product design

6 Stories

Weird Part of McDonald's Straw-Redesign Stunt: 'It Works'

Two top engineering firms went at it

(Newser) - A new McDonald's marketing stunt has managed to catch the attention of tech and food blogs because of its weird premise: the redesign of the humble straw. The chain hired two respected engineering firms—people behind Google, NASA, and DARPA projects—to build a straw that allows for the...

Apple-Samsung Showdown Reaches Supreme Court
Last Time SCOTUS Heard
a Case Like This, It Was 1885
THE RUNDOWN
Oct 12, 2016 3:45 AM CDT

Last Time SCOTUS Heard a Case Like This, It Was 1885

Apple, Samsung battle has lasted years

(Newser) - The last time the Supreme Court heard a design patent case, it involved carpets—and there were only 38 states in the USA. The long-running Apple vs. Samsung battle over the latter company's alleged copying of iPhone design elements made it to the country's top court Tuesday, and...

Time to Redefine 'Disabled' Design

Accessible design leads to better products for everyone

(Newser) - The world is long overdue for a major change in how devices for the disabled are both perceived and designed, an industry leader says. In fact, it's time to stop designing disabled-access items altogether, Northwestern professor and author Don Norman tells CNN. Why not just make it so showers, baths,...

Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers
Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers
Feb 29, 2008 11:15 AM CST

Phone Makers Chase Fickle Customers

Execs obsess over consumer wants, 'subliminal' needs

(Newser) - With the cellphone industry increasingly hit-driven, phone designers are plumbing the consumer psyche through cultural experts and focus groups, reports the New York Times. "Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists," says an exec. Competition has heated up as consumers buy—and discard—phones at an ever-faster...

How 'Bout Them Rotten Apples?
How 'Bout
Them Rotten Apples?
Jan 24, 2008 8:59 PM CST

How 'Bout Them Rotten Apples?

Before era of iPod and iPhone, company had some stinkers

(Newser) - Apple has been around for almost a quarter of a century, but not all of its products were as ingenious as the iPod. Wired highlights the company's biggest flops.
  1. The MessagePad (AKA The Newton): Fashioned to revolutionize personal computing, this PDA was too far ahead of its time for consumers.
...

Product Design Gets Wilder, Faster
Product Design Gets Wilder, Faster
Aug 10, 2007 2:55 PM CDT

Product Design Gets Wilder, Faster

Today it's round Kleenex boxes; tomorrow, talking ones

(Newser) - Commercial product design is being overhauled faster and faster as brands compete in a fragmented market. The Internet and cable TV have diluted the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and companies are spending more money on engaging design to win customers: Pepsi, for one, is rolling out a new can every...

6 Stories