the ‘network’. This was more than just a keynote, this was a real reality check. Eye-opening, inspiring and scary in equal parts. I’m sure many people in that auditorium will do just as he suggested, and question why they are doing the jobs they are on Tuesday.

All in all, lost of things to think about over this long weekend (yay!)

See what people are blogging about: wds07

I’m currently reading several books simultaneously, which is probably not the best method but I’ve been assured it’s quite normal. On the list are:

• Doing Visual Ethnography by Sarah Pink (2007) – quite an enlightening read, if a bit heavy going (although compared to most anthropology texts I’ve seen it’s pretty easy to read). I first picked it up because of the focus on using photography and video as part of field research, but covers many other topics too, including the generded nature of ethnographic research and the various theoretical stances underpinning this type of work. And I’m only part way through.
• Ethnographic Methods by Karen O’Reilly (2005) – which so far seems to be an excellent introduction to the topic. It has a less academic tone of voice and is thus easier to read than a lot of books on this subject (as I said above). Karen has included many excellent examples and anecdotes from real field research. Quite the practical reference book. Thanks to Stephen for the tip.
• Universal Principles of Design by Lidwell, Holden, Butler (2003) – an overview of 100 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach Through Design. I was browsing the bookshelf at work and thought I’d take a look, as I am quite interested in ‘little d’ design. I wasn’t terribly impressed; it’s embarrassingly brief and superficial in its discussion of these principles. It’s definitely written for visual designers and I don’t think it does any of the content much justice. As one of the reviewers on Amazon says: better for the coffee table than the design desk.

Sadly, there’s a much bigger pile of books for me to read next. It just never ends…

Whilst I’m not exactly sure how I came to be receiving their emails, I have discovered that Before & After Magazine is an excellent source of design goodness.

Their articles give good, practical advice on the effective design of websites, posters, business cards etc. The focus is on clear and effective design, and as you’d expect, the articles are quite well written (and have an excellent format for printing “2-up” to save paper). You do need to subscribe to get to their best stuff, but from what I’ve seen it is probably worth it.

Serendipity…gotta love it.

See what people are blogging about: Before &After, design

Also in the current edition of Qantas’ in-flight magazine is a one page round-up of the latest in hip ski equipment. They certainly didn’t have gear like this when I started skiing (or the last time I bought ski gear, which was a pathetically long time ago). Check this out:

Burton Audex Motorola cargo jacket The ultimate in wearable technology (so far), the Audex [jacket] has full iPod and mobile phone control panels on the sleeve, works with any Bluetooth-compatible mobile phone and also features a removable MP3 player, speakers in the collars and a built-in microphone.

Niiiiiice….but if you can’t afford the $1200 or so, maybe this is for you:

Giro Omen helmet This model is audio-compatible for those with a Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player or mobile phone…It’s also lightweight and features a fitting mechanism that can be adjusted with your gloves on.

That’s neat, and a great example of user-centred design in a sport that has often been more about show than go, at least in terms of its equipment. I mean being able to work the controls with your gloves on is pretty much common sense, but anyone who has been skiing will tell you that most things aren’t made that way.

Völkl Tigershark skis These skis come with a power switch that allows skiers to decide exactly how they want their skis to react. Leave the switch off for a softer flex and more relaxed skiing. Flick it on to stiffen the ski and give a snappier response when more aggression is required.

Awesome. I think I need sponsorship for my next ski trip, because that’s about the only way I could afford any of the above ;)

See what people are blogging about: skiing, usable sports equipment

Another month, another in-flight magazine. Yet I was shocked to read about the imminent release of the next generation of Subaru’s Impreza in the June edition of Qantas’ Australian Way.

I’ve not kept up to speed with the latest in the motor industry, as this was news to me! They’re making a hatch version, as well as sedan. The last major body change to the Impreza was the deletion of the coupe—which included the epic 22B—but I don’t think a true hatch version (as opposed to the current hatch which is more like a wagon) is such a good move.

It’s fairly ugly too, especially the back of the hatch version. The sleek front end is not bad though, quite different from the brutish utilitarianism of past models. And it’s looking more inline with the current Liberty design direction.

You can find out more at Subaru USA (an interesting Flash website by the way).

See what people are blogging about: Subaru, 2008 Impreza, WRX

As an avid car nut, and having a taste for the unusual, I have long had a fascination for unique automotive specimens. Something intrigues me about the way guys funk up cars that would normally be driven by people not part of the modified car scene. An analogy for this is that it’s a mums car, like a station wagon. Hence the phrase Pimp my mum’s ride, which combines the mum-ness and the name of a popular MTV series dedicated to sooping up old cars (Pimp my Ride). (more…)