Adaptive Path Blog

Earlier this week we announced our latest R&D project: Mobile Literacy, a design and research project created to understand how people in emerging markets use mobile phone technology, and how it could be significantly improved.

Our findings from the Mobile Literacy project indicate that what mobile phone manufacturers currently sell to people in rural emerging markets is dead wrong. An estimated 40% of this population can’t read or write. A phone with a text driven interface is doomed to fail. Our design concepts share ideas for a system for illiterate phone users to share contact information without having to understand a text driven interface, and physical phone design that reflects the interfaces that are familiar: scroll wheels, non-digital meters, physical buttons and knobs.

On May 28, we’ll host a panel here at Adaptive Path from 6:00-8:00 with the people that worked on the project including primary researcher: Natasha Alani, project lead: Rachel Hinman, project manager and lead: Brian Cronin, and interaction designer: Alexa Andrzejewski. We will share:

• The findings from our primary research
• Our MobilGlyph and Steampunk concept and how they could make a difference for people in rural areas of emerging markets
• Implications of our findings and ideas for manufactures and designers

Please join us for our panel, appetizers, drinks, and some spirited discussion! RSVP for Thursday, May 28 at 6 PM at our offices at 363 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.

What is it like to use a mobile phone if you’ve never used any technology like a computer, an ATM, or a remote control? How can you make a call on a mobile phone if you don’t know how to read or write? How can mobile phones improve people’s lives in areas where traditional infrastructure is scarce? We went to rural India to learn how people in these areas use mobile phones and how mobile infrastructure is impacting their lives. Based on our research, we have developed design principles and mobile phone interface concepts for emerging markets.

On May 28th from 6:00-8:00PM at Adaptive Path we will present the concepts we’ve created, and the findings from the primary research of our latest R&D project. Please join us for an evening of sharing and discussion about how design can increase the positive impact of technology on the lives of people in emerging markets. Panelist include: Rachel Hinman, Natasha Alani, rural India Design Researcher, Brian Cronin, Alexa Andrzejewski, and Rachel Glaves.

Please RSVP on Upcoming, if you’re coming.

Superman is known for his strength and superpowers. He does all the work. He can save people all by himself without the help of anyone else. Why shouldn’t he do all that? After all he’s, “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” Some people may die when Superman does his work, but he is a superhero and will save the world from bad things.

Leaders on the other hand empower others. Leaders don’t do all the work on their own, but instead inspire other people to create something amazing, to work towards a cause, or to move a project or humanity to a better place. When a leader is present, everyone works and often together. Gandhi is known for renouncing violence and empowering others to do the same. Really, what good is creating anything for people if everyone is injured or dead? JFK is known so well for asking people what they can do for their country. He empowered others.  When a leader is truly leading, people aren’t left behind, but brought along and inspired into action.

In the design practice we also see these two extremes. We talk about genius design and design as the silver bullet. We also talk about participatory design and user innovation.

The distinction of these two extremes occurred to me during a leadership class I recently took. It wasn’t explicitly part of the curriculum, but it occurred to me how much time I’d spent trying to be a hero in my work when I thought I was being a leader. Trying to be a hero only worked out so-so. I’m now committed to empowering others in their work and ideas. I don’t always do this perfectly, but I sure  find I’m more relaxed and able to cause and create new things I didn’t think were possible.

What about you? In your work, are you a hero or are you a leader? What has worked? What hasn’t?

Here at Adaptive Path, I manage our Research and Development work which includes projects like Charmr, Aurora, the new event we just hosted, Managing Design Projects, and another project we’re excited to share with you soon. Separate from my work here, I’ve been pulling together an event called It’s Your Money. The event, which will be held on March 14th at the Westin Market St in San Francisco, is for recent and soon to be college graduates to come learn how to manage their finances and investments. Here’s why:

When I graduated college in 2003 and got my first job, I planned to save lots of money. But In fact, my paychecks were quickly spent on clothes, trips and many other “must haves”.

I thought I was doing a good job of managing my money by checking my bank statement every week or so. I was tracking my money, but I wasn’t managing it.

I made a New Year’s resolution in 2008 to manage my expenses. I started interacting with my purchases twice: once when I made them and a again when I categorized each expense.

I realized my car was costing me nearly $600 per month. I decided to sell it, reduced major expenses like eating out, and started to really save. After a year, I tripled my savings.

Recently, instead of being upset about the current economy, I’ve created this event to help recent and soon to be college graduates learn what I learned the hard way. At It’s Your Money, participants learn how to build a personal financial safety net, and manage their own investments.

This evening, I’ll be talking about the event on CNBC’s On The Money where I’ll be sharing my story, and what inspired this project.

