Icon-o-Cast: a podcast by LUNAR

TABLU project leads Jessica Behnsen and Adrian Waibel from LUNAR Europe talk with John Edson about testing TABLU in users' homes and important considerations for building simple user applications.

Christiane Graboski, head nurse and project manager, for DRK in Tübingen, Germany, joins LUNAR’s Jessica Behnsen and John Edson to discuss how TABLU extends the ability of health care providers to offer critical services, despite geographic distances.

LUNAR’s John Edson and Chau Hop talk with Dr. Udo Weimar, professor of physical and theoretical chemistry at the University of Tubingen in Germany about technologies and user needs associated with a new health care ecosystem

LUNAR's Chau Hop and Daniel Buhr, Professor of Policy Analysis and Political Economies at the University of Tubingen in Germany discuss public policy issues associated with “Ambient Assisted Living” (AAL)

The era of personalized medicine is upon us and this trend has important implications for how we think about patients. In fact, we need to be designing meaningful experiences for healthcare “consumers,” rather than “patients.” In this talk delivered at the American Institute of Architects’ Future Care conference last month, LUNAR’s John Edson explores what the changing healthcare landscape means for experience design.

LUNAR's John Edson and Bastian Beate talk about TABLU's recent ethnographic study and what the design team learned as they visited people who are giving and receiving health care in their homes.

LUNAR's John Edson and Bastian Beate talk about TABLU's recent ethnographic study and what the design team learned as they visited people who are giving and receiving health care in their homes.

LUNAR's John Edson and Bastian Beate kick off a new Icon-o-Cast series that goes behind the scenes on TABLU, a project that will develop smart and relevant solutions for improving home health care.

John Edson shares developments at LUNAR and designers JJ Mendoza, Sydney Minnis and Michael Lozano discuss their perspectives on inspiring and thought-provoking moments from the recent IDSA Midwest Design Dialogue Conference.

What are the key components that make a successful project and a successful client relationship? Clients come to LUNAR with a technical challenge or a creative problem but they really want some certainty about the process that will take them to a successful conclusion. In this episode, LUNAR's Matt Durack and Robert Howard talk with Rob Tarbox of long-time LUNAR client Illumina, a company that applies innovative technologies for studying genetic variation and function. Listen for insights into how LUNAR has helped address Illumina's business challenges through a successful multi-year collaboration.

LUNAR's passion for sustainable design has driven the team to develop Phil, a new idea for changing behavior through design. LUNAR's Travis Lee, Lea Kobeli and John Edson introduce Phil and discuss ways design can be used to make a difference.

User-centered design and design thinking have taken the world by storm. But is something missing in the conversation? LUNAR’s John Edson explores the contributions designers can make by using design expression in products, brands and strategies. He also shows how product managers can effectively leverage design expression to make a difference to their business.

Sustainable design is entering a new phase as it moves from environmental activism to an approach based around a range of improved business processes that make a difference. Learn how designers can be leading participants in this shift by being aware of all of the concerns of the entire business. In this Icon-o-Cast episode, Janaki Kumar of SAP joins LUNAR’s Robert Howard and Travis Lee for a discussion of Sustainable Design 2.0.

How can design play a role in helping overcome the challenges presented by television's new technologies and new business models? As a follow-up to our recent two-part conversation with Intel's Brian David Johnson, Roman Gephard of LUNAR Europe and John Edson explore how design will play a role in defining the future of television. New options for the remote control may provide some clues, and of course there are other changes sure to come…

TV has been in a constant state of change in recent years, but the home invasion of VCRs and DVDs pales in comparison to the rate of change today. As ever-increasing options are available to consumers, how should companies decide what to design and build next? In Part 2, Intel’s Brian David Johnson, author of Screen Future: The Future of Entertainment, Computing, and the Devices We Love, joins LUNAR’s John Edson and interface designer Ron Goldin for a conversation about designing the future of TV.

TV has been in a constant state of change in recent years, but the home invasion of VCRs and DVDs pales in comparison to the rate of change today. As ever-increasing options are available to consumers, how should companies decide what to design and build next? Part 1: Intel’s Brian David Johnson, author of Screen Future: The Future of Entertainment, Computing, and the Devices We Love, joins LUNAR’s John Edson and interface designer Ron Goldin for a conversation about designing the future of TV.

