Our Geek Life

Let’s have a tea party

Posted by shegeek at September 24th, 2009 | No Comments »

I love cool designs, especially cool designs that are functional.  In my Twitter stream today @gaksdesigns tweeted a link to the One – an all in one tea kettle that will go from stove top to serving.  I am completely in love with this design and believe that I-MUST-HAVE this in my house.  Unfortunately, although the makers were winners of the 2009 World Kitchen Tea-Off, they do not have this production ready.  <insert sad face>

Check out the instructions below to see how this ultra-cool tea kettle works.  Click the image to enlarge for better viewing.

Paper Prototypes

Posted by shegeek at September 19th, 2009 | No Comments »

In the world of design we have so many tools and methods to make rapid prototyping simple and easy.  So much time and money is spent trying to refine the process, but many times, simpler is better.

If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with paper prototyping, I highly recommend this next video. Sometimes we have to go back to our less jaded days and revisit the simplicity of childhood.

Designing for Small Business Clients

Posted by shegeek at August 11th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

So you need a teapot

You hear on the news that a new gourmet tea shop has opened. Your mother-in-law loves tea and is coming for a visit.  Your rush out to purchase this highly coveted tea but realize you don’t have a teapot.  It doesn’t need to be a fancy teapot; just an ordinary, every day teapot.  The color and material are not all that important. But you need a teapot and you need it now. 

You run into the closest store, ignore the recommendations of the trained salesperson, and pick up a teapot from the clearance rack.  After rushing home you add the tea to the pot, pour in the boiling water and wait 3 minutes.  You present the tea along with delicious cookies to your mother-in-law and wait for the accolades.

Based on the picture above it seems rather unlikely that you will receive much in the way of accolades, don’t you think?
 

I want it now!

As an indy web team that develops sites for small businesses and ministries, we are often faced with the challenge of explaining the importance of sound design and usability.  A high percentage of our clients are less than tech-savvy.  They do not understand geek-speak. They don’t understand what goes into designing a website.  They just know they want a website. (more…)