We’ve got ten spots left at Managing Design Projects, our grass roots project management event (next week!) February 5, 2009 at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Here’s what we have planned for this rockin’ event:

• Scott Berkun, author of “Making Things Happen” and “The Myths of Innovation” is our keynote speaker

• Lynne Waldera, organizational consultant and Founder and CEO of InMomentum will show us how to successfully navigate sticky situations

• Brian Cronin, Project Manager at Adaptive Path will present on elevating the project management practice: where do project managers come from and where do they go?

• Sarah Nelson, Design Strategist at Adaptive Path and I will be presenting how to organize, plan, and execute collaborative sessions to facilitate buy-in and participation

We’re also excited to grow the practice and learn from other industry experts about the latest and greatest in agile, user research, prototyping, and managing branding and visual design projects. After the event, we’ll be having a cocktail hour at Kennedy’s. Claim your spot!

Earlier this week I got to see what Brian Cronin will be sharing at the end of our Managing Design Projects event, coming up on February 5, 2009, and I got really excited at the end of his presentation. This past year or so I’ve spent some time talking to experts in the field about managing visual design, and sharing ideas about project management. But in my conversation with Brian, he had me commit to something that I’m going to do to expand my practice of program management, and I’ve been bubbling with excitement ever since (yes, I said bubbling). I look forward to sharing with you, on the day of the event, what I’ve committed to, and learning from you all what you’re going to do to expand your practice.

If you’re a program, project, or product manager, come learn about conflict management, facilitation, client relationship management and much much more. Creating a community, and having you all meet each other, is just as important to us as the event itself, so please join us at the beautiful Ft. Mason in San Francisco! Pricing increases to $295 tomorrow, so register today.

Last month we announced Managing Design Projects, a ‘grassroots’ Adaptive Path conference, coming up on February 5th 2009. Since we announced the event, we’ve had people from around the world register. We’re thrilled to create this new community of people that help make design work happen behind the scenes.

We also announced that Scott Berkun will be keynoting at the event. He is not only author of Myths of Innovation, and Making Things Happen, but a kick-ass speaker with great stories from his experience managing projects at Microsoft.

Lynne Waldera, founder and CEO of InMomentum, Inc, a management consultancy, will also be speaking at the event. She’s an expert in organization strategy and one of the wisest people I’ve ever met. She will be talking with us about: Conflict Maneuvers:  Navigating disagreement, politics and emotions to “make things happen”. I’ve had a preview of what Lynne will be sharing with us, and I believe it will be valuable to anyone that’s works with creative teams on making big things happen.

Come join us to hear Scott & Lynne speak.

Space is limited to 60 people for this deeply discounted event, so register today! Price increases to $299 on January 15th.

There are lots of great events for designers, we even host a handful of them, but what about events for folks that are often behind the scenes managing the projects or programs, and products? The project management team here at Adaptive Path noticed there weren’t any. So…We’ve created our own!

We’re excited to announce Managing Design Projects, a brand new event with Adaptive Path targeted towards product managers, project managers and producers.

On February 5th, 2009 we’ll be coming together to discuss tools and techniques for new methods and technologies, client relations, facilitation, conflict resolution, and other skills that help us make things happen and get things done. Whether you work for a design firm or in-house, join us for this steeply discounted ‘grassroots’ Adaptive Path at Fort Mason in San Francisco. We’re capping the registration of this event at 60, so register now! The early registration price (until Jan 15) is $249.

While participating in Kate Rutter’s famous Wand in the World open design session, it occurred to me how great it would be to have a device where some of the hardware (with some of the software) was removable. In short, I wanted to just use the part of the device that I really needed at a given time and nothing more.

I was recently reminded of this when I went to buy an iPod Nano. I already had a MacBook, and I already had an iPhone, and they can both do everything this new device I was standing in line to buy could do. The only difference was that the shape and the size of the new device was more conducive to running. Likewise, I find I usually leave my iPhone at home when going out for a night on the town for fear of the breaking pretty glass that allows me to see all the applications I need during the day. In those instances, it would be nice to just be able to take just the phone part of my iPhone with me.

While I realize there are some serious hardware challenges to something like this, a girl could hope that when trying to consume less stuff, that I wouldn’t have to buy something that I already have, just to be able to have it in a different shape or in a form that’s more durable.

We’re excited to announce Charmr as a finalist in the IDEA awards! Charmr is a design concept we created that shows the vision for a combined glucose pump and monitor for Type 1 Diabetics. This started in response to a challenge. Amy Tenderich, a well-known diabetes advocate, wrote an open letter to Steve Jobs on her blog. In her post she asked Jobs to apply his design expertise to “the little devices that keep us alive, the people with chronic conditions.” As part of our R&D work, we took on the challenge and created a revolutionary diabetes management system concept that has triggered an overwhelming response from the diabetes, medical device, design and now the design award communities!