project manager: So  who has the fir do you ha Anna do you have your presentation ready ? marketing: I have a presentation , I'm just making this industrial designer: Yeah I think yeah the Matthew it is it's important that Matthew yeah is here project manager: Okay . Ah industrial designer: because it's really a a team  project with a team project manager: there is Matthew . industrial designer: user interface: So project manager: So did you manage  user interface: Yeah I sent you the slides , you didn't see them ? project manager: Oh yes I see him , good yes . Okay so this is just a presentation on  the trends that we're gonna use to make the product stand out from the rest of the products out there at the moment .  can I just put this on ? So we have to work out a way what we can do with our product to make it stand out and make it so people wanna buy it . We basically used  some focus group surveys which I went through with you last time , the main results of that , and  some research on the current design  and fashion trends that are out there at the moment  , industrial designer: marketing: and as part of this The important aspects that came out were things that we've already discussed really . Most people find remote controls boring at the moment , we need to have something that looks interesting , that looks exciting , that will stand out .  That was twice as i important as the next item on here which is that it has to be technologically innovative has to have something else , apart from just the look of it . Third on the list , and again innovative was twice as important as this last  aspect , it has to be easy to use . So they have to be able to be able to look at it and have some intuitive idea of how to use it  . This is basically talking about just the the feel of it , so probably not the smell of it , but the bright colours ,  eye-catching , really bold designs , and a spongy feel . marketing:  I had a talk to the design people about this , but having a remote that's tactile , that feels different , that would be really cool . industrial designer: So can you repeat and be more precise about what you just said ? project manager: Spongy feel ? industrial designer:  about the feeling yeah  yo marketing: Well user interface: You can marketing: ma make it not necessar sp spongy is the current thing . Spongy is the current texture , but basically there are no reports no remotes at the moment which are spongy or tactile at all , so if we make it like maybe furry or soft or something , that'll be something that sets it apart , industrial designer: Okay . marketing: So as far as the design goes , the very most important aspect was the design , to the customers . So going with the fruit and vegetable idea , we've got the bright colours , so makes it stand out , the oranges and the the bright yellows and the florescent colours , part of the fruit and vegetables  . Going back to the idea of taking inspiration from mobile phones , they've all got those a lot of them have the changeable covers , so they can choose what colour the outside is . marketing: So if it's part of the the changeable covers then may maybe they can choose a different texture , a spongy one or a soft one or something like that . So they can choose it li as they want to to maybe to fit in with their decor in their living room , or just what they like , their sports team or whatever . marketing:  and yeah , still taking the inspiration from the mobile phone design so functionality , the way the mobile phones work , the way the keypad looks . People put a lot of thought into that so we can leverage off that , and we can start using some of their ideas .  we talked about having a way of finding a remote control if it's been lost ,  that's one thing we could look at . There are other aspects like L_C_D_ screens and speech recognition which weren't I don't think , in my personal opinion , gonna be worth the extra expense and the extra effort that will go into them . I had no real specific ideas for this , maybe we just , the basic idea of having your core functions big and at the top maybe , by themselves , project manager:  . Yes well marketing: and then project manager: maybe Matthew can can give some more information on the marketing: yeah user interface: Yeah . marketing: and then th th the finer details of buttons you don't use as much either hidden away or completely separate .  marketing: So does anyone have any comments or ideas on that ? I think you project manager: Maybe we yes well we maybe can decide later on  the l the the look and feel of  I've it was a good idea maybe to to industrial designer: To let the people choose , you mean ? project manager: Yes the the the there are changeable covers , industrial designer: Yeah . project manager: but on the other hand I I don't know whether my superiors would be so glad with it because you have to introduce a complete   new l line of  of supplies marketing:  . project manager:  it would be  very complicated  organisational industrial designer: marketing: Well we're selling so many units of this . This is gonna be a mass marketed product , we can afford to have two or three different designs at least . industrial designer: Sure that fits the project manager: Yes and of course it will be a we we get a if it works we can get  after-sales marketing:  . project manager: That's a very good idea  And then  maybe  we can go a th Matthew's presentation because user interface: Yeah marketing: user interface: s project manager: the user interface: then we could discuss later like we can put all ideas together . project manager: because you ma might have some some information on the the easy to use , industrial designer: Yeah yeah I agree . user interface: so  Okay so m so then the the idea of  having a remote is generally you have  different keys and  different structures , different forms , and  they could be like buttons and  they could be of  a varying