Innovating Smart Home Systems and Test Workflows through Hack Electronics

Artificial Intelligence is one of the powerful drivers of many scientific disciplines today and is really changing the way science is done. Biological research has been characterized by high complexity and large volumes of data. In the case of conventional methods, the discovery and understanding of complicated biological structures are slow and full of errors. For example, the problem of determining the structure of proteins—something very basic to an understanding of biological processes—has traditionally been a time-consuming operation, requiring vast resources. With AI, such complications will be done away with when researchers process huge amounts of information at an unprecedentedly fast speed and high accuracy. The impact of AI in biological research is revolutionary, notably on the key breakthroughs that have been made in protein folding.

AI and Biological Research

AI is capable of doing much more than a simple processing of information. It can uncover really complex patterns, make outcome predictions, and model a number of biological processes. One of the most important applications of AI in biology is related to protein folding. Proteins are key molecules that execute a broad variety of functions within organisms whose roles are often linked to their three-dimensional structure.

Knowing the mechanism of folding of a protein into its functional form has been one of the prime focuses of researchers for many decades. The role of knowing protein folding is very important because proteins are considered to be the building blocks of life. They build enzymes, cells, tissues, and in fact, almost every biological function is linked with a protein or another.

Traditional techniques of protein structure determination like X-ray crystallography are very time-consuming and expensive since crystallization of proteins is necessary, followed by the requirement of huge equipment. While these methods have revealed only a few structures, AI is moving into this space, promising faster and more accurate predictions of protein structures, which otherwise can hugely progress biology and medicine.

DeepMind's AlphaFold

In November 2020, DeepMind, a London-based AI firm, published a breakthrough in protein folding research. Their AI system, AlphaFold, had the chance to identify a protein's complex shape with close-to-experimental accuracy, all by prediction. Years of research and development have borne fruit. The success of AlphaFold lies in techniques dealing with deep learning to analyze extensive data on proteins. It was trained on a very wide and deep set of protein structures, thus allowing extremely good predictions.

The AlphaFold breakthrough answered a scientific challenge that had not been met in nearly half a century. Since the early '70s, it was known that the sequence of amino acids in a protein should uniquely determine its final structure, yet predicting this structure from the sequence alone remained elusive. Until now, laborious and costly experimental methods were the only ones researchers could resort to. AlphaFold was something that broke ground: it surpassed other methods in CASP14—that is, the 14th Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction—reaching effectiveness comparable to experimental information and considerably bending the arc of protein folding studies.

Q8I3H7: May protect the malaria parasite against attack by the immune system. Mean pLDDT 85.57. — IMAGE COURTESY OF DEEPMIND

Recent Developments

Building on the success of AlphaFold, DeepMind published a statement in July 2022 announcing that AlphaFold had predicted nearly all known proteins, surpassing 200 million. This step will change the face of biological research and drug discovery forever. Proteins are at the core of all biological processes; to further advance our knowledge regarding diseases and set up treatments against them, knowledge of protein structures is very important.

For example, AlphaFold's predictions have already contributed to research into diseases such as Alzheimer's and cancer, providing new insights into their mechanisms and possible avenues for treatment. Besides, AlphaFold can also provide fast and accurate protein structure prediction, which may assist in accelerating drug discovery. The traditional process of drug development is time-consuming and financially exhaustive; it takes years or even billions of dollars. With AlphaFold's detailed information on protein structure, designing drugs would be more effective, hence reducing the time and cost associated with drug development.

It is important because it is not only going to improve our understanding of protein folding but will also give rise to future technologies and applications that can be applied in biological research, to which we turn now.

Future Prospects

The future of AI in biological research is incredibly promising. As AI technology continues to advance, its applications in this field are expected to grow exponentially. Here are some key areas where AI is poised to make a significant impact:

1. Personalized Medicine

AI has the potential to revolutionize personalized medicine by analyzing individual genetic data to create customized treatment plans. This approach considers a person's unique genetic makeup, allowing AI to predict their response to specific treatments. For instance, AI algorithms can analyze genetic mutations and biomarkers to identify the most effective therapies for cancer patients. This can lead to more effective and tailored healthcare, reducing adverse reactions and increasing treatment success rates. Personalized medicine can also extend to managing chronic diseases, where AI can help optimize medication dosages and lifestyle recommendations, improving the overall quality of life for patients.

Arianna Huffington, CEO and founder of Thrive Global, a company which develop an AI health coach to give personalized medicine and treatments.

2. Synthetic Biology

AI is set to play a pivotal role in synthetic biology, enabling the design of synthetic organisms and biomolecules with desired functions. This technology has far-reaching applications in agriculture, energy production, and environmental protection. For example, AI-designed enzymes could break down plastic waste, offering a sustainable solution to the global plastic pollution crisis. In agriculture, AI can help create genetically modified crops that are more resistant to pests and diseases, increasing food security. Additionally, AI-driven synthetic biology can lead to the production of biofuels, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating climate change. The ability to engineer biological systems with precision opens up new possibilities for addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges.

3. Disease Prediction and Prevention

AI's capability to analyze vast datasets for patterns and predict disease outbreaks is transformative for public health. By processing data from sources such as social media, healthcare records, and climate information, AI can provide early warnings of potential outbreaks. This enables timely intervention and better control of infectious diseases. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, AI models were used to track the spread of the virus and predict hotspots, aiding in resource allocation and containment strategies. In the future, AI could help monitor emerging diseases and provide real-time surveillance, ultimately saving lives and reducing the economic impact of pandemics.

Another example is an artificial intelligence tool named Sybil to revolutionize cancer diagnosis. Sybil, a deep learning model that is leveraged by Medical professionals and technologists from Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT, can predict lung cancer risk using data from a single low-dose chest CT scan. According to their research, Sybil can accurately predict whether an individual will develop lung cancer within the next one to six years, with an accuracy rate of up to 94% for one-year predictions. This tool does not rely on clinical data or radiologist annotations, making it a powerful aid in early cancer detection and potentially improving patient outcomes significantly.

Sybil, The AI lung cancer system. Ultromics, can give very early warning of the disease.

4. Understanding Complex Biological Systems

AI's ability to simulate and model intricate biological systems offers insights that traditional methods cannot achieve. This helps researchers understand complex processes like cellular signaling pathways and gene regulation networks, leading to new discoveries in biology. For instance, AI can model how cells communicate and respond to external stimuli, providing a deeper understanding of immune responses and disease mechanisms. These insights can drive the development of novel therapies and interventions. Furthermore, AI can assist in deciphering the human microbiome's role in health and disease, opening up new avenues for probiotic treatments and personalized nutrition.

5. Research Acceleration

AI can significantly accelerate scientific research by automating repetitive tasks and analyzing large datasets. This allows scientists to focus on more creative and complex aspects of their work, fostering innovation across various biological fields. For example, AI can streamline the process of drug discovery by identifying potential drug candidates and predicting their efficacy and safety. This reduces the time and cost associated with bringing new drugs to market. Additionally, AI can assist in literature reviews, data mining, and experimental design, making research more efficient and productive. By handling data-intensive tasks, AI empowers researchers to explore new hypotheses and push the boundaries of scientific knowledge.

Conclusion

AI is rapidly revolutionizing biological research by offering solutions to the most intractable problems in this field. DeepMind's AlphaFold has gone ahead to show this by hitting almost unimaginable success in the prediction of protein structures with a high degree of accuracy. Now, it can open totally new avenues into mechanisms of disease and treatments by letting researchers understand the tortuous shape of proteins. With the advancing technology in AI, it is expected to have more extended applications in biological studies that will bring with it personalized medicine, synthetic biology, diseases prediction, and an understanding of various complicated biological systems. The future of biological research goes without saying; it's anything but completely intertwined with developments in AI, promising a whole new frontier of scientific exploration and innovation.

By Hon Ming To James

James is a passionate biotechnology student who is captivated by the boundless possibilities of Artificial Intelligence in the realm of scientific research. He is intrigued by how AI can revolutionize understanding and innovation, particularly in areas such as protein dynamics, personalized medicine, and synthetic biology.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hon-ming-to-9402172b4/

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From Feng Shui to Flat Design: How the Designing for Efficiency Evolved into UX/UI

8/6/2024

If you’re a graphic designer, computer programmer, or even just work on the internet in the modern era, you’ve probably heard the terms UX and UI, but do you know what they are?

Have you ever gone to a website and gotten frustrated when you can’t find what you're looking for, a certain function doesn’t work like it should, or it is even just straining visually to look at? This brings us to the concept of UX and UI digital design, which stand for User Experience and User Interface respectively.

It’s easy to recognize things that are drastically wrong, but the average internet user probably does not think much otherwise about the layout and design of the everyday websites and apps they use, and that’s because the whole purpose of good UX/UI design is to run so smoothly and seamlessly that users do not even think about it at all.

What is UI/UX?

UX and UI in digital design often work in tandem, but make no mistake, they are in fact entirely different concepts. User Experience is the design concept that takes a user-led approach, which means that the layout and design of a digital interface is guided by what is best for the user. User Interface, on the other hand, takes an aesthetics-led approach, meaning that the aesthetic look of the interface takes priority in the design.

Despite the relative youth of UX/UI digital interface design, with the actual terms as we know them only having existed for the last two decades or so, UX/UI design has changed drastically time due to changes in our understanding of certain influential concepts like psychology and ergonomics as well as the actual purpose of the digital interfaces we interact.

This then brings us to the primary questions of the article: where does UX/UI design come from and where might it be going? What then does this mean for us and our devices?

History & Origins

First, let’s take a look at where UX/UI design came from, and surprisingly it dates back to ancient China.

Feng shui has its origins in 9th century BC China and revolves around the concept that people should feel in balance and at ease with their surrounding environment. This concept has been highly influential in Chinese interior design, where they use different colors, shapes, and objects to “maximize” the feng shui of the environment and give it a sense of balance and flow.

Across the globe in the 4th century BC, the ancient Greeks similarly started developing concepts that we would later recognize as ergonomics, which looks at how tools and environmental features can be better used to improve efficiency specifically in the workplace. In the late 1800s, this idea was further refined through a more scientific lense by Frederick Winslow Taylor through Taylorism, and in the mid-1900s, Toyota took a more human-centered approach by creating assembly lines that included features where workers could suggest how to improve the process.

Once the dawn of the computer came, many of these concepts transferred over into digital software and interface design, as people needed to be able to easily learn to interact with computers. This is where the term UX came from, with one of Apple’s early employees, Donald Norman, being given the title of User Experience Architect and coining the term “UX” design to encompass all of user experience design.

All of this history led to the defining of UX/UI design and influenced its original core principles, but how has it changed since its establishment?

Modern Developments and Trends

Early UX/UI design in the 80s and 90s was far less complex than it is today, and the primary design principle was skeuomorphic design. Skeuomorphism was one of the first interface design concepts and is defined by design that mimics real-world objects and concepts. Some common examples of this could be the call icon being an old rotary phone, the save button displayed through a floppy disk, an envelope representing the email function, and the recording button for audio software resembling the red light on original audio recording devices. This was primarily to ease the transition between objects in the real world and digital software; if logos, icons, and functions looked like the closest real-world thing that shares their purpose, it would be easier for users to navigate them.

Common digital symbols used for electronic devices: (from left to right) call, “save” function, email, and audio recording button. Credit: author.

While skeuomorphic design was ideal for early internet and digital interface users, they slowly fell out of fashion as people adjusted to the new age of technology, no longer necessitating the ease of this highly intuitive design style. This led to a design shift in the early 2010s, where flat design became all the rage. Popularized by Windows 8, Google’s Material Design, and Apple’s iOS 7, flat design is a style that relies on simple, 2-D features and bright colors, and is often considered the antithesis of skeuomorphic design. A major benefit of flat design was that it's highly responsive, adapting easier to different screen sizes and interfaces and allowing programs to load faster, which was ideal as the internet started becoming more complex.

