Shibuya Archives
Flows Interrupted
Jun 19, 2009
Scale Norms
Feb 24, 2009
Challenges related to cable length, niche opportunities for wireless.
Visually Soothing
Jan 07, 2009
Lateral Basket Case
Jan 07, 2009
The versatility of an overturned basket.
Behavioural Architypes
Jan 07, 2009
A book of gestures commonly associated with salariman dissected, the implication being that using the gesture is a sign of being unfashionable, out of touch.
Guilty as charged.
TKO GRF
Jan 02, 2009
Object Specialisation
Jan 02, 2009
The objects and services that are considered normal within a particular geography: cupboard stabiliser from the 'prepare for earthquake section' in Tokyu Hands.
Bacterial Dilemmas
Dec 10, 2008
In this Shibuya bathroom - the hand drying and flushing process are hands free, but the door opening to leave process decidedly, bacterially, hands on.
Assumptions about: the % of people who are likely to wash their hands; the point on the door handle where the level of bacteria is likely to be least; the myriad of ways by which the door can be opened; the likelihood that someone will open the door from the other side.
The Psychology of What We (Don't) Know
Oct 21, 2008
The human tendency to look forward, to take in the parts of approaching objects that we haven't yet seen. Or is it a desire to see what comes next?
Tokyo Buh-ling
Oct 21, 2008
Footwear / Gender
Sep 03, 2008
Or at least an assumption about the kinds of footwear dorned by men and women in this where-to-queue sign in Shibuya Station.
Early morning flight to Jeju and the LIFT Conference.
The Small Crowd That Lingers
May 26, 2008
Take the Keio Exit out of Shibuya Station and hang a sharp left and you'll soon come across a crowd of spectators watching the monotonously addictive pachinko.
The everyday places that we linger will start to take on a new relevance with the widespread adoption of devices equipped with proximate wireless connectivity - Bluetooth, RFID, WiFi, ..., when the simple act of lingering creates opportunities for meaningful data exchange. And we all know what data exchange leads to.
Right now it's a long way from being seamless, but when it does it will change the sociability of spaces. For every culture, a pachinko parlour crowd.
More on the value of you being there.
Monkeys, Chimps & Bananas
May 25, 2008
Found myself on the other side of the lens this week, the lens of Tokyo based Jeremy Sutton Hibbert to be precise. Photo shoots can be a weird beast - with an intense personal dislike of being digitally captured offset by the opportunity to learn from a pro - for all the photography that our research entails it's a world away from what they get up to. And for now at least the front of camera stuff hasn't yet got in the way of the real work and has certainly created opportunities and opened doors.
The heat and humidity has arrived and Tokyo has kicked it up a gear with far more interesting subject's sauntering by. Monkeys and chimps? That probably makes me a banana.
Related media here.
Sub*(Liminal Advertising)
May 25, 2008
Object's and orifices.
Tokyo Through a Different Lens, Darkly
May 23, 2008
A short lull between field trips heightened by a visit from an old friend. Summer's arrived and life in Tokyo is pretty simple, ta RB. Blinged pair of Technics? That'll be Shibuya then.
Two nights of ad-hoccing down. One to go.
Shared Solitary Serial Experiences
May 20, 2008
Two Tokyoites - on the right of the photo engaged in the same task watching the same television program on their mobile phone each using their own device, with comments passed back and forth.
The reaction, and shared emotions of the people we're with is an important part of the whole TV watching experience - so in some contexts squishing up against the other person and sharing once screen can compromise the viewing experience, but enhances the experience. Can be kinda romantic too.
Shared, solitary, serial experiences. If time shifting content (watching when you like) becomes the norm, add synchronised to this list of s's.
See also: this short essay on ten things you didn't know about Mobile TV or download this presentation [4MB, PowerPoint].
Monday Morning Commute / Emotions
May 12, 2008 | 6 Comments
Once more into the fray - braving Tokyo's Monday rush hour commuter traffic on the way to Narita. Finland for the week. One Monday morning is much like another right? So why the extra feeling of pessimism?
