sy \. Design Secrets: »~ Products 50 Real- Life Prafects uncottrad Big? reel -», IDSA aduction Designers Society of America (IDSA) had compelling {to partner with Rockport Publishers on this book: It growing, real, and broad hunger for information and in- fn industrial design. Industrial design has emerged as a profession that people of all ages. This interest is fed by business fashion magazines, nationally noted newspapers and ‘along with museum exhibits and even advertising. of industrial design—the product—has become an the reemergence of the US. economy. Discovering that is not an accident or only the offspring of marketing Is fesh air to people just beginning to understand purchases are about more than money and function— ‘about culture and lifestyle and experience. ‘profession of industrial design, this book feeds a vital and real need. With no textbook, students and educators studies on which to base the experiential, highly ‘exploration-based form of leaming that prevails. Profes- ‘source of inspiration and insight to fuel their quest for true functionality. How better to learn how to balance function with aesthetics, usability with busi- ints, ecological responsibilty with appeal? But where to start? How could we select the filty designs we wanted to capture? Feeling that we needed an objective basis for selecting these designs, we tumed to the Industrial Design Ex- Cellence Award (IDEA) winners of the past few years. The annual IDEA competition Is sponsored by Business Week magazine and IDSA to honor designs that achieve precisely those goals: inno- vation, benefit to user, benefit to business, ecological respon: bility, and appropriate aesthetics. Unlike previous reports on IDEA Winners, each of these stories is crafted by a writer based on interviews and information, focusing on the early conceptualiza- tion and decisions about what the product should be and do and hhow it should be presented. ‘The resulting book, rich in visual appeal, provides compelling Insight into one of the new decade's most intriguing professions. ‘We hope you find in these stories a source of wonder and knowl ‘edge. Especially, we hope that this book opens doors for you, whether you are an attomey, a nurse, a politician, a homemaker, ‘a teacher, or a designer. kistina Goodrich Executive Director Industrial Design Society of AmericaThe first mock-up, builtin the comer of Olive 1's office, grew too big for the space. Birsel suggested that, as the project was all ‘about work, her own personnel work in It. Olive 3:1 moved into Resolve, becoming the first test group for the system With each of the six iterations, Birsel sent prototypes to an out: side company of about fifteen people for two months to gather user feedback; she was surprised at some of the findings. De- signers were concerned that acoustics might be a problem with such an open office configuration. But one company, accustomed to panels, reported that the acoustics were the same. The design called for dividers made of translucent screens that would not block natural light, yet could function as bulletin boards. The engineering team suggested that Velcro be incorpo: rated as well. The fabric was opaque and, while test groups liked the idea of a Velcro-able and tackable display screen, they didn't like that it was not translucent. Birse's group therefore invented Bubbletack. They also tweaked other parts of the system. After a year, the flexible storage accessory simulated by the sweater bag was dropped In favor of hard storage, sturdier for storing books and binders. “That was one thing that changed radically, but we had the Mexibilty to do I,” says Birsel. The elements diferentiating Bisel’ concept from traditional office systems became increasingly evident. Unlike traditional panel sys tems, Resolve is based on a 120-degree geometry, the centerpiece fof which positions users and their technology at a boomerang: shaped table in a gently angled comer that is nurturing, yet open = and more generous than the usual go-degree comer. Main compo- rents are rolLformed of stamped steel or plastic and comprise an overhead system of trusses that cary power and data to the poles, virtually eliminating cable clutter. The layout makes workstations more open and easier to plan and change while allowing more ef- ficient use of space. The translucent fabric used for the boundary screens presents a framework on which a company can express its Idemtty and permits natural light to bathe the entire office ‘A company in india was chosen as one of first gamma sites to re ceive the nearly completed system. The experience was over \whelmingly positive and taught the group a lot about Resolve’s advantages. Because itis one-third the weight of a traditional sys tem, Resolve's shipping costs were relatively low and, because of its flat lines, it was easy to pack. The best news was that the com: pany had no problems installing it. The ease of installation is due, in part, to the simplicity ofthe sy: tem, which boasts a vocabulary one-quarter the size of traditional systems, Birsel points out that planning, specifying, installing, in Ventorying, and reconfiguring is faster, easier, and more afford: able. In fact, the company states that reconfiguring, upgrading, and restyling the system is more than 50 percent faster than with traditional systems, “Resolve is made up of fewer than twenty products,” and the va: riety of configurations possible with those few pleces is consider able, says Birsel.