2017 saw the beginning of the rise of immersive technology, first with features like voice interfaces and later with technology like virtual and augmented reality. These provided entirely new interfaces for both users to connect with their devices and companies to create features. Certain UX/UI design trends also emerged during this period between 2017 and 2020, the most notable of which were Neomorphism, Glassmorphism (and its similar counterparts), and Animation/Motion UI. While these trends have their own unique features, they all share a similar sentiment: attempting to create medium between the realism of skeuomorphic design and the minimalism of flat design, helping technology to feel slightly more personal and bridge the digital gap.

Three different types of UI design that were popularized in the 2010s and early 2020s: Neumorphism, a design style characterized by slightly 3-dimensional elements – Glassmorphism, characterized by a “frosted glass” appearance and dimensionality – and Motion UI, characterized by simple animated features. Credits (from left to right): “Neumorphism” by Le Paragone on Wikimedia Commons. “Health Tracker App on Glassmorphism” by Mark Vlasov on Dribble. “UI Animation Concept” by Alla Kudin on Dribble.

By the current year of this article, 2024, many companies create software that uses a combination of these features and design styles. Each decade brings a new trend, and UX/UI designers learn from the response, and bring the best features into the next generation.

What does this mean for UX/UI Design?

So, where does this leave us now? What can we take away from knowing all of this?

Many modern designers focus a lot on reinventing the wheel, always trying to do something unique, but there may be a lot of benefit to sticking to old traditions. Feng shui has recently come more into the public eye, and for good reason; a lot of feng shui practices are tried and true and could even be good inspiration for UX/UI designers in terms of color palettes and arrangements. While digital UX/UI design may be very recent, there are rules of design itself that span across multiple fields, such as interior design, graphics design, and more. Toyota’s human-centered approach may be an important idea to return to now more than ever, as feedback and user input is the forefront of UX design.

Additionally, another thing these trends of UX/UI design can tell us is that users seem conflicted between this need for technology and their longing to be more separate from it. The trends of the late 2010s brought us into an era of something in between the sentiments of skeuomorphic design and flat design; technology that felt both human and somehow impersonal, a sort of technological “uncanny valley”. Voice interfaces like Siri blurred the barrier of technology by allowing users a type of communication that felt more human-like but was still obviously digital in nature.

Even new trends like Neumorphism and Motion UI and the resurgence of skeuomorphism seem to reflect indecision between wanting something that feels real and something that feels digital. Many UX/UI designers now face this issue; how does a designer balance both the longing for traditional, non-digital objects with the necessity of minimalism and ease of use? This dilemma will undoubtably continue to shape future trends in interface design.

The last important consideration to discuss when considering what this history may show us is how the purpose of UX/UI design has shifted over the years. Looking at feng shui, its original purpose was to give people a sense of peace with their environment, but UX/UI digital seems to primarily have financial incentives. As this purpose of user-to-surroundings interaction has shifted, it’s important to consider how this is both good and bad.

On the positive side, financial incentive has encouraged more research and a greater understanding of how design impacts users, which has made UX/UI design more based in science and studies than its historical counterparts. It has also provided economies with an entirely new job market, as UX/UI designers are now required for almost any company that wishes to have a digital presence or even just market themselves. Historically, ergonomics, Taylorism, and other efficiency optimization tactics may not have been particularly useful or largely popular, but UX/UI design has been able to succeed due to its competitive advantage.

On the other hand, however, financial compensation can lead to unethical practices. Many companies, especially social media platforms, use UX/UI design tactics to encourage addiction rather than prioritizing a positive user experience.

Conclusions

UX/UI design has been uniquely important to the internet and its users, as it is not just quintessential to a good user experience but also is mostly invisible. Looking at its history allows us to understand the context and foundation of UX/UI design, and it may be able to help designers in the future create better design.

While digital trends may constantly be evolving, at their core, users will remain the same, and just as humans were to be the center of design approach centuries ago, they still are today. As society interacts more and more with devices and their interfaces, it's increasingly important to give them an enjoyable experience, and it will be interesting to see how the digital competition for user attention will continue to shape UX/UI trends.

By Grace Whitfield

Grace is a graphic designer and multimedia artist. She is enthusiastic about up-and-coming art technologies and emerging creative fields, like immersive installation art, UX/UI design, and virtual and augmented reality.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-whitfield5/

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How Designing a Data Visualisation Works as an Impactful Art Form

7/23/2024

In today's world, design and technology are increasingly intertwined, leading to more projects that combine the two. This convergence has created innovative fields that merge creativity with technical expertise, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. One field that showcases this blend is data visualisation, which has become a powerful tool for visually communicating complex information. However, to learn more about the topic, it's essential to understand the origins of data visualisation.

Data visualisation has become a crucial skill within the broader field of data science, evolving from a complementary technique to an essential component of the data science toolkit. The growth of data visualisation in data science is supported by two key factors: the increasing quality and quantity of datasets and the advancement of technological platforms supporting visualisation.

Although the history of data visualisation dates back centuries, early examples can be found in maps and astronomical charts. Then, a more modern form began in the 17th century when statistical data was first presented graphically. Since then, data visualisation has progressed significantly, adapting to new technologies and data types, specifically digital data, in recent years.

As our digital world generates unprecedented volumes of data, effectively presenting this information has become critical across industries and disciplines. This has led to a surge in the popularity of data visualisation skills within the data science community, with professionals recognizing its importance in extracting and communicating meaningful insights from complex datasets.

The Power of Visual Processing

Besides the apparent supporting factors contributing to the growth of data visualisation, such as advancements in technology and the increasing quality of datasets, what makes visual data inherently a more exciting approach to presenting information? Visual information is significantly more straightforward to digest and consume than raw numbers or text. When data is presented visually, it often reveals more of the story hidden within the numbers. This is because our brains are wired to process visual information more quickly and efficiently according to MIT neuroscientists that found out that the brain can identify images seen for as little as 13 milliseconds.

Data was being visualized by showing a list of connected items, their relationships, and the details within these connections. For example, the work of Barabási Lab in network science demonstrates how complex systems can be visualized by the “Hidden Patterns” exhibition. Their visualisations of social networks, biological systems, and technological networks have uncovered intricate relationships that were not apparent in the raw data. These visualisations allow researchers and viewers to grasp complex concepts and relationships at a glance.

“150 years of Nature” by Barabási Lab in the Hidden Pattern Exhibition visualising the connection of papers’ co-citation network

The Art of Creating Compelling Visualisations

Creating compelling data visualisations requires careful consideration of the targeted response from the audience. Choosing the correct type of visualisation for the data and the story you want to tell is essential. This involves understanding your audience, selecting appropriate mediums, and ensuring the visualisation is accurate and easy to interpret. The goal is to create a visual representation that presents the data, engages the viewer, and guides them toward the intended insights. Edward Tufte, a pioneer in data visualisation, emphasizes the importance of "graphical excellence," which involves presenting complex ideas with clarity, precision, and efficiency. His principles have guided many data scientists and designers in creating visualisations that are not only informative but also aesthetically pleasing.

At its core, data visualisation is a form of storytelling. Artists like Refik Anadol and Aaron Koblin have pushed the boundaries of data visualisation, creating immersive and interactive experiences that tell compelling stories through data. Their work demonstrates how data visualisation can be both informative and emotionally engaging, turning abstract numbers into narratives that resonate with viewers on a personal level. For instance, Refik Anadol's "Melting Memories" project uses brainwave data to create stunning visual art, exploring the intersection of memory and technology. Aaron Koblin's "Flight Patterns" visualizes air traffic data, transforming mundane flight paths into mesmerizing patterns that highlight the complexity and beauty of global travel.

“Melting Memories” by Refik Anadol (2018) visualising the human neuro-mechanism

“Flight Pattern” by Aaron Koblin (2005) visualising the air traffic over North America

The Impact of Data Visualisation

The importance of data visualisation cannot be overstated in our increasingly data-driven world. It impacts us by making complex information accessible, facilitating better decision-making, and enabling us to spot trends and patterns quickly. In fields ranging from business and science to public policy and journalism, data visualisation helps communicate important insights effectively. According to the Institute of Data, organizations that leverage data visualisation tools are more likely to gain actionable insights and achieve better business outcomes. It allows us to process vast amounts of information quickly, leading to faster and more informed decisions.

At its core, data visualisation is a form of storytelling. Artists like Refik Anadol and Aaron Koblin have pushed the boundaries of data visualisation, creating immersive and interactive experiences that tell compelling stories through data. These artists transform raw data into compelling narratives that resonate both intellectually and emotionally. Anadol's "Melting Memories" exemplifies this approach, translating complex brainwave data into a mesmerizing visual spectacle that explores the intersection of memory, technology, and human consciousness. Similarly, Koblin's "Flight Patterns" elevates mundane air traffic data into a captivating visual tapestry, revealing global travel's hidden beauty and complexity. These works demonstrate the profound impact of thoughtful data visualisation, showcasing its ability to evoke emotions, challenge perceptions, and illuminate unseen patterns in our interconnected world. By merging artistic vision with data-driven insights and ever-growing technology, it invites viewers to engage with data in novel, deeply personal ways.

The Future of Data Visualisation

Data visualisation has become an essential tool in our data-rich environment. By transforming numbers into visual stories, it bridges the gap between raw data and human understanding. As we continue to generate more data, the ability to visualize it effectively will only grow in importance. Whether in scientific research, business analytics, or public communication, data visualisation will remain crucial for uncovering and sharing the stories hidden within our data. The ongoing advancements in visualisation technologies and methodologies promise to enhance further our ability to interpret and communicate complex information, making data visualisation an indispensable skill for the future.

By Patricia Djauhari

Patricia is an ever-curious artist who focuses her artistic journey on a new media approach. She is interested in the blend of science and art, and how it would be used to engage and evoke emotions with the audience.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-djauhari/

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The Rise of Ambient Intelligence: How AI is Becoming Integrated into Our Everyday Objects

6/28/2024

Recent advancements in algorithms and the computational capabilities of computers have skyrocketed development in the 21st century. Many everyday products and services have now integrated use of AI, such popular digital tools like Grammarly, Siri, and Adobe Photoshop.

Recent technological trends show exponentially increased use of AI tools and everyday individual interaction with AI. An article by Juniper Research shows that in 2020, the public interacted with an estimated 4.2 billion devices that use AI voice assistants, but that number jumped to 8.4 billion by 2024.

These trends are largely due to increased accuracy and capabilities of these technologies. For example, 2020 saw its strongest facial identification algorithm accomplish an error rate of nearly negligible 0.08%, while 2014’s best algorithm still had about 4.1% error in its identification. Many AI technologies are rapidly improving in their abilities and potential applications. This is very promising for companies attempting to adopt AI into their own products, and that can be seen in a variety of smart devices, from phones, laptops, and tablets to vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and lighting systems.

There are a few primary ways that AI is being adapted into smart devices that we interact with in a daily basis.

AI in Smart Design & Interfaces

The most common use of AI in technology is smarter design and interfaces for electronic devices. AI can be adapted to perform all kinds of tasks within personal computing devices, such as facial recognition, virtual voice-activated assistants, navigation, and much more. These AI enhancements are used to improve the efficiency of the device and create a smoother and easier user experience.