Japan is a country with a significant number of national holidays - in a culture where respect for your colleagues means you're unlikely to take your full vacation allowance, the government stipulated holiday's give everyone a chance to take a few days off, guilt free. Early May includes a string of national holidays - Showa Day, Constitutional Memorial Day, Greenery Day, Children's Day combine to make Golden Week after which there is nothing until late July. Hence the collective back to work sigh known locally as 'go gatsu byoo' - May disease.
Does your culture have an equivalent of 'May disease'? In Finland November is (apparently) the toughest month - it's cold, dark and wet and in Helsinki at least the snow doesn't settle enough to stay firm underfoot. And a long dark winter of the soul awaits.
Thought for today - the extent to which a personal feeling of malaise are generated from the emotions of those around you? Whether newish ways of working - such as telecommuting disrupt the critical mass, and in which contexts? And in a world of time travel the extent that 'skipping May' becomes an acceptable norm?
Tasks Supported
Apr 16, 2008
In JR Shibuya station booking office.
Urban Annotation
Mar 31, 2008
Super Sex on Pista
Mar 23, 2008
Visitors to Tokyo looking something a little more, shall we say fixed should point their headset in in the direction of Sexon Super Peace a mere 5 minutes grind from Shibuya with a small but Tokyo-tuned line of handmade skull caps, chain protectors and this being Japan, Louis Vuitton handle bars.
And if any of you are in tha' biz, Shingo*420 is on the lookout for foreign distributors, apparently.
Sports,Tracked by Phone
Mar 17, 2008
Japanese mobile operator KDDI/AU gently stretches, jogs and cycles its way further into the service space with its Smart Sports service - use your mobile phone to track your exercise route, sync your music etc. For most people I'd anticipate it being an aspirational purchase and ends up being used by commuters to count walking-from-the-station-to-the-office calories - not that there's anything wrong with that, eh, Hayashi san.
Punters with an N-Series phone can download the Sports Tracker beta which is well regarded, not that I've personally made the time to use it in anger.
Update: and reader Tom points to the alpha of Zyked (video but not much yet in the way of content).
Photos from Shibuya station - the chap running above no-doubt overwhelmed with his new mobile and taking the posters all to heart.
Form Enablers
Mar 17, 2008
How to avoid drowning the tea-bag, from a back-of Shibuya cafe.
Premium Manga
Nov 02, 2007
Activity Frames
Oct 02, 2007
No smoking between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 - rare to see time boundaries for this activity. The increasing ability to monitor what kind of (susceptible) people/things are in this context when the (anti-social) activity is taking place we are likely to see much more of this.
Want to get a sense of how activities such as smoking will be seen in the future perfect? Every time you see a 'no xxxx' sign switch out the x's with, well anti-social activities from days gone by. Like? Opium.
Consumption, Disposal Transparency
Aug 22, 2007
Transparent recycling bins in Shibuya station.
The extent that transparency of what is disposed changes consumption habits. to what extent is a consumer less likely to buy products with a social stigma such as a pornographic magazine or more virtuous products when the act of consumption and disposal is transparent? To what extent does the task of removing, managing, recycling objects change with greater transparency? How is this Shibuya Station cleaner's job (pictured above) different. Is it harder or easier and why?
And looking towards a future imperfect where digital storage capacity is essentially unlimited, and government (and other overseeing authorities) consider it their duty to track and observe the minutiae of consumption. How long before digital delete button disappears completely? Or has it happened already?
Related: the likelihood of what we carry being discovered affecting what is carried, here.
And, on a more topical note the transparency of edits to Wikipedia affecting the future likelihood of people contributing to that project. A bunch of worthy/innocuous edits from my employer's domain here.
Hands Free
Jul 23, 2007
A Length, Extended
Jul 21, 2007
An example of current fashion subtly pushing technology norms.
