User Interface: And t s simplest approach that I came to is is to change , programme and operate an electronic device remotely . I mean that's an obvious thing to say , but it's not attached to the device that you want to control . Um I had some things sent to me . Not very much . To look at similar devices . Um defined in some them . And then the personal preferences that I will suggest . Um we discussed a universal one . Um like it's just been brought up again then . But I think a universal remote control is actually quite a difficult object to design , and po possibly within maybe the budget that we do it , um because you'd need to know all the spef specifications of a all the like electronic companies . I'm not sure have you ever come across a universal remote control yourself , but you have to i they're a nightmare to use . You have to set them , reset them to everything . Um and that would only add buttons . Whereas I think the aim is to take away buttons . So I think it'd be better maybe to concentrate on maybe just a universal one for T_V_s . Um or maybe just one that you could we could design and then different people , manufacturers could use it to set to their specifications , if if the aim is to get something that's unique in design . Um Okay here here's just two pictures of remote controls . They're just simple T_V_ remote controls . But one is uh user-centred . That is the one on the left . And you can straight away see there's less buttons . And the other one is engineer-centred where that's more uh specified for the sort of the elaborate piece of equipment it's trying to control um  which appeals more to the product that we want , and on what the have said and the market research and stuff probably looking at something that should be user-centred . Fewer buttons , simpler to use , and if ten percent um is hidden away if ten percent is what's used , maybe the other fifty percent , the buttons that are used very rarely like programming , they could be hidden maybe under some remote controls you might have come across have maybe a little flip thi thing where they're hidden away . And the main buttons are the ones you or the ones you come across . Um and finally , um uh sort I've sort of covered that , our product I think should be user interface orientated . Um Like I said to concentrate on T_V_ remote control , a universal remote might be too complex . Um and as what it , the major findings market researchers have said , it's the image and the appearance that people di dislike . So that we should concentrate on something that would set a trend . And that's it .
Industrial Designer: cable there . Thank you .
Project Manager: What was your last conclusion on that one ? Focus on uh the i
User Interface: On something on the image of it .
Project Manager: the image of it .
User Interface: Uh the f the actual design .
Project Manager: 'Kay . Good . Good .
Industrial Designer: Okay . Gonna talk to you about the working design of the interiors basically which is what dictates the design the both the interface basically and the outer appearance because this is all the stuff that needs to go in there . Right . So unfortunately the people who were supposed to do this little presentation for me obviously were too drunk to actually accomplish it ,
Marketing: Project Manager: Industrial Designer: so um I'm going to do a lot of the stuff on the board . Um just This is the basic basic premise of a remote control . Um the basic function is to send messages to another system . Okay so much is clear . An energy source feeds an integrated circuit , like a chip , that can compose messages . Often in the form of infrared bits . This is the most mostly used . Um there's uh also some sound systems but infrared is the better or the more more used system . Um parts are cheaper as well . A user interface controls the chip and accordingly the messages . This is where my people screwed up basically .
Marketing: Industrial Designer: So I'm going to explain that on the board rather . Um what we have is different components that obviously need to go in there . We'll start with an energy source . Right . Um which is usually a battery right ? Since it's not feasible to add a cable to that . This energy source of course is connected to the the user interface itself . Uh which can be buttons , whatever , which in fact controls a chip . Right ? This is the user interface and there we have the chip . Um the way this goes normally is that this chip then controls an infrared lamp . That sends out the signal . Of course the signal differs accordingly . Um depending on what the chip tells the infrared lan lamp . And Of course that's controlled , the chip itself is controlled by the user interface . The way you normally normally do it is that you add a little device such as a lamp to the whole thing as well , so that you know that it's working basically . You press something , you get a response . Which is also comparatively um important on one of those devices . Now this , what we're talking about here , or what I think should be discussed are these two components mostly . The the uh energy source for one thing can be altered . What we probably cannot alter is of course the infrared , the sending device basically , the infrared lamp . We cannot change the chip which controls the infrared lamp . Right ? These two are components that we have to use , and these are dictated by the whole function of the whole thing . Um the lamp can be put onto the desi the device . It c it doesn't have to be there . This can be discussed as well . The user interface . That's something we can also discuss . Um as we've heard uh speech recognition is the hype obviously in the moment . Speech recognition um interface , we don't know that . Or if we just do the usual button thing . Or we have a touch pad or something like that that's something we can discuss . And of course the energy source . Batteries . Solar cells . Who knows ? Of course it's always a question whether these these components are in fact available cheap enough , developed enough . But that's like I s I suppose rather up to marketing , and not to
Project Manager: So we could the the
Industrial Designer: to the industrial design department .
Project Manager: the more complex we make it of course , the more expensive Industrial Designer: Expensive it's gonna be get uh . Yeah .
