Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Okay , welcome to the second meeting of this uh design group . Um {vocalsound} I'll briefly go through the uh notes of the of the last meeting uh just done in in note form and I haven't attributed anything to individuals , because we're working strictly as a team here and uh n nobody's working equally ,
User Interface: Sorry .
Project Manager: so uh . Um we we s we saw that the the problems with existing remote controls were the uh b a boring shape and boring colour . Um and and we s we saw that the um what we needed to do was to to make sure the device um controls several items , that switching was easy , that you shouldn't need to point the thing at uh anything in particular , um that it need to be contoured to make it interesting , that the keys might be concave , simply because that hasn't been done before that we know of . Um should have interchangeable fascias so people can personalise it , um illuminated so that people can see it in dark rooms . Um and that people might want it as as {disfmarker} in addition to their existing remote controls . Um {vocalsound} and that it sh it should just always work , whenever you uh um mm uh use it . And that it shouldn't be too small , mm that it it gets lost . Um . {gap} Now uh uh I'll shortly ask for for three three presentations . Uh before I do that , however , I will go through some new project requirements that um {disfmarker} the the management have placed on us and uh will be challenging in terms of what we discussed at the first meeting . Um the uh the ma the management has had it's own thoughts on this and uh the they don't necessarily agree with with what we uh we thought . Um and and then we'll {disfmarker} as a result of that we will then talk through the the functions that we see the the device um actually b carrying out , and we have uh forty minutes to do this in and I uh {disfmarker} Anyway . Okay . Now , the n the new requirements are um the the management team see that um teletext is no longer of any importance given the uh the rise of the internet . Um and and they want it only to cover televisions . Um now , what is not q quite clear from their directive is whether they mean th they don't want it to cover teletext or whether they don't want it to cover , you know , videos , D_V_D_s , um satellite boxes , which uh {disfmarker} I mean we saw as being fundamental to the uh to the exercise . The um the actual wording of the directive is that it should cover television only . Um and on that basis um I I think we we need to bear that in mind , um but possibly uh keep at the backs of our minds that the reality that people even when they uh no longer {disfmarker} they don't look at teletext anymore , they certainly do look at other things . Um {vocalsound} the device has to incorporate the company logo and colours . Um the the logo uh being at b the bottom of the screen there , the the the two R_s in grey against uh a yellow background . Um now this doesn't {vocalsound} necessarily mean that we have to give up some of our ideas about making it attractive to the t to the market . But uh do do introduce some some constraints as to how we might do that . Um it also has to be simple , which to some extent goes along w with the first one , and that {disfmarker} we've already said that it must be simple 'cause that's what people want anyway . Um but they also want it to be simple to get it to the market quickly , which um mm {vocalsound} uh is is is their choice , but uh um we we need to talk that through . Um okay , so uh after the meeting it'll be summarised and uh
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: um notes sent out and uh etcetera . Okay , so {vocalsound} we'll first of all mm have individual reports from everybody . Um again I {vocalsound} {disfmarker} there is no order of precedence here um so I I I'll leave it up to you to {disfmarker} who who who thinks they would like to go go first ?
Marketing: Uh I don't mind . {gap}
Project Manager: P fine .
Marketing: Uh can I steal the cable ?
Project Manager: Oh sorry , you can indeed .
Marketing: Cheers .
Project Manager: {vocalsound} {vocalsound} {vocalsound}
Marketing: {vocalsound} I got a {disfmarker} how do I start there ?
Project Manager: Oh , if you click on the um uh the one that that looks like a projection screen , no the one to the right of that . That one .