How? If you're the kind of person that keeps your music player in your low-slung-jean pockets (Shibuya gent, above right) your headphones cable needs to stretch further. And if it long enough to connect then its more likely to pull out normal during use.
The replacement cycle for headphones vs low-slung jeans?
Lo-fi wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wibree makes it easier to distribute technology that is connected by cable, around the person. The extent to which wireless connectivity positively affects some urban tribes more than others? And the reverse: the extent that the freedom to place an object in a wider range locations makes it easier to lose stuff. For example? Which demographic is more likely to misplace objects? Same question but based on context?
Tokyo Select
Jun 11, 2007
In a world where everything can be increasingly smaller, motivations for keeping it large and perhaps, ahem, largin' it. For wearables, what is worn under, integrated with, or over the other stuff that is worn?
Pantone Variety
Jun 09, 2007
Standing Clear (as the dog sniffs)
May 03, 2007
Everyone else on the Turkish Airline flight appeared to be over 65 - part of a sprightly tour group, bless 'em. They're agent had (probably) booked the entire plane which was why, at the last moment I was able to get a seat (and pleasantly avoid the 5 extra hours of an indirect flight via Munich or London). When a seat becomes free I'm are left to mull why this passenger is no longer travelling. A glass of wine leaving Istanbul - wake up taxiing to the gate in Tokyo. Customs at Narita feels like home though that's not necessarily a good thing. Home can be many things, but not an airport surely.
If you wanted to smuggle goods from Turkey into Japan would you only carry hand-luggage and consequently aim to be first going through the luggage customs check? No, didn't think so. Would be smugglers should consider reading about order effects before timing their gauntlet run.
Three weeks before our next field study starts in earnest - a team to assemble, methods to be honed, equipment to buy, routes to be planned and in amongst it all, fun to be had.
Inherent Properties
Apr 15, 2007
Beer mat re-designed to function as a chopstick rest.
Words, Cut
Apr 15, 2007
Game On
Apr 10, 2007
Mobile phone game advertising, Shibuya station.
Changes of Carrying and Wearing Positions Over Time
Feb 22, 2007
Whilst we've had the opportunity to research where people carry their mobile phones so far - having studied the residents of 11 cities across 4 continents, we've not managed to do any follow-up studies to see how carrying behaviours change over time (our studies were not designed for longitudinal comparison). Despite the rear area often being considered, in the words of a female clothing designer we interviewed, a 'problem zone', in Tokyo mobile phones and music players like the iPod (pictured above) are increasingly making their way into the back pockets of women. Monoblocks are carried 'all in', and clam-shells half-in and half-out - understandable there are still quite a few chunky clamshells in the market. In both cases decorative straps, that by our reckoning are found on 60%+ of women's phones, hang out of the pocket - both making it easier to retrieve phone from said pocket and drawing attention to the surrounding female form. Which gives all sorts of clues as to who wears/carries their phone in this way.
Of course this 'trend' could merely be a result of me seeing what my male brain is hard-wired to see.
Incidentally, the half-in the pocket half-out style is sometimes seen amongst younger males except that the phone more likely to be carried in the front right pocket - remaining within easy reach of the dominant (right) hand - useful for processing incoming information, maintaining a visual awareness (unlike Ms. Backpocket, above), whilst simultainiously supporting the projection of personal identity.
Deadlines permitting, I'll be co-publishing research on carrying behavious with my colleagues Fumiko Ichikawa and Cui Yanqing later this year. I live in hope.
Expectant View
Jan 14, 2007
It is good to back in the megopolis after what feels like a year on the road. Samples of prevalent sticker-spam in Shibuya.
Societal Notions of Acceptable Anti-Social Behaviour
Dec 04, 2006
Smokers huddling around a smoking zone at the far end of a Shibuya train platform - a behaviour deemed as anti-social yet, by the very fact that infrasructure is present, accepted. A modern day opium den?
What similar behavours will future generations partake in? And how will society react?
6am Shibya station, waiting for the Narita Express.
