Do you have burning questions for the Quirky team? Ask, and we shall answer.
Join us tomorrow, September 28, at 6PM (EST) for a live Q&A session with Ben on uStream.
We’ll be responding to incoming queries on chat and Twitter. Got questions before then? Post ‘em to the forum.
Hope to see everyone there!
Put on your thinking caps… Quirky Briefs are live!
Watch the video and read the brief, then click here to submit your idea.
Remember, submissions are free!
Monday marks the launch of a new Quirky initiative: we are moving from developing one product per week to TWO products per week. Crazy, eh? We’ll be holding two concurrent ideation and evaluation phases each week: our regular free-for-all, anything goes round, and a more targeted brief-based project. Watch the video and read the description for Quirky’s first-ever brief below.
THE BRIEF:
Ever imagine how bland the world would be without stuff on our walls? Pictures, mirrors, clocks, shelves, storage, light fixtures, TVs, you name it — our world is a brighter and more interesting place because of our individual ability to decorate every inch of our homes.
But let’s be honest. Hanging stuff is not easy. Is it level? Will it stay? How do I reach all the way up there? How many attachment points do I need?
Sure, it’s not exactly rocket science, but it sure takes a hell of a lot more time then it should.
So we’ve decided to throw our collective hats into the ring. There’s got to be a better way.
We’re not talking about creating a better hook or adhesive — there are plenty of companies that have nailed that (“nailed” that, get it?). We’re talking about taking one step back:
Let’s design a product that makes it easy to hang stuff on walls.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll dissect the problem to its core and start identifying all the pieces that need to go together to create the ultimate solution: a single product that makes it easy and straightforward for any person to decorate their living space.
We couldn’t be more excited.
So put on your thinking caps…
We’ll post a link to the submissions page on Monday.
When we read Tracie Beer’s idea submission for “the halter hanger” we couldn’t contain ourselves. Finally, an elegant solution for a widespread problem!
As to be expected, the idea resonated with all the gals in the room – I know I’ll commit to at least 10 – but the guys were maybe even more jazzed. Gaz got excited about the design potential and the possibility of turning this into a unisex hanger. Ben wanted to give it a 100 on viability (don’t worry, we didn’t let him). Chad let out a girlish squeal at one point in the conversation.
And it seemed like the community loved this idea as well. Not only did you guys give it the highest “Likeliness to Purchase” rating, but you also said the following:
“I think this is brilliant and could make threshold in minutes if priced right.”
“Makes the most sense out of all the ideas this week.”
“I can’t believe that this doesn’t exist yet! Every woman needs at least 20 of these in their closets!”
“It looks like the bat signal from Batman. It’ll get the superhero demographic as well. Hanging those capes is a real challenge!”
So that’s why, although this idea ranked sixth in idea submissions, it received a unanimous “wild card” staff vote for this week. That, combined with the large gap between males and females who voted in this round, pushed this idea to the top of our list. We’ve reserved the right to select a “wild card” winner when we see something that really grabs our attention and sparks discussion, which this product idea more than accomplished.
But really, we just want to break into that superhero market. 
Congrats to newbie ideator Tracie for a winner!
Ben H. just took these gosh-darn attractive photos of the latest Switch prototype. What do you think?
Sigh… if only we were MIT first-years. Then we’d be able to “Discover Product Design” with this beyond-cool week-long pre-orientation program run by the MIT Ideation Lab, which wrapped up last month. Justin Lai, the mechanical engineering PhD student who organized the project, led students through five days of campus lab tours, visits to design firms, and fun exercises and activities. The students documented their experience through a photo essay project, which is now posted online.
Even if we can’t go back to school this fall — ’cause no matter how fond our memories, who really liked all that homework anyway? — there’s no reason we can’t get back into learning mode. The Ideation Lab’s resource list is an excellent place to start. Here are some other must-visit product design resource destinations from the Quirky Design Staff:
Core77 — “provides a gathering point for designers and enthusiasts alike by producing design competitions, lecture series, parties, and exhibits.” They also publish articles, discussion forums, an extensive event calendar, hosts portfolios, job listings, a database of design firms, schools, vendors and services.
Coroflot — “the largest, most established, most diverse pool of professional creative portfolios in the world.” They also offer groups and an advice blog.
IDSketching — A blog from a group of industrial designers who “love sketching and love helping others.”
IDSA — The big kahuna of industrial design resource sites, IDSA is “the world’s oldest, largest, member-driven society for product design, industrial design, interaction design, human factors, ergonomics, design research, design management, universal design and related design fields.” Their education section is brimming with info.
Enjoy, and don’t hesitate to send us Apples as thanks.
Photos courtesy of the DPD 2010 Flickr feed.
And now, a lil’ Bonfi logo design inspiration from the QDS to close out your Monday. Sit back, relax, and enjoy… then get to work!
1. Skygarden – Simple form with hidden details. An element of surprise. Intricate, yet subtle surface treatment.
2. Water – Simple, organic geometry. Playful and intriguing form. Balanced proportions.
3. Nissan Cube – Refined surfaces and shapes based off of basic geometry. Cute, yet purposful and strong.
4. Farallon – Hidden functionality makes elegant more useful. Thoughtful balance between comfort and utility.
Know any cool New York college students or recent grads? Shirley and I are looking for a lil’ help on Quirky’s community team.
Do you love suits? Are you familiar with the intricate complexities of Xerox machines? Have you set records with the speed at which you can ramble off Starbucks orders?
Awesome. This internship probably isn’t for you, though.
Quirky is seeking hard-working, ass-kicking interns to join our energetic start-up team in our New York office. There will be no coffee runs, and we don’t even have a Xerox machine. Quirky interns will assist the Community department with, well, pretty much everything. This internship will introduce you to the world of social product development and provide hands-on experience in the fields of consumer products, online community management, social media, and marketing. Please note that this internship is unpaid, but we will provide a small monthly stipend.
Here’s what we’re looking for:
Current college students and recent college grads
Excellent writing and speaking ability
Efficient and speedy work ethic
Kind and helpful personality
Ability and desire to throw down when necessary — remember, we are a start-up, so it’s often necessary to wear many hats!
A cover letter that will knock our socks off
Commitment and availability from rightthisinstant thru the end of December
And here’s a little bit more about us:
Quirky is a social product development company based in New York City. Your product ideas come in, the Quirky community and team work on them, we sell the product worldwide, and then we share the revenue with the inventor and all influencers. By enabling this fluid conversation between our global community of influencers and Quirky’s expert product design team, we are able to accomplish what was once unthinkable: bringing one brand new product concept from sketch to store each week.
To apply, first check out our website at www.quirky.com. Sign up, poke around, participate. After you’ve done this, please send your resume and a quirky, personalized cover letter to communityintern@quirky.com.
Wondering what we were up to last week? The cat’s outta the bag.
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