Innovating education in South Africa: Formula D interactive presents a virtual, yet tangible Chemistry Lab.
Posted by Michael Wolf on December 22, 2011 | No Comments
Formula D Interactive recently developed a Virtual Chemistry Lab, as a safe, low cost alternative to the standard chemistry laboratory in schools. The heart of the system is a so called object recognition table. The interactive platform consists of a 50″ High Definition rear projected screen prepped with lots of computing power. Sophisticated pattern recognition technology allows users to navigate content information by placing physical cards onto the table’s glass surface.
Category: design, e-Learning, education, educational exhibition, human-computer interaction, innovation, interaction design, South Africa, Technology
Tags: Cape Town > design > digital divide > digitalm interactive technology > e-Learning > education > educational display > human-computer interaction > interaction design > multi-user interface > non-traditional interfaces > Science education > South Africa > tangible interfaces > Virtual Chemistry Lab
ibali – speaking public furniture design to inspire citizens
Posted by Michael Wolf on December 1, 2011 | No Comments
ibali is a public furniture design concept designed by Johan du Toit and Michael Wolf from Formula D interactive in their spare time. ibali offers an extra service to city dwellers: It inspires. A recent city branding initiative gave Cape Town the title: City of Inspiration. Cape Town and its citizens are rich with inspirational people and stories that are linked to specific places and streets in Cape Town. ibali – space of inspiration aims at creating islands of inspiration in the city allowing citizens to step out of the stream of everyday life to get a dose of hope and inspiration.
Category: Cape Town, Corporate Social Responsibility, design, interaction design, South Africa, Technology
Tags: Cape Town > design > education > Formula D Interactive > ibali > Johan du Toit > Micheal Wolf > public design > public furniture
Product design in Cape Town: An interview with Johan du Toit
Posted by Michael Wolf on November 10, 2011 | No Comments
“Design is an open ended exercise at the best of times, but early involvement narrows the target area. The different design disciplines involved in a project should also work as a team, to align efforts. Branding, communication and product designers often work in isolation from each other leading to an incoherent result.”
Category: Cape Town, design, Exhibition design, ICSID World Design Capital 2014, multi-touch, museum displays, South Africa, Technology
Tags: Cape Town > design > multi-touch > multi-user interface > South Africa > Technology > World Design Capital
Toppling Godsigner – Jenna Mervis talks to Cape Town’s Mugendi M’Rithaa about Transformative Design
Posted by Jenna Mervis on October 20, 2011 | No Comments
“…Participatory design is almost a reaction against taking the end-user for granted. We’re saying that there is an embedded or tacit knowledge which the consumer has that will enrich the design process. Designers too can learn something in this relationship. We learn more about the context and the consumer becomes more visually literate, more design conscious. It is actually in our interest as designers to co-create with the consumer, because then they start to appreciate our role and our work even better…”
Category: Cape Town, Cape Town Design Network, design, Development, education, South Africa, World Design Capital Bid 2014
Tags: Cape Town > CPUT > design > design thinking > Development > education > ICSID > Interdesign > Mugendi M'Rithaa > participatory design > South Africa > Transformative design > World Design Capital
The Open Budgets Game: A serious game for civil society organisations
Posted by Michael Wolf on October 18, 2011 | No Comments
In this Pecha Kucha style talk, Michael Wolf presents the potential of serious games and edutainment to enhance learning. He uses the example of the Open Budgets Game, which has recently been designed by Formula D interactive, Michael’s design company.
Category: Cape Town, Cape Town Design Network, design, e-Learning, education, Serious games, South Africa
Tags: Cape Town > Computing > design > Development > e-Learning > education > educational games > Formula D Interactive > online game
Gamification: Gaming the real world
Posted by Jenna Mervis on May 9, 2011 | 3 Comments
Earlier this year, an angel fell from the sky onto the tiled floor of Victoria Station, London, and began interacting with commuters. It was a beautiful piece of augmented reality by Axe as part of their Excite promotion. It was also a visible marker of where the virtual world is headed: terra firma. From virtual [...]
Category: design, innovation, interaction design, Serious games, Technology
Tags: design > digitalm interactive technology > e-Learning > educational games > Formula D Interactive > Gamification > interaction design > online game
Cape Town designers: Join the Cape Town Design Network
Posted by Michael Wolf on April 29, 2011 | No Comments
The Cape Town Design Network (CTDN) invites you to subscribe to its mailing list. This will ensure that in future you receive all notices of meetings and any relevant information. Go to www.ctdn.co.za to subscribe or follow their Twitter feed. Here’s what CTDN has to say in their recent newsletter: “The Cape Town Design Network [...]
Category: Cape Town, Cape Town Design Network, design, South Africa, World Design Capital Bid 2014
Tags: Cape Town > CTDN > design > Events > Network > South Africa > World Design Capital
How to design technology tools for the classroom of tomorrow (Part 1)
Posted by Michael Wolf on April 14, 2011 | No Comments
I recently spoke at a workshop with the title “The South African classroom of the future” at CSIR, Meraka institute in Pretoria. In my presentation “Tools for the classroom of the tomorrow” I discussed the following 4 questions:
- What are technology tools for learning?
- How do technology tools benefit the classroom of today?
- What are the requirements for the design of tools for the classroom of tomorrow?
- What are the key technologies for the classroom of tomorrow?
In this blog post I will deal with the first 2 questions.
Category: design, e-Learning, education, Technology
Tags: classroom > digital divide > e-Learning > education > ICT > learning > meraka > school > tangible interfaces > tools
Gandhi prison interactive museum project in South Africa seeks funding
Posted by Michael Wolf on March 10, 2011 | No Comments
The old Burger Street prison in Pietermaritzburg has exceptional historic significance for South Africa and its people. The building is a monument for the ill-treatment of human rights in South Africa during colonial rule and Apartheid regime.
Formula D interactive has been commissioned by Project Gateway to present a conceptual road map for the creation of a state of the art museum within the walls of the prison. Whilst maintaining the original layout and harsh features of the location, the proposed exhibits enhance the authentic experience with information graphics as well as cutting edge multimedia displays.
Category: Corporate Social Responsibility, education, educational exhibition, Exhibition design, interaction design, museum displays
Tags: digitalm interactive technology > educational display > museum design > public service > South Africa
Technology Education versus Design Education?
Posted by Michael Wolf on March 1, 2011 | No Comments
It is a chicken-and-egg-question: What drives innovation? Technology or Design? What inspires what and what came first? One can follow an an interesting debate around the subject in a post (and comments) by Bruce Nussbaum in Businessweek. Don Norman has an interesting point when shaking the tree with his statement Technology first, invention second, needs last. But what is actually the essential difference between technology and design?
Category: Development, education, innovation, Technology
Tags: design > education > Technology