In this new era of health care reform and rapidly advancing medical technology, how do devices—from band aids to robotic surgical equipment—get developed? Compared to consumer products, medical equipment development happens in a complex environment involving doctors, patients, insurance companies and governments. To help unravel some of the mystery behind the creation of medial equipment, Icon-o-Cast brought together a few experts to explore how various considerations and constraints affect the creation of new medical devices. One commonly held belief is that new technologies are driving up the cost of health care. But are things really that simple?

LUNAR’s crack team of engineers dismantle an iPad and turn a critical eye toward the engineering principles used in this revolutionary new device. Did Apple’s product designers throw out the rule book or did they follow generally accepted engineering principles?

LUNAR's John Edson shares news about "Thought for Food," a contest for students attending the IDSA national conference. www-icon-o-cast.com

Ron Goldin, senior interaction designer at LUNAR, talked about Truly Invisible Interfaces at the 2010 South by Southwest Conference. He's produced this online recap of his talk which includes history, insights and great examples of touchless interfaces in entertainment, gaming, medical, urban planning, fitness, fashion, making out and more.

LUNAR's John Edson checks out the 2010 San Francisco Design Week kickoff party and talks with local leaders about how design makes a difference. Guests include: Donald W. Savoie, Executive Director, AIGA San Francisco; Alice Bybee, President, AIGA; Henrik Olsen, Interactive Chair, AIGA; Christopher Simmons; Dave Muro, Programming Co-Chair, AIGA; and Madelin Woods.

The practice of industrial design has changed more in the past 10 years than in the previous 100. Gone are the days when designers engaged in "make pretty" exercises. In this Icon-o-Cast episode, SF design leaders Allan Velzy and Charlie Sheldon join LUNAR's John Edson in a conversation about how the Industrial Designer’s Society of America in San Francisco is helping local designers thrive in this new world through IDSA’s innovative programs and events.

Health expert, entrepreneur and educator Dr. Bern Shen joins LUNAR’s Robert Howard for a discussion about the future of health care and the implications and opportunities for the practice of design. Don’t miss Bern’s framework for understanding how design makes a difference for drugs, diagnostics, delivery and policy.

Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker and Webby Awards founder, talks with LUNAR’s John Edson about new connections in the Internet age and how design itself can force mutations in our global network.

Design researcher and Brazilian Amyris Fernandez talks with LUNAR's Gretchen Anderson and Lisa Leckie about design research methods in Latin America. www.icon-o-cast.com

What are the key ingredients for starting a new beverage company and how can design play a role in launching a product in a super-competitive marketplace? What are the guideposts that guide a startup from pure invention, entrepreneurial drive and consumer preference? In this episode of Icon-o-Cast, entrepreneur Albert Cahana talks with LUNAR’s Gretchen Anderson about the role of design in launching a new product.

Guest Emily Pilloton of Project H talks with LUNAR's John Edson about leveraging the power of design to solve social needs. www.icon-o-cast.com

In this special Lunar New Year edition of Icon-o-Cast, LUNAR kicks off the Year of the Tiger with perspectives on business and design trends for the coming year from Asia, Europe and the U.S.

Furniture and cabinet creator Thomas Wold joins LUNAR's Gretchen Anderson in a conversation about discovering personal expression and the creative process.

LUNAR’s John Edson and Margie O’Driscoll of the American Institute of Architects discuss the changing roles of industrial designers and architects as pros pursue the “big questions” that are shaping new directions for their disciplines.

LUNAR’s Travis Lee and John Edson discuss recent developments in sustainable design and materials, and chat about Travis’ experiences during his assignment in Hong Kong.

LUNAR's Robert Howard discusses design education and "design thinking" with Kim Howard-Saxe, director of the Innovation Lab at the Nueva School. Recorded at the Maker Faire 2009. www-icon-o-cast.com

LUNAR's Gretchen Anderson, director of interaction design, shares insights into how to develop an effective set of product "facial features" -- those signals that tell users what a product does. www.icon-o-cast.com

LUNAR's Bob Lane demos his ingenious Curie Motor for Gretchen Anderson. Bob's device was featured at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

LUNAR's Bob Lane demos his ingenious Curie Motor for Gretchen Anderson. Bob's device was featured at the San Francisco Exploratorium.

