This presentation introduces Mineblock - an easy to use safe sandbox for children to play Minecraft. You'll hear about how the project was conceived and developed, along with the challenges of designing objects that are equally digital and physical. You'll learn about how new prototyping and production tools are giving independent designers the ability to create sophisticated network-enabled products. Through this case study you'll learn about Meta Products - an emerging class of networked products & services made possible through the merging of hardware and software into a single fluid design discipline.

1. DESIGNING
MERGING PHYSICAL WITH DIGITAL
TO CREATE META PRODUCTS

2. Haig Armen
Assistant Professor of Design
Emily Carr University of Art + Design

3. Founder & Creative Director of Lift Studios
an interaction design studio in Vancouver

4. • How Mineblock was created
• How it represents Meta products
• How Meta products differ from other products
• How design process changes
• How you can approach designing Meta products

5. SOLVING A
PROBLEM

7. GRIEFING

9. Griefing is the act of irritating and angering players
on multiplayer servers using methods such as
destruction, social engineering and trolling.
!
Examples of griefing:
• destruction of structures owned by other players
• stealing other players items
• repeated killing of less well-equipped players

11. Mineblock is a small affordable gaming server
that is easily set up on your home network for
your children and their friends to play
multiplayer Minecraft games safely.

20. Deciding on
Materials &
Assembly

23. USER EXPERIENCE

24. HOW IS MINEBLOCK
A META PRODUCT?

25. META PRODUCT:

26. META PRODUCT:

27. location
physicality
ergonomics
wearable
realtime data
social networks
database APIs
mapping
input/output
temperature
motion/vision
orientation
META PRODUCT:

28. EXAMPLE:
Withings is a French
company founded in
2008 that specializes
in bringing new
functions to everyday
objects through a
connection to the
internet.

29. We don’t just see a thermostat
with a better user interface;
we see a smartphone that has
thermostat functions.
!
When you redefine the world
that way, it opens it up to many
more possibilities.
!
Tony Fadell, CEO of Nest
EXAMPLE:

30. Nest has
revolutionized the
home automation
industry with their
thermostaRtse c&o Pn rJoettect
EXAMPLE:

31. Recon Jet
EXAMPLE:

32. Product
Designer
Software
Engineer
Business/
Marketing
TEAM

33. Product
Designer
Software
Engineer
Business/
Marketing
Interaction
Designer
TEAM

34. Situating the design of user experience within
an ecology of spaces, devices, and audiences
from small to large scales in interactions has
never been more necessary.”
!
- Mike Kuniavsky

35. CHALLENGES:
Information is your raw material
!
Privacy is a design principle

36. DESIGN PROCESS

37. DESIGN PROCESS

38. TOOLS: HARDWARE

39. TOOLS: HARDWARE
ARDUINO

40. TOOLS: HARDWARE
RASPBERRY PI

41. TOOLS: HARDWARE
BEAGLEBOARD

42. TOOLS: HARDWARE
SPARK

43. TOOLS: PLATFORMS

44. START NOW
THINKING BY TINKERING
(making to think, thinking to make)

45. Kickstarter Campaign
STARTS TOMORROW

46. THANKS
Haig Armen
@haigarmen