When he published The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design in 1960 to provide “up-to-date measurements and information for children, teenagers, adult men and women, and the elderly through its detailed text, convenient tabular material, and 200 anthropometric drawings,” industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss likely had no idea how much of an influence he would still have on the world of design nearly 60 years later. Yet, here we are in 2017 and human-centered design is more important than ever. But, accessing this treasure trove of data isn’t always an easy endeavor. Aiming to make accessing this information an easier process for today’s designers, HDA designers Niels Diffrient…

It’s time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device(s)! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@www.solidsmack.com. Hit it! Fetch (iOS — Free) Fetch imagines a world where expense reports don’t exist and out of pocket expenses are handled quickly…

Last 2015, entrepreneurs Simon Breum Fisker and Jacob Lindeberg Kickstarted a compact 3D printer which made the technology more accessible to children. Aptly called the Sculpto, it requires a simple Wi-Fi connection and control via a mobile app. With it, they can print countless designs found on the Internet and, if they’re feeling particularly creative, print their own designs as well. The project was a mad success, with numerous kids in Denmark, printing flower vases for their mums, making their own toys and leaving test prints strewn across living room floors. To further enable these wee creators, the Sculpto company is getting ready to announce its newest addition to the…

When it comes to side projects, hours become days, days become weeks, and weeks can often become months or years. But what if getting a minimum viable product created could happen on a Saturday…assuming you aren’t building a flying car? Many successful entrepreneurs have been touting the benefits of the 1-Day MVP—a one-day, all-out sprint to go from fresh idea to app or hardware prototype. Sure, some projects may take a little more energy and time than others, but having the process and infrastructure in place to successfully glide ideas along is what counts the most. Which is exactly the premise behind the 1-Day MVP 2.0 online training course; one…

Few objects are as ubiquitous in the New York City landscape as the humble pushcart. Whether to ferry packages up a skyscraper or transport a piece of artwork down the block, the assistive devices have come to represent the number of goods that flow in and out of the city on a daily basis. It was also the source of inspiration behind a new versatile furniture series designed by interdisciplinary design studio Lim + Lu for Cornell University’s downtown Manhattan College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. With the assistance of the school’s own students, lead designer Vincent Lim—a graduate of the school—created a collection of 12 pieces that each incorporate…

The ruler and measuring tape have been around since time immemorial. If you’re looking for something more modern, more pocket-size, to physically measure your projects, then you might like the idea of this compact rotating ruler. https://youtu.be/dGESlcHJlTA How ya like that whistlin’? The Rollbe is a tiny measuring tool which looks like a miniature pizza cutter. Not meant for cutting bits of Italian cuisine, its main purpose is to measure different types of surfaces. Whether it be a slab of wood, an intricate piece of marble, or your skull, all you need to do is roll over the object with the Rollbe and the tool does most of the hard…