The Galaxy AI software in the Samsung S24 phone models is a perfect example of this; the AI is less of a specific feature and more a collection of different ones, including live translations, camera enhancements, and writing assistance. The LG C3 Series Smart TV also utilizes AI, in this case primarily to power its 4K picture quality by automatically adjusting content for optimal display. It is also used in personalizing interfaces based on user behavior and better providing individualized recommendations.

While these kinds of AI use are relatively expected, other companies are using the technology in even more innovative ways. The TP-Link Deco Tri-Band WiFi Mesh System uses AI to optimize its network performance by learning the patterns and behaviors of its users and adapting the system to fit their needs, such as changing its data transmission paths or rerouting traffic if one specific Deco is overwhelmed.

These applications of AI smart design display the kinds of reach this technology can have for a variety of different devices. While these capabilities are certainly exciting, many of these features still require further improvement, such as Samsung’s multifaceted Galaxy AI still struggling at times with accuracy and reliability at times.

AI in Security

One of the least visible ways AI is being adapted into technology is for security purposes. AI in security works by using sophisticated algorithms to analyze video feeds and identify patterns or anomalies in real-time. One example of an AI-powered security device is the Ring, a 360° camera that can monitor the home and allow users to see and communicate with visitors at their door.

AI-powered security systems, such as the eufy Security E220 Indoor Cam and the Ring,, leverage advanced computer vision techniques to detect and recognize people, objects, and specific behaviors. With Human & Pet AI, these cameras can differentiate between humans and pets, ensuring relevant and accurate notifications. The AI algorithms continuously learn and adapt, improving their ability to identify potential security threats.

Eufy Security Indoor Camera

Facial recognition technology in AI-powered security cameras analyzes unique facial features to identify individuals or flag unknown faces. These AI systems continuously learn, improving accuracy and distinguishing between normal and suspicious activities. By reducing false alarms and human reliance, AI integration enhances security monitoring efficiency. As AI advances, we can expect further improvements in security systems, increasing safety in homes and public spaces. However, some critique the vast amounts of data these companies can now collect through these technologies.

AI in Home Goods

The ideal smart home system is one that seamlessly integrates various smart devices and appliances to create a fully connected and automated living space. With the advancement of AI technology, this vision is becoming a reality.

For instance, the Shark AV2511AE AI Ultra Robot Vacuum is a product that showcases the potential of AI in home goods. This intelligent vacuum cleaner utilizes advanced AI features such as Matrix Clean and Home Mapping to map out the house internally and clean each space efficiently. The AI can also connect with other AI, like Alexa, to be controlled and monitored remotely.

Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum

Imagine having the ability to digitally monitor and manage your entire house, from e-refrigerators that track food inventory to smart lighting systems that adapt to your preferences and activities. The future of homes is increasingly appearing as AI integration into everyday household items, which may offer convenience and efficiency to homeowners, but may to others make homes feel impersonal and disconnected from reality.

Why Does This Matter?

It is clear to anyone looking at business and technology trends that AI is a dominant presence in most markets and probably here to stay. According to the McKinsey Global Survey, 55% of respondents have reported adoption of AI into their organizations as of 2023.

So, what does this mean for companies, employees, and consumers? Why does this matter?

Well, on the bright side, AI implementation in everyday products can have a variety of benefits. For one, consumers get better technology, with increased efficiency, higher accuracy, and more intuitive design. This makes technology not only easier to use and navigate, but also makes the average individual better at using their smart devices. AI also makes products highly personalized, allowing users to get tailored recommendations and interfaces.

Many companies also now understand that users want to be able to use these technologies, but only to the extent that they are comfortable. That means many of these devices have certain AI features that can be turned on or off, putting the choice in the consumer’s hands.

Lastly, even in common products, AI implementation encourages new innovations and even the creation of new markets and industries. Since the creation of AI voice-controlled assistants, an entire market of virtual home assistance has been developed, including products like Amazon’s Echo, Google Home, and the Samsung SmartThings Hub.

On the other hand, there are some issues many have pointed out with the mass integration of these kinds of software. Firstly, privacy and safety have increasingly become a concern, as many of these devices collect data about consumers that could be sold to advertisement agencies and larger companies. Some also worry that this trend will create an over-reliance on technology, increasing our dependence on these AI-powered tools and encouraging less and less human interaction.

Additionally, many consumers fear new changes in the market, and employees similarly dislike new innovations as they are often developed without active participation of the employees and are often forced to simply adapt under pressure from higher management. With such a large proportion of companies adopting AI technologies, many businesses may feel it is a necessity to do so as well, even if it may be costly or unnecessary.

Overall, AI is increasingly making its way into our daily routines, and as we come into a new digital age, it's important that we understand what that can mean for all of us, from any one individual to large corporations.

What do you think about AI’s role in our lives? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!

If you want to learn more about AI’s many applications, check out our article on AI in 3D Modeling.
If you want to read more about up-and-coming technological innovations, check out this page on 2024’s trends.

By Grace Whitfield & Clayton Tsoi
Grace is a graphic designer and multimedia artist. She is enthusiastic about up-and-coming art technologies and emerging creative fields, like immersive installation art, UX/UI design, and virtual and augmented reality.

Clayton is an Electronic Engineer. He is passionate about problem-solving and improving API and software skills and aims to take on increasingly challenging projects while delivering effective solutions.

Linkedin (Grace): https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-whitfield5/
Linkedin (Clayton): https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytontsoi/

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CES 2024: What Are the Next Big Trends in Tech Innovation?

1/17/2024

The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2024 stands as a pivotal platform not just for consumer technology exposure but also as a beacon for design innovation practitioners, businesses, and entrepreneurs as it demonstrates cutting-edge design elements and innovative product functionalities. It offers us insight into emerging tech trends, which we can use to draw inspiration, come up with new design strategies, and potentially collaborate across industries.

For businesses and entrepreneurs who attend the show, CES is a valuable opportunity for networking, brand visibility, and gauging market reactions to new products or concepts. It is a place where small startups can gain the same level of attention as tech giants, provided their contributions are innovative and compelling, making it a level playing field for all innovators. However, the conference has already passed, so we can look at what happened there to help us figure out what types of innovations are coming of interest in the coming years.

The event serves as a forecasting tool, helping businesses plan their product roadmaps and market entry strategies in line with the showcased tech trends. Entrepreneurs can use CES to identify niche markets and scope out competition. The CES is where market-leading ideas are born, and strategic alliances are formed, both of which are crucial for business growth and innovation in the tech industry.

By integrating these perspectives, CES 2024 transcends being merely a trade show; it is an invaluable resource for the entire technology ecosystem helping us understand the upcoming trends in both tech and culture.

In this article, we will try to form categories of what was presented in the show and show some interesting examples of each category. Our goal is not to provide a detailed analysis of the show, but rather to help you and ourselves understand the trends where tech is going and get inspired by some of the presented innovations. Looking at the CES 2024, we have concluded the following categories.

Display and Screen Technology
Computing and Gaming
Smart Home and Robotics
Health Tech
Audio and Entertainment
Automotive and Mobility
Smartphones and Wearables
AI and Machine Learning Applications
Sustainability in Tech
Miscellaneous and Concept Innovations

Now that we have our categories, let us dig into each one with a short description and some examples.

Display and Screen Technology

Innovations revealed an emphasis on aesthetic and functional versatility in displays, including transparent OLED and Micro LED technology, as well as monitors and TVs with advanced features like high refresh rates and foldable designs, catering to both entertainment and professional needs. Here are some examples:

LG Signature OLED T (LG) - A transparent OLED TV that appears to float in midair when the retractable contrast screen is down.
UltraGear OLED Monitors (LG) - Gaming monitors that offer high refresh rates, quick response times, and features like Pixel Sound and immersive curves.
Transparent Micro LED Display (Samsung) - A futuristic see-through display touted as a significant advancement over existing transparent screens.

LG Signature OLED T

Computing and Gaming

CES 2024 showcased powerful and sleek laptops optimized for both gaming and portability, with impressive dual-screen designs, high-performance internals, and innovative form factors that redefine traditional computing experiences. Here are some examples:

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (ASUS) - A sophisticated, high-performance gaming laptop with aluminum chassis and customizable LED slash on the lid.
Zenbook Duo (ASUS) - Two-screen laptop with a detachable keyboard, running on Intel's Core Ultra processors with OLED displays.
ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid (Lenovo) - A two-in-one laptop that runs Windows and Android simultaneously, catering to multitasking needs.

Smart Home and Robotics

The event highlighted the growing trend of integrating AI and automation into home appliances and robotics, with products that not only enhance convenience and efficiency but also provide assistance and companionship, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in household management. Here are some examples:

AI Family Hub+ (Samsung) - A smart fridge with improved AI that can identify food, suggest recipes, and monitor expiration dates.
Q Revo Max V (Roborock) - A robot vacuum with automated clean and dirty water tanks and hot water mopping capabilities.
LG’s Latest Premium Smart Monitor Lineup (LG) - 4K IPS displays with built-in webOS for video streaming, chatting, and working without a PC.

Health Tech

Health-focused devices demonstrated a commitment to personal wellness monitoring and diagnostics, offering consumers more control over their health data through multi-functional, user-friendly gadgets designed for home use. Here are some examples:

Bimo Multiscope (Withings) - A health device combining a body temperature sensor, ECG, oximeter, and digital stethoscope.
Withings U-Scan (Withings) - A health-tracking device analyzing urine for various wellness and cycle markers.
Adam X CPR Training Dummy (Medical X) - An anatomically precise medical training dummy that simulates multi-scenario patient responses.

U-Scan by Withings

Audio and Entertainment

CES 2024 introduced audio and visual entertainment advancements, including speakers that double as art installations and immersive personal listening experiences, all aimed at enriching the multisensory enjoyment of consumers. Here are some examples:

Samsung Music Frame (Samsung) - A wireless speaker disguised as art or album cover display, supporting Dolby Atmos.
Esther Sound Chair (Razer)- A chair with multiple built-in speakers creating an immersive sound experience with noise-dampening materials.
One by One Music (One by One) - An AI trained to create comforting music for dogs with separation anxiety.

Automotive and Mobility

The automotive sector at CES 2024 spotlighted the future of transportation with solar-powered and electric vehicles, featuring cutting-edge autonomous driving tech and integrations that promise eco-friendly and efficient mobility solutions. Here are some examples:

Squad Solar Buggy (Squad) - A self-charging solar-powered vehicle that is compact and designed for urban mobility.
Aptera Solar Electric Vehicle (Aptera) - A highly energy-efficient solar-powered car that rarely needs charging.
Vision-S 02 (Sony) - An electric SUV concept with high-level autonomous driving technology and an infotainment system.

Smartphones and Wearables

The smartphone and wearables segment featured devices that blend style with smart technology, such as foldable phones and sunglasses with electronic tint adjustment, indicating a melding of fashion with high functionality. Here are some examples:

Flex In & Out Flip Concept (Samsung) - A smartphone prototype that can fold in both directions, forward and backward.
Dusk Smart Sunglasses (Ampere) - Sunglasses with automatic tint adjustment and open-ear audio.
Air Vision M1 Smart Glasses (Asus) - A pair of glasses designed to provide efficient multitasking with AR capabilities.

Air Vision M1 Smart Glasses from Asus

AI and Machine Learning Applications

CES 2024 displayed AI's further incorporation into everyday products, improving user interfaces, personalizing experiences, and introducing human-like interactions, reflecting the pervasive influence of AI across various tech sectors. Here are some examples:

R1 AI Voice Assistant (Rabbit AI) - A voice assistant device with a "large action model" aiming to simulate a human-like interaction.
Nvidia Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE): An advanced platform that powers virtual assistants and digital humans, providing diverse AI services and capabilities for real-time interactive experiences across various industries.
GyroGlove (GyroGear) - A glove using gyroscopes to stabilize hand movements for people with hand tremors.