Marketing: That one . Cool . Well these are functionality requirements from the {disfmarker} our our guys down in the the research lab . Took hundred people and covered all the aspects of what um is needed by people and what they want to see . Um {vocalsound} everything kinda from functionality and how individual functions are {disfmarker} how mu how how often they're used and how much their necessary and stuff . And general opinions about current current remotes . See that , as we kinda noticed , seventy five percent of people find their remote controls ugly . So some kind of a new style should be incorporated that's less ugly {vocalsound} . Uh along with um looking less ugly , if it looks better , eighty percent of people said they'd spend more money on it . Which is a a plus for us , if we can make it look better , it'd be uh more cost effective and we can put the price up . Current remote controls do not match the operating behaviour of the user . I can empl I kinda take that to mean as um {vocalsound} they they don't uh {disfmarker} they , yeah , they only use {disfmarker} they only work for the television or yeah like as in in my flat I've got six remote controls for a stereo system , a digital box , a D_V_D_ player , a video player and T_V_ . If it was uh {disfmarker} I mean th my behaviour is to use multiple things at the same time and multiple remotes aren't really matched well to my behaviour . {vocalsound} Uh again , seventy five percent is {disfmarker} seventy five percent of users say they zap a lot . I took to mean that they just {disfmarker} they use it a lot , they use it regularly rather than standing up and manually change channels or volume {gap} . {vocalsound} And uh yeah , uh I think the big issue is fifty percent users only use ten percent of the buttons , 'cause uh wh if we got a remote that like {disfmarker} well we'll have some buttons taken off by the lack of teletext , but uh oh and we're going to see uh on the {disfmarker} uh that some of the functions like audio settings aren't h hardly ever used and used very {disfmarker} aren't considered relevant by the user . So I think maybe fewer buttons , which also make the design look sleeker , I dunno . Uh um yeah and uh frustrations of like people losing remote control .
Project Manager: Mm .
Marketing: I dunno maybe some kind of system of you press a button on the T_V_ or maybe that's b it would have to incorporate {gap} , but like some kind of system where you can f use something else to find the remote control . Maybe like it'll beep or something . And um , yep , the uh time taken to learn new remote controls is {disfmarker} Uh don't want to make it too complicated , easy to use for uh new {disfmarker} like first time users and stuff . And uh repetitive strain injury , I suppose we should make it more comfortable and make ma possibly even use {disfmarker} have to make it , yeah , fewer buttons , like I was saying about the whole mice {disfmarker} the mouse idea of it feels more comfortable .
Project Manager: Mm .
Marketing: Maybe don't even have to hold it as such .
Project Manager: Gosh , must be some telly addicts out there if they get R_S_I_ from their television remote , is all I can say .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Marketing: {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Marketing: But uh yeah . It also asked um if we would {disfmarker} if people would pay more for speech recognition
Project Manager: {vocalsound} {gap}
Marketing: and younger people say they would . And uh there was another section on our {disfmarker} on the report for uh L_C_D_ displays , but the data wasn't there , so . I don't actually know what the results for that were ,
Project Manager: Mm . Right . Mm .
Marketing: so . {vocalsound} May be incrementally emitting , but yeah .
Project Manager: Yeah , I must say that um the uh {disfmarker} I c can't remember what {vocalsound} um f you know phone service I was using the other day , but that had sorta speech recognition which worked uh remarkably well , so that is indeed a uh um a thought
Marketing: And uh {vocalsound} it would cut out the R_S_I_ as well if you {disfmarker} {vocalsound}
Project Manager: and it it cuts out uh {disfmarker} I was was gonna say , you can't get a lot of R_S_I_ ,
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: j just get jaw ache . Okay , sorry . {vocalsound}
Marketing: Yeah , um {disfmarker} oh yeah , so possibly the speech recognition is possibly something could add into the design . Oh , I've got some other things I couldn't fit onto this presentation . Um . You see this okay ? Almost {disfmarker} no ? It's {disfmarker} sorry it's a bit {gap} . I'll read out to you . Uh functionality , uh like people's opinions on functionality , the relevance to the remote and how often they're used . So um like the power . Using the using the d swi the power switch to switch on T_V_ is a high relevance of nine , but it's not frequently used . You see what I mean ?
Project Manager: Yeah . {vocalsound}
Marketing: Whereas channel selection , which is very high relevance
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
Marketing: is used the most . So m we can maybe even start to cut down on {disfmarker} or I was possibly even thinking of a design that maybe some of the buttons are hidden from everyday use . Maybe like uh a folding ledge or something . So that we can maybe go into the channel settings and the audio settings ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: which are low relevance
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Mm-hmm . I mean {disfmarker}
Marketing: and rarely used . And keep the v volume selection and channel selection very easily {disfmarker}
User Interface: It could be {disfmarker} oh uh I was just gonna say uh maybe like the flip phones that they use ?
