1HDC v1.2 - eReader - Discussion

well, i just don’t see why an e-book needs to be anything like a paper book at all (and frankly, i’m a bit surprised to see so many entries follow the paradigm so closely)…but then again, i think tofurky is silly, too.

hey all,

I have been following this site for nearly a year now and just decided to finally post. i submitted an ereader than i thought would be great. i fear that in my stream of conciosness rambling that i may have not explained myself well enough.

i really wanted to focus on the lightweight aspect of the device. I dont want my e reader to feel like i am holding a gadget. wanted to feel like i was hold a laminated sheet of paper almost…that is waterproof and rigid.

also, i wanted it to use efficient technology for the display device. the method i described has the ability to utilize existing printing presses to basically print pixels.

Submissions are closed…I am swamped for a few days…I will try and get through all the submissions over the next couple of days and chat with Admin over choosing the winner.

I would appreciate a bit of discussion over what is deserving of the win.

Thanks to everyone for a great round of submissions!

I feel that same, I am always looking at the book from the side to see how much I have conquered, my wife thinks its childish because I always have to show her how far I have gotten haha. I think I feel that way about a lot of situations, I like to see how far I have gone and what is left, same thing with progress bars on a computer. Maybe an indicator or bank of some sort is a nice feature?

another thing i just though of regarding a side-benefit from traditional books.

having a recognizable cover is a cultural signal that people often use to interact. you see someone on a plane, train, bus, etc. reading a book you’ve read, or heard of, and strike up a conversation. the cover also acts passively in a way to “open” your personal space a provide a signal to others about yourself compared to just reading from a blank plastic tablet.

not a primary driver for the technology, but another nice thing that makes book more social than e-books and i think could be incorporated into a device.

R

So it looks like there are about a million good concepts on the board. I can’t wait to see who the winner is!

Speaking of which, when will the winner be announced?

I am swamped at the moment. I want to be able to get a good run at all the submissions, so it might not be until Monday. I will try and get it announced before then if I can.

ok, here my crits for everyone on page one, if i get time i’ll try to work through some more. standby

Kini
Good idea, it would be nice to see a sense of scale in there somewhere. if it is as small as i imagine, reading might be difficult. Lovely render, good presentation.


Yo
Beautiful concept, beautiful artwork. i’m undecided on the leather. part of me thinks it is a healthy nostagic nod to the quality and tactile nature of books, but part of me thinks it has a little bit of a patronising ‘antiquness’ for a very modern product. I think that the leather is a too obvious homage to the good 'ol days. but, +1 for book choice.


Andreas
Same comment about the “old school book cover”. I don’t think I want 'that genuine feeling. i want this product to feel new and sexy. You probably could have fleshed out the sketch a little too. Great that it the same size as ‘regular’ books.


Dmcm
Good idea with the book shelf. although i’m not sure that the stickers is as great. maybe something that can be treasured a bit more - is the idea that they are almost like trophies? nice clear sketches and some cool functions (auto page tilt ftw)


Blackchocks
Well done for keeping the ‘reading a book’ feel going on. The front display might consume a bit too much power. As above “old world feel”? hmmm. Magnets to hold it closed is brilliant (great minds…) As you said, low on time - but you could have a sharper looking presentation


coalessence
I’m enjoying the use of more modern materials for the cover, maybe ‘not so much’ the colour. cool ‘drag and flip’ pages, but i think the pop up light is a fairly in-elegant solution. for example, you could use the same light to edge-light the screen maybe. good use of the person in the presentation, after all, we are designing for people!


Pistonsinc9
My initail thought is that it might be too small. the experience would be more like reading a text message rather that reading a book. The form doesn’t really appeal to me either. There are more subtle shapes for scroll wheels. However, +1 for the idea of book sharing.


The_Boogey_Man
Good idea on the note taking although i’m not convinced with the way it appears on the book page. If I wanted to write more than a page reference, where would the note appear? there dosn’t appear to be any control over the positioning of the note. Also, just fro a semantics point of view, the form of the book is closing off the note pad rather than making it feel an integral feature. +1 for showing it in use by a real hand.