LUNAR's John Edson and Gretchen Anderson trade perspectives on the 2009 Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) annual conference which wrapped Sept. 26 in Miami. They pick favorite sessions, debate what could be improved and consider the advantages that come with a down economy.

Online social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are red hot -- today. But how will these networks evolve over the next few years? Are there underlying qualities that will keep them relevant? In this Icon-o-Cast episode, LUNAR's Gretchen Anderson and Tacit Knowledge's Chris Andrasick discuss the future of online social networks.

In this special edition of Icon-o-Cast, Lunar's John Edson shares a presentation he gave at the 2009 Sustainable Brands conference in which he discussed applying sustainable design principles through a framework developed by Lunar to the problem of distributing water. This edition is available in both video and audio formats.

At Lunar, we've been applying the compelling storytelling techniques from comics in our interaction design work. In this episode, Lunar interaction designers Gretchen Anderson and Ron Goldin talk about how comics can be a powerful and surprising tool in the design of complex products and experiences.

What do you get when you combine 600 inventors and innovators with thousands of people who want to see their work? It's Maker Faire 2009. Join Lunar's Robert Howard, Bob Lane and Jonathan Downing as they roam the faire in search of the new, the cool and the homemade.

What do you get when you combine 600 inventors and innovators with thousands of people who want to see their work? It's Maker Faire 2009. Join Lunar's Robert Howard, Bob Lane and Jonathan Downing as they roam the faire in search of the new, the cool and the homemade.

Fast Company Guest Blogger and Lunar President John Edson talks about the classic chair by Charles Eames

How can design tap into our emotional wiring, stop us in our tracks and create responses in us? An exploration we did at Lunar, loosely based on Don Norman's Emotional Design, looked at how design can make us stop and think, stop and act, and stop and behold. In this episode, Lunar's John Edson, Jeff Smith and Becky Brown talk about this last dimension -- the beauty dimension of "stop and behold" -- and how it turns out to be the most elusive power of design.

In this episode, Icon-o-Cast mom-to-be Lisa Leckie, new mom Gretchen Anderson and experienced mom Sandrine Lebas talk about the decisions new moms make as they struggle with seemingly infinite product choices and apply their personal values to the experience of motherhood.

The architecture and construction world is years ahead of product design in terms of creating understanding, standards, alternative design solutions and the economic arguements for the value of sustainable design. In this Earth Day Special, Lunar's Gretchen Anderson talks with green building expert Elaine Hsieh of KEMA about how building industries have embraced sustainable practices since the first Earth Day.

Computer game design is changing as games become more of a platform for play, creativity and collaboration and not just a challenge of skill and reasoning. Lunar's Gretchen Anderson talks with Mike Khoury, a game designer at Maxis Software and contributor to the hot new game Spore, about changing approaches to designing the gaming experience and some surprising ways Spore's fans have taken the game in new directions.

The world's great museums have attractions that capture the imagination of visitors. The very best museums also design their experiences to connect with visitors in ways that may not always be readily apparent. In this episode, Lisa Dunmeyer, project manager with BBI Engineering, talks with Lunar's Gretchen Anderson and Lisa Leckie about how visitors are connecting with the newly redesigned California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. BBI Engineering of San Francisco served as primary integrator of the audiovisual design within the new Cal Academy.

What makes a great service? How can designers influence the experience customers have with grocery stores, airlines and car rental agencies? Jennifer Bove of Kicker Studio and Ben Fullerton of IDEO talk with Gretchen Anderson about service design.

How do we orient creativity in the service of business stakeholders? How does design create benefits for top-line growth and bottom-line profitability? In this Icon-o-Cast episode, Lunar's John Edson chats with innovation guru Larry Keeley of the Doblin Group about the practice of innovation in design, its role in today's economic environment and perspectives on how innovation may have contributed to our current predicaments. Larry is an innovation strategist, professor at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology and president of The Doblin Group, an innovation strategy firm based in Chicago.

Lunar's TBA (Think, Behold and Act) project is an exploration into the elemental powers of creative expression. In this Icon-o-Cast episode, Lunar Creative Director Ken Wood (who led the "Think" exploration) discusses with Lunar's Jeff Smith and John Edson a collection of chair concepts that respond to common habits of daily living, generally considered to be bad habits.