emily conrad

I’m really excited about the ramifications of this technology, especially the positive impact on daily behaviors. I can already imagine hundreds of uses for it- starting initially as a means to read blood glucose (no more pricking!), to empowering people (not just patients!) by making medical analysis less intrusive and a home based activity. The initial use may be for chronic patients, but I imagine the casual health enthusiast interested in tracking, analyzing, and modifying day to day decisions will be just as excited about this.

(from geek.com)
Diabetics have a problem dealing with sugar because they don’t produce enough insulin (Type 1) or any insulin that is produced gets no reaction from the person’s cells (Type 2). Treatment is mainly through management of blood sugar levels which if done properly can stop many of the complications.

It’s the monitoring of those blood sugar levels that researchers are working towards making as simple and fast as possible, and the latest idea involves the use of a sensor tattoo and an iPhone 4.

Rather than having to take a blood sample Dr. Heather Clark of Northeastern University has come up with a method that can give instant feedback on levels of sodium, glucose, and alcohol in a person’s blood just by looking at a set of sensors under the skin.

The sensors are only 100nm wide and get placed under the skin just like tattoos are. Nanoparticles in the sensors attach to different aspects of the blood and have a color-changing effect on the sensor. Doing that for sodium, glucose, and alcohol presents three specific colors that tell you their current levels.

In order to read the sensor an iPhone 4 camera is used with an attachment powered by a battery. A blue LED is turned on to contrast with the sensors, and software on the iPhone can view and interpret the colors. The result is near instant feedback on the person’s blood state.

Work still needs to be done to allow the iPhone app to interpret the data properly, but that is only a matter of time. The key thing about this method is it uses widely available hardware and does not require someone with medical equipment and training to do the tests. The person with the embedded sensor can do it themselves regularly and react quickly if there is a problem.

It is going to be a few years before we see this system being given out to diabetics, but as time passes it will become more accurate because the cameras in smartphones get better with every launch. Better cameras mean more accurate feedback and better readings.

I have been researching and experimenting with some Processing code, and I just came across a beautiful generative art example by Justin Livi. These images were created in Processing, and can be generated here.

I love how they are evocative of something as specific as a a summertime rainstorm in the Plains, but are completely generated in the abstract. It’s not uncommon for abstract landscapes to be made of these rich, hazy horizontal bands, but the vertical striations add a real richness. Very inspiring.In the hands of the artist, Processing can create the most beautiful work.

Other examples work created in Processing are here, on a Flickr page.

As part of my work with Moey, Inc, I’ve been working with ex-NFL player Wade Davis to research football plays and passes. We are putting together two interactives for a museum in Texas as part of their upcoming high school football exhibit. I’ve hit the ground running in an effort to learn more about football basics. I’m excited about the narrative we’ve developed; it touches on both learning and doing for an audience of novices and experts.

One of my side projects of late is an iPhone app for kids that encourages and rewards experimenting with food and food combinations. We are reluctant to call it a cooking app, because it is more related to exploring, finding, and experimenting in ways kids may not be able to do in real life. The team includes myself as the Lead Interaction Designer, Jesse Lowe as the Lead Programmer, and Laurie Filiak as the Visual Designer. Just a few days ago we noticed we had not accounted for a huge part of the experience; the soundtrack. This is a new territory for me, including a Composer as part of the team. Audio for the most part is perceived as annoying on websites, and would be an experience nightmare if it was part of software design. Even for an exhibit design an audio soundtrack is rarely considered. But when it comes to handheld devices with the goal of creating a complete experience, music jumps way up in priority. Music becomes even more important when your audience is kids.

Children have the amazing knack for remembering songs, even when exposed to them in utero. Back when I was pregnant the first time around, musicologist (and my future colleague) Gideon D’Arcangelo interviewed me for his radio show Listening In: The Delivery Room . This interview explores the role of music in the delivery room, but we also spoke about playing music for babies in utero. I confessed that I exposed my daughter to more Ratatat and Blondie than she could probably stand (which serendipitously led to me spotting Deborah Harry more than once in those 9 months). Four years later, she still has an inclination for both musicians.

In short, my point is that audio plays a huge role in kids entertainment. Something that Disney, Music Together, and Yo Gabba Gabba are both well aware of, in their own very different ways. And this project has encouraged me to think about the role of music in the overall experience. I have been asking myself and talking with our composer Austin King about how the music will complement the visual and interaction design, and how sound in general help give the player directive. I found myself having to go back through the wireframes and think about the final app not in terms of user flow, but musical flow and composition.