sizes if you want to to  basically emphasize a particular key more than the other , and  maybe like you can have different colours for example having the r red for the on off switching on and off the button . user interface: So what I have found was that  currently  the they are mostly that the T_V_ , V_C_R_ , music system operated ones actually , and they are very specific to each other , but there are some common keys for example if you want to follow the V_C_R_ and if you want to follow the  g  s some  soundtrack on the w w see they have the common thing actually you can have marketing:  . user interface: and  There is also  a speech recognition to store channel information , names , like You can basically if you have a multiple functionality , say T_V_ , V_C_R_ or something I say it to the T_V_ and the T_V_ , and you can programme the keys if you want to , certain keys are even the channel information . I like the idea though of having speech recognition for like the n the name of a channel like B_B_C_ , rather than having to remember the the number of it on the keypad . user interface: Yeah yeah so you you you can just  because  as more and more channels come then you have more and more problems to remember the v v exact channel numbers ex exactly , industrial designer: . user interface: even if you arrange it by however you arrange it , you still have the problem to remember exactly which channel you want to marketing:  . industrial designer: So what functionalities do you suggest for that ? For facing this problem ? user interface: So it it it's like it limited one . In the present market I saw it that says something like they are looking for eighty word thing , eighty word , marketing: Basically you want you don't want to store all the channels in the remote control , marketing:  . user interface: And  basically  it depends like the remote with L_C_D_ display for browsing because you have multiple functionalities for example you are watching a movie , and   you are having a universal remote control and you want to  you don't know really which functionality is now , so I am using the T_V_ so every time I use it , it could be like , for example I can use a simple toggle switch , and a display , so I press it so the display says , okay , I'm in T_V_ or D_V_D_ or whatever it is , instead of having three keys separately for four keys , marketing: And  well there can be children friendly where you can programme your remote so that they they are not allowed  to browse certain channels which you can block them , and you can operate them . user interface: I personally would look at things like having a u universal remote , is   is a good idea , like instead of having unusual ones for all of them you can think of having ,  with multiple functionality possibly with speech recognition . user interface: I got a mail from the the coffee machine interface unit that  they have  integrated the s speech recognition into a into the coffee machine , industrial designer: marketing:  b user interface: and so if you say hello coffee machine , it say hi Joe , or something like that , you know , and  marketing: But a coffee machine , there's not too many words they'd be using with that it's a it's a small vocabulary . user interface: Yeah you you won't be using it , so it's a limited vocabulary  thing , and very isolated word marketing:  . user interface: and it's  it is interesting , and basically storing the channel through voice or other ways of programming your keys , on the display for the browsing marketing:  . user interface: which is again and maybe having something like a blinking thing , like  it could indicate you're  it it could indicate what is cal like the  whether  you you have enough battery in your in your  remote , the blinking . user interface: At the same time , if it's a dark room , it can be used to locate the remote also marketing: user interface: or industrial designer: And you want okay for coming back to one point marketing: Two thirty five supposed to finish . industrial designer: y you want to let the user to programming the keys ? Some of them ? user interface: Yeah you can let them to do that . industrial designer: And  isn't that too difficult for the we want w I don't know if we still want the  R_C_ to be easy to use , marketing:  . user interface: N no but the if you give it d depends on the easiness like the user how much effort he can put . user interface: Like for example  I would like to store in certain way , so if you want to give the full freedom to the user marketing:  . marketing: You can have it so it's easy they can pick it up and use it straight away without doing anythi without customizing it , industrial designer: A standard . project manager: maybe you can give a hand to us because I I'm not sure whether that that we can implement that for twelve Euro and fifty cents . project manager: I'm sorry to have Every time I have to come down on this price again marketing:  . project manager: but it's it's it's the real We have to consider it . project manager: do we think these ideas an and my  sp speech recognition ,  maybe it's possible for for twelve Euro but then then it will be at cost of other functionality we might implement like the   the the the furry   case of the marketing:  . industrial designer: - yeah like I would say that for programming  keys , you said ,  it could be  easily  done within the the package of twel twelve Euros , user interface: Yeah . industrial designer: but for the A_S_R_ system ,  I'm not sure if it's feasible to have this user interface: We well we can still look at we can talk with the coffee unit industrial designer: We user interface: and you can  check how much how much they industrial designer: Exactly yeah i if if it's a low vocabulary it's already implemented , user interface: yeah yeah marketing:  . user interface: Maybe we can come we we can talk to them , and we can come with that , project