I’m now dedicating all my time to Vitamins, my design and invention studio based in London.

Please visit our website to discover the latest news and projects. www.vitaminsdesign.com

This project is the result of a year long research project lead by Clara Gaggero of Vitamins Design in collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Center RCA and RIM, the designers and makers of the BlackBerry.The project looked at ways to mimic real-life interruptions, making smartphone alerts richer, more personal and less binary.

Concepts are built around a new type of digital protocol supported by two designs. The first, SmartCall, uses software and services to enrich voice calls with a deeper level of information. It communicates the reason for the call, the urgency and the time frame for response rather than just using a ringtone or vibration to notify. This information is attached as a short message to the call that will appear on the phone screen.

The second idea, SkinDisplay, makes the interaction with the phone more discrete and subtle, by allowing the receiver to read the SmartCall information without having to look at the phone.The receiver will read the information, magically, just by touching the device. A raised message will appear on the back of the phone, containing the caller’s identity, importance and reason for the call. This short message will be transferred through pressure: the receiver will just need to press the phone between their fingers and the message will be imprinted on their hand.The receiver will then be able to read the message on their skin and also erase it, easily, by rubbing their fingers together. Taken together, these ideas suggest ways of communicating digitally that are more closely based on face-to-face communication etiquette and on the complexities of human behaviour.

SmartCall & SkinDisplay from clara gaggero on Vimeo

Fashioning Technology from Helen Hamlyn Centre on Vimeo.

Blackberry for Body and Life from colinrossphoto on Vimeo.

Out of the Box is the result of a year long research project lead by Clara Gaggero and Adrian Westaway of Vitamins Design  in collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Center and Samsung Design Europe.

Out of the Box is a simple yet effective solution for cell phone users who have difficulties with learning to use their new handset. For older people, this experience can be particularly frustrating as they apply analogue modes of learning to the digital experience - looking in the box for help that simply is not there.

The Book:

Most phones come with flimsy manuals with complicated language and jargon. These books, which can live on a bookshelf actually contain the phone.

Each page reveals the elements of the phone in the right order, helping the user to set up the sim card, the battery and even slide the case onto the phone.

The second book is the main manual – the phone actually slots into this and becomes the center of attention.

Arrows point to the exact locations the user should press, avoiding confusion and eliminating the feeling of being lost in a menu.

The Cards:

Phones have become over complicated and many users are afraid to break them or get lost in menus - so they don’t explore and learn all the things they can do.

A set of cards represents every function inside the phone which users can flick through and discover.

The phone is supplied empty, and users add the functions they want by tapping a card onto the screen.

Cards can be carried in your wallet so functions can be accessed on the move.

To encourage learning, the back of the card explains what the function does, and how to reach it using the menus.

The Map:

Last but not least

To encourage users to explore and familiarize themselves with their phones a map was created, which guides users through the meandering labyrinth of menus.

Users tests showed that people were quickly discovering and getting interested in new areas of their phone previously buried under layers of menus.

Project in collaboration with Adrian Westaway.

Graphic Design: Jaakko Tuomivara

The new area of the school opens on the 3^rd of September. 

Platforum Playground statistics: 1,300 students; 35 nationalities; 1,750 sqm; £15 budget per sqm; 12 days to build; 300 sqm of green paint; 40m of climbing wall; 16 builders; 3 teachers; 1 crane.

Design Council case study article

“There are no more broken noses” – Futurelab article

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Photos by Adrian Westaway.