Recycling - YouChange

With the arrival of newer and faster tech comes the time to say good-bye to outdated electronics.


Old Juggernaut Equipment

Over time, the accumulation of old unused computers, keyboards, routers, and printers begins to pile up in random places around the studio. It reaches a point where everyone says, "Hey, we should really get rid of all this junk!"

Over the past year at Juggernaut we have updated our workstations with new computers, monitors, and printers.  As technology becomes more efficient, it is important that we stay up to date and take advantage of what's available.  Not only with hardware, but software as well.  Newer tools are worth upgrading to because in the end it makes our workflow faster and increases our creative options.

We will be donating all our old electronics gear to YouChange during their Earth Day drive.  Instead of these items ending up in the landfill, YouChange will recycle everything in a responsible way.  It is a great program, and something to take advantage of if you're ready to send off your well used electronics.

Creative Thinking - New Perspectives

Try something different.  Break your routine.

A nice plus about working in a consultancy is that we have experience with numerous subjects of product development.  Solutions from a medical project might have great potential in a consumer product.  Things like traveling to a new country, picking up a new interest/hobby, spending time with a crowd you might not normally hang with....these are all good ways to expand your thoughts and opinions.  Very useful for building your creative mind.

Image-Line's Harmor Plugin

I've recently become more and more inspired by interface designs, like those in phone and tablet apps - but more specifically DAW music production software.  The hundreds of plugins which can be used in a DAW have many different styles, layouts, colors, themes, etc ... Some of the designs and details are beautiful and very well done.  Unique buttons/knobs, slider/tab shapes, color use, font types and sizes, pop up menus - all of these provide inspiration for the work I do.

This is just one example of a recent personal hobby I've gotten into that has opened my eyes to many new visual ideas.  Without exposure to these interfaces, my creative thinking wouldn't have the same range of possibilities.

Relevancy

How to stay relevant to a seasoned client...

Sometimes when firms like ours have long-term relationships with company's that have a steady pipeline of new projects, you need to find ways not to become complacent or loose your independent perspective.
One of the challenges I'm facing with a client of ours is how to keeping them focused on our expertise while building a long term relationship.

I use a couple techniques...

1. Change up the presentations.
It’s easy to fall into a routine, but I think routine kills creativity. Juggernaut has implemented a new research method, and engaged them by sharing ideas through story telling. The goal of our process is to encourage action on the part of the client. Is someone working harder than you to find out what your competition is doing?

2. Focus on why they need it and NOT what they need.
As a design consultants, we wear many hats and have to tap into countless knowledge bases. The client is expecting us to help pave the future of their product road-map. Here at the studio, we tap into our client's concerns and work to turn their problems into potential opportunities.

3. Simply be available.
I like to think of our client’s time is more important than mine; good chance it probably is. When the client has an idea (whether it’s a new product category, new material or manufacturing process) I engage them, show interest, and point to advantages and disadvantages of topics discussed. Assist in building new SOW, if they value our input, they will trust our insight.

I always remind myself, our valued client may be looking at our competition!

Game on!

Spring training in Arizona makes for the perfect Juggernaut outing!

Since the construction of the Salt River Fields stadium 2 years ago (few miles from our office), we’ve gone as a group every year to catch a game for the afternoon.  Nice to be out together in the beautiful weather, drinking some beers, and enjoying some down time in front of a casual baseball game.

CES 2013 - part 2



Parrot Zik Headphones



Another observation from my visit to CES the year was seeing more touch interfaces.  The Zik headphones by Parrot have touch-sensitive controls on the right earpiece.  This is a slick way of navigating through your playlist and works fairly well too.  Our phones today have transitioned to touchscreen control and interaction, moving away from physical buttons.  A few projects we are currently working on in the Juggernaut studio are making this transition as well, and it’s easy to see how 10 years from now there may not be any physical buttons left in the world beyond a power button.  Other products are going this direction too as interface screens and displays are becoming the norm in home appliances…..as seen in many of LG’s displays.  Staying up to date with current trends in graphics, icons use, font choices, are all things I’m thinking of more and more.

It's always exciting to see new technologies and interactions…..these make design more fun as creative possibilities are always changing!

The 2013 PGA Merchandising Show...

I love to play golf so I made sure I would attend the biggest show the golf world has to offer - the 2013 PGA show in Orlando.

More importantly I was there to launch a new product that we've been working on here at the Juggernaut Studio, for EZGo/Cushman, the Refresher 1200 with FlexServe technology. It was the talk of the show and turned many heads, as it should - it's the first in the industry offering modularity to drive higher sales of food, drink and merchandise on the golf course. One of the design features I advocated is the large wrap around counter. The counter adds to the functionality of the product, but also engages people; welcoming golfers to step up and interact with the merchandise.

Not only is the Refresher 1200 a mobile storefront but its the first to offer tapped beer on the course... and who wouldn't want that!

This video from EZGo/Cushman shows it off... enjoy!

CES 2013 - part 1

I had a chance to spend a day at CES this year, and left with a couple thoughts.  There‘s always a lot to take in at the show, but my attention was focused on a few topics.

Here at Juggernaut Design, one of the things we're know for is our expertise in rugged devices.  It was interesting to see waterproofing technologies making their way into everyday electronic devices, and it’s exciting to think of the possibilities this can bring in the future of design.  Companies like Liquipel and HzO have developed methods of waterproofing just about anything.  From electronic devices, like our phones and tablets, to simpler things like paper and cloth.  Products like the newly released Sony Xperia Z smartphone has already introduced this waterproofing tech, and can last 30 minutes submerged in a meter of water, all while being fully functional.  The little worries of everyday life like rainstorms, desk spills, dropping your phone in the sink.....you don’t need to worry about that anymore.  And a waterproof case isn’t required either.  It’ll be a few years before this tech will become a standard process in manufacturing, but it will happen, and with it will open up many new opportunities.

Part 2 to follow shortly....