manager:   . user interface: And also well you can think of having  since you have a you know something maybe if you added little bit of display , you might need the to che keep checking the battery , so you really need a some kind of indicator , marketing:  . user interface: so it could be a blinking option of L_E_D_ project manager:  . marketing: I like the idea too of being able to use the remote in the dark , project manager:  . user interface: So marketing: so either having the buttons so you can feel the difference between them or if they if they light up or something . user interface: No actually i if i it is like you know it tells you  , it can be for two purposes , marketing:  . user interface: like if you have an L_C_D_ display and all those things it's not going to be the standard remote , marketing:  . user interface: which is having  which need just  six six volt  th sorry three volts  of D_C_ . user interface: It may need more actually , so y you you may need to check your battery usage it and then you need that , some functionality to indicate the battery limit . user interface: And then if the battery limit is indicated , if it could be ind indicated through a blinking something industrial designer: It's true . user interface: and it can change the colour depending on your  how much is the battery , well that is good enough to even locate even if you want to . user interface: Yeah so industrial designer: I don't know how if if I have time to talk about the project manager:  yes  I would user interface: You you have time some more ? Yep . So what I'm gonna present here is very   yeah basic knowledge about the all the the components that are inside a a R_C_ a remote control , and how is it manufactured h what is the process , just to explain you . industrial designer: So the method is ther there is a a set of components in a in a remote control like , and  what cost the the components in themself do not cost a lot but the the way to assemble everything costs obviously , and I will  show you my preferences   at the end . So there are two  different types of   Two different ways of using the the components for making a a remote control . industrial designer:  the basic way is to use a an integrated circuit and some  transistors with an that aims at communicating   the message and to to send the message to the  to the led that will  transmit to the receiver . And  yeah the other components and the circuit board buttons , infrared , led , etcetera , for the components  . So you finding , just to say that the chip can detect  when a key is pressed , and then it translate to the key , to a sequence , something like morse code , as you know ,  with a different sequence for each key , project manager: industrial designer: and   that's , with the components we will use , we will have different  messages , different sequences , and the chips sends that signal signal to the transistor that amplify to make it stronger  . And  so I think for our design we want some b  programmable  you know V_ V_L_S_I_ or F_P_G_A_  high technology , user interface: Yeah  industrial designer: and this is important , and also we'll use  yeah like in any  high-tech  devices a chip of fi fibreglass to them and connect them . industrial designer: So my personal design we need to find a solution what  what is the material of the cover we want to use . industrial designer: or you said that yeah you had some ideas  like fruit , veg or project manager: Well well industrial designer: I dunno . marketing: project manager: m m maybe m maybe we can give the  the  the case a very   normal a v very normal case but , with the changeable covers to fancy it up . project manager: So like a normal cheap plastic case which can be covered up in , for instance , a wooden case . So they also emailed me that  they have available a bunch of different buttons , a scroll wheels , integrated push buttons s such as a computer mouse . And  very cheap L_C_D_s , so liquid crystal displays , user interface: Yeah . industrial designer: so I'm wondering , I think we might be able to integrate L_C_D_ into our R_C_ . industrial designer: So we have to know that the push button requires a simple chip , but the scroll wheel  and that kind of higher high-tech stuff needs more money  which is a higher price range alright . And the display requires an advanced chip , which in turns is more expensive than the regular chip , but I think  with twelve Euros  and if it's   made for  four million  items , then I think w we could be able to handle that . industrial designer: So to to sum up  we need yeah so I I just said that the components  the list of components  has to be  yeah listed and  and  assembly is a an important process that has to be taken into account . And  for the designing of the cove   cover layout then it's better to to to maybe see that with  the the U_R_ exp U_R_I_ Expert user interface: Sorry . user interface: Yeah so industrial designer: right ? user interface: of course for example  I wanted to know like if you want to have a a fo if you want to have the L_C_D_ display over there , industrial designer: Yes . user interface: or if you want to store a programmes with a keys What kind of things you'll need inside your thin inside W wh what industrial designer: Yeah it's kind of  simple pro progra programmable device , and we have to insert . industrial designer: I think we could insert one that could underlie several functions user interface: Okay so industrial designer: of user interface: in that case you can even look at the technology what the mobile phone is trying to use with the card . How f cost effective it would be to put that car chip into it and do the programmable things . project manager:  so I understand  when we want a display we need a expensive chip , but when we want a scrolling wheel w we also need the expensive chip , so can we use same chip , so with one expensive chip we can  implement several