Candy’s developing quite a portfolio of projects that toe the line between art and service (with a little social commentary thrown in for good measure) Her most recent work for GOOD Magazine invites neighbors to meet each other thanks to the Please Disturb/Can I Borrow? placards included in the most recent issue.
What I love most about this is how it takes the sharing behavior we’ve become all-too-comfortable with online and challenges us to bring it back to real-world situations.
One side says, Please Disturb! and allows you to list the things you have to loan (an extra ladder, salad, ammo, etc.) The other side says, Can I Borrow? and you can list the stuff you need. “Our neighbors have a lot of resources, skills, and odds and ends that we can share, borrow, and trade,” says Candy. “Think of it as an invitation or a low-tech status update for your front door.”
If you’re into this sort of thing, definitely check out her previous work visualizing the laws governing New York City Street Vendors and these flash cards demystifying NYC Tenants’ Rights.
I love these whimsical decals from the folks at The Smart Vinyl Laboratory geared at instilling good habits in people. Be sure to check all of them out. How rad would they be for a child’s room?
Bonus:Dr. Jay Parkinson has a thoughtful follow-up on exploring how the principles behind these “Beautiful Reminders” could be applied to the Health Care Industry.
Now this is the kind of jump in digital storytelling that gets me excited. The video is a little frenetic but it does an amazing job of showing how we’re only scratching the surface in terms of what’s possible for next generation storytelling on devices like the iPad (bonus points for clever use of the accelerometer).
My enthusiasm for things like this doesn’t mean I think (or want) children’s books as we know them today, to go away. I believe there’ll always be a place for tangible, tattered children’s books but I think we’ll create a new kind of vehicle through which to engage users (they will be more than readers) and Alice is just the beginning.
Designing for the iPad Experience at cog + sprocket Now that everyone and their mother's going to be scrambling to design stuff for the iPad, why not take a step back and think about the implications of designing for a tablet? Great piece here.
I’m happy to announce that as of this week I’ll be taking on a full time role as head of product with foursquare.
As many of you know, foursquare has always held a very special place in my heart. The opportunity to work with this absolutely kick-ass team in a space I adore, building a product I believe in to my core is something I’m incredibly excited for.
I’d been working part time with the team over the past two months and I’m fired up to now be able to focus all my energy on the product, work closely with some good friends again, as well as continue to build out the Product team here. We’ve got a bunch (a ton?) of things we want to do, some of which you’ll see pretty soon.
This doesn’t mean that Tinker Studios will cease to exist. I’m wrapping up my current projects and will not kick off any new partnerships for the forseeable future. While this means passing on a few projects and potential partners I was really excited about, I know that when I’m ready to get going again, I’ll be better for it.
everydayUX is going to keep on cranking (despite the recent calm related to important life events) so I hope you stick around.
“A self-disciplined employee will have the patience to conduct routine business routinely, the talent to respond exceptionally to exceptional circumstances, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
– Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin group of companies
Amen.
Sounds simple but it’s very hard to find. If you’re lucky enough to find yourself working with or managing people that fit the bill, you better not take it for granted.
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I maintain a more traditional blog, covering a wide range of topics over at www.alexrainert.com.
I'm a husband, new father & owner of a lovably neurotic vizsla. Obsessed with information, design, emerging tech, sports & food. Years ago I co-founded dodgeball.com and I'm currently head of product at foursquare.
