With the innovation of technology and a migration onto digital databases, patent research has become more easily accessible to the average inventor. However, this research is still a tedious process of looking up file numbers, and cross-checking citations.

The goal of this map is to demonstrate the concept of a visual patent citation structure. This method of illustrating the connections between inventions allows the researcher to immediately identify the relevance of existing patents both to each other and to a prospective patent.

Click Here for full-size pdf (8.5mb)

This process of visually mapping citations illuminates the evolution of inventions and how seemingly irrelevant inventions play a role in the development of other technologies. In this map of paper-clip patents, we can clearly see how different designs of paper-clips evolved over the last century, and how the technology for this simple invention was employed by other, more complex, inventions such as paint-brush holders, orthodontic headgear, or even a donkey harness.

Another discovery, gained through the process of creating this citation map, is that even the most simple things we use every day have become commonplace through a long evolution of innovation. The subject of a paper-clip was originally chosen to simplify the concept of citation mapping. However, through researching the history of this rudimentary object, it was found to have hundreds of relevant citations. If this basic, bent piece of metal can have such a large family of relevant patents, imagine what the map of a complex object, like a computer might look like. In fact, this poster has been scaled down in scope for clarity of concept.

Ideally, the final form of this visual citation structure would embody an interactive database. One which software would generate a 3-dimensional map based upon the user’s initial entry, and, through a graphic user interface, a researcher could navigate the space to find the necessary information.

This form of research facilitates the user to rapidly identify relevant citations through visual depictions and engages the user in a virtual space. This kind of non-linear display allows the researcher to see how seemingly irrelevant patents may have significant impact on each other by using spatial relationships.

Viewing citations in this manner is like looking at all the papers in a folder laid out on a table rather than one by one. Therefore, letting you expand your scope and see the big picture.

Special Thanks to Mo-Ran Park
for allowing me to collaborate
with her on this project.

I notice the many faces of design when I flip through the channels on TV and see shows with “design” in the title. My first instinct is that it has to do with my view of design as innovation and organization, but it’s always a show about fashion or decorating. It makes me wonder how varied the responses would be if we did an old fashioned word association, “I say design, you say ______.”

This kind of question is what design, all kinds of design, is all about. Everyone sees through their own eyes, and makes associations based on their own knowledge and experiences. Designers do their best to consider the millions of variables that arise in order to create an end product that accomplishes the project goal.

What some clients don’t realize when they work with a designer for the first time is that the job of the designer is not just to materialize their visions, but to expose the goal behind what the client wants and translate that into something appropriate to the consumer. There are plenty of quickdraw “designers” in the world that work in volume. These designers are an old breed that I would classify under the outdated term, commercial artist. If all you want is to crank out something pretty, these are the designers for you. If you want to seriously consider the goals of your company and the value you bring to your customers, come to a designer like me.

While commercial artists work in quantity, I work in quality. There are so many considerations when it comes to communicating with, and satisfying  your customers. The most important considerations are the ones you havn’t considered yet. In our technological society, there are so many easy ways to communicate with customers other than conventional promotion. An organization that is adaptable and willing to adjust to customer needs will rapidly create value and gain momentum. However, you’ll never know what your customer wants if you never ask.

The old business model was to create thousands of one object with one use that had a broad appeal. The Bell Telephone Company made millions producing simple devices that everyone could use. The new business model is to pick up the phone and ask them what they want.  Use the computer or visit them face to face; however you choose to communicate, make it a valuable experience for both you and the customer. Everyone loves to express their opinion and they will remember that your company cared to ask.

You can create more brand recognition and loyalty in a 5 minute conversation than you ever will with a poster that’s viewed for 10 seconds. Just remember that it’s not enough to ask, but to seriously consider the input and adjust accordingly.

This is the process of design. Ask questions, get answers, ask more questions, get more answers, act, repeat. The foundation of the process is looking outward for the next step, because it’s the community that will determine if your product is valuable not your marketing manager.

