Guest Post: Ian Fitzpatrick

Guest Post: Ian Fitzpatrick // @ianfitzpatrick

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I find myself increasingly-inspired by the new directions in which people are taking ambient information. The notion of glanceable has enough cultural traction to merit its own tumblr, which is probably a decent indicator that the warm glow of small data has arrived.

Blink(1) by ThingM is a USB-powered light that glows gently when a simple bit of data is triggered on a user's machine or online. It's customizable, such that the meaning of the lit diode is of specific personal import, rather than just a general, non-specific indicator. Also: it's beautiful.

BakerTweet was ambient data at its' finest. Enough has been written about it to fill volumes, but I continue to be drawn to the elegant simplicity of '_____________ is coming out of the oven (so get here before it's gone)' - vitality without urgency or self-importance.

The light atop the Berkeley Building in Boston flashes red when the Red Sox are playing a home game — readily understood and easily accessed, a simple answer to a simple question.

This week, I'm drawn to the soft pulsing white light on my new Little Printer — a reminder that 'you have news' delivered without fanfare, almost imperceptible to the uninitiated.

I wonder frequently, as someone who plays a role in crafting systems that connect people with brands, if there's not a lot more space to explore these kinds of experiences at an enterprise scale: smarter experiences that communicate one simple idea about our relationships to products and services from afar, intuitively, without trumpets.

Guest Post: Caitlin McCabeGuest Post: Caitlin McCabeGuest Post: Caitlin McCabeGuest Post: Caitlin McCabe

Guest Post: Caitlin McCabe

Guest Post: Caitlin McCabe // @caitlinmc

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On an average day, I can end up on the phone most of the day with short periods of time where I furiously answer emails about which file folder something is in, a client that doesn't actually like the creative part of their campaign, and that Constant Contact has some sort of offer that needed 18 emails to explain.

Let's just say it's a bit short of inspiring.
For this I walk.  I walk because it's forward motion and it's also observatory.  

I see someone who is smiling.
A sign that says 'Winter Stick Garden', 
A syringe
A couple that's in a fight so the girl keeps changing direction and the boy keeps following her
Words on a wall that say 'read my mind' and another of a girl with a blue face that I use for manicure colors later
streetlights that line up and a crew filling potholes along them
a logo of a pickle that I paint onto a coffeecup when I get home
Cars with boots on the wheels
Cars with bikes on the back
Giant Candy
A whole row full of Slim Jims and jerky
A sign that says - 'CD's.  Cheap'

The great thing about walking for inspiration is, you can do it anywhere as long as you have about an hour and are willing to apply them to your clients, your work, or your life.  I've gotten most of my good ideas for clients this from a few dozen walks around Boston.  If you see me, say hello!