Industrial Designer: Mm .
User Interface: Have you seen the new mo mobile phones
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Yeah .
User Interface: that flip out and they have the like texting , and then the numbers on one side ,
Marketing: Oh yeah .
User Interface: so
Project Manager: Mm .
User Interface: you could have the most {vocalsound} used buttons on top and flip it out or something .
Project Manager: Hmm , hmm .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: Yeah , like the one that like slides back
Project Manager: Uh . Should we actually bite the bullet here ?
Marketing: and the buttons are concealed underneath .
User Interface: Yeah .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: If people really don't use those buttons to any extent at all um {vocalsound} remove them altogether .
Marketing: Just remove them completely ?
Project Manager: We we could actually have we could actually have a remote control with um {disfmarker}
User Interface: That might be the {disfmarker}
Project Manager: I wonder whether we could get the remote control with no buttons at all if we went for voice recognition , given that um the {disfmarker} {vocalsound} Um now the the age structure we were looking at {disfmarker} um I mean w we had usage by age structure , what we didn't have was what proportion of people using remotes were in those particular age groups . Now do we know whether they {disfmarker}
Marketing: Uh yeah .
Project Manager: Forty {disfmarker} no sorry {disfmarker} for forty five to fifty five age group , uh to put myself right in the middle of it , um u use remote controls to a great extent .
Marketing: {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Yes we {disfmarker}
Marketing: Um no this is for {disfmarker} pay more for speech recognition .
Project Manager: That would 've speech recogn right . So , we're looking at {disfmarker} um well again , we don't know the relative proportion {disfmarker} the relative numbers in the age groups .
Marketing: Yeah , that's true .
Project Manager: If we wanted something different , truly different , then the buttonless remote control w would be it .
Industrial Designer: P Well the only problem I can think of with that is if you've got a lot of people that don't wanna be bothered learning how to use new rem remote controls . If you just kind of take away everything that they're used to knowing , that's gonna be quite a change .
Project Manager: But if you just lift it up and say , channel one or B_B_C_ {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: It might {disfmarker}
Marketing: Or even {disfmarker} I mean you could even just have it left on .
User Interface: Maybe i
Marketing: You could just put it down once on top your T_V_ and never have to {disfmarker}
User Interface: Yeah , have a big kind of like the satellite box or the cable box
Project Manager: {vocalsound}
User Interface: and have it just go on the T_V_ and then it doesn't matter where in the room you are ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
User Interface: you won't lose it .
Marketing: Yeah .
Project Manager: It c well it {disfmarker} I can I can see technical problems with that in terms of the , you know , the sound from the television ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
User Interface: No .
Project Manager: because if somebody actually on the television says uh uh , you know , I_T_V_ and you're watching B_B_C_ then then it might um change itself ,
Marketing: {vocalsound} B_B_C_ one . {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: Yeah . {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound} Oh . {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: Yeah .
Marketing: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: so it probably needs to be um {disfmarker} possibly actually need a button on it
User Interface: Yeah , that's true .
Project Manager: just to activate it .
Marketing: Oh yeah .
Project Manager: Or or something just to identify that you've lifted it up and it's use . And and then just say , oh I don't know , a thought and and then {disfmarker}
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: uh I mean that that would certainly be uh truly different . {vocalsound} Um 'cause uh you know audio settings , nought point eight percent . I mean if they weren't there , {vocalsound} would people miss them ?
Marketing: Mm-mm .
Industrial Designer: But look at the importance of them . The volume settings .
Project Manager: {vocalsound}
Marketing: Relevance of two out of ten ,
Project Manager: Vol volume ,
Marketing: yeah .
Industrial Designer: Yeah .
Project Manager: yes um
Industrial Designer: They're not used often
Project Manager: th {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: but they are quite important when they're used .
Project Manager: w we need to s identify things that {vocalsound} people actually need
Industrial Designer: Yeah .