Large Buttons, Gesture Input
Dec 01, 2006
Spent the last couple of weeks observing an elderly relative first puchase then use a digital camera for the first time. What stood out? The touch screen on the Sony T50. Why? Human motor skills depreciate over time and the soft keys are larger and less fiddly than anything than can be squeezed on the physical form factor.
But the bonus? The speed at which a (relative) novice learnt and understood gesture based interaction - sliding her finger left and right, to navigate photos.
Friday Pop Quiz - Free Blinged Nano
Nov 10, 2006 | 35 Comments
Time to clear out the old.
I'll gift this Shibuya blinged iPod Nano to the first person who can guess my job come January 1st 2007. Bonus points for naming the city and country I'll be living in and, gosh, the name of my employer.
Post your answers to the comments.
The glittering prize will be shipped to one lucky winner once I figure out the answer myself.
Street Decoration
Sep 19, 2006
Personal Preferences
Aug 23, 2006 | 1 Comment
A mobile phone strap enables its owner to project personal preferences, affections (similar or identical straps are frequently bought by friends and couples) and lifestyle aspirations in a way that is both socially acceptable and often subtle. (OK, in the case of Japanese teenage girls it's often not so subtle).
Why is it that straps are far more likely to be found on the phones of Asian consumers than elsewhere in the world
Efficiency in Informal Markets
Aug 23, 2006
Lady on the right of the photo sits at a make-shift in desk front of Shibuya Station issues receipts to her scouts in return for thick weekly manga that are popular with Tokyo commuters. Her network of scouts pull the magazines from nearby bins for recycling and resale. A selection are then sold on a nearby stall.
The gent in the photo has nothing to do with this - simply quietly having a smoke.
Digital Gait
Aug 14, 2006 | 4 Comments
Knowing a person by the sound of their footsteps, their gait. What would be unique about your digital gait?
From a series of photos taken in Shibuya Station above and Sé Station below.
Personal Space, Changes In
Aug 14, 2006 | 1 Comment
The human density from the process of queueing and then boarding a train in Sé Station, above. The degree to which personal space is maintained at a pedestrian crossing in Shibuya visually extenuated by the umbrellas, below. Different cultures have different norms as to what constitutes an acceptable amount of personal space. How does this distance differ between contexts? In any given context what are acceptable 'excuses' to breach this space?
How do notions of personal space, privacy change as more about how we define ourselves and how others define us become digital? What are acceptable excuses to breach personal-digital space? How do you breach someone's personal-digital space?
Local Norms
Aug 13, 2006
And individual price stickers somewhat of a rarity.
Afro Mouse
Aug 06, 2006
Design, Over Design
Jul 27, 2006
Elevator features (top of photo) originally designed for elevator attendants: knowing what floors have people waiting; and knowing the relative position of the other floors. Elevator attendants have largely but not completely disappeared from Japanese retail environments - seeing this makes me wonder to what extent their behaviours were a reaction to what the other elevator attendants where doing.
Elegant Failure
Jun 04, 2006 | 1 Comment
These waste bins are close to Shibuya Station. What do you see?
It may look like piles of discarded manga but it is in fact an example of recycling, market efficiency plus elegant failure. At 4am on Saturday morning the bins are overflowing from last night's revellers. Normally the manga is placed in the bins along with the other rubbish. But with the bins full the manga is more easily set aside for recycling and resale.
A couple of threads come out of this. What actions or objects trigger copycat behaviours? In what contexts? And for digital services that provide storage space, what steps are taken to find temporary alternatives?
Presence Underfoot
May 08, 2006
What role does the welcome mat play? Can it play a similar role in the design of hybrid digital & physical services and in particular location based advertising?
Encouraging Interaction Within Boundaries
May 04, 2006 | 1 Comment
Exhibition of Moleskine notebooks in Books 1st in Shibuya. Touching the exhibits is encouraged, after putting on latext gloves. Box to displose of gloves above.
