inside/out design thinking began with this: What were the literal implications of reversing products and packaging for beverages, film, coins, cartridges, and the like?

We refined ou r design statement to be: “Reverse the relationship of a compact fluorescent lightbulb and its packaging while having a positive impact on the environment.”

The relationship and interactions between the packaging and the lightbulb were explored during the conceptualization phase. For example, we analyzed what other functions and relationships the packaging could have with the lightbulb, in addition to protection during initial shipment. The packaging was given additional functionality by analyzing the full journey of the lightbulb from production to sale, to use, and ultimately through disposal/recycling.

Packaging became part of the lightbulb product and part of the end use of the product upon purchase. In the final concept the inside of the package becomes the literal outside of the package and demonstrates a symbiotic relationship between outside and inside.

“feeling the road,” “reacts to my touch,” and “molds to my hand” took on enhanced meaning when working through the interactions. The designers found a need to translate the mechanization of the hand to the glove as well as subtle changes of the hand to the feedback of driving. How can a glove perform better than skin? Materials that transfer energy, touch, and the importance of sensing vibration led to the inclusion of tactile touchpoints designed into the fingerpads of the glove. Our solution, micro-needles that organically conformed to the nerves on the fingerpads, subtly transfers feedback (e.g., force and vibration) and serves as a direct link between the steering wheel and the fingertip without the dampening of associated fabric.

Further consideration of the desired grip, more surface area on the wheel, and more distribution of force across the hand led to our concept of air bladders. As the user increases air flow by opening and closing the hand, the glove’s comfort increases but reduces some of the feedback. This might be more appropriate for a cruis-

An organic sketch evolves into a smarter driving glove.

A Smarter Driving Glove

To understand the impact of inside/out design thinking on something as simple as a driving glove, a recent project challenged our team of designers to approach the problem as a series of interactions that operate independently and together to form the driving-glove “experience.” Each interaction was discussed, both functionally and emotionally, as a design problem to solve and as a deliberate part of the design.

Desired aspirations, such as

Driving Glove Design Approach

Within the I-O philosophy,
the driving glove can be
considered as a series of
interactions with individual
needs as well as relationships
to each other. This is
used as our framework for
conceptualizing a final solution.

Interaction between the outer portion of the glove and the steering wheel Interaction between the outer portion of the glove and the climate/environment Interaction between the inner portion of the glove and the outer portion of the glove Interaction between human hand and inner portion of the glove

May + June 2008