R1 AI voice assistant from Rabbit AI

Sustainability in Tech

Products presented a commitment to environmental responsibility, showcasing energy-efficient solutions and eco-friendly tech alternatives that align with the increasing demand for sustainable lifestyle choices. Here are some examples:

Delta Pro Ultra (EcoFlow) - A hybrid solar generator capable of powering major home appliances using solar panels, the grid, or a gas generator.
100% Electric Grill by Char-Broil (Char-Broil) - An electric grill that reaches high temperatures for perfect searing without using gas or charcoal.
Sonic MagFlow Fans (SE Sonic) - Daisy-chainable fans for PC builds that reduce cable clutter and simplify installations.

Miscellaneous and Concept Innovations

This category comprised an eclectic mix of tech, from innovative smart locks employing biometric security to whimsical concept gadgets, demonstrating CES's role as a playground for showcasing the most imaginative and sometimes unconventional ideas in tech. Here are some examples:

Intelligent Door Locks with Facial Recognition (Lockly) - Smart door locks that grant access based on recognized facial data.
CineBeam Cube Projector (LG) - A portable projector with a unique design capable of displaying large, vibrant images.
Clicks Keyboard Case for iPhone (Clicks) - A case with a retro-inspired physical keyboard extending iPhone functionality with tactile typing experience.

Clicks Keyboard case for iPhone

As we reflect on CES 2024, it's evident that the event serves as an incredible window into the collective efforts and secret projects of tech innovators worldwide. It reveals the exciting direction technology is headed, spotlighting new trends and carving out opportunities for us to engage with. From seeing how our homes could become smarter to imagining cars that help the planet, and devices that blend seamlessly into our lifestyle, CES allows us to identify where we might go next. It's not just about witnessing the future unfold; it's about discovering paths we can take and opportunities we might seize. CES is where we get to see what's around the corner and start thinking about how we can be a part of the next big thing.

By Tayseer Almattar

Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and nurtured within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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Decoding COP 28: A Comprehensive Analysis and Its Implication for Business and Climate Action

12/25/2023

Introduction

The 28th Conference of the Parties, or COP 28, has just concluded on December 12th. What was that and what is it about? We'll explore all of this in this article.

COP 28 represents a milestone in the ongoing global effort to combat climate change. This pivotal UN conference is not just a gathering of political leaders, but also a ground-breaking platform to engage non-party stakeholders, including businesses, cities, investors, and even civil societies, in the mutual pursuit of decarbonization. It is a yearly conference and is hosted in a different country every year.

At its core, COP 28 aimed to facilitate actionable climate strategies by fostering open dialogue between various major actors, effectively closing the gap between rhetoric and action on a global scale. This inclusive approach emphasizes the high stakes of climate change and underscores the undeniable truth that its impacts are not confined to borders, and thus, no entity, be it a business or a city, is a mere bystander.

Integral to COP 28's mission is the Global Climate Action Agenda, which has been pivotal in galvanizing worldwide commitment toward mitigation, adaptation, and finance goals set by the Paris Agreement (from COP 21). This unique initiative is instrumental in sustaining momentum between COPs, showcasing real-world examples of climate solutions, and mobilizing diverse sectors of society in driving global ambition and action against climate change.

Ultimately, COP 28 and the Global Climate Action Agenda symbolize our collective pursuit to create a sustainable future.

Outcomes of COP 28

Even though COPs started with a focus on climate, their scope keeps expanding with our understanding that addressing the climate issue is also related to other social and economic issues. COP 28 had four strategic pillars as identified by the conference presidency. Here is a close look at each of them and their implications.

Energy Transition: At COP 28, a renewed emphasis was placed on accelerating the global transition towards a more sustainable energy future. Discussions were centered around how to facilitate a shift that is not only swift but also gradual and equitable, to ensure that no community or country is left behind. Notably, attention was brought to novel technologies and innovative strategies that can pave the way for a holistic and clean energy landscape. While the specific announcements were wide-ranging, they all underscored the importance of an efficient and effective global energy transition.
Climate Finance: Another key focus at COP 28 was to streamline climate finance, a critical aspect for implementing broad-ranging climate action plans. The conference explored various strategies aimed at increasing financial flows toward climate-friendly initiatives and ensuring accountability for climate-related expenditures. Some of the significant announcements during this session revolved around bridging the gap between developed and developing nations and driving climate investments in a way that is transparent, accessible, and efficient.
People, Lives, and Livelihoods: Underpinning the discussions at COP 28 was a strong commitment to prioritize people, their lives, and their livelihoods in all climate actions. Tangible steps were proposed to safeguard the most vulnerable from adverse climate impacts, with an understanding that the struggle against climate change is fundamentally a struggle for a better, more secure world for all. The conference called for solutions that interweave the fight against climate change with efforts to uplift communities, enhance livelihoods, and promote human well-being.
Inclusivity: Perhaps the most defining characteristic of COP 28 was its dedication to ensuring full inclusivity. Recognizing the need for diversified perspectives in crafting comprehensive solutions, a wide variety of non-party stakeholders were welcomed to both contribute to and influence discussions. This commitment helped ensure every decision, action, and initiative was underscored with a spirit of inclusivity, reiterating the vital insight that the path to a sustainable future must be walked together.

Pledges, Declarations, and Joint Statements

In the context of the COP, pledges and declarations play a crucial role in setting commitments and intentions by countries and stakeholders to address climate change. These pledges and declarations serve as crucial signals that reveal nations' determination to act on the climate crisis, despite not necessarily being legally binding.

Pledges: In the context of COP, these are specific commitments made by countries and stakeholders to achieve certain goals or take specific actions, expressing their aspirations or promises.
Declarations: Formal statements by a country or group of countries that highlight their intentions or guiding principles for action in addressing climate change.
Joint Statements: Collective agreements or commitments made by multiple countries or entities during a COP conference, reflecting common understanding, recognition, or concern about particular climate-related issues.

The significance of pledges and declarations lies in their potential to catalyze momentum, inspire innovation, and instigate peer pressure to drive climate action. They signal a collective resolve to engage in comprehensive climate mitigation and adaptation, which could lead to enhanced collaboration and sharing of best practices between different countries. Further, they have the potential to attract investments in clean technology and catalyze new collaborative platforms that support climate action implementation.

However, the effectiveness of pledges and declarations ultimately depends on national implementation and enforcement mechanisms. To ensure that they deliver tangible results, it is essential to track progress, frequently update goals, and maintain transparency around implementation.

Part of the International governmental delegation attending COP 28.

Selected examples of pledges, declarations, and joint statements

You might be wondering what those pledges, declarations, and joint statements look like. Below are selected examples of those and what each entails.

Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge: This pledge involves Heads of State and governments committing to increase the deployment of renewables and energy efficiency as strategies to achieve the Paris Agreement goal, with targets including tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 and doubling global energy efficiency improvements annually until 2030.
COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health: Recognizing the interconnections between health and climate, 141 national governments pledged to advance climate-resilient development, strengthen health systems, and build resilient communities for the present and future generations.
COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action: Signed by 153 national governments, the declaration highlights the urgency of building a climate-resilient food system and commits to actions such as reducing the vulnerability of farmers and promoting food security and nutrition.
Joint Statement on Climate, Nature, and People: Eighteen national governments committed to collaborative action for climate and nature protection, further reaffirmed by the participation of 150 non-party stakeholders in the Nature Positive for Climate Action Call.
UAE Leaders’ Declaration on a Global Climate Finance Framework: This declaration was endorsed by 13 national governments to establish a global climate finance framework, emphasizing the need for a significant mobilization of public and private finance to address climate change.
COP28 Gender-Responsive Just Transitions and Climate Action Partnership: This partnership invokes the inclusion of gender-responsive strategies and emphasizes equitable and fair transitions in climate action, recognizing the different impacts of and responses to climate change based on gender.

These are some examples of how various countries and stakeholders worldwide are taking steps towards addressing climate change on multiple fronts.

How about you as an entrepreneur or a business

One of the best ways that entrepreneurs and businesses can capitalize on COP 28 is to use the outcomes as a guide or a factor in their next endeavors and/or strategic directions. Above all, the COP outcomes can indicate what many future promising opportunities entail. Here are some examples that can be inferred from COP 28 outcomes.

Adopting Sustainability: Businesses can invest in sustainable practices to align with the global consensus from the conference. This could involve sustainability in operations such as manufacturing, sourcing, packaging, product design etc. By adopting sustainable practices businesses can create brand value and attract conscious customers.
Leveraging Economic Incentives: Many pledges and initiatives announced at COP28 involve financial incentives for reducing carbon emissions and adopting cleaner technologies. Hence, companies have a direct economic incentive to get involved in green entrepreneurship and sustainable business practices.
Innovation and New Technologies: With the heightened interest in clean technology demonstrated at COP28, there is a wealth of opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses to innovate and provide new solutions. Whether in renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon capture, electric vehicles, or other areas, the demand is set to increase.
Strategic Partnerships: COP28's outcomes often foster collaborations between governments, corporations, and NGOs. Private sector companies can partner with these entities to align their CSR strategies, access funding, and better position their brand.
Investor Engagement: COP28 draws attention to climate risk and encourages investors to firmly integrate ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) considerations into their portfolios. Businesses showcasing strong climate commitments and sustainable practices are more likely to attract such investors, and thus secure better financing.

By understanding and acting on COP28's outcomes, you can position yourself favorably for the low-carbon economy on the horizon.

More info

If you are looking for more information about COP 28, you can check out the official website for the conference here: https://www.cop28.com/en/

If you would like to know more about Climate Change which is also the cause for all the COP conferences, you can check out our Climate Change Course on the TforDesign Platform. You can also find the course on Udemy.

P.S. Here is a little inspirational video about the event published by COP28 UAE:

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What is xDesign? An Overview of its Capabilities

9/17/2023

xDesign is a 3D modeling and design tool that is part of Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It allows users to create and collaborate on 3D designs through a web browser without needing to install any specialized software or hardware. Many people refer to xDesign as SOLIDWORKS Cloud or as an integrated part of the SOLIDWORKS cloud endeavor.

Key Capabilities of xDesign

Before we delve into discussing xDesign, as a tool, let us talk about its key capabilities and advantages. After all, those would decide if you want to invest in learning the software. Some of the standout capabilities of xDesign include:

Cloud-based: Enables access from any internet-connected device like PCs, Macs, tablets and smartphones. Being a cloud-based software means you won't have to worry much about the capability of your device to handle the software.
Real-time collaboration: Allows teams to work on 3D designs simultaneously. Thanks to it being on the cloud, xDesign allows multiple users to share, edit, and develop the same files concurrently.
The 3DExperience platform: A major advantage of xDesign is it is part of the 3DExperience platform by Dassault Systèmes. This means easy integration with tons of other tools facilitating communication, management, simulation, etc.

How to Access xDesign

xDesign, being a part of the 3D Creator rule within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Here are a few ways in which you can access it:

The 3D Creator Role: A direct avenue to xDesign, the 3D creator role lets you acquire this tool as a standalone solution.
3D Designer for Educators: xDesign is an integral part of this package, specifically for educators keen on using technology to shape future designers.
SOLIDWORKS Cloud Apps for Students: Students eager to dive into the world of 3D design can easily access xDesign through the SOLIDWORKS Cloud Apps package.
3D Experience SOLIDWORKS for Makers: This offering caters to makers and hobbyists by including xDesign in its suite of tools, thereby facilitating the design of DIY projects.