Man (Wearing Adidas) Sprints to Save Child From Car
Apr 23, 2006
Will the reporting of unfortunate but everyday events such as car accidents be affected by having easier access to more detailed information on what the victim or rescuers were wearing and carrying?
Today, passive advertising such as Samsung Mobile above, is ubiquitous. In an world where say, clothing monitors the wearer's vital signs is combined with the availability of accurate location information, a tool for ambient wireless communication and the ability to prioritize the newsworthiness of micro events (either retroactively or in real time) provide sufficient information to automatically generate the outline for a press release? Would Adidas want to spin 'Man Wearing Adidas Sprints to Save Child From Car'?
Fickle stuff. More interesting - will insurance scams be more difficult to pull off?
Turns Towards
Mar 26, 2006 | 1 Comment
About 7 minutes spent watching the body language of a telephone conversation on a Tokyo side-street. The conversationalist spent most of his time turned to the wall, or more accurately turned to the 'corner' afforded by the pipe and the wall (the lady looking up the street was not with him and quicky moved on). But why?
It's an extreme example of not wanting to disturb other people with details of the call. It is more usual to see Japanese people to move to take a call out of earshot and/or to cup the hand around the mouthpiece and speak quietly.
What devices are associated with carrying out what anti-social activities? Anti-social to whom and in what contexts? Mobile phone's and talking loudly, electric batons and torture. Does taking out an object imply intent to carry out a particular task? And how does the perception of devices/services and their associated tasks evolve as the majority of users switch from early adopters (with their inherent behaviours) to more mainstream users? How does this perception change as the range of features offered by that device changes? How would people react to a stun gun that is mostly used to kills bugs?
Can and should we create a feedback loop to help user's better understand the social reaction to utilizing technologies? Can we demystify technologies to lessen the social reaction in the first place?
Well Hung
Mar 26, 2006
Properties of the lock conducive for carrying around neck. Too long and it increases the risk of getting snagged, too short and it just doesn't fit. This lock is notable for how flimsy it it compared to the value of the bike.
After a few consecutive days of good weather the bicycle messengers are coming out in force. Tokyo's got a relatively high percentage of tricked out rides. Just need a good excuse to study communication practices of bike couriers.
Wanting Some, Wanting To Avoid Some
Mar 25, 2006
Trend spotter out in Shibuya on a friday evening, above. Self caught in reflection of motorbike mirror documenting street life in Ho Chi Minh City, below. Tele Atlas van recording street data in Brighton, bottom photo. Satellite photography.
What right to record what data? The obviousness by which it is done? The practical ease at which people can opt out of data collection? Who has what right to view the data?
Notifications
Mar 24, 2006 | 3 Comments
Notification of bike parking violations. Tokyo above, Chengdu, below. Which is more practical? efficient? noticed by the violator? noticed by the other membes of society? noticed by the peson who enforces violations?
Anti-Social Sensors
Mar 11, 2006 | 5 Comments
Sensor and display showing noise levels on building site (shown in center-right of photo).
How do the behaviour and activities of the builders change according to the feedback displayed on the noise meter? At what point, and to whom is the information on the noise meter no longer relevant - because stakeholders are adept at judging noise levels? What exceptions are there to this? What are the consequences of going over limits? Does a greater degree of accuracy encourage behaviours that push things to the the social, anti-social and/or legal limits?
Same questions, but this time for a speedometer in a car...
Getting Here From There
Feb 20, 2006 | 5 Comments
Sometimes it's good to be home and live and breathe with a regular rhythm. My home city is many things - not least of which is looking out from tall buildings and wondering about the stories behind each of the lives that pass ant-like below (Shibuya, above).
When travelling, the first emotional jolt that I may be nearing home comes from boarding a plane and seeing row after row of heads with jet black hair in front of me. That and the gentle ebb and flow of Japanese conversations.
When you've been away, what are the things that make you feel like you are nearing home?