We are still a month out from deployment, but will certainly post more about the project once everything is complete.

The groundbreaking effort to digitize all of JFK’s speeches, papers, images, video, has launched just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the President’s inauguration. I was pleased to hear about this accomplishment yesterday, and even more pleased to be part of the design team (at ESI Design) that made it happen. Organizing the nation’s largest online digitized presidential archive has been one of the most exciting (and comprehensive) projects I’ve worked on recently. Here’s a passage from the press release:

“Until now, the national treasure of historical material housed in the Kennedy Presidential Library’s collection has been available only by a physical visit to the library itself. With the launch of the new digital archive at www.jfklibrary.org, students, teachers, researchers and members of the public now just need an internet connection to search, browse and retrieve original documents from the Kennedy Library’s collection, gaining a first-hand look into the life of President Kennedy and the issues that defined his administration. ”

From an Information Architecture standpoint, there were plenty of challenges to resolve in the design of the site. Most importantly though, we sought to make the Archive and all of the contents accessible to every type of visitor. Since the JFK Museum and Library attracts many students, scholars, and loyal enthusiasts, there was a strong need to offer the complete depth of archived material while organizing the artifacts into natural groupings.

What I find most important about this launch is the transparency that’s being offered. It feels like an unobstructed view into the Kennedy administration’s decision making process and the challenges they faced. It’s empowering to citizens to have access to this material because our current administration is faced with similar types of challenges. While putting the wireframes and documentation together, I gleaned an incredible amount of insight into that era, learning more than I had in any history class about the 60′s. Especially when I happened across the Cuban Missile Crisis documentation. There is something fascinating about the level of political detail one can find here. Nearly every single communication document, including memos with hand scrawled notes, is available for viewing. And it’s easy to become immersed by them. Particularly, there is a certain emotional charge found in the audio recordings. I love listening to them and imagining the circumstances of their urgency.

All in all, I think the site is very inspiring acts more as a window into the future than a retrospective of an Administration.

Visit the site at www.jfklibrary.org

There was an interesting thing I noticed while traveling home this holiday season. When we got off the plane at JFK Terminal 3, there was a café with long countertops filled with iPads. Upon closer look, I realized the iPad had the sole function of receiving the customers order. So I could sit down, tap on the screen to order my food, and wait a few minutes until the waiter arrived. On the downside, the iPad did nothing else. There was no way to close out of the menu screen and bump up my Cut the Rope score.

I did a quick number crunch to figure out the economic advantage if using an iPad as a dedicated kiosk. On the one hand there is the option of creating a traditional kiosk; hire a design firm to create the interaction and visual design of the menu software, spec out the hardware including cpu and touchscreen, a programmer to write the code, hire a fabricator to create the kiosk shell and wrap it. And then have the whole contraption installed. On the other hand there is the option of creating an iPad app, which could be done by one of many nimble design and technology companies cropping up these days (or a freelancer like me!), and a means to secure the device down. It seems clear that each menu station might be a few hundred or thousand dollars less than a traditional kiosk. And from a design POV, I would much prefer to create an experience on an iPad then have to work with a subpar CPU or touchscreen which often yields problems that involve screen resolution, processing delays, and a lot of debugging after installation.

But what’s really interesting here is not the technology itself, but the decision to have people order from directly their seats without having a server take their initial order. As far as service design is concerned, I can see this being a major advantage in crowded airports, and when customers want their food ASAP. They can belly up to the counter, tap in the order (instead of waiting for a server), and in a few minutes the order is out. It’s a good model for that environment. However, on the day we showed up, there were a lot of people crowded nearby, but very few people at the counters making it a bit of a wasted space. If people don’t want to order or eat, they were pushed off to the side to talk on their cellphones or pull out their laptops. It would have been great to use the iPad for all those other things we travelers like to do. I imagine that would make the space more useful and flexible.

This morning I happened upon a great coffee spot in the east Village on my way to meet Molly. The place was adorable and cozy, with raw food being the specialty of the house. After my coffee was ordered, I sat at the bar to enjoy a few quiet minutes. I started drinking my coffee and noticed a hand painted leather bound book with a white cord coming out of it. It smacked of an ITP project, but when I opened it, there was an iPad. With a nice note as well, “Free 15 minute Ipad use with a minimum of $5 purchase”.