Project Manager: and and it's a function of frequency and relevance . And um I would say ignoring ig ignoring power for the moment , um the channel and volume
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: and th w w given given that we've been told to ignore teletext . Uh channel and volume are the only ones that
Marketing: Yeah .
Project Manager: {vocalsound} uh would appear to be essential .
Marketing: Stand out .
Project Manager: Um . So {disfmarker} if we can design something that that looks interesting , know , or looks different , um incorporates the the logo and and the colours and um we can still have our interchangeable fascias even if it's {gap} the yellow and grey , um and uh I dunno , buttons or or buttons as an option .
Marketing: Uh I just had a thought actually , sorry to interrupt .
Project Manager: Do , please .
Marketing: Uh you were saying about um it could {disfmarker} technical problems of like uh someone on the television saying a channel number and it changed {disfmarker}
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
Marketing: we could maybe have like an activation word .
Project Manager: You cer certainly could .
Marketing: 'Cause I've seen I've seen this used on computers before , where you just {disfmarker} you address the remote ,
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Depe uh i depends whether um {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: you address the computer , and then give it a command .
Project Manager: if we want to make this so simple that anybody can walk into the room and lift it up and say
Marketing: Oh I see . Oh yeah , I see .
Project Manager: B_B_C_ one . Um okay , I mean you could print {disfmarker} actually print it on the uh
Marketing: {vocalsound} Mm-hmm , yeah .
Project Manager: device itself . Um .
Marketing: I mean I'm just thinking of the point of view of peop you could still like lose this remote .
Project Manager: S th this I th {vocalsound} that's always gonna be a problem I think .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Marketing: Mm .
Project Manager: Um and I I I s so I suppose one um {disfmarker} could make it so desirable that if people lose it they immediately go out and buy another one .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Marketing: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Anyway , sorry , carry on . Do you want to just carry on with {disfmarker}
Marketing: Oh no
Project Manager: or {disfmarker}
Marketing: I I interrupted you ,
Project Manager: no no , no uh b I was in the middle of in the middle of your report there . {vocalsound}
Marketing: sorry {vocalsound} . Oh okay . Um well , I was just kinda wrapping up there . Yeah ,
Project Manager: Mm okay . {vocalsound}
Marketing: I was thinking um , yeah , maybe such things are relevant . We could make things much more f I think the the eighty percent of people would spend more on uh a remote uh that looks better , combined with uh decrease the {disfmarker} or take out the limited functio functions that we don't really use much . {gap} alright take out teletext , but as for channel settings and stuff it might it might um turn people somewhe peop some people that want the whole functionality away . But , since {disfmarker} if we're marketing a more kind of fashionable approach then it'd {disfmarker} it would be fashion and fashion over practicality .
Project Manager: Mm-hmm . S s we could {disfmarker} we could make it dual function {gap} voice recognition and {gap} still have buttons on it um
Marketing: {vocalsound} Oh , we could , yeah . We c yeah ,
Project Manager: 'cause we're {disfmarker}
Marketing: we could even have it as like a {disfmarker} yeah the buttons control this and the voice functions control the f things that you would do all the time , so .
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Certainly could . Yeah , yeah .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: So uh yeah , if we could uh {disfmarker} power on and channel selection and and volume selection , wouldn't have to really {disfmarker}
Project Manager: {gap} The {disfmarker} I mean the the advantage of doing away the buttons altogether is it makes the thing cheaper .
Marketing: Yeah and probably it would look better as well .
Project Manager: No , it cou certainly opens up the possibility for making it uh , you know , visually very distinctive .
Marketing: Yeah . yeah .
Project Manager: Um 'cause you know , it does not have to be a oblong box .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: Lined with numbered buttons and {disfmarker}
Project Manager: Mm , yeah . Okay , who {disfmarker} sorry , have you have you finished there Andy ?
Marketing: Uh yeah , yeah , that's everything .
Project Manager: Yep , yep . Um {vocalsound} given that we've already had a extensive discussion uh {disfmarker} {vocalsound} .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Marketing: {vocalsound}
User Interface: Okay well , I can do mine .
