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IIDA Human Centered Design Panel Recap

Posted on May 4, 2016August 25, 2017 by rapteditor

On April 28th our San Francisco studio was able to showcase the new event space in our SF studio when we hosted the IIDA San Francisco City Center’s panel discussion on Human Centered Design. The event was organized & MC’d by Stephen Kolacki (Designer, Rapt Studio), and moderated by Louis Schump (Account Executive, Rapt Studio). The panel consisted of: Elizabeth Freer, Principal at Oppenheim Lewis, and client rep for the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind, Joseph White, Director of Workplace Strategy + Design + Management for Herman Miller, and Dido Tsigaridi, Senior Design Experience Researcher for Autodesk.

Louis began the discussion with E.O. Wilson’s explanation of Biophilia, which is defined as a love of life or living systems. He also referenced IDEOs definition of Human Centered Design – a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs. The conversation focused on the many facets of creating successful design; be it physical space, software, product, industrial design, a process or an experience, and advancing design solutions beyond surface level beauty to understand and exceed client expectations.

Elizabeth reinforced that designing for all senses is crucial for success, as users of any space, object, or interaction will have a unique perspective. Dido mentioned the human propensity to anthropomorphize can cause people to consider technology a life form and reinforced the importance of getting to “The Why” of a problem/solution. Joseph helped to tie these concepts together by highlighting the need to providing tools that allow people to build empathy.

Shortly before the discussion was shifted to the audience for a Q+A session, Louis brought the conversation full circle when he said, “the challenge was neither incorporating biophilia nor adhering to the tenants of Human Centered Design, rather, successful design is one that allows people to experience their humanity, or enhances the human experience.”

We want to thank everyone in attendance, especially our wonderful panelists.

Metropolis Magazine Think Tank Panel Recap

Posted on March 9, 2016August 17, 2017 by rapteditor

Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting METROPOLIS for a Think Tank Panel titled Choice, Comfort, and Senses: The Workplace Experience.

In the workplace – as at home and in life – we desire choice, comfort and a sensory experience. By supplementing the predictable with unexpected –an unusual texture, a tantalizing aroma, a mood-altering beat – we define memorable workplace experiences and differentiate the exceptional from the mundane.

The panel was moderated by Susan Senazy, Publisher/Editor in Chief at METROPOLIS. The panelists included Greg Petroff – Chief Experience Officer at GE Digital, Glara Ahn – Experience Design Lead at Dropbox, Josh Turnbull – Founder and CEO at Lydian Dential, Louis Schump – Account Executive at Rapt Studio, and Sam Gray – Art Director at Rapt Studio.

Susan was her charming self and a great discussion was had around the idea of choice and options in the workplace. The panelists brought diverse ways of working to the panel – from a tech office at Dropbox, to destination based collaborative space at GE, to an innovative dental approach at Lydian.

The common thread through all of these was a demand for not only better work space, but for smarter ways of working. All of these industries have had a traditionally static approach to work and the workplace. Rather than prescriptive solutions, hackable systems enable the user to cater the experience to their particular needs, thus improving quality of work, not too mention recruiting and retention.

A big thanks to Susan, her team at METROPOLIS, and to all who attended. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more Rapt Studio updates.

Photography by Claudia Veizaga

David Kind Sunglasses by Rapt Studio

Posted on February 10, 2016August 31, 2017 by rapteditor

Every year we create a special something for our friends and colleagues as a token of our appreciation for their ongoing support of Rapt Studio. This year, that gift came in the form of a collaboration with Los Angeles based eyewear brand David Kind.

As an online-based eyewear brand, David Kind has redefined what it means to work with the best craftsmen in the world and bring premium eyewear to market. Through a finely tuned experience and patented technologies, David Kind is able to style its clients through unprecedented technologies. We’re big fans of their designs and how they’ve re-imagined the experience of buying eyewear online.

For this project, we took two existing styles – and put a Rapt Studio touch on them. Both frames have custom designed hinges and anti slip grooves engraved into the temple tip with our “Rawr!” slogan. The frames also include anti-reflective coated sun lenses to reduce bounce back glare.

The package includes a custom cleaning cloth debossed with Latitude & Longitude coordinates representing our Los Angeles and San Francisco studios, as well as a co-branded marbled cork case.