The Wrap #8 | Cassettes, lorries and Star Wars
The Wrap #8 | Cassettes, lorries and Star Wars
A shot of thinking fuel, brought to you each month by Futurestate Design Co.
This month we see how making room for analogue isn’t a dud business strategy; how solutions must be considered from all angles; and how access for more of us improves the experience for all of us.
Look away if nostalgia brings you out in hives.
Fast forward to the past
What’s going on?
Cassette tapes are making a comeback – despite being pretty rubbish.
Wait, what?
Not only might it be the moment to root around in the garage for your favourite tapes (T’Pau, Kajagoogoo, Banarama? Don’t pretend otherwise) but it’s also an interesting example of behavioural change. Why might tapes, with their unspooling, knotting and decreasing quality with each play, have seen a resurgence in recent years? The argument is that there will always be room for the analogue as well as the digital. Like heating and an open fire, this linked article outlines the different feel of both experiences. Digital transformations pursue efficiency and innovation but shouldn’t overlook the more tactile interactions – whether a ceremonial rewind-to-the-beginning, or meaningful human conversation. We’re off to listen to Martika.
Read the original article on Forbes
Red lorry, yellow lorry, green lorry
What’s going on?
Ford are using the waste from their 3D prototype printing to make lighter, cheaper and more resistant lorry parts.
Why it matters
Not only is the car company saving waste from landfill, but Ford demonstrates how a solutions-based approach can answer with several positives. In this case, environmental impact, durability and money saving. Rather than thinking ‘additionally, we need this’ they've transformed process inefficiencies into the resources needed to reach their future goals. The message is simple: the assets you need to make progress may be hiding in plain sight. There's a good chance that the expertise and enthusiasm to change already exists – it just needs to be identified and harnessed for positive change.
Read a summary on Arstechnica
(All) access all areas
What’s going on?
There’s been a rapid growth in assistive technologies, increasingly enabling people with disabilities to overcome day-to-day challenges.
Why is it important?
To many, robots in the home seem inevitable but not yet relatable – beyond smart tech and robotic hoovers. It’s long been recognised that assistive – accessible – design often leads innovation: sometimes you should start by designing for the edge cases. Like closed-captioning becoming widely adopted for translations (though originally designed for the Deaf or hard of hearing); how OXO Good Grips products were designed for users with arthritis, now enjoyed for comfort by many; or how the typewriter was originally designed for use by a blind woman. The design boom this article is talking about is a clue that setting a place for C-3PO to join you at the table might not be so far off.
Read a great summary on UN News