Recycle, Resale
Feb 19, 2006
The resale of used magazines mined from the waste bins in and around Shibuya station. Mostly thick and cheap weekly manga plus the a small selection of pornographic magazines (near left, back of the table). Stalls similar to this can be found near all the main commuter stations so its somewhat surprising that the infrastructure to recycle is not more sophisticated.
To Miss You, Is To Love You
Jan 31, 2006 | 7 Comments
Aibo is gone, but not forgotten
But also not missed
What does that say?
Device Customisation
Jan 30, 2006 | 2 Comments
Customised iPod Nano encrusted in rhinestones - photo taken during a night out with friends in Shibuya.
Extreme customisation of devices such as mobile phones, iPods and tamagotchi is taking off amongst women (and occasionally men) in their 20's and early 30's here in Tokyo. Mobile phone and nail shops are offering extreme customisation as an extension of their existing services, nail shops being a particularly good fit given the skill set required to carry out the procedure. 7,000 yen (56 Euro) will buy you a glittery off-the-shelf design, whilst 60,000 yen (430 Euro) will buy you front, back, top and bottom fully customised design of your choice. Downside of the process? Losing use of the device whilst it is being customised, and the customisation process can invalidate the warrantee.
For the customer: what drivers for customising?
For the service provider: is it possible to scale up, to offer mass-customisation?
One of my recent side-projects was to document the extreme mobile phone and nail customisation process for two Japanese teenagers, from preparing their phones - removing existing print club stickers and other adornments, sketching desired designs, interactions with the crafts-woman, and then following the customisation process in the shop up until delivery. The research material is not suitable for an academic paper but may put some material together here at a later date.
Working from the UK for the next couple of weeks. What new things to learn?
The Value of You, Is That You Are Here
Jan 29, 2006
This photo was taken on the escalator transporting passengers from the Keio Line exit of Shibuya Station and disgorging them into Tokyo's busy Friday night streets. In close proximity to the foot of the escalator there are 11 people representing 5 organisations hawking free magazines. They are not there because they love to dress up in lime green and red uniforms they are there because someone pays them to be here, someone sees a business opportunity. You can see something similar in urban centers all over the world - but why? What are the properties that make these spaces so popular for targeting pedestrians?
Quantum physics aside, being physically located in one space implies that someone is not physically present somewhere else at the same time. The value to the hawkers is partly based on the rarity value of a physical presence being in that exact location at that time, and from the possibility that that persons consumption behaviour might be influenced by first taking a magazine, then browsing, sufficiently absorbing and using information within it. (I'll resist the urge to write about the level of sensory engagement though its probably relevant here).
At some point in the future automated or semi-automated devices will be moving around these urban environments carrying out everyday chores on our behalf. The first of these are likely to be extensions of today's personal vehicles - who needs valet parking when your car includes a self parking feature? But before long the range of tasks they can complete, and that we feel comfortable allowing them to carry out on our behalf will extend. The view from the escalator will include non-human hawkers and non-human ped-estrians.
If devices are moving around and negotiating spaces on our behalf, what is their value to the hawkers? What happens to a person's value when its based on rarity, when something is maintains a physical presence on their behalf?
And what will the future hawkers be hawking?
Appropriate Behaviours
Jan 21, 2006 | 1 Comment
A neon sign at the bottom of this stairwell commands people walking up to only use the far left lane. The recent addition of bright red and green lines acknowledges that commuters ignored the sign and provides additional guidelines for what appropriate behaviour. A less formal version of traffic lights perhaps, but with a degree of authority never-the-less. Attitudes to authority changes according to contexts and cultures (cultural differences are well covered in this book).
Today street signs show up-to-date status information for many things including the number of empty parking bays in car parks (Brighton+), the length of time left before the traffic lights change (Bangalore+), to which is the least congested route into the city (Tokyo+). How will the way we navigate spaces change as manufacturers find cost effective ways to embed status indicators into everything from fabrics to wall papers, hand-rails to stairwells, pavements and roads?