Industrial Designer: Hmm .
Marketing: Do you want the cable ?
User Interface: Yeah , let's see if I can make this work . Um .
Industrial Designer: Oh , you have to hit like function and F_ something .
User Interface: Oh .
Marketing: F_ eight .
Industrial Designer: F_ eight .
User Interface: Is it doing {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound} Dunno .
Marketing: Uh , give it about twenty seconds , or so .
User Interface: Okay .
Project Manager: Ah , there we go . {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: Oh yeah , it's going .
User Interface: Oh okay . {vocalsound} Okay , so this is just about the technical functions .
Project Manager: Alright .
User Interface: So the method , I looked online for examples of other similar products and then just kind of was trying to brainstorm some possible design ideas and um identify what the necessary things are , what people are {disfmarker} what you really wanna have a remote control do . Um and then there are two different kinds that I found . There's a user centred one and an engineering centred one which I will have pictures of and then we kinda have to decide which one this should be .
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
User Interface: {vocalsound} So these are the two different ones . This one um {disfmarker} this is the user centred , it has uh quite a few mm uh um fewer buttons
Marketing: {vocalsound}
User Interface: and then this is the engineering centred , which has a lot more buttons ,
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
User Interface: and probably this is one that people complain about , about having too many buttons that you don't use . So basically , what a remote control is is you {disfmarker} it's to send messages to the television set , you know , turn on , off , switch the channels and the volume and things such as that . And so for this product it's gonna be television only , and then it has to have the uh logos for the company and the colours . And so , for my personal preferences , I think this one is easier to use and has quite a {disfmarker} you know , fewer buttons . Um we want something that sends messages easily to the television and I was kind of wondering about this example that they have . It looks kind of narrow at the top , and I was thinking maybe if it were wider at the top ,
Project Manager: Mm , yeah .
User Interface: then that would be easier . Um {vocalsound} and so we have to decide what's gonna make our product different . E the unique style , maybe have it light up so it's visible in the dark , um the changeable face-plates , and the lighting up and visible I was {disfmarker} when we were talking about havi losing it , maybe to have a button on the television that you press and it {disfmarker} maybe if it makes a noise or lights up or something like that , so it's easier to find if someone has hidden under the couch or something like that . So that's my presentation . Yeah .
Project Manager: Okay , can I um {disfmarker} I'm actually gonna use the um {disfmarker} it's gonna cause great technical problems over here . I'm actually gonna use the {disfmarker}
User Interface: F they probably clip to you .
Industrial Designer: Oh yeah , they might be movable .
Marketing: Yeah .
Industrial Designer: Oh yeah , they're all {disfmarker} they're not connected to anything on the table , you just leave 'em on and walk around with 'em . {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Yes , rather than the uh the the traditional {disfmarker} in fact , um I won't even go that far . Um something like this shape , you know , sort of something that you can {disfmarker} that's sort of a more vertical shape , um that you you sort of hold in your hand , um , well I'm trying to think uh uh uh l uh l such as {disfmarker} I mean um something you hold up like that , possibly with a couple of buttons like that , but with the the entire top with the , you know , the uh the infrared or whatever source .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: Uh so that you know , it's flying off in all directions ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: so that uh um uh {vocalsound} again the {disfmarker} n need to look at the the the technicalities of um actually achieving that in terms of whether the , you know , the power requirements of the uh {disfmarker} such a source , um you know , compromise the {disfmarker} our our need for uh you know , it it being um mm permanently uh you know , available .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Uh whether whether different technology {disfmarker} um I mean th all all these remotes are presumably infrared , and like they have been for a long time . Uh we we possibly need to be looking at at at something different , um you know , short range , not like the old uh radio remote controls where you'd change next door's telly when you change yours . Um
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: but uh uh I think basically i if we're going for {disfmarker} i if minimum number of buttons is our priority , then we should , as I say , r know , really bite the bullets and and reduce the buttons to absolute minimum , you know , possibly with backup channel and volume buttons and on off . Um and nothing else . {vocalsound} Um so that it can al it could uh almost end up like that , but again , except that um {disfmarker} you know the risk of losing it . Um anyway okay um so Kate , wh what are your uh your thoughts on this ?
