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Design Concepts is pleased to sponsor the 5th annual, Maddie’s Miracle children’s carnival in support of the American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH). The family-friendly carnival, complete with plenty of games and prizes will be held Friday, August 13th, 2008, from 3 pm – 8 pm at Carriage Hills Park in Sun Prairie, WI.

To look for the next generation of engineering and design talent, look no further than the kids selected to participate in the University of Wisconsin – Madison College of Engineering’s Camp Badger program. On Friday, July 23rd, Design Concepts’ staff members were visited by thirty-three, soon-to-be eighth grade students attending the week-long residential learning opportunity held on the UW campus each year.

Their creativity and enthusiasm were clear as they pondered a better way to move books from class to class and make today’s backpack obsolete. Their free-wheeling brainstorming session generated amazing ideas that got everyone talking and thinking about how great ideas become successful new products.

Design Concepts’ staff members Rachel DeSmidt, industrial designer, and Scott Biba, senior mechanical engineer, will be at The 2010 Green Manufacturing Summit presented by the Bradley Corporation, Focus on Energy and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The third annual Summit will be held at The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center on August 31, 2010. The Summit brings practitioners and thought leaders together in an effort to encourage environmentally conscious manufacturing practices.

DeSmidt and Biba will present Designing for Disassembly. They’ll discuss the importance of considering the end of a products’ life cycle throughout the design process. They’ll share perspectives and reasonable, practical steps to move manufacturing practices toward this sustainable idea.

Both Rachel and Scott are members of Design Concepts’ Green Team, organized to make information and resources on green design available to staff.

To learn more about The Green Manufacturing Summit, please visit the Green Manufactaing Summit Web site.

To register please visit the Green Manufacturing Summit Web site.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2010
Contact: Sandy Rodgers, marketing manager
Ph.: 800-344-2623

MADISON, WISCONSIN – Design Concepts, Inc., a nationally-recognized innovation consultancy located in Madison, WI, has expanded its human factors expertise with the addition to the staff of Curt Irwin, Ph.D., human factors engineer.

The much anticipated iphone4 went on sale Thursday, June 24 after much anticipation from the techno-savvy. But as shoppers rush to be the first to discard their seemingly ancient iphone predecessors, buyers and reviewers are pointing to a persistent problem.

It seems reception for the iphone4 can be impaired depending on how you hold the phone. The problem is perhaps due to an internal antenna that is embedded along the edge of the phone, directly under a user’s grip. Apple, the quintessential hallmark of innovation, responded, “Just avoid holding it in that way.” “That way” being the intuitive, fairly standard way to hold a cell phone. And, in an upsell worthy of any telemarketer working today, they recommend buying the iphone4 cover to reduce the interference, among other ideas.

It may be the ultimate karmic twist that in addition to CNN’s report
on the matter, Gizmodo (who found the iphone4 prototype) and Engadget (who posted the prototype photo) are sharing what looks to be the original email from Apple CEO Steve Jobs offering the advice, as well as Apple’s follow up clarifications.

Based on Jobs initial response, there appears to be a fine line between reinventing the user experience and vaudeville. His advice bears a striking resemblance to the tired classic: A guy goes into a Dr.’s office saying, “It hurts when I do this.” To which the Dr. replies, “So don’t do that.” Perhaps Apple has an amazing sense of humor with regard to their products and this is all a misunderstanding. Surely they are joking if they believe there’s no problem with the design, just the user’s hand.

As for advice regarding iterations of other Apple products, maybe Jobs will continue in this vein and fall back on comedy staple, “a man, a parrot and donkey all set off in a boat …” Forget the Worldwide Developers Conference, Jobs should be at the Bellagio. No doubt seats would sell out early.