Tour Bus Ethnography
Jan 14, 2006
Looking at my travel schedule for the next few months I'm left wondering what can I expect to learn from the relatively short amounts of time spent the field in different countries? At what point does spending a few days in a culture become nothing more than tour bus ethnography? Hop off the bus, stick a microphone in someone's face, take a few photos and tell everyone back home what a wonderful time that had by all and boy didn't we learn a lot.
One conclusion from a 10 road trip user study in US last year was that almost everything we learned, or ended up using in a meaningful way was gathered in the first 4 or 5 days of the trip. Admittedly this study was a little unusual - 100+ interviews, driving Cleveland to New Orleans, flying to Salt Lake City then continuing the drive down to Los Angeles. Without sufficient time for reflection what could be meaningful data is just noise. So what are the techniques to support documentation and reflection? A proper answer to this question will eventually appear in a research paper. One minor technique is to take photos of local newspapers. These can become a mental time and location stamp and can later be used to communicate a local flavour and issues. As you might imagine the Sunday breakfast chatter in and around Cleveland was no doubt grappling wth the weighty issue of how casual is too casual (photo above).
Given the constraints - what is an optimal and what is a sufficient amount of time to spend in the field? And if your project involves cultural comparisons - how much time is enough to rest, reflect and analyse between field trips?
There are two techniques that enable me to stay on top of things. The first is to consistently process data as it comes in - not always an easy task given the large volumes that are collected from different sources in such a short space of time. In practical terms this means assigning a field data manager to be responsible for all incoming data, scrubbing data to remove overtly private information such as birth dates or phone numbers before the files are circulated within the team and before they start to appear in internal reports. (Field data processing would make a good short paper or workshop if anyone wants to recommend a suitable conference). Another technique is simply to have a naming strategy for all files to that documents, images videos can be identified without having to open an application. Well catalogued data will be usable and can maintain its relevance weeks, months or years after its collection.
My second technique? Don't worry about the social niceties of staying awake and make sure I get sufficient rest when the body dictates I need it. The alternative is living in a permanent state of jetlag - otherwise known as permalag, or if particularly nasty permaphuck. And that just leads to burn out.
Thanks Ken for reminding me of the names we give to what we do, and to Raphael for reminding me how anti-social I am when sleep depri/aved.
Information At The Tips Of Your Fingers
Jan 03, 2006 | 1 Comment
Today her finger nail is a means of expression, decoration, drawing attention.
Finger nail decoration machines already exist to allow a customer to choose a design, then automatically decorate and dry those nails. Embedding digital information on those nails would be a relatively trivial step (though generating a critical mass of device to read what is on the nails is non-trivial). If you could store and communicate information through your finger nails what would you want to store and what would you want communicate? Is one kind of infomration more suited to thumbs or particular fingers than others? The number of digits is one natural parameter, combined with issues such as biting nails, locations where finger tips can and will end up, and how long users would expect a finger nail design to last before being refurbished offer interesting user interface possibilities and forms of interaction.
The broader issue is - what is possible without going down the routes of embedding technology under the skin, personal area networks or alternatives like bone induction?
Custom No. Super Custom Yes
Nov 28, 2005
The photo above from a customer of Bowery Kitchen, Komazawa.
The super-customisation of mobile phones is gaining some traction here in Tokyo. Various shops in Shibuya will adorn your mobile phone (or iPod or digital camera) with rhinestones charging anything from 7,000 yen (50 Euro) for a pre-designed P900i cover to around 50,000 yen (350 Euro) for the full front and back design-to-order bling. Mostly but not exclusively for female clientel - men are starting to order quite gothic designs.
Jewel encrusting services can be found as an annex of some phone shops in popular shopping areas of Tokyo. Now nail shops are extending their offering to include mobile phone customisation - it's possible to order matching nail and phone designs.
(In my mind this is somehow all a logical progression from an analysis of 6447 used mobile phone covers and quick and dirty customisation)
I started out a sceptic but I have to admit some of the funkier pixel-art designs have started to grow on me.