Industrial Designer: Yes , mm . {gap}
User Interface: Oh .
Industrial Designer: Which one does this plug into ?
User Interface: Hmm I think it's all there .
Industrial Designer: That one .
User Interface: H
Industrial Designer: I can't {disfmarker} did you {gap} {disfmarker} could you see it on you screen when it {disfmarker}
User Interface: Oh yeah .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound} That's not cool . {vocalsound}
User Interface: That's kind of strange .
Industrial Designer: Oh well . Anyways . Um alright , yeah , so um I'll just do my presentation on the working design uh . {vocalsound} Oh there we go . Okay um just at the m yeah the whole sort of method of how the remote control works . Uh the basic function of the remote control is to send messages to another sh system , the the T_V_ or the D_V_D_ player or whatever .
Marketing: {vocalsound} {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: Um and it does this uh by {disfmarker} well , you need {disfmarker} to start off you need an energy source {vocalsound} and this energy source will feed into an integrated circuit chip and the circuit chip is the part that actually composes the different messages uh within the remote um which will then be sent to the uh the television , the D_V_D_ to tell that what to do . Um and you need a user interface , which controls the chip and thus the messages and uh the user interface is {disfmarker} that's basically just you kn the s sorta design of the actual remote which you hold in your hands and what buttons will be on it . Um {disfmarker} Oh shoot . Okay . Uh just general findings . Uh what we need uh technically speaking for the remote control is some sort of energy source , {vocalsound} uh some sort of user interface , which I think we've mostly been talking about the user interface and the design of that . Um a circuit chip within that to uh control and send the messages and um a sender and receiver . And um {disfmarker} oops . Uh-huh . This is just sort of a little schematic diagram of what we're looking for . Uh this just kinda represents the energy source
Marketing: Hmm .
Industrial Designer: which feeds into the circuit chip uh which maybe then we could have that feed into a switch which would send signals f to um {vocalsound} a subcomponent and on to a light bulb between {disfmarker} so it'll light up once we start {disfmarker} once you start pressing buttons . Um also send signals to the um infrared bulb , which will be the part that actually {disfmarker} {vocalsound} what ? Sends signals to the the television . And then you've got your happy little T_V_ watcher there .
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: And so my personal preferences {disfmarker} I I just think we need sorta big uh energy source that won't die out , uh perhaps some sort of rechargeable battery or a battery dock you could place it in , so it'd constantly be charged , so you wouldn't have to uh be worrying about it running out of batteries and not changing channels for you . Uh a wide range uh sender-receiver , so that you can hit the buttons from basically anywhere in the room , and the channel'll still be changed . Uh also definitely a user-friendly interface {vocalsound} um and I think we've all sort of mentioned adding a a locating device on it , so when it does get stuck under the couch cushions , as they inevitably do , you can find them easily . And that's pretty much it .
Project Manager: Okay . Uh it seems seems to me there are a number of fundamental decisions to make before we um {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: Mm . {gap}
Project Manager: I think your point about the the big energy source is uh a very valid one .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: Um I don't suppose we've got any statistics on the the life expectancy of uh remote controls , particularly sort of independent ones . Um given you know , the number of things you buy these days , which you know , have a a a lithium whatever battery in , that's uh , you know never needs replacing .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Um perhaps we should have the the disposable remote control , uh um you know , one {disfmarker} some sort of typical usage . You know , the the the battery will last know , five , ten years . By which time {disfmarker} I mean when all's said and done , the digital television {vocalsound} will be taking over in that time scale . Um
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Marketing: Mm-hmm .
Project Manager: uh uh p perhaps we should , know , reduce the uh , you know , the sort of moving parts even more by not even having a battery compartment and uh {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: Just having one that's guaranteed to last five to ten years ?
Project Manager: Yeah , and if if anybody manages to run it down , we'll we'll give 'em a new one .
Industrial Designer: Oh , cool . {vocalsound} Yeah , fair enough .