I immediately had a hundred questions and started talking to the barista about this, asking him how this works. He said, “Basically if you buy anything, I’ll give you the password so you can use it for a while.” I asked if a lot of people used it, because I imagine it would be difficult to use this device publicly, meaning it wasn’t customized with your own apps, settings, and passwords. In fact, I’ve NEVER logged out of any of my iPad or iPhone apps. Or designed any for use on a public device (yet!). He said that a lot of people are surprised by it, but they get regular use (there are two).

He also added that it was the co-owner’s idea. I think it’s great that there’s no charge (or even a means yet to charge for public iPad use), and they are pretty laid back about people using it. It’s not a huge monitor and keyboard that takes up the whole bar like the internet cafés of years past. Very well done. Now I just have to go back to watch it in use.

Last week I was walking to the post office and ran into my friend Fifi. he was sitting outside one of the restaurants he manages and invited me to sit down. We started to talk about the new wine that’s being shipped, the new menu that he’s developing, and the situation with his star chef. Fifi said his chef was working virtually for the next few months because he had been in a bad motorcycle accident that involved a collision with a drunk driver, and was bedridden. Fortunately he was OK in spirit, but the accident really put his legs in bad shape. After we talked through his condition and expected upswing, I wondered how a chef could work virtually? I mean, those of us who work digitally can and do work virtually often, but how could a chef prepare food and run a kitchen without being there?

“Skype,” said Fifi. On the kitchen counter sits a laptop that is turned on in the afternoon, when the chef comes into work. He manages his team of sous chefs and assistants, telling them what to do and how to do it, all from his own apartment. This idea easily resonates, it’s a creative and viable solution to what could have been a major problem for the restaurant and the star chef.

So I started thinking about other services that could be offered virtually. My trainer at the gym (a place I don’t visit nearly enough) and I had been talking and I mentioned to him if he’s be interested in doing a virtual session. Since his schedule is tightly packed, and mine has very little room for anything extracurricular, I thought it might be easier if we didn’t have to sync our schedules. He and I could simply communicate via text. As someone who has designed full-fledged experiences via text messaging (non-linear stories, marketing campaigns), I thought this would be a great use of the medium. So I call it flexting, because he texts me exercises to complete, and I text him back with my status. This is a new experiment, and I’ll report back as to how this is going, but so far the convenience factor is great and my motivation is back on track. Of course, there are many reasons why a trainer is better to have in person, but for someone like me who loathes boring gym routines and doesn’t have the luxury of a consistent schedule, this is a good solution.

After a meeting today, I walked over to the M15 bus and noticed a new kiosk by the bus stop. I had heard about this new plan to implement curbside fare payments, dedicated bus lanes and extra doors to facilitate getting on and off. It cost $60 million to deploy, and will most likely succeed in increasing efficiency. From personal experience, what holds up buses most often is a long line of people having to dip their card at the front of the bus.

As a frequent bus rider, I am so glad the MTA is going this route instead of relying on Paypass (RFID embedded in some debit/credit cards that you can swipe to pay your fare). Not once have I witnesses anyone using the Paypass method since it was implemented. I think Pay-Before-Ride is great news for avid bus riders and a new model for urban transportation. And the kiosks were recognizable, clean, and very easy to use.

Sometimes I get so used to the day-to-day living in my neighborhood that I forget to just walk about and enjoy what the streets have to offer. Today was the perfect fall day on the Lower East Side, so we decided to take a stroll. Our goal was to visit the New Museum, which we did, but we decided to keep moving afterwards. And I’m glad we did.

Somewhere around Orchard and Rivington we happened on a small storefront gallery. This is where I was introduced to the aerial photography of Stephan Zirwes. The color and compositions of his work is absolutely striking, but what draws me in the most is the straight down perspective. There are no angles added from the camera’s perspective that don’t exist already. The photos are dead on, and it makes you feel more a part of it. The gallerist explained to us that the artist hangs down from a helicopter in flight. Strapped in a harness, Zirwes takes the photos from directly above. There’s no Photoshopping involved. Loved it. I took the first photo (of his photo) because it reminded me of one of my first professional patina jobs. But it’s not patined bronze, or a painting, but instead an aerial photograph of a stripmine in Germany. I would love to own this photo someday. The others images of Zirwes’ work I found on various photography sites.