Latest Posts ...

Contributors ...

(become a contributor)

Insights, Information & Infinite Inspiration...

Welcome to Webgrrls Wisdom, a blog to find commentaries about women's careers, business, technology, and the industry.

Get Inspired by the 2008 International Design Excellence Winners

Kristin Vincent Kristin

closeAuthor: Kristin Vincent Name: Kristin Vincent
Site:
About: Kristin Vincent is the Senior Information Architect and Manager of the Information Architecture Team at Barnes & Noble.com and was the project manager for the company's 2007 site-wide redesign. Prior to her role at B&N, Kristin was an Information Developer and Team Leader at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab where she designed data management software and conducted user tests to ensure the designs scaled to a global audience. She then moved to IBM's Research Triangle Park Lab in North Carolina where she led the strategy to determine what demos and tutorials would be included with IBM's suite of tools for web application development.

Kristin has a Masters Degree from Carnegie Mellon University focused on designing online environments. She earned a liberal arts certificate from Stanford University that centers on global and cultural studies and later earned a certificate in web technologies from the University of Washington's extension program. She also audited an information systems class at UC Berkeley and studied creative writing at Duke University.

Kristin is on the steering committee for the New York City Webgrrls chapter of Webgrrls International. In her role as the Team Webgrrls Outreach Coordinator, she leads the program that teaches underprivileged girls about technology and shows them how fun and exciting technology can be. She has been a mentor with the iMentor program in the Bronx and was an active volunteer in the Global Communications Gallery at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. She also volunteered at IBM's annual EXITE Camp (Exploring Interests in Technology and Engineering), which teaches middle school girls about careers in engineering.

As a weekly contributor to the Webgrrls International Blog, Webgrrls Wisdom, Kristin focuses on how users interact in and with online environments and how designers can create information spaces that are innovative and easy to use.

Kristin currently lives in New York City.See Authors Posts (51)
Topics: Design, Technology, Usability
Veiw all posts written by Kristin

Need some inspiration? Then check out the winners of the 2008 International Design Excellence Awards, or IDEA.
	As an interaction designer, I went straight to the category on Interactive Product Experiences. There was no gold winner in this category, just three silvers and one bronze. A winner making high claims is the Hamilton Medical G5 GUI, a new medical device that boasts it eliminates many of the chances of human error in the process of delivering respiratory care.
	I was happy to see a nod to the Sugar User Interface from the nonprofit group One Laptop per Child, the which aims to provide every kid in developing countries with a personal laptop.
But we’re not just talking online design. Winning designs range from print to apparel. There’s a category for just about everything. Here are just a few: Ecodesign Entertainment Home Living Leisure and Recreation Personal Accessories Transportation
Even if most of us work in a virtual space, we can still draw inspiration from our fellow designers who have approached problems in other media in new and interesting ways. Just browsing this list has reminded me to not just go after something no one else is doing but to also rethink and challenge traditional designs that we’re taking for granted. Here are some of my favorites:
The Greencard: An eco-friendly business card
Eva Solo Bin: A trash bin that boasts it solves every problem found with most current designs
Tribord CR900: A lifejacket designed specifically for women
SENZ XL Storm Umbrella: The first aerodynamic golf umbrella