You can check out our other blog on how to get access to affordable versions of SOLIDWORKS for more info. Many of those packages include xDesign as well.

In summary, XDesign provides a flexible, collaborative approach to 3D design through its cloud-based architecture. By emphasizing accessibility and real-time teamwork, it aims to simplify and streamline 3D modeling.

How to Learn xDesign?

xDesign carries many similarities with other 3D design tools like SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, Fusion 360, and others. If you know know to use those other tools, then getting up to speed with xDesign will not be an issue.

If you would like to follow a structured program, check out our xDesign: become a Certified Associate Today program. The program covers the essentials of the tool and helps you get up and running with xDesign for your 3D modeling needs.

By Tayseer Almattar

Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and nurtured within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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What is The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform? - An Ambitious Vision Facing Real-World Challenges

8/28/2023

Imagine an operating system specifically tailored for product design and development. It contains a suite of integrated apps for tasks like CAD modeling, simulation, project management, and data analytics. This is the vision behind Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform - a unified digital workspace aiming to transform how products are designed, tested, and manufactured. However, as you can guess, executing such an ambitious vision comes with very real challenges.

A Revolutionary Vision

You can picture the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform as an operating system with various apps for design, management, communication, and more. Then, depending on the rules of the person, s/he will be assigned different rules and access different apps in the system. By housing these apps together, they can integrate seamlessly to streamline workflows. Dassault Systèmes aims to break down silos, enable global teams to collaborate, and ultimately drive business innovation. However, any visionary idea inevitably faces bumps on the road to widespread adoption.

Initial Promise

During my exploration of the platform, the demos showcased its potential - seamless communication, accelerated design cycles, and predictive analytics. On the surface, it could significantly improve digital workflows. However, for organizations used to existing systems, migrating to a new platform can require a monumental change in both mindsets and practices.

The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform promises several impressive capabilities to cater to the diverse needs of businesses. These include:

Global Connection - With this platform, you can link up and collaborate with colleagues around the world in real time. No more coordination headaches or playing phone tag across time zones. It makes it smooth sailing to brainstorm ideas and work together from wherever you are.
All-In-One Access - The platform brings together a killer suite of design, engineering, and manufacturing apps that are connected together with cloud tools. Those include desktop apps like SOLIDWORKS and CATIA in addition to cloud design tools like xDesign and xShape. This facilitates design tracking and collaboration as everything is in one place.
Efficient Monitoring - Keeping tabs on projects and data can be a major pain. But with the platform's dashboards and reporting features, overseeing your workflows is simple. You've got the visibility you need to manage projects and monitor progress easily.
Informed Decision-Making - With serious analytics and simulation power, the platform helps you model different scenarios before locking in strategic decisions. You can predict the implications and minimize risks, allowing you to optimize resources and maximize results. No more shooting in the dark.

You might be looking at this list and think that you already have solutions addressing them all. You might be right. However, the innovation in the platform combined them in one place with stronger integration.

Monumental Scope

While Dassault has impressive design tools, connecting them into one unified ecosystem is enormously complex. Integrating global teams with different languages and time zones is difficult enough without building an intuitive workspace for the entire product lifecycle.

The scope of Dassault's vision is massive - to fully unite design, collaboration, data analytics, and more into a single platform. Transforming standalone tools into an all-encompassing system remains an ambitious goal.

Cautious Optimism

The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform shows promise but still needs time to entice organizations to get on board. This is in addition to the massive development needed to improve the platform from its initial stages. While skepticism persists, my hope is that Dassault could gradually overcome challenges to bring this vision to life - one step at a time. With a thoughtful rollout, this revolutionary concept may slowly transform digital workflows in the years ahead.

Extra note:
If you want to get started with a look into the 3DExperince Platform, particularly the 3D Creator rule and the xDesign app, then we have a program just for that. You can check it out here.

By Tayseer Almattar
Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and nurtured within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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AI Revolutionizing the 3D Modeling World: From Art to Engineering

8/8/2023

Have you ever imagined how artificial intelligence (AI) like chatGPT could revolutionize 3D modeling? Imagine using simple English to model complex video game environments or engineer a high-precision machine part. That would be fascinating, right?

Although this is not the reality right now, let's discuss some things we can expect to happen soon

3D Modeling and AI

First, let's acknowledge that 3D Models can be broken into code. ChatGPT and other language models, on the other hand, can write code. So theoretically, ChatGPT could generate 3D models as well.

In this article, I'll touch on different parts of the 3D model spectrum: Art on one end, Engineering on the other, and Product Design somewhere in between.

Art in 3D Modeling

Art in 3D modeling cares most about the external shape of models, for example, creating video game assets or virtual replications of specific places. In these contexts, specific dimensions, mechanisms, and minor details might not hold significant value.

With AI, I foresee a significant impact on this area. Instead of manually building or modifying objects in a game environment, you could use natural language to create those things like image generation engines like mid-journey and DALLE. A key feature of these recent AI models is the inherent randomness in output execution, which is acceptable in many art-based applications.

Engineering in 3D Modeling

The inherent generative AI randomness might not be well suited for Engineering. In this field, models must serve a function and be precisely detailed to be manufacturable, making typing "Design a car engine" and getting a functioning design less feasible. However, AI will enhance two main areas:

Generative or Assistive Design: Designers can provide certain parameters, and the AI system drafts a design accordingly. For example, when designing a frame for a crane, you can provide specifications like size and anticipated stress levels in different areas, and the software will produce a design adhering to these parameters.
Automation: Designers can build a base model and alter it into various versions using natural language prompts, creating a user-friendly experience for non-tech-savvy individuals and enabling mass customization simultaneously.

Product Design and AI

Product designers can benefit from everything mentioned earlier. In fact, they can already use existing image generation models like Mid-Journey and DALL'E to generate quick design inspirations or even generate orthogonal views for tracing in 3D software.

Implications

Overall, with all those taking place, what is the AI's impact on 3D modeling that can impact us? Those can be seen in two clear areas:

Efficiency: AI's potential to increase efficiency with assistive design and automation is extremely promising. This will result in fewer people being able to do more work.
Bridging the Expertise Gap: AI tools like assistive design alongside other technologies will enable designers and engineers with mid-level expertise to contribute more to areas formerly dominated by senior personnel.

Final Thoughts

While many people are making a devil of AI due to the possibility of it replacing the workforce, the situation is quite complex. In general, Automation and computers have been impacting the design fields for many years. This goes from paper-based drawing boards to today's complex 3D design software. The recent generative AI rise is no different.

One of the best ways to keep an edge in this age is to keep on learning and honing your skills while monitoring the evolution of technology and its impact on the field. If you are already good at 3D modeling, you will naturally have an edge in using emerging technologies to evolve your existing work.

It is still a good time to start learning a 3D design tool like SOLIDWORKS. You can check our TforDesign school for learning programs on 3D modeling. You can also subscribe to our social media channels linked at the footer, which will keep you updated on all the new advancements, and how they can impact you.

Feel free to get in touch with us for ways we can help.

By Tayseer Almattar

Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and nurtured within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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10 Takeaways from the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Synthesis Report

3/27/2023

On 20 March, 2023, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report came out. The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) Synthesis Report assesses the current state of knowledge on climate change, its widespread impacts and risks, and opportunities for scaling up effective action in the period up to 2040. The report itself can provide good guidelines for our next business design endeavor.

We'll link the full report below. However, here is a little selection of some of the major points highlighted in the report.

First: Earth's temperature has increased by approximately 1.1°C (or 1.9°F) since pre-industrial times. The report outlines that the 1.5°C limit is still achievable. We discussed this point and how it came about in the Paris Agreement in our climate change course.

Now, let us look into 10 other points addressed in the report:

1. The report acknowledges the interdependence of the climate, ecosystems, biodiversity, and human societies as well as the importance of various knowledge modalities. So, the issue of climate change is not just one of the environment. It is a societal problem that must be solved with a wide range of knowledge and skills.

2. The report identifies instances of transformational action that are efficient, doable, equitable, and just. Accordingly, the report acknowledges the need for bold climate action to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while being implementable and practical. A crucial point is that actions shouldn't disproportionately harm marginalized groups or exacerbate already existing inequalities.

3. In every region of the world, human-caused climate change is already having an impact on numerous weather and climate extremes. This indicates that the effects of climate change are already being felt on a global scale and are not just a threat to the future. In-depth information about how climate change is affecting various areas and industries, including agriculture, health, and water resources, is provided in the report.

4. In order to keep global warming to 1.5°C and prepare for the effects of climate change, urgent and ambitious action is required. This indicates that the report strongly emphasizes the necessity of acting quickly to meet the Paris Agreement's most ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The need for adaptation measures to assist communities and ecosystems in coping with the effects of climate change that are already present is also highlighted in the report.

5. The report emphasizes the connections between sustainable development, ecosystem health, human well-being, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. This indicates that the report acknowledges the necessity of addressing climate change holistically and comprehensively, taking into account the numerous advantages and drawbacks of various climate solutions. For instance, preserving and restoring ecosystems can support biodiversity, human well-being, and climate change mitigation.

6. According to the report, global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius or more will cause increasingly severe and frequent climate impacts, such as more frequent heatwaves, heavy precipitation events, and more intense tropical cyclones, which will further alter the planet we are accustomed to.

7. The report emphasizes the dangers of passing crucial tipping points, including the irreversible melting of glaciers and ice sheets and the disintegration of some ecosystems.

8. The report points to opportunities for radical change in how we use energy, manage our land, plan our cities, and build our infrastructure, all of which can help with climate mitigation and adaptation. This means that the report emphasizes the necessity of switching to sustainable and low-carbon development pathways as well as the potential for transformational change in various economic sectors.

9. The report acknowledges significant challenges to achieving transformative change, including technological, economic, social, and political factors, entrenched interests, and power imbalances.

10. The report emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and effective governance mechanisms to support climate action at all local and global levels.

What do you think of the following points? Anything you would like us to elaborate more on? Or do you think they are all a repeat of what everyone knows already?

Here are the links if you would like to learn more:

Link to all the report elements: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/
Link to the longer written report: https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6syr/pdf/IPCC_AR6_SYR_LongerReport.pdf

By Tayseer Almattar and Copyai

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Benefits of Learning SOLIDWORKS via Project-Based Learning

2/14/2023

Why is Project-Based Learning Needed?

Learning something new, like 3D modeling, appears to be straightforward: you can use an extruded boss to get a cube and a revolved boss to get a sphere. But it is not this simple while modeling a real-life object, e.g., a car. Of course, modeling a car will require basic commands like extrude and revolve, but when and how to apply them is a whole new ball game. That is why when you go on 3D modeling real-life objects, a lot of challenges arise.

This leads us to project-based learning (PBL), which is more successful than traditional classroom-based learning. So, what is project-based learning, and how can it assist you in learning a skill like 3D modeling using SOLIDWORKS?

What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning, also referred to as “learning by doing”, develops knowledge and skills by engaging in meaningful projects based on real-life challenges and problems. In the case of 3D modeling, these projects can be the objects around you, like a water bottle, folding tray, headset, etc.

While working on these projects, you will not only learn SOLIDWORKS (which is your desired goal) but also develop critical thinking, creativity, perseverance, and self-confidence. This will also ensure that you retain the learned concepts and modeling skills for longer.

Applying Project-Based Learning with SOLIDWORKS

Let’s assume that you want to model the following headset.

First, you will need dimensions: you can get them from a detailed technical drawing or measure a real-life object yourself. Then you’ll go through the process of modelling it. During this process, you’ll manage obstacles, learn from mistakes, make adjustments, and persevere until you’re satisfied with your project. When you complete your final work of wonder, it will boost your self-confidence because it’ll be something that you’ve created on your own.