Where are we taking them?
Is this an easy path to follow?
Does it make sense? Do we want it to make sense?

What’s the reward at the end?

This is the question that many designs overlook. As designers and marketing specialists, it’s easy to create a campaign that promises the world to a potential customer, but it’s another thing to deliver.

A conventional thinker might narrow their interpretation of this anecdote to truth in advertising. That is the old way of thinking where the only interaction between producer and consumer was in the final product. Today’s multimedia advertising provides marketers opportunities to gain consumer satisfaction before they ever buy anything.

Today’s consumer is bombarded with thousands of messages a day, and ignore most of them. What’s the incentive for a consumer to pay attention to you? What is the reward at the end of your road that is worth the effort of attention by the consumer.

The reason to ask this question is because the concept of brand has grown out of the logo and product to include the overall experience. The instant a consumer comes in contact with your marketing materials, they are experiencing your brand. You want that experience to be both positive and memorable.

There’s truth to the saying, “Sometimes you got to give a little to get a little.” Small rewards in the experience of your brand will multiply in the mind of the consumer to create a lasting brand impression.

What are some ways you can think of to reward your cutsomer’s attention through a positive and memorable experience?

The main topic of the talk was cybernetics, which as Dr. Pangaro puts it, is not freezing dead people. Cybernetics, is the science of observing systems.

Once we have the basic concept of what cybernetics is and isn’t, we can explore more into how it relates to us and to design. First off, what is a “system?” A system is an arrangement of relationships and interactions. The basic example of a system in cybernetics is a thermostat.

Looking at the above diagram, we clearly see that there are two major categories of the system: actors, and actions. Illustrating a system in this manner allows us to visualize the relationships that various actors have with others and how those actors function. It also helps bring to light the central role of the system.

We began this example focusing on how a thermostat controls the temperature of a room. Opon further exploration through the mapping exercise, the consideration of the human arises. Someone has to set the thermostat, right? The thermostat serves the human in order to keep him/her comfortable.

We now have two different actors monitoring temperature: the thermostat and the human. This is shown in the diagram as temperature both activates the thermostat, and influences the human. Ideally, the thermostat will have a lower tolerance for variance in temperature so the human will not have to act. This initial loop between the thermostat, AC/Heat, and the temperature is a “first order” system. The thermostat is the initial means of collecting and interpreting data in order to maintain the proper temperature.

The human’s role is the “second order” in the system. Not only does the human monitor the temperature, but also monitors the thermostat. We all know that you don’t just set a thermostat once and forget about it, but gradually adjust it depending on your reaction to the environment.

The last relationship that may not be so obvious, is our relation to the system as observers. In order to totally comprehend what we are observing we must consider our position as observers and how our knowledge shapes our understanding.

“So how does this relate to design,” you ask. Formal graphic design principles are similarly based on relationships. A headline’s weight compared to a body of text, or the size of a poster to it’s environment are all precisely composed, meaningful relationships.

As we expand the role and application of design to organizational development, for example, a designer can combine knowledge of hierarchical composition and cybernetics to draft possibilities for different arrangements of personnel or resources to create more efficient or effective business structures.

Take a minute to look at the diagram above, and consider how your organization might fit into a similar structure. One of the most important parts of the thermostat system that many organizations overlook is feedback. Without monitoring the end result, temperature in this case, the human doesn’t know if the thermostat is performing properly, or whether or not to adjust it.

Many businesses operate for years without ever asking their customers for feedback, or reevaluating their goals or approach. It usually isn’t until something goes drastically wrong before they start to ask questions and by then, it may be too late.

The design process is based on execution and feedback. Therefore, it’s natural for a designer to consider this important connection in the structure of an organization. A perpetual loop of actions and feedback will keep your organization moving in the right direction by making it easier to find out whether your approach is hot or cold.

It’s the job of a designer to ask the right questions to correctly define the scope of a task, and collect the right resources in order develop effective solutions.