Philippe Starck is a french designer, whose scope ranges from deluxe objects to posh condos and hotels all around the world. I especially admire him for his believes and views on design and religion, which is very close to mine. Design should be done for the result. People, are going to use the product, so we should spent time thinking about how are they going to use it and make it the bast way, to create best experience. This implies also on web design. I focus on usability while designing web sites and applications, because there are people going to use them.
“God is the answer when we don’t know the answer. God is a trap. When you do not know the answer, there is a God, that is ridiculous.”
As a web designer, I may see design in everything. But really, good design can drive sustainable development and reduce humanity’s ecological footprint. Watch Alex Steffen’s talk, who is the founder of worldchanging.com. He shares his thoughts about design of our cities, buildings and every day things.
Have you ever thought where does the stuff comes from? What is the cycle of average product you use? Annie Leonard nicely exposes the flow of stuff. From extraction through sale, use and disposal. From the point of view you probably never thought of. At the end of the video, you will find proposal for sustainable production and consumption. Enjoy it and do something.
There is always something to improve on the way how we do our presentations. Steve Jobs is very well known for his extraordinary speeches. On BNET, communication coach Carmine Gallo discusses various techniques Jobs uses to inspire his audience.
Things to remember from Steve Jobs presentations:
Set clear and consistent theme,
…present it as a mantra to help your audience remember it easily (“Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone!”)
Provide the outline
Open and close each section with a clear transition
Show enthusiasm
(Jobs uses words like extraordinary, amazing, cool, awesome, incredible)
Wow your audience
Sell an experience
Make numbers and statistics meaningful (compare them, how much it actually represents)
Be short on bullet points, big on visuals, tell stories
Give them a show
Rehearse
One more thing … ( give your audience a bonus )
Be optimistic. Jobs speaks with opportunity language and encourage others.
Professor Patrick Winston from MIT offers tips on how to give effective talk. He shares his insights about starting a lecture, cycling, how to indicate transitions, asking questions… Offers tips about how to use blackboard and overheads. This presentation published by MIT is excellent if you want to improve your speeches. Something what every teacher should embrace.