We have discussed how project-based learning will help you in learning SOLIDWORKS, but let’s see how it works. Below is a video that touches on project-based learning and goes over a simple project from scratch. Check it out to build your first simple project.

We also have a fully structured program based on several meaningful real-world objects that will push you to your limits and hone your SOLIDWORKS skills. Do check it out if you want to grow your 3D modeling skills with real-life projects. Hope to see you there!

by Mohsina Zafar

Mohsina is a Mechatronics engineer who is passionate about 3D design and artificial intelligence. She specializes in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and loves to help students solve their SOLIDWORKS problems.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohsina-zafar/

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Why is Innovation Important?

11/29/2022

Innovation is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but it’s not always clear what innovation means. It can be used to refer to anything from introducing new products or services to creating a better way of doing something. It can also refer to the process of developing new ideas and turning them into reality. The goal of innovation is always improvement—either for the user or for the company as a whole. If you want your business to stand out in today's competitive marketplace, you need to think creatively about how you can improve your products and services so they meet customer needs better than other companies do theirs.

What is Innovation?

Innovation is the process of introducing new ideas, products, and services. It can come from anywhere, and it can be big or small. Innovation requires an open mind and a willingness to take risks—you never know what might be on the other side!

Oftentimes, innovation is linked to commercialization with something new. A simple way to understand this is with the equation: Innovation = Invention + Commercialization/Implementation. Another term you might have come across is Design Innovation. For this article, we'll treat them the same way to keep things simple. You can check out our What is Design Innovation article to know more.

Innovation is an important tool for driving growth.

Innovation is an important tool for driving growth. Innovation is a key driver of economic growth, as new ideas and products can lead to increased productivity and efficiency. Therefore, organizations must innovate in order to survive in today’s business environment.

Innovation is an organizational process that leads to the development of new ideas or initiatives (e.g., products or services) that meet customer needs better than existing offerings do. The end result can be either incremental improvement on an existing product or service. It can also result in radical changes that create new markets and industries altogether. Even though we love hearing about disruptive innovations, most innovations out there are incremental.

Innovation is about more than just invention.

Innovation is about more than just invention. Innovation is a system that must be cultivated and fostered, with corporate support and buy-in across the entire enterprise. This includes a willingness to invest in research and development (R&D) activities to promote creativity in both individual employees and teams, as well as to take risks when necessary. Innovation also includes the commercialization of inventions—the process by which an idea becomes a product or service useful for society at large.

Many different frameworks, tools, and approaches can help in generating relevant innovation. You can explore some of them on our Design Innovation Frameworks and Tools page.

Innovation can be a business's most valuable asset.

Innovation is a business’s most valuable asset. It is the main ingredient for success in an increasingly competitive global economy and can be considered a long-term strategy for sustainable growth. It is a critical component of your company’s strategy because it allows you to differentiate yourself from other companies, gain a competitive advantage, and create new opportunities for growth.

Innovation is a system that must be cultivated and fostered.

Innovation is a system that must be cultivated and fostered, with corporate support and buy-in across the entire enterprise. It’s not a project, it’s not just an event—it’s a culture.

Innovation is a mindset, not a project; it's an approach to problem-solving rather than just another solution to the same old problems. Innovation isn't something you do once or twice; it's part of your way of life at work every day (and night).

Innovate or die.

You might have heard the phrase 'innovate or die' before. Does that hold true? Innovation is critical to a company’s survival in today’s business environment. The pace of change is accelerating, and customers have more choices than ever before. If you don’t innovate, you will be overtaken by others who do. Innovation isn't just about products or services—it's about how we work together, what we learn from our customers and each other, the way we collaborate on innovation projects across the organization, how we share our knowledge with the world, even how we use data analytics to improve our processes and productivity.

A great example of innovation at work in today’s economy comes from Airbnb's approach to customer service: Rather than having customer service representatives answer generic questions over email or chatbots respond with canned responses whenever someone has an issue with their site technology (which happens frequently), Airbnb hires people who are experts at solving specific problems for each type of traveler so they can resolve issues quickly without requiring the assistance of someone else.

Innovation is key to survival in today’s business environment. Innovation is the engine of growth, and it's a necessity for survival in today’s competitive landscape. Innovation is a must-have for any company hoping to stay relevant in the modern economy.

Why is innovation important?

Innovation is the key to success, and it helps us solve problems, be more creative, and be more efficient.
When it comes to innovation, there are many different approaches that you can take, but one thing is clear: the most successful innovative companies have a purpose beyond making money. They have a passion for what they do, they care about their customers, and they believe in themselves and their team members. Innovation is about solving real problems for real people with real needs—and being proud of your achievements, as well as being willing to learn from mistakes along the way. Innovation is not about making things pretty or building the biggest company in your industry, it’s about making them effective and relevant to your shareholders.

Innovation is important because it allows us to solve any kind of problem, face any kind of challenge, and address any kind of issue in the future. In today's world where we have so many problems and challenges, innovation is extremely important. Innovation can be small or large; it can be transformative or incremental—but it will always have an impact on society and the way we live our lives. This is especially the case as we are facing a very uncertain future.

Conclusion

Innovation is one of the most powerful tools in business today. It can help you differentiate yourself from competitors, build a competitive advantage, and drive growth. It’s also important to remember that innovation isn’t just about inventing something new—it involves everything from refining processes to changing how we think about customers and their needs. In short, innovation is an essential part of any company’s success. If you would like to have a conversation about design innovation and its different processes, make sure to drop us a line. You can also sign up for our mailing list to get the latest innovation insights. Just write your name and email on the little form you will find on the upper right part of this page.

By Tayseer Almattar
Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and neutered within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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How to Create Multiple Variations of your Design Using SOLIDWORKS Configurations

11/17/2022

Imagine you need to create two objects with slight differences. One way is to create each of them from scratch. But this will be time-consuming and tedious as only a few adjustments to one object can result in the other one. This will also result in multiple files, which will get harder to manage as the number of objects increases. In a previous post, we addressed how you can create design configurations using Excel Design Table to address this situation.

Here, we will talk about how SOLIDWORKS configurations can rescue with a more direct way to create configurations. SOLIDWORKS allows you to create multiple variations of a model. Different configurations can be created by changing dimensions, suppressing features, etc. As these configurations are in a single file, organizing them also becomes easy.

In this article, we will explore how you can speed up your 3D modeling by creating multiple variations of your design by creating configurations manually.

How to Create Configurations?

Imagine that you designed a phone for a client. Now they want to know how adding camera lenses and flashlights will affect the aesthetics. You are expected to share a few variations by playing around with shapes. This is where you utilize your knowledge of configurations. Following is the phone model:

Go to ConfigurationManager > right-click on part/assembly name > select “Add Configuration”. In propertymanager, you can specify the name and description of the new configuration.

When it’s created, go to the FeatureManager Design Tree to change dimensions and/or suppress or unsuppress features. While changing the dimension, you can specify if you want the change to be reflected in the current configuration, specific configurations, or all configurations.

You can add and suppress multiple features in each configuration. In the image below, another secondary camera is added by using the linear pattern.

You can go back to your ConfigurationManager, add, and adjust another configuration. In the image below, the secondary camera previously added is suppressed, and a straight slot is added to represent the flashlight in a new configuration.

Before you conclude your design, it’s a good practice to double-check if all your configurations are as you expect them to be. Go to the ConfigurationManager to view the list of added configurations. Double-click on the configuration that you want to activate, and that’s it! You have successfully created multiple versions of the model by manually creating configurations.

Using this knowledge, you can easily create a family of similar objects without the hassle of creating them individually. Will you be using configurations to ease your design process? Let us know in the comment section.

If you want to learn more advanced topics like this, check out the professional-level SOLIDWORKS program at the TforDesign School. You will get access to top-notch content and experts supporting your learning journey.

by Mohsina Zafar

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What is 3D Printing & How it is Revolutionizing Product Design

10/20/2022

Let's start with an intro

3D printing is the process of creating a three-dimensional object from a digital file. It works by melting or solidifying plastic or other materials and laying down successive layers to create an object.

3D printing has become one of the most popular technologies in product design today, with more and more designers using it for everything from concept models to final prototype production. This article explores how 3D printing can work for your design workflow and some of the challenges you might face along the way.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been around since the 1980s. Since then, the 3D printing market size has been growing while adding lots of value to many businesses. However, it only recently became affordable for home and business use.

3D printing is also known as Additive Manufacturing (AM) or Rapid Prototyping. An AM machine can print an object by building it up in layers based on the design you created in your CAD program, often using plastic materials that are melted and then cooled to create the final product. The 3D printer builds up each layer by adding material until the object is complete.

Product design workflow with 3D printing

3D printing is a tool, not a solution. It’s important to remember that 3D printing is just one component of product design, and it will never be able to solve every problem in your workflow. 3D printing can help you:

Create more innovative products with less risk
Reduce time-to-market by reducing complexity during prototyping
Optimize the manufacturing process by testing multiple prototypes at once

Benefits of 3D printing in product design

3D printing offers a number of benefits in product design.

Reduce time to market: With traditional manufacturing, it can take weeks or months to get a prototype ready for testing, but with 3D printing, you can have an accurate prototype in just hours. This is especially beneficial when working with low-volume production runs that may not justify the cost associated with traditional manufacturing methods.
Reduce the cost of development: 3D printing makes it possible for manufacturers to iterate on their designs quickly and efficiently because they don't have to wait for new tooling or molds before testing changes made to the design. This means less money spent on prototyping costs and faster turnaround times from concept through final product release (which translates into increased revenue).
Increase quality of design: With traditional manufacturing methods, you often have very little control over the final product's appearance because parts must be molded or cast one at a time. With 3D printing technology, however - which enables designers to create finished prototypes that look exactly like the final version - there's greater flexibility in producing mirror scale models as well as functional prototypes that are more representative than what would normally be available through other fabrication processes such as casting/molding or machining.

Challenges of 3D printing in product design

Despite the hype, 3D printing is not a cure-all for all design problems. In fact, it is often not an appropriate solution for even the most fundamental aspects of product design.

3D printing is not suitable for all materials: Because it creates parts by fusing material together in layers, 3D printing is unsuitable for producing parts made of materials that melt or burn at low temperatures (like foam and rubber).
Access to the technology might not be as prevalent: some consumer-level 3D printing technologies like FDM and SLA are becoming more available nowadays. However, the majority of 3D printing technologies are still relatively hard to access due to their high cost and lack of expertise to operate them.

Role of 3D printing in the product development process

3D printing is an important technology in the product development process. Because of its speed, accuracy, and affordability, 3D printing is used at any stage of the design process. Design teams use 3D printing to validate ideas and concepts early on in the design process. This saves time and money by helping designers avoid costly rework later on in the development cycle.

The first stage where 3D printing can be applied is during initial prototyping. Prototypes are often printed as fast as possible so that they can be evaluated by users or other stakeholders as soon as possible. These prototypes are typically not intended for mass production but rather serve as a proof of concept or idea validation tool that helps designers decide if their current direction is heading towards something worth pursuing further. The benefit of using 3D printing technologies is that they allow you to produce multiple iterations quickly without having to wait for molds or tooling, which often takes months before being produced in metal or plastic components!

Product designers are using more and more advanced technologies to develop innovative products for the global market.

3D printing is a fast and efficient process. Designers can create, prototype, and test their products in as little as a day. This technology has been used to produce everything from intricate medical devices to custom-made shoes for astronauts on the International Space Station.

Product designers often use 3D printing to create prototypes of new products or make small changes to existing ones. Prototypes help them test the functionality of their designs before they go into full production, which saves time and money because there is no need for large-scale manufacturing until the design is finalized.

