Designer Futures

I'm afraid I'm turning into one of those slightly fanatical Mac users that goes on and on about how great the design is etc. And I'm an even bigger fan of Steve Jobs, who is one of the very few business leaders whose leadership actually makes a significant positive difference to the success of the businesses he runs. But what really inspires me about the guy is his passion for design, as the quote above suggests (from InspireUX). Jobs - and Apple - have turned this into a way of doing business that really does buck the trend. And for an inspiring insight into Jobs the man, see his famous commencement speech at Stanford.

Design is at the heart of innovation, and innovation will be at the heart of Ireland's future success. I hope we have a few home grown Steve Jobs delivering our designer future.

Postscript - yet another delightful example of the interface between technology, design and play (not from Apple!):


Multitouch Crayon Physics from multitouch-barcelona on Vimeo.

21st Century Universities

It is fascinating to watch how the internet is transforming the world of education. The university as we currently understand it is an Islamic innovation, dating from 9th century Morocco.

The format of a central location that teaches and awards qualifications has changed little since. But the arrival of the internet - and in particular mass market broadband access - is about to change all that.

As usual, it's the Americans who are leading the way in this regard. World class institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are now making their lecture and course notes available free online (thanks to the tip on this from UCD's Geary Institute, by the way).

Of course, distance learning has been with us for some time. Of more interest is how some universities are now seeking to engage more directly as educators with their wider community. Take, for example, UC Berkeley's fascinating initiative with its Greater Good Magazine. Here's their 'mission statement':

Greater Good highlights ground breaking scientific research into the roots of compassion and altruism. It fuses this science with inspiring stories of compassion in action, providing a bridge between social scientists and parents, educators, community leaders, and policy makers.

Check out the latest issue on The 21st Century Family for some great examples of applied social science.

Of course, it isn't just the third level institutions themselves that are driving educational innovation. My favourite is Apple's iTunes U - listen to the best lectures from the best universities around the world, for free.

From Morocco to MP3 files in just over 1,000 years - and the next 10 years will likely see even greater innovation.

The Future is Hi-Touch

Forgive the self-referential photo, but I wanted to show off my new iPod Touch - it comes with built-in wi-fi connection and naturally the first thing I did was check out my blog!

Quite simply it is the Jaguar XKR of mp3 players - in a word: Gorgeous.

Technology just doesn't get any better than this: design, feel and functionality. It makes my new Nokia N95 seem like something out of the Flintstones.

The iPod Touch also has an important economic lesson for Ireland and Irish businesses - future economic success will be about the ability to design, not the ability to manufacture (despite the doom and gloom prognostications of some commentators). The point is brought home powerfully when you open the box the iPod comes in. Printed across the front is: "Designed by Apple in California" - where it is made is secondary and not explicitly stated (China by the way, in case you couldn't guess).

As Dan Pink, author of the inspiring book 'A Whole New Mind' points out, the MBA of the future will be the MFA: Masters in Fine Art. Already, universities like Harvard are integrating collaborative work with designers into their MBA coursework. Design, and the whole creative process of innovation, is where Ireland Inc will secure its future wealth. The softer stuff, the hi-touch not just the hi-tech, will give Irish businesses a harder edge with which to compete.

And if you think I am exaggerating consider this: the maufacture and subsequent transportation of an iPod to Europe or the USA accounts for just 20% of the retail price. The other 80%? The gorgeous part of course.