complicated  or advanced features . industrial designer: we could have  one main chip  that could handle ,  it's called F_P_G_A_ chip , that could handle both  like scrolling wheels as well as  L_C_D_ project manager: project manager: when the more expensive chip you mentioned there is is possible in the in the given budget ,  maybe we should go for for the more expensive chip , so all features  which you mentioned can be implemented based on the same chip . user interface: D well project manager: Do you think that's feasible ? user interface: Well I don't know if it'll fit into our cost of twelve point five Euro you know . user interface: Is it possible to fit in to that ? industrial designer: Yeah also thinking , I think both  if we had a budget of twenty twenty  Euros , it will be okay , user interface: Sorry . Actually do maybe two designs and then cost them out and see which one is gonna fit in our budget better . project manager: wh when you make a a design ca you can next meeting you can give an quite an exact cost price . user interface: Yeah that's  that's something which I wanted to ask you also , like what will be the each individually the cost of it . For example if f if you want to put wood I wouldn't suggest for wood industrial designer: Yeah . user interface:  'cause it's I think it's m much easier to use a plastic or a rubber rather than wood . user interface: It will be much ch much expensive th though it's the most natural thing , but project manager: Yes but I can I think  I think we can just use more cheap plastic for a kind of basic edition , and then people can fancy it up with with more expensive materials marketing:  . user interface: it's  Yeah we we can give a preference to them , but it is but with plastic or the rubber or whatever it is it's much better with that rather than going for project manager: Do do you agree ? marketing:  yeah sure . industrial designer: Yeah but i it's a detailed  yeah yeah  plastic versus  wood , user interface: Yeah . industrial designer: and we need maybe to centre our description on  the the really the what buttons what  functionality we want to offer to the user , and maybe with  graphs or I don't know  user interface: Yeah . So  Let let's say next meeting w you produce two designs , one one one less advanced and one more advanced and with the cost price . project manager: which can be later  fancied up with  with addit  additional  , how do you call them , these like like mobile telephones you can put a cover over it . Smooth keys with bigger s  So that you know The the problem most of the time we've seen , the keys is that it's small , project manager:  . user interface: and every time we have to be very but if i the if we if we go to a different ways of designing those keys , then you can merge them together marketing: So is there any of these that you're looking at particularly user interface: to marketing: or is this just ideas ? user interface: Oh you can actually , for example , if you see , they are they are they are quite small over here , marketing: user interface: and  now you can , for example , as I was if you make them big , it may change the look of the thing also to the people . user interface: At the same time , it is m more  like it would be more interesting for people who are having this R_S_I_ and all problem . user interface:  big keys may better for them actually and  marketing: You see ? industrial designer: I agree yeah , marketing: Yeah . marketing: one I've had before , a r r remote control we have at home is one that's actually got a cover on the bottom user interface: Yeah . marketing: so the bottom bit is just , covers half the keys most of the time , and then you can slide the cover back to get to the the more advanced keys . project manager:  w but then you have still have  when you don't use it you have such a a an extent of your remote control marketing:  . So maybe it's possible  , I don't know whether you can can indicate this , that you can elsewhere open your remote control and on the inside are  buttons you don't use that much . industrial designer: That's what you mean ? project manager: Yes I I th that's what  user interface: Yeah . marketing: Can we have can we think about maybe having a a non-recta non non-rectangular one , so with not just the straight little box industrial designer: Yeah I like also this one . industrial designer: Yeah , the point is w maybe we need to also to make a decision on how how how big we want to be and how many buttons like n we should dec decide numbers or marketing:   'kay . Is this for the next meeting though ? user interface: We should make a marketing: I think we might be out of time out of time for this meeting . user interface: Yeah that yeah next meeting we should be project manager: Ju just make two designs , industrial designer: Okay . So is this is there anything else I need to do from a marketing point of view for the next meeting ? project manager:  yes I come to that   user interface: Maybe it would be interesting if you could look  for the cost inventories of other devices , if you're using speech recognition or something like that . project manager: Yes well m maybe  , I don't know whether that's possible , marketing:  . marketing: Okay well is this me designing a way to evaluate it so Thinking about how to set up test groups and things ? project manager: I don't know whether that's possible  in the given time marketing:  . project manager: So  you two will be together w working on a o on two prototypes industrial designer: Exactly . user interface: One for like cost and the one with like higher-end industrial designer: Two ? project manager: I industrial designer: Okay . project manager:  and then user interface: so that then we can be easily comparing them industrial designer: Yeah project manager:  . user interface: or you know find a compromise between both of them , industrial designer: and find maybe a compromise