Sigz
Slick looking product. I looks well proportioned. I think you should have smaller text, and do away with the scroll wheel. The ‘protector’ would really need to traverse around the top of the product to offer substantial protection. You should have used seriphed a seriphed font in the book text, your title looks awesome!


LB
Good direction of the customizable everything. It has a feeling of more pda than ebook though. maybe you could have geared the presentation to show the book and perhaps a clearer layout displaying the customization - you mention the website where you can customize the shells, maybe that is the website you order the product on, and customize it like the nike id website?


Davo
I approve of the energy concious approach. snap-dome overlays feel a bit 90’s medical machinery to me. The layout looks good, the icons on the buttons are simple and clean. As i said above, the small books might feel more like reading a text message than a book.


elliots21
Good references to how people really use books. I agree with everything you say. Is rugged, reliable a good solution? for a non-ebook, yes. is the walkman “old school charm” ebook the way to achieve it. no. People mistreat books for their indestructability. If i bought an ebook, i don’t think i’d try to test it to its limits. A more contemporary, less rugged version would be better in my opinion. +2 for use of the word “charm” 15 years ago, these things would have sold OUT. i’d have bought at least 2 :slight_smile:


bugattichou
Nice concept - the page turning especially. although you’ve given the dimensions, the drawing looks too deep. it looks as if it would be quite cumbersome. good idea of readiing the newspaper and switching between portrait and landscape. The presentation is a bit too crowded for my liking. +1 for Good hand drawings

Good direction of the customizable everything. It has a feeling of more pda than ebook though. maybe you could have geared the presentation to show the book and perhaps a clearer layout displaying the customization - you mention the website where you can customize the shells, maybe that is the website you order the product on, and customize it like the nike id website?

(I’m a Graphic Designer by trade… Please forgive the 3Dish render.)

-I feel that it’s not so much up to the designer to produce the perfect device for the end-user (blasphemy!!) because the people who would use an eBook are diverse… That sounds silly; All designers must try to make the perfect device for that exact reason, but if you make a platform and allow people to customize their platform to suit their tastes and needs then I think that is more appropriate (read: marketable) than making your entire run identical. Especially in regards to what people read. Some people read horror, some romance, some read a vast variety, some just the NYT. The audience for the eBook is vast, though dependant on some level of computer literacy.

-I understand your perception of the PDA, but I think that the tactile feel of canvas (or leather, or cotton, or whatever the user chose to customize the product with) would help remove that ‘techy’ feel.

The shells are something that could be changed, alterations to their actual shape or properties could be made. You want something with a built in handle? Tada. Something with a flap and Moleskine-like closure? Tada.

Maybe this design seems too open but that’s the whole point… Every decision does not need to be made by the powers that be. People, readers especially, have their own take on things.

-The “styli” would not need to look like those of the PDA. These would be made to look like the real deal: pen, pencil, micron, hi-liter, etc. OR for those who desire the more techy feel there would be actual plain styli.

Again it’s about what people want for their eBook, not what we think they want.

-On an unrelated note-
I’ve been thinking about the necessity for the cover to be displayed at all times; I’m undecided about this. Yes, cover artwork is beautiful; Yes, people relate to it… But how many people read a book held up to eye level where the cover is in plain view for everybody else to see? It never fails when I’m reading a book (at the local bookstore, coffee joint, public transportation, family gathering, etc.) people ask what it is I’m reading. Even if the book is closed on the table and the cover is right in plain sight. I think not having the cover visible all the time (having it appear when the read is idle, for instance) initiates that dialogue even more.

What do you all think?

Thanks for the comment. I respectfully disagree on the leather (not surprisingly). It has less to do with nostalgia and more to do with imparting the feel of quality and luxury. I’m tired of holding vacumetalized plastic parts in CE products. This is a personal product that a user might have for years. The leather will wear and break down depending on the user’s natural chemistry (oils and sweat will naturally break the leather in and distress, the way some people’s perspiration naturally rusts steel). This way each one would become personal. The wrapped edge also makes a book like binding that I was backed with 3mm of foam or so for a nice grip. The product could be rotated for lefties or Righties and the screen could reorient with an internal tip switch. A simple debossed oil print logo on the backside imparts a sense of brand and mystery by not saying what it is.