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Um it's , you know , it's {disfmarker} what it saves in cost and you know there there's a {disfmarker} well , it's actually a marketing gimmick . I mean it's hardly a gimmick , it's uh it's totally practical . Uh so I th think you know the idea of a rechargeable one is um uh unless you're really high tech and it sort of just recharges itself if it's n by , you know , magnetic waves or whatever , if if it {disfmarker}
Marketing: It could have like uh {disfmarker} know like a cordless phone in your house it s got like a base that sits there all the time .
Project Manager: Yeah . {vocalsound}
Industrial Designer: Mm , mm .
Project Manager: Are are people really gonna use it though ? Um .
User Interface: Yeah , people are pro
Marketing: {vocalsound} I suppose , yeah .
Industrial Designer: Mm yeah {vocalsound}
User Interface: I would think that people might forget {disfmarker}
Project Manager: I I th I think {disfmarker}
User Interface: I mean people forget to put their cordless phones back on there ,
Marketing: {gap}
Industrial Designer: Mm-mm .
User Interface: so .
Project Manager: Yeah , it's
Marketing: {vocalsound} Yeah . {vocalsound}
Project Manager: um {disfmarker} I mean I know that somei times my my wife goes out in the morning and says oh I should have put the phone on to charge
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: and then then she's had those for so long that if she hasn't worked that out by now . Um .
Industrial Designer: 'Cause I only remember to charge my cell phone uh when battery dies . {vocalsound} And that's pretty much {disfmarker}
User Interface: {vocalsound} Yeah .
Marketing: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: When it {disfmarker} yeah , wh when it's died is a problem .
Industrial Designer: yeah . Yeah , when it turns itself off , that's when I plug it in ,
Project Manager: Yeah , yeah , yeah , {gap} so uh um
Industrial Designer: yeah . {vocalsound}
User Interface: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: what so wh what what do we think about the um the the permanent mm battery ?
Industrial Designer: Yeah , think that's a good idea .
User Interface: No .
Marketing: Uh . That sounds pretty good , yeah .
Project Manager: Is the uh {disfmarker} you know , we we we are really going for the ultimate in ex uh external simplicity here .
User Interface: Um .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: Um you know , cut cost within the manufacturing and uh you know , if we have a high tech interior , then then that that sh may well be cost effective .
User Interface: Do they make batteries that last that long ?
Project Manager: I mean th th certainly . Um I can't think of anything off the s top of my head ,
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound} They usually have the little light uh {vocalsound} source ,
Project Manager: but there are certainly things that you buy . I mean calculators for example .
Industrial Designer: I dunno what the heck they're called ,
User Interface: Yeah , they have that little solar {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: the {disfmarker} but
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Som well some do ,
Industrial Designer: yeah , the little cells that {disfmarker}
Project Manager: I mean th th but there are battery ones
Industrial Designer: Yeah .
Project Manager: that um are you know , sort of permanently sealed .
Marketing: Mm-hmm .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: In in fact I'd {disfmarker}
User Interface: Yeah .
Industrial Designer: Most of them , don't they have sort of a combination of the two , like when there is light , they'll work off the light ,
Project Manager: Yeah ,
Industrial Designer: and if there isn't , they'll kick into this battery ,
Project Manager: uh uh {disfmarker}
Industrial Designer: so we can maybe do something like that whereas there is a battery , but if there's enough light , then it's using the light , so that it's not actually draining the battery all the time , but you will have the battery there for when you need it .
User Interface: Mm .
Project Manager: Yeah , I I mean th th this needs going t into the technology a bit .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: I mean the the actual time that a remote control is actually operating
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: I would think is i is is probably , you know , no more than minutes in its entire life . Um . {gap}
Industrial Designer: Oh , it depend if it's {disfmarker} uh depends who who's using it , who's just sitting there clicking clicking clicking clicking ,
User Interface: Yeah , some people are {disfmarker}
Project Manager: If , but I say if if people are getting R_S_I_ from it then uh then uh then then perhaps we're looking at the wrong market
Industrial Designer: yeah . Yeah , {vocalsound} then they're clicking a lot , yeah . {vocalsound}
User Interface: Yeah . Yeah .