Learning to Push, Learning to Talk
Nov 26, 2005
Drumming up interest in the new push to talk services outside the teen girls shopping mecca - the 109 Building Shibuya. Step into a booth and have a pushing and talking walkthrough.
I'm intrigued to see how push to talk takes off in Japan and for that matter other new markets where it is rolled out. How use and perception of the service differs from the established service in the US? The push to talk use case is relatively easy to understand, but mainstream consumers will have relatively little cultural reference points other than movies, cop shows or occasionally from mountain rescue teams (Japan is covered in mountains so if you've ever been up one coming across walky-talky outfitted mountain-guides is not wholly uncommon). But this is a culture where people spend more time on crowded trains than in cars and where talking on the train is (still) largely socially unacceptable.
From a point of view of a foreigner the DoCoMo 902 series handsets are remarkable in their un-push-to-talk-esque - pretty much looking like every other handset out there. No chunky hand grips to support pushing and well, talking.
These forms are not following this function. What does that tell us?
When you're selling products into a global marketplace - how best to demonstrate new products, services and features to markets with relatively few cultural reference points?
Tokyo Graffiti
Nov 02, 2005 | 4 Comments
Decent pop-ethnography magazine covering ordinary Japanese, what they carry, what they think and sometimes running features like documenting everything a person has in their bedroom, or bag. Very accessible and good if you want tips on how to present research material.
Listening Station
Oct 23, 2005
Very busy Saturday afternoon in Shibuya's HMV. User creates a comfortable and private bubble for listening to music. By squatting her bag just touches the ground taking most of the weight off her shoulder.
Value From Appreciation of the Process
Sep 11, 2005 | 4 Comments
The walls around Parco Shibuya are updated every two weeks or so with a newly painted mural. You often see the mural crew working late on a friday night, presumably on a deadline to get the material up in time for the saturday shoppers. The last part of the painting process is the detail in the faces - so in adverts containing lots of people you become witness to ghostly versions of what appears in print. The images are quite compelling. Tokyo is full of big screen outdoor displays, garish neon and bright lights which makes hiring mural painters all the more peculiar. What additional value does commissioning advertising in this way bring? There are undoubtedly cheaper and more efficient alternatives in this area of prime real estate and premium advertising space.
My guess that part of the equation of choosing mural painters over JumboTrons is that the audience - in this case the passing shoppers of Shibuya will be at least somewhat interested by the process. Seeing a mural unfold over a period of time like a work of art taking shape, and seeing the end result - close replicas of the print advertising and appreciating the effort that went into the process.
In a world where things seem to be forever becoming faster, smaller, cheaper, and mass produced one thing we can (mostly) all appreciate is the perceived time and effort it takes to do something. Skill is another factor, but it is more subjective. Effort is admittedly a little fuzzy. But time is absolute.
Have you ever received an E-Card? What was the value of that card to you? Now compare it to the value of a digital photo or a hand-written postcard. Receiving an e-card, digital photo or physical postcard you may or may not like the design but can appreciated the time, effort, and sometimes skill that goes into the process of sending it to you. In the case of an E-Card the value is mostly close to zero because that card is available for just about anyone to send.
In the distant future it may be possible to measure the level of sensory engagement that is involved in creating and consuming content and media*. I know you liked that birthday card because it told me how much time you spent handling it, gazing at it and displaying it in your home. Part of the reason you like it so much is that you know I put so much effort into obtaining its composite parts, how long ago I first thought of the idea - 'six months!', and the number of design iterations it went through before it reached you. You know because it told you so. Or at least it told you about the aspects that I let it tell you.
* Of course the way this plays out is that we create agents to simulate the level of sensory engagement on our behalf - to make it appear that we appreciated your gift to me, to make it appear that I spent sleepless months working on my gift to you. Whole side-industries beavering away to create the perception of underlying value. Which sounds like extrapolations of what happens already.
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