This video from CMU grad student Johnny Chung Lee, started circling around a few weeks ago, and has now hit the blogosphere bigtime on sites like Penny Arcade.
And with good reason, it’s a nerdy little video that sets up low expectations, to only reveal a WTF OMG amazing development in interface design — a flowing, 3D perspective on a 2D screen.
So, last year it was the multi-touch interface video from Jeff Han, which then developed into Microsoft’s vague Surface product. Remember that? Yea, but where the f*** is it? I have yet to see Surface in any home or normal consumer hands. It’s still just R&D (although amazing R&D).
But of course there’s the ubiquitous iPhone — now THAT is a successful multi-touch device.
But this 3D VR interface is different. While the man behind it might be an uber geek, he was able to set it up using stuff bought from Target. I hope it will lead to the next iPhone-type product, in that the interface is so simple yet so immersive, the first well-designed product to use it will be a breakthrough hit.
I’m so excited by this, not only because its from a CMU student (I spent three years there), but because it’s so VR driven. And while at CMU I had the pleasure of taking Randy Pauch’sBuilding Virtual Worlds course. We used super-primitive, head-mounted VR headsets, crappy sensors, and buggy Python code to link the two. The result was a great platform for experimentation. But this simple Wii concoction is so smooth and clean, it just leapfrogs all of that.
It’s an exciting time to be in the business of technology. Why? Because old business models are failing, which means now is a time for great innovations and steps forward. Haven at Birdahonk writes about Henry Chesbrough’s Open Business Models, as one instance.
One scenario which really interests me: for-profit organizations. Gutsy corporations like Google are paving new ground as they prove for-profit philanthropy can work. This really excites me personally, because it means corporations no longer have to play a role of ravenous industrial plunderer, but can make both peace and profit at once (if you’ve seen the documentary The Corporation, or read Naomi Klein’s No Logo, you know what I mean). I’ll post more about that later on.
But the show could live on, if a smart, youth-focused brand (Pepsi? Vans?) developed the characters from the show into a brand spokesperson. For example, if Vans was to take the amazing hand-puppet character Clarence, and have him interview famous pro skaters or teen/20 something celebrities, and post viral videos on microsites and You Tube… it could be hot. Much hotter than that Caveman character, which my colleague Kerry Bodine and I commented on in a report on Desirability.
Looking back at 2007, I just wanted to compile a list of some of the reports I wrote at Forrester this past year:
11/06, Gen Y Is Truly Different; Design Accordingly - Forrester analyzed survey responses from nearly 50,000 consumers to understand the differences between Gen Y and older generations of consumers. The analysis showed that Gen Yers are more apt to like style, fun, and technology; seek out what’s hot; make purchases based on image; consume all types of digital media; and use every wireless service on their mobile phones. Each of these elements creates a different set of design requirements, such as injecting fun and social networking into the experience and developing experiences that bridge the PC and the phone.
10/17, The Gen Y Design Guide - Gen Y consumers are a unique breed. But what exactly makes them different from their elders? Our research unearthed nine attributes of Gen Yers’ social, emotional, and mental makeup that shape their perception of interactions. To reach these young consumers, we’ve identified four design approaches: immediacy, Gen Y literacy, individualism, and social interactivity. To truly engage Gen Y, firms should create a Gen Y advisory board and apply Gen Y design approaches across touchpoints.
9/07, Uploading To Video Portals Isn’t Easy - Forrester applied an abridged version of its Web Site Review methodology to the site experiences at five major video portal sites: YouTube, Yahoo! Video, Metacafe, Dailymotion, and Veoh. Our evaluation looked at how well each site supports young adults trying to upload a new video clip. Only YouTube received a passing overall score. Some of the major problems we found across the sites: poor contextual help and deficient privacy information.
8/08, Online Desirability: The Readiness Self-Test - Before diving into desirability-focused projects, Web site owners must first make sure that they’ve mastered the basics. To help execs gauge whether or not their Web site and their Web organization are ready to move to the next level, we developed two self-tests.
8/07, Desirable Online Experiences: Taking Web Sites Beyond Useful And Usable - Consumers are spending more and more time online, seeking out experiences that are relevant, engaging, and personal. We’ve explored three tactics for creating desirable online experiences: 1) providing engaging content and functionality, 2) focusing on aesthetics, and 3) incorporating elements of game design.
Ever hear of the faux-kids TV show 
But the show could live on, if a smart, youth-focused brand (Pepsi? Vans?) developed the characters from the show into a brand spokesperson. For example, if 