Marketing: {vocalsound} W
Project Manager: n
Marketing: like like this um this uh market research thing says number of times per hour that it's used , channel selection a hundred and sixty eight
User Interface: {vocalsound} Per hour ?
Project Manager: Right .
Marketing: times per hour .
Industrial Designer: Yeah . {vocalsound} Yeah .
Marketing: {vocalsound} Yeah .
User Interface: Wow . {vocalsound} That's a lot . {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Oh , I must admit I hadn't um {disfmarker} I'd I'd missed that . That does sound excessive .
User Interface: {gap}
Marketing: But then again , if you think it {disfmarker} of the amount of , you know amount of use it's like {disfmarker}
Project Manager: Yeah .
Marketing: That's {disfmarker} it's less than a second , um .
Industrial Designer: Yeah . Yeah .
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: Well that's right , and and I I don't I don't even know whether the I don't even know whether the s the signal lasts as long as you actually keep the button pressed ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: or whether it's just a
Marketing: {vocalsound} Yeah .
Project Manager: sorta tenth of a second , no matter how long you press it for , I don't know I don't actually know . Um .
User Interface: Though I think with digital T_V_ , like I know on my cable box , you're not supposed to do that because the channel can't keep up with it if you just press it like that ,
Project Manager: Yeah .
Industrial Designer: Mm .
User Interface: so you're supposed to use the menu and go through the different
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
Marketing: Mm-hmm .
User Interface: channels that way instead of {disfmarker}
Project Manager: Mm . {gap}
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Right , so I've got a message to say five minutes , I dunno how long ago that appeared . Um 'cause we're we're getting
User Interface: Uh-oh .
Project Manager: um {disfmarker} right , so I'd {disfmarker} I need to sum up very quickly here um . {vocalsound} We're looking at extreme simplicity . We're looking at a radically different shape . Possibly no buttons at all um , but if you can incorporate um channel change and volume buttons um in into the design , then then that's fine . Um in the {disfmarker} I mean the the role of the of the um the user interface des designer becomes b you know more important here , because , you know , shape is no longer an a uh um a serious constraint . But we clearly only need th the main buttons , although , uh if {disfmarker} clearly only need the main functions . Um I don't see why we shouldn't go for voice recognition um and the the only buttons that I think we need are channel control , volume control and on off . Um it needs to incorporate the corporate logo , uh the the grey and yellow colour scheme and {vocalsound} there's no reason why we can't introduce um interchangeable uh covers . {vocalsound} Um uh d so does that accurately summarise what we've discussed ?
User Interface: Yeah .
Marketing: Yeah .
Industrial Designer: Yep . Hmm .
Project Manager: {vocalsound} Right .
User Interface: Um {disfmarker} {vocalsound}
Project Manager: So uh {disfmarker} {vocalsound} Yeah . We are doing just the television .
User Interface: Oh I just have one question . So are we doing just the television or are we doing {disfmarker} so not D_V_D_ players ,
Project Manager: No .
User Interface: we okay , okay .
Project Manager: I think that's quite clear from the the information that we've been given ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
Project Manager: no ?
User Interface: Okay .
Marketing: Yeah , like in the email of television only . In fact they're {gap} in the constraints email that I got .
Project Manager: Right .
Marketing: Didn't you mention the teletext , just television only ?
Project Manager: Oh yeah well th that's one I s that's one I sent you ,
Industrial Designer: Mm .
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: which which was my interpretation of uh of the uh {disfmarker} what came down from from head office . Um {disfmarker} {vocalsound}
Marketing: Oh okay . {vocalsound} Oh yeah .
Industrial Designer: Yeah . {vocalsound}
User Interface: Oh {vocalsound} okay .
Industrial Designer: Okay .
Project Manager: {vocalsound} That's {vocalsound} that that that that's their uh their view .
Industrial Designer: {vocalsound}
Project Manager: Okay , so uh we can all give some thought to that uh for for the next meeting , thank you very much indeed .
User Interface: Okay .
Industrial Designer: Cool .
User Interface: {vocalsound}