Well I certainly don’t have time to comment on most of the submissions, but I thought I would share a few of my thoughts on the whole concept of eBooks. Obviously some may disagree, but I imagine a lot of people would think along the same lines.

An eBook is not a replacement for existing consumer electronics ie: it's not a PDA, it's not a laptop, it's not an all-in-wonder-mobile-device. If a feature goes well with the design, it doesn't complicate it, and doesn't dramatically increase the costs, then I am all for it. But for the most part eBooks don't need a stylus, keyboard, or MP3 player built in.

A fair amount of entries look very much like PDAs, cell phones, or iPhones. These existing devices can fulfill the role of an eBook with a simple software install, and with mobile device prices coming down a basic eBook won’t be much cheaper than one of these all-in-one devices. As such I find these smaller designs irrelevant.

I think the bigger market will be for eBooks with medium to large displays, which are easy to read around the house, while commuting, while at work. People will still expect them to be compact and easy to travel with, but at the same time will want a display they can read without squinting.

Another big issue is interface. People will want to interact with it as though it were a book. Not necessarily the aesthetics and tactile feel of a book, but one that behaves like a book. This is where user interaction will really need to be scrutinized. As stated earlier by other posters people really hate scrolling through an endless page. The act of turning a page is a big one, and should be accommodated on most devices. Page turning helps the reader set goals, assists with way finding, and provides stopping points.
</soap box>

That being said…

I think the following entries found a good compromise with these dilemmas.

Yo - Great design, very clean and sharp looking. It is small enough to travel with, yet has a large enough screen to read easily. The leather cover may not work for everyone, but this could easily be swapped with any type of material so that consumers can customize their own books.

The Boogey Man - Although I find a stylus unnecessary in most cases, you have devised a great compromise to accommodate a certain market. Students, authors, and researchers will really take to the note taking capability of your eBook. And the fact that it has a pullout notebook is far more versatile and even natural feeling compared to writing on the screen with a stylus.

Kyleloughlin - I think your leafbook is also quite versatile with it’s two halves. People read books in different positions and manors, and I think this could adapt easily. It’s intuitive, similar to reading a real book and works well. I think the touch screens / keyboard functionality may be a bit much, but as it is incorporated into the screen it certainly doesn’t detract from the design, and could be integrated or left out of the final product without impacting the visuals at all.

Nutkin - Your scroll book is a novel idea (although this is a biased claim, as I realized upon posting my design that my book is incredibly similar to yours.) The design provides for a large easily read screen, yet compacts down to easily travel with. The details and interaction haven’t been fleshed out, but the beginnings of a good design is there.

Anyways, those are my thoughts on some of the entries that stood out from the rest, taking into account my immediate bias towards small screened designs of course.


-monsta coty scott

Soapbox warning

Generally speaking, the notion that an electronic version of the time honored and honed book would or should be anything like a book at all is nothing more than nostalgic…at best.

Books are “bookish” for a reason. Books are superb examples of the manufacture, transport, storage, handling, access and preservation of printed and bound images and written language; there is no equal in history. They should be and rightly are beautiful (in some cases), treasured and keepsake-worthy. But, that’s a book…I believe e-books are different.

The key value proposition of an e-book is that literary content, dynamic and readily available in the 21st century, can be had at any time, anywhere. There is no overt reason why such a device should resemble (in form or function) a pile of paper. An e-book should be durable, portable and all about content – not stickers, faux leather, chamfers or scroll wheels. PS – not everyone in the world can afford an over molded, backlit, 5-part, strap-on digital interface…(let alone an actual book made of actual paper, in some cases shipped halfway around the world)…but they should, and a thoughtfully appropriate electronic appliance could (should?) make that possible.