3D printing also allows companies to design unique items that aren't available through traditional manufacturing methods, such as injection molding or casting (the process by which metal or plastic parts are created by pouring liquid material into a mold).

Let's wrap up!

3D printing is becoming more and more popular as a tool for product design. In this article, we discussed the benefits of using 3D printing in product design and outlined some of the challenges that designers face when using this technology for their projects. We also talked about how 3D printing can help designers create prototypes faster than ever before!

Now that you have an idea of the great value 3D printing can bring you, you should consider diving deeper into exploring what the technology is all about and exploring all the values it can bring you. Luckily, we have a comprehensive program made just for that: 3D Printing Opportunities and Applications. Make sure to check it out, we are looking forward to seeing you there.

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Three Lessons from Building a New Brand: Asteria

10/18/2022

Over the last few months, we have been working on launching Asteria, a new brand in the tea lifestyle space. We put together a small team and started working on designing and building both a brand and our first product, Explorer 1.0.

When building the brand, we played with colors, built prototypes, and dealt with manufacturing. We had fun, got into stressful times, and learned a lot. Here are three little random lessons we’ll keep in mind.

1- Prototype, Talk to People, but Don’t Expect them to Do Your Job

First, let us clarify that virtual prototypes of pictures and 3D models are great. However, they are by no means a replacement for physical prototypes. Strive to end up with physical prototypes and have other people outside your team interact with them. Then, observe, and get feedback from those people. This is all obvious, right? Here are the little things to watch out for:

Don’t send a survey. Meet your subjects in person for an intimate conversation whenever possible.
Plan your interview, then Ask open-ended follow-up questions on every point: ‘Why’ and ‘How’ are your best friends.

During those interactions, know their duty and your job. Their duty is to provide personal insights from their perspectives and situations. They are not there to suggest solutions to the problems you are trying to solve, that’s your job.

2- Colors and Coloring Standards

This one might be a little obvious to some, a little hidden to others. When building a brand that might end with physical products, you’ll need to pick your coloring system carefully, especially if you are keen on keeping consistent branding. There are multiple coloring systems out there. Let’s go over some major ones:

HEX: Perfect for web applications with a nearly unlimited collection of colors.
RBG: Another good option for screens and digital applications
CMYK: Work better for physical objects
Pantone: A proprietary system that works well with printing and paint

CMYK and Pantone have less variety of colors but are more viable for the physical world. So, a good approach is to start there. You will most likely be able to find identical colors in HEX and RBG after. Also, pick your brand colors out of official colors prints, not screens.

The colors might already look slightly different when dealing with different printers/ printing service providers. Those differences might be because of the product’s materials or the different machines/techniques used to do the coloring. However, you don’t want to be subjected to more variance because one manufacturer has less flexibility than another due to your coloring codes. Suppose you use the HEX system to choose your brand colors. In that case, there is a higher likelihood that you will not be able to replicate the exact color of physical objects.

3- Work with Your Manufacturers

Knowing how things are made from a manufacturing perspective is a good idea. However, even with that knowledge, always ask for your manufacturer’s opinions. Your success of the manufacturer’s best interest as this means you will be more likely to return for more of their service. This is not to mention that they have a reputation to protect.

Many people overestimate the knowledge they need to have to communicate with manufacturers. In reality, most manufacturers don’t expect you to be an expert in their fields, which is why they often have engineers to help you manufacture your design. This includes suggesting ways to make your design more manufacturable.

Different manufacturers are often specialized in one or two things. For example, a box manufacturer will likely be able to work from the box sketches you have on a napkin because that’s all they do. A prototyping facility that does 3D printing would tell you the parts of your design that are not possible to make and likely provide some recommendations to tackle those issues. Again, it is helpful if you know how manufacturing works so you can save tons of valuable design time, but keep in mind that manufacturers are often there to help.

Also, always contact more than one manufacturer, check on different qualities and compare the different customer support, qualities, and prices you can get. If you have the time and money, get a manufacturing prototype for your final designs well.

Here you have it, those are three random little lessons we got to learn more of in our journey to build Asteria. Would you like us to share more practical lessons? Let me know in the comment below. Also, don’t forget to share your experiences and things to watch out for when designing a new product. If you would like us to share the whole Asteria building experience, let us know in the comments.

Finally, if you are looking for help to build your own brand, drop us a line. We are here to help.

By Tayseer Almattar

Tayseer is a passionate designer and educator. He believes that innovation potential can be grown and natured within organizations with relevant design innovation processes.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayseer-almattar-design-innovation

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How to Create Multiple Variations of Your Design Using SOLIDWORKS Design Tables

9/14/2022

Imagine you need to create two or more objects with slight differences. One way is to create each of them from scratch. But this will be time-consuming and tedious as only a few adjustments to one object can result in the other one. This will also result in multiple files, which will get harder to manage as the number of objects increases.

This is where SOLIDWORKS configurations come to the rescue. SOLIDWORKS allows you to create multiple variations of a model. Different configurations can be created by changing dimensions, suppressing features, etc. As these configurations are in a single file, organizing them also becomes easy.

In this article, we will explore how you can speed up your 3D modeling by creating multiple variations of your design using a Microsoft Excel design table.

What is an Excel Design Table?

A Design Table is an Excel spreadsheet that is embedded in the SolidWorks environment. Entries of this table control model variations.

Imagine that you designed a phone for a client. Now they want to know which position of camera lenses will work best for design and functionality. You are expected to share a few variations. This is where you utilize your knowledge of design tables. Following is the phone model:

For convenience, start by renaming the dimensions and features based on what they represent. This makes it easier for you to refer to them while working on the design table. Double-click on the dimensions and features to rename them.

How to Create a Design Table?

To create and access Design Tables, you need to have MS Excel installed on your system. To create a Design Table, go to Insert > Tables > Excel Design Table. In the Design Table PropertyManager, you have the following options:

blank design table
get it from an Excel file
have SOLIDWORKS auto-create it

Select auto-create and click Ok. You get a list of names of all the dimensions of the model (this is where the renamed dimensions and features help you). Press and hold Ctrl and select the dimensions you need to change > click Ok. This will launch MS Excel in SOLIDWORKS.

Use this design table to define different configurations. You can start changing dimension values/suppression states as per your design requirements. Once you’re done, click outside the table, and you will get a pop-up showing the newly created configurations. Go to the ConfigurationManager to view the list of added configurations. By default, any part modeled in SOLIDWORKS is set as the default configuration.

Double-click on the configuration that you want to activate, and that’s it! You have successfully created multiple versions of the default model using an Excel design table.

Now using this knowledge, you can easily create families of similar objects without going through the hassle of creating them individually. Will you be using Design Tables to ease your design process? Let us know in the comment section.

If you want to learn more advanced topics like this, check out the professional-level SOLIDWORKS program at the TforDesign School. You will get access to top-notch content and experts supporting your learning journey.

By Mohsina Zafar

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What are the Types of Prototypes, and How to Plan Your Prototyping Journey?

7/11/2022

If you are ever thinking about designing or building any product, you’ll have to build a prototype. So, what are the different types of prototypes for physical products? Let us talk about this here.

In a broad sense, a prototype is whatever can make your idea more tangible. A prototype can make your idea feel more real, which can help you gather more support to bring it to life. Prototypes can help you develop, test, and improve your products. Possibilities are that you CANNOT develop a good product without Prototyping.

There are three major types of prototypes out there. Each type serves a different purpose. So, let us explore those first. Then talk about how to look at them practically.

The three types are Aesthetic prototypes, Functional prototypes, and Manufacturing prototypes. You might hear people refer to them with different names, which is okay. In this article, we will focus on the idea behind each type.

An aesthetic prototype aims to show your design's appearance or expected appearance. It often has no function at all. Its purpose is to show the appearance of the design or test its ergonomics. For example, the aesthetic prototype of a smartphone might only be a shell of its external shape.
A functional prototype aims to show the function of the product. Its purpose is to prove that the technology you are developing is feasible. For example, the functional prototype of a smartphone can be all the electronics connected on a big breadboard.
A manufacturing prototype aims to replicate the final product that will end up being commercialized. Its purpose is to ensure that both esthetic and function can merge together and also test the product further before investing in manufacturing. For example, a manufacturing prototype of a smartphone can be a full-functioning smartphone that looks just like the one you can buy from the shop.

A prototype is whatever can make your idea more tangible. A prototype can make your idea feel more real, which can help you gather more support to bring it to life.

Those are the classical types of physical prototypes. On paper, we often think about them as aesthetic, functional, or manufacturing prototypes. In practice, your prototypes might be somewhere in between. So, it might be better to consider those categories as a spectrum rather than fixed types. Your prototypes can then fall somewhere in between. You will most likely move closer to the manufacturing prototype as you progress in your product development process.

Keeping those different types and purposes in mind when planning your prototypes is essential. This will help you build more precise plans for your prototypes and make the prototyping conversation easier with your teammates and other stakeholders.

So, here you have it, those were the different types of physical prototypes you would most likely engage with. Even though the above classification might be more relevant to physical prototypes, prototyping practices have expanded with the rise of the service economy and digital products. Would you like another article just on those expansions? Let us know in the comments below. You can also check out our Intro to Prototyping Program to know more about the practice of Prototyping.

Back to you now, what are your thoughts on Prototyping, and what are your experiences with it? Were you familiar with the types of prototypes we mentioned here? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

By Tayseer Almattar

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8 Methods to Easily Generate Promising Innovation

5/25/2022

Coming up with 'ideas' is sometimes a difficult task as it can be too abstract and lack structure. To make this easier, let us look at eight different ways or methods you can use to generate innovations with market potential quickly.

1. Find an alternative method to accomplish what an existing innovation accomplishes: The fact that a company or a firm started to produce a product that addresses a NEED can indicate that fulfilling that NEED is a viable opportunity. This is as if the other company has identified the location of a hidden treasure for you. Coming up with other innovations that would satisfy that NEED can yield a great opportunity.

2. Follow what you like: list your passions and observe how technologies evolve around you. Then look for innovative opportunities that would keep you excited and happy. There is a good possibility if this passion got you super excited, there are many out there who can be excited about the same thing.

3. Tackle what annoys you: take another look at your daily life and see what annoys you. Do you get annoyed because of how the flour is being packaged? Do the methods available to find home service providers annoy you? How about you spend time resolving those issues and make your life easier? There is a good possibility that you can also make other people’s lives easier as well.

4. Provide a better-quality commodity (and make it more expensive): In other words, make an existing product or service more premium. Go to the market and find all the inexpensive commodities. Those have been commodities for long enough that you will find it difficult to distinguish the different brands as they all look similar with about the same price. Then, consider providing a deluxe version. Many customers might be willing to pay extra for better packaging or better quality.

5. Make it cheaper: what are products or services that are considered to be premium? Can you provide a similar service or product at a considerably lower price? For example, have you noticed that a premium wireless keyboard costs at least a hundred dollars? Can you make it for fifty? This does not have to be in tech. Many players in the food and beverage industry adopt this approach, too. For example, you might notice that Sushi in your city or country is relatively expensive. Can you create an alternative experience that can be more affordable and still maintain good quality?

6. Move something from Industry-level to Consumer-level: have you noticed that some products are only available at an industrial level where only companies enjoy such products at a high cost? Can you make that product cheaper for home users or small companies with similar features? For example, 3D Printing has long been available for industries for about four decades. However, this luxury has become available to ordinary people in the last decade, giving rise to an industry worth more than half a billion US Dollars. In this, we are talking about consumer-level 3D printers.

