IRING

IRing:
With a stylish design and wireless Bluetooth connectivity with your iPod and iPhone, the iRing allows you to control playback and volume on any of your Apple media devices. iRing features a bright OLED status display with touch-sensitive function strip, and a rechargeable battery life of up to 2 days. Conveniently recharge your iRing using the included cradle. Its minimal size and unique ring-lock mechanism make it an ideal companion for charging and storing your iRing.

First reactions:
When I first look at this piece of design, I notice it’s a Mac product automatically, because of its apple sign, the name and the design style. Secondly, I realize it’s an interesting design. The color and details are quite futuristic, which would suit any customers who are already using the Mac product. Then I started to question what this thing is for. As I know, Apple is a company that sells electronics, and this product seems to be a little different. That’s where I find this thing inspiring, and makes me want to learn more about it.

1. Trustworthy

as a good design, this ring seems to be really stable due to its metal outside circle. Also, the ring is round, without many additional features, which astatically pleasing and structurally secure to use. The Apple sign and the surrounded dots suggest the way of wearing clearly, people could use it without any hesitation.

2. Appropriate

design like this is really appropriate to the younger customers. Mac is a company which sells simple and futuristic design products. The design style is suitable for this company and the current culture background of North American. The idea of being cool, and outstanding, is one of the main themes of every new product designs.

3. Smart

as the aspect of being smart, the ring has only simple signs that normal electronic users would understand easily. It’s really easy to control, so that people doesn’t need to open their pocket to use their IPod.

4. Responsive

Iring is a sub product of IPod and IPhone, the responses are presented from IPod and IPhone, not the IRing itself. As using the technology of Bluetooth, the reaction would be made automatically, as the using pushing the buttons.

5. Clever

the idea of having the ring itself is really creative. It jumped out of the idea of changing, and redesigning the IPods or IPhones, and started a new way of thinking. Although remote controls are designed many years ago, but by having it in the form of a ring and nice looking is very unique and clever.

6. Ludic

Ludic is the main concept for this design, because other than using IPods normally, using a ring to control is very interesting. People would like to play with their nice looking rings, even if it has no function.

7. Pleasurable
The idea of this product is that if the ring designed pleasing enough, that people will wear it everyday, and also, uses them as a remote control to their already existed IPods or IPhones. Many features in this piece have this characteristic, such as its aesthetic of combining metal with plastic and the nice shining blue apple catches people’s eye. Only as a ring, the product is pleasing, and so will the useful purpose within.

Design process:
If I am in the design team, I would like to be involved in the testing and troubleshooting stage, because it will be quite nice to see the product finished and working. Also, the biggest challenge in this design is how practical it is, and those processes are focused in these stages.

Credit:
http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2007/09/04/iring-controls-your-ipod/