Scrolling lines of text and flicking at buttons may seem unpalatable to some, but, I would offer, for no other reason than lack of familiarity. We love bindings, cover art, pages and rows and rows of text because it is familiar, and seems to be the most logical, reasonable possibility (in light of the lack of alternatives), but not because there is any inherent “goodness” to what we value as good about books.

In less than a generation millions of kids learned to crush space invaders and centipedes via interfaces never imagined by their parents. And once upon a time, we even thought an automobile would be best concocted in the form of a horseless carriage…of course, we now know better. It’s only a matter time before the paradigm of a book is replaced, in electronic form, by something much more suitable…and you can be sure it won’t be anything like a “book”, per se.

In my opinion, the very best entries revoke the classic idea of a book and instead strive to describe a device capable of offering what is truly at the core of an e-book: portability, information and accessibility. The rest is pompous fetishism and misguided decoration.

(I’d love to see an incarnation that poaches the best part of every one of these entries combined into one!..yo, anyone care to give it a run??)

i know ive said this elsewhere countless times, but still believe it to be true-

“people like what they know, they dont know what they like”

for me, that the biggest reason why an e-book should still be “bookish”

as well, would like to add the marshall macluhan quote “the medium is the message” to the mix.

sure, for some content, the content is king. for others, for me at least, a great book is not only in the story, but also the cover graphics, typesetting, paper quality and countless intangible things that a book offer but an e-book presently cannot. im the biggest early adopter i know, but aint going to give up books (the paper kind) any time soon. just the look of a full bookshelf you can browse through is enough for me to count out any tablet plastic thing.

one of the great things about books is also their timeless nature and how they change over time. reading, re-reading, dogearred pages, notes in the margins. to some these are negatives, but i offer that these are indeed terrific. no need to worry that a software/DRM/format will be out of date… batteries arent charged, etc.

i fully believe that these are the things that make e-books unlikely to take over books anytime soon. its more than text, and the sooner than someone realizes that, we may have a new solution to a problem thousands of years old (how to communicate a story/message in a written format).

thanks for the rant.

R

What I find most ironic to this 1 hr challenge is how, still, no one seems to like ebooks. Maybe it really is a dead end!

you’re so right. it’s tough to compete with something as classic as a book. but then again, if you think of an e-book less as a book-replacer and more as an extension of a book it becomes a little more interesting.

where would a book not be suitable, but where a properly designed e-book would be? here’s a couple ideas:

in water
a VERY crowded subway
in the dark
on a hot stovetop
in a paraplegic’s lap
etc…

FYI - Announcement of the winner will be Thursday. Sorry for the delay…schedules haven’t hooked up for this one to get the winner out sooner.

hi, so, im lost, who wins?

We have a winner!

Sorry for the delay on the announcement on this one. Our schedules with the holiday rush has made it difficult. Chalk it up to me learning a bit more about how much time/organization it takes to juggle a competition.

I will post a winner thread shortly.

Saw this and thought you would like to see; a user experience review of a current digital book owner. It’s a few weeks too late for anyone to use for the challenge, but cool nevertheless… it could definitely influence a nice ID

"What is her verdict on the experience? Good, but there’s one thing she’s surprised to miss most from real books:

It’s not just the smell, the texture, the page turning or the better contrast ratios of a real hardcover that you’d expect. She feels disoriented without the constant, tactile feedback of the book’s thickness—that unconscious reminder of just how much of the story is left to go (are there really enough pages remaining for Mr. Darcy and Lizzie to work things out??). Sure, there are page numbers on the screen, but it’s not the same. "

I find the last sentence of that blog entry is the most profound. The attachment to the smell, the feel, the obvious sentiment that comes from owning a book that was obvious in the 1HDC entries as well as throughout this thread. Its tough to let go.

And therein lies the rub. Until the next generation comes through growing up with only eBooks, or at the very least ebooks as their primary reading source, the switch is going to be painful.

This is a subject far different than computers, or mobile phones, or digital cameras coming in and changing the paradigm. Those technologies weren’t replacing something that is steeped in history. They aren’t replacing something that is the foundation of civilization. Think about that for a second.

It isn’t that eBooks can’t replace books. I believe they can and will. It is going to take a completely different mindset.