7. Follow New Trends: what changes in technology, culture, and lifestyle happen around you? Are people in your community suddenly started to consider their personal health more? Can you use that trend to produce new products or provide new services? What new products can you provide given the trend of mobile technology? The Internet of Things? Blockchain? Web 3.0? NFTs? etc?

8. Manipulate existing attributes of a product: what attributes do marketers give to smartphones? Size, weight, battery life, screen display, processing power, etc. Now, which of those attributes can be eliminated, reduced, or raised above expectations? What new attributes can be introduced into the smartphone industry? Manipulating those attributes can quickly generate new products and services that serve a more specific or more general audience which can be an innovation of good market potential.

Here you go, those are eight simple methods to develop innovations with market potential quickly. Keep in mind they are best used as inspirations. You can use them to guide or spark new conversations within your organization, community, or network. So, they are not absolute methods. Carrying out any specific innovation would still require lots of work at many different levels.

Back to you, which of the methods resonates most with you? How do you usually think about bringing new ideas? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. What innovations came to your mind after reading those eight methods?

If you are looking to engage with a community of design innovators, join our online Facebook Design Innovation Community.

By Tayseer Almattar

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Why Should You Learn 3D Modeling?

5/3/2022

If you are here, you must know about 3D modeling. You could have also had some thoughts about learning how to build 3D models. However, why would you want to learn 3D modeling? Let us talk about this here. I will share my point of view first. Then I would like to hear it from you in the comments where we can have a small discussion.

Meet Gallon

First, let me introduce you to Gallon, which you can see in the image below. Gallon was a character we conceived a while ago. If you follow TforDesign, you will surely come across Gallon.

In this blog, we will not talk about how we conceived Gallon. Instead, we will focus more on what happened after we did. After the Gallon character was designed, we made a 3D model of it. Then, we emailed the 3D model to a manufacturing facility. After a few days, we got a box back. Inside that box were little tangible Gallons that we could touch and feel.

Modern Manufacturing and the Making of Gallon

To make Gallon, we went on a journey of making. Key elements of this journey were defining the requirements, building and verifying 3D models, then manufacturing. 3D modeling was right at the center of this journey. 3D modeling is growing to be both a virtual prototyping tool and a tool that enables us to make tangible objects. The final manufacturing can happen through different means like a 3D printer you have a home, a machine shop, or through outsourcing like we did in the case of Gallon.

3D modeling is strongly related to manufacturing as manufacturing is becoming more digitalized, with manufacturing machines getting their input by interpreting 3D models. Examples of growing digitalized machines include 3D printers and CNC machines. This makes 3D modeling more essential to modern manufacturing. Thus, we can think of 3D modeling as a superpower. That super is the freedom to make tangible objects. Suppose you have that superpower, congratulations. If not, you can start learning it today.
If you are an organization or an individual, you can think of 3D modeling as being all about this superpower. It enables the organization to visualize its products, prototype them, and communicate them with manufacturing. This is one big reason why we advocate 3D modeling.

How about you? Are you into 3D modeling? What made you start learning the skill? Make sure to let us know in the comments.

If you are considering learning 3D modeling, you can start with our Intro to 3D Modeling Program, which will build a strong foundation on what 3D modeling is all about. Suppose you want to start directly with learning a 3D modeling software. In that case, you can check out the different online SOLIDWORKS 3D modeling programs we have in the TforDesign School.

By Tayseer Almattar

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How can Design Innovation Link to Environmental Sustainability?

12/16/2021

A few years ago, I was in a classroom around the topic of managing value creation. As part of that, the questions of stakeholders and how to define them were central to the discussion. As an exercise, the leading professor gave us the hypothetical exercise of building a new monument on campus which we had to identify the stakeholders.

Attendants started shouting out different stakeholders, including the students, faculty, funders, visitors, construction workers, engineers, the designing architect, etc. The professor was still looking for one more particular stakeholder she had in mind. I raised my hand and said: “the birds.”

My classmates laughed as if I was telling a joke. That was not the sought-after answer, nor was it a rational answer in a room filled with corporate practitioners. The professor finally stated: “The fire department, is an important stakeholder that many tend to forget in the early design stages.” While I agree that the fire departments and other emergency services deserve a more central seat on the stakeholder’s table. I also wanted the birds to have an important seat as well. Unfortunately, that did not exist in the human-centered design thinking paradigm. This is even though the existence and thrival of the birds are tied to that of our own. However, what would happen if the birds had a central seat?

Can the birds be major stakeholders in design?

Where the Human-Centered Thinking Went Extreme

The concept of human-centered design brought about tremendous benefits to us in developing better products and services. However, does it mean human convenience is more important than that of other life forms?

When the industrial revolution kicked off, many of that period made a mistake assuming that natural resources are unlimited as well as nature’s ability to digest our trash. Arguably that revolution brought about false human independence from nature and formed a tiny seed of a human-centered world.

Questioning the Human-Centered Paradigm

We have come a long way since the Industrial Revolution in realizing that natural resources are limited. We also came to understand that we share a finite planet with other life forms that have existed before us. More importantly, we realized that we could not exist on our own (even if, that might not be an enjoyable life). With this expansion of understanding, we might want to consider expanding our design thinking to match.

Adding Life to the Design Innovation Definition

We define design innovation as the bringing of innovations that are humanely desirable, technically feasible, and business-ly viable. For too long, we have defined good innovations on what is good for us, human-centered. However, that might have pushed us towards an egocentric obsession with our own well-being, neglecting the system that hosts us.

Our adapted Design Innovation model

Over the past decade, there has been a growing trend of organizations looking to minimize their negative environmental footprint. Minimizing is a good start, but the time will soon come when that is no longer enough. After all, minimizing damage is still damage, and putting forward the minimization question means that damage, in principle, is acceptable.

Back to our initial question: what would happen if the birds had a central seat at the stakeholder’s table? Minimizing damage will no longer be acceptable. Instead of asking how much damage you are causing, the more acceptable alternative would be asking how much life you are promoting.

Re-thinking the Design Innovation Mode

With the points above, an alternative model for design innovation would have to answer the following questions:

Is it viable from a business perspective?
Is it desirable from a human perspective?
Is it feasible from a technological perspective?
Is it life-promoting from an environmental perspective?

How do you see the presence of environmental considerations in design today?

P.s. We are building a community of people interested in design innovation and related topics using a Facebook group. Join us to connect and explore more on the topic.

By Tayseer Almattar

1 Comment

Design Practice Past that One Day Design Thinking Workshop

11/18/2021

The term Design Thinking has become a global buzzword recently for all the right reasons. This is very different from the first time I gave a speech about the topic in 2013 when very few people heard the term.

I hope you have had a chance to experience it through a short workshop already. If not, let us know, and we can organize one for your team and/or organization. If you attended or facilitated one, then let's talk. Not about the workshop, but about what is next!

What to take out of the workshop?

One day to learn something new is not much. You were probably introduced to a process and one or two tools that can aid that process. You moved a lot, used sticky notes, laughed, and hopefully had fun while at it.

After a fun day, you might go back to your office job and start thinking, what now? Suppose you are not in a leadership position. In that case, you might not have the authority to introduce new processes to the workplace. Was it all a waste? Hopefully, the answer is NO.

Focus on the greater goal

The idea of Design as a method of problem-solving has a very central idea behind it. It is that we should keep the human at the center of our thinking. All the processes and tools used by design innovators lead to that. Luckily, as humans ourselves, we can relate to each other naturally without processes leading us.

So, if nothing else, drop the processes and the tools in your everyday work and start thinking about people as humans beyond the established status quo. If you can sneak in a tool or two, that is great. If not, the mindset of thinking about human needs is most important.

In a one-day workshop, this mindset of Design is all you need to get. It is simple and surely within your power to think of our fellow humans as such.

Think of chess or checker – It takes time

Whether you are looking at the design mindset or applying other design innovation processes, practice makes better (not perfect). You can think about design innovation like all other skills, the more you do it, the better you will get at it. Attending a one-day workshop is a great start. But, there is a huge world out there relating to Design Innovation. A one-day workshop is more like scratching the tip of an iceberg, again just all other fields.

If you are going beyond the design mindset to follow up with processes, don’t be a fundamentalist in following them verbatim. Often, that only repels people away from engaging with the process. Instead, always remember that the design mindset is more fundamental to the design processes.

How to infuse design innovation processes into your organization

Beyond the design mindset, design innovation methods, tools, and frameworks can greatly accelerate and enhance generating sustainable streams of innovations with higher success chances. The more serious an organization is about design innovation, the more it can include it in its operation. Integrating design innovation processes can be demanding. Thus, having an individual or a team responsible for guiding the innovation process adds considerable value. This could be an internal or external individual or team.

A good duty for that person is not to generate ideas but rather to guide the organization to innovate with its own mind power. S/he can get familiar enough with the organization to tailor innovation processes that would work for it. S/he can then walk the journey with everyone avoiding common issues that can take place like unintended biases or stagnation.

Let us summarize

Here are three main points you can take away from this:

The design mindset about giving focus to human needs is at the center of design innovation.
Design innovation processes and frameworks can greatly enhance innovation by building a structure to generate insights and translate them into tangible ideas.
Infusing design innovation methods and frameworks can be demanding, and it's an area where a dedicated external or internal consultant can add significant value.

We are passionate about design innovation and love helping out. If you are looking to chat about it or for help implementing design innovation processes in your organization, contact us, and let's start a conversation.

By Tayseer Almattar

0 Comments

Do Employees Hate Innovation?

10/21/2021

The term innovation has become one of the buzziest terms in the last century. We can hear the word 'innovation' in every product announcement and find it listed on just about any organization's website. If we are outside stakeholders, this can be one more reason to admire that organization. However, employees can have a very different perception, a negative one. This is especially true when innovation is being applied to their work practices.

In one of my earlier work experiences, I recall my first-hand experience of the despise employees (my colleagues) had for innovation. To us, the popular management term meant confusion and extra work for no apparent reason. The term was overused to a level where no day will pass without sarcastic comments about anything called ‘innovation’.

In an article published by Harvard Business Review, the author presents survey data on knowledge workers' drive to innovation varying between 14 to 28% in the US and Canada. Two economies are ranked 3rd and 16th respectively in the 2021 global innovation index. This is in contrast to a 2010 McKinsey global survey result showing that 84% of executives say ‘innovation is extremely important to their companies’.

The term 'innovation' is not bad in itself. In fact, it is easy to agree on how vital and central innovation is to both survive and thrive. However, applying and implementing innovations has been mishandled, giving it a negative connotation internally in many organizations. A big reason for that is that innovations are developed without the active participation of employees. Thus, it ends up being viewed as direct orders masked as innovations. This is especially the case when the new practice involves employees like new HR policies or new work practices.

84% of executives say ‘innovation is extremely important to their companies’.

Moving Forward:

What is often missing is the deep involvement of employees in the whole innovation process. At the heart of applying any innovation to an organization are employees who are directly affected by it. As obvious as this sounds, having that thought applied to generate innovations is not as obvious. For an innovation to be employee-accepted, we must look toward our employees as major stakeholders and their input and drive to generate and shape innovations starting from the early stages. Only then can we hope for innovations that are liked and not forced.

We would love to have a chat about supporting the innovation system within your organization. Feel free to get in touch to schedule a call to chat with us.

What is often missing is the deep involvement of employees in the whole innovation process that will impact their work practices.

Join the TforDesign Design Innovation Community

We are building a global community of professionals striving to design better innovations and better innovative environments. Join the TforDesign Design Innovation Community to learn more.

By Tayseer Almattar

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Don't tell me, show me! – A Case for Rapid Prototyping

9/23/2021