Project Manager: But people have said that they would well younger generations of people have said that they would pay more for a speech recognition remote .
Marketing: Mm-hmm .
Project Manager: So possibly it might be worth the investment .
Industrial Designer: Right .
User Interface: I think speech recognition was uh one of those things where um they have to be really good for them to work . 'Cause sometimes you find yourself just saying things over and o if it's on your phone .
Marketing: Yeah . Project Manager: I agree . Well User Interface: And you need to sort of take into light languages and then different dialects I suppose as well .
Project Manager: I myself I find , when you , h when there's something like spee speech recognition . Like uh you call on the phone and you try to change your telephone or power or something . Sometimes they have a a speech recognition on the other end ,
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: and you say one for this , and you find yours , like you said , saying the same thing over and over and over . I find myself , especially if I'm in a crowd of people , looking really silly .
User Interface: Yeah .
Marketing: Project Manager: So maybe if you're sitting on your couch with a bunch of people then you know , you  User Interface: And wou I don't know if would would you want to keep saying stuff if you were watching stuff . If you were watching something would you sort of be wanting Project Manager: Volume up . Volume down . Change the channel , you know channel up , channel down ?
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: I I don't know .
Marketing: Another thing about these figures is ninety one percent of the youngest age groups said they'd do it , but probably a lot of them that's actually their parents money . Like I don't know if they would actually go out and purchase this themselves , a fifteen year old you know .
User Interface: I think As well it'd be j the gimmick factor for the younger people .
Project Manager: Mm-hmm .
Marketing: Yeah .
User Interface: But practically I don't think it's  Project Manager: It's a , it's a gimmick factor that they like at first , and User Interface: Yeah . It'll wear off .
Marketing: Gets old yeah .
Project Manager: Okay . Um Let's see here .
User Interface: Do you wanna put your cord back in ?
Project Manager: Yeah I guess so .
Industrial Designer: Oh right . Project Manager: Trade you .
Industrial Designer: go . Project Manager: Now I was sent a couple of things to modify our uh new requirements . Um the remote's only gonna be for the television , which is good because we already decided y your your research showed that uh not only is a universal remote more complicated , it's more cost , more costly . And your re uh research showed that you know most of the people don't even use it . I think uh you said fifty percent of the people only use half the or ten percent of the buttons .
Marketing: Mm .
Project Manager: So if we remove the universal remote then that solves that problem . Um no teletext . Um So we don't have to worry about that . Um but we do have to use the the company wants us to incorporate the corporate colour and our slogan , which is we put the fashion in electronics . And our corporate colours are grey and yellow . And we could probably get away with black too but So those are the three um the three new requirements that that I was told we need to use . Um from all all three of your uh presentations , I think that we were on the right track a lot in our last meeting . We want something that looks good . Um we want something that's simple . We want something that you can find easily . Um And the speech recognition I I guess is kind of uh give or take . It's gonna cost more . S the young the younger people say that they like it .
Industrial Designer: Mm-hmm .
Project Manager: But um it's probably , I would say , probably not worth the investment at this point in time . So maybe we should just do away with speech recognition . Um And that way we can focus on our form .
User Interface: I did have have a thought about the sort of the tracking thing . Is that if it came with maybe a holder or holster , whatever you wanna call it . Um that you you should put it back in . Your remote . But if you don't put it back in , you press something like a little button on that , and that just sort of sends out a beep to find where it is or something . Just by infrared . That shouldn't be too complex I would've thought .
Project Manager: That'd be , that'd be good if we were going with our our ball .
User Interface: Yeah it would be quite good .
Project Manager: Or or with you know I guess with any form that that would be good .
User Interface: The ball could sit on a Marketing: Mm .
Project Manager: You know that could be the charger . For you know
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: we could use rechargeable batteries in the remote . And that would be or solar . Or you know However , however you wanted to go about it , the holder could also be the charging unit . Um User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: With the locator button . Um and if it were the ball you'd no longer have to have a flat space on it .
User Interface: Yeah .
Project Manager: Um like
Industrial Designer: Well
Project Manager: if
Industrial Designer: you still do .
Project Manager: we still have the how to hold on to it
Industrial Designer: You s you still W yeah . You put it on t on the couch table .
Project Manager: It's gonna roll away .
Industrial Designer: While you're watching ,
Marketing: Rolls away
Industrial Designer: it's gonna roll off . So
Marketing: yeah .
Industrial Designer: that's not an issue really .
Project Manager: Um So I guess after the meeting we'll have some questionnaires . And uh and some summaries for for what's going on . Um then we'll take lunch . Then we can come back and uh work on our individual work . Um I'll do the minutes . Uh let's see . It looks like you're already on your way for uh working with the components . Um chips , the what chips we need
Industrial Designer: .
Project Manager: and what uh you know how to power it and whatnot . User interface concept , we want it to be something simple .