'Natural and Intuitive'
John Ikeda and Jon Harris
Designers,
FiftyThree
Pencil
THE CHALLENGE:
To
create an iPad stylus (for use with FiftyThree's prizewinning
Paper app, among others) that's "natural and intuitive,"
Jon Harris says, as well as multifunctional. "Typically, a
stylus can make only one type of mark at a time. Most apps have some
menu to switch brush sizes, but having to switch can interrupt your
creative free flow."
THE TURNING POINT:
Crayons
and pencils became the designers' inspiration. "When you
show a young child that you can peel the wrapper off a crayon and use
it to shade—that's so powerful!" John Ikeda says. "You
see in their face that instantly a whole universe gets unlocked."
The team also studied the different marks that carpenter pencils can
make. Adds Ikeda: "Tools are precious—and there's a reason
they are that way."
THE EXECUTION:
The
$75 Pencil's sophisticated circuitry is sheathed in
1.2-millimeter-thick sustainably harvested walnut, echoing wood
pencils. In an upcoming version, sensor
technologywill
allow you to shade if you angle the tip, just as you would with its
analog inspiration. Flip it over and you'll use the top of Pencil to
erase.
THE RESULT:
Rave
reviews--and strong sales. The first production run of Pencil,
launched last fall, sold out in five weeks.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/3035110/innovation-by-design-2014/design-is-changing-how-we-innovate
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