December 2009

Thumbnail image for are you using too many labels?

are you using too many labels?

It’s likely the case that the design of your product isn’t so terribly unintuitive that it needs to be covered with labels, warnings, instructions and disclaimers. It’s also probably the case that you’re product design isn’t perfect, and does require some labeling. (although striving for zero labels is exactly what you should be doing). No, [...]

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Thumbnail image for 6 non-sucky materials sites

6 non-sucky materials sites

As product designers we deal with materials every day, but it’s a messy world out there and a surprising (or maybe not so surprising) number of materials websites suck. These ones don’t. I promise. MatWeb MatWeb is the big daddy when it comes to engineering materials.  Their enormous selection of generic (i.e. polycarbonate) and proprietary [...]

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product design wart

don’t design a wart

Sometimes you have to slap an addition onto a device. Maybe it’s because of an oversight in the initial design, or because a stakeholder wants to add a new feature to keep up with their competitor. The reason why doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve got to design something that looks and feels like [...]

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Thumbnail image for urethane casting guide: 5 things you need to know

urethane casting guide: 5 things you need to know

I like urethane castings.  They always look so clean and pretty. Use them for the wrong project however, and you’ll be stuck explaining to your client why you dropped a few grand on prototypes and have nothing to show for it but a receipt. When I evaluate castings for a project I’m working on, I [...]

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