Recently Reuben Png of Sydney smacked the headlines with his outstanding conceptual pen D:Scribe. A digital fountain pen thatâll send SMS and Email messages in real time, can you beat that? Now the designer is looking forward to the second stage of production and very soon weâll witness the product hitting the stores as well. Now ainât that cool? Keeping all these things in mind, I thought why not have the designer himself here with us, to tell us more about the other input device that is really sweeping the market. Scroll down to see what he has to say on this.
1. Reuben, please acquaint our readers with D:Scribe the innovative design concept digital fountain pen that allows users to send SMS and email messages from paper? Since it’s still in prototype stage and not quite in production yet but when it’ll be, I’m curious to know, would it require loading of some software then?
Reuben: Well, this all started when I looked into the topic of interaction in todayâs digital age. Mobile phones and computers are supposed to aid us in improving our communication with others, but sometimes they can actually hinder interpersonal communication.
We find screens and buttons all around us these days, and I found that going back to basics with handwriting was a solution that almost everyone could identify with. Handwriting adds a more human touch to messages, and allows for ideas to flow freely onto paper.
There was once where I was in a social situation and someone started to type a message on his phone. Immediately it felt like he had left the room even though he was there physically. The same goes with taking phonecalls when you have friends around. These means of communication sometimes seem to be more like anti-social devices, and it happens everyday.
For this project I took it up to the stage where I could prove its feasibility, through researching comparative technologies and their current rate of advancement. I do not have a working prototype, just to answer the question people have been asking. Digital pens have been around for over 10 years, and optical scanning technology is certainly advanced enough to go beyond what my concept proposes. I probably wonât go into the details of software required here, the pen does a nice job of hiding the complicated side of technology! I would absolutely love to see the pen go into production as I know there is an extremely large market for it, but that would take an investor to come forward to see it through!
2. What is the future of tech with respect to communication like Email, SMS, MMS and now your D:Scribe to name a few, since the demand for natural input devices is growing rapidly?
Reuben: I know we will see fewer devices using the traditional concept of keypads and screens, such as current mobile phones and computers. I believe the lines will blur between the device, the internet, and the user, such that virtual and physical realities will merge. Imagine if your PDA, phone or computer screen was redefined such that the physical world was your âscreenâ. Think of the internet in 3D, but as part of the world we live in and not a separate âcyber-worldâ.
Weâve seen so much technology in this past decade that it can become tiring after a while, just trying to keep up. I think itâs more the pleasure of the experience that weâre all looking for.
3. Technology (though man made) is swallowing up all the products, leave alone robots that are giving company / assistance to humans, how far do you think the journey would go from here?
Reuben: I think weâll always appreciate objects of beauty. Observing nature never gets boring because thereâs always more to see, and as long as we keep dreaming, creativity will fight the status quo. Technology has a clinical/sterile side to it that is unattractive; a completely functional engineering tool of precision can lack the character and beautiful imperfection that is inherent to a traditional instrument. For instance, vinyl records or vintage sports cars may lack certain performance attributes when compared to modern counterparts, but there is still much beauty to be found in them, that may easily surpass DVD players and the like.
4. How you are able to revamp the everyday objects into interactive art forms, I mean who or what is your source of inspiration?
Reuben: I donât know if I live it yet, but I want to dream as much as I can, use more of my heart than my brain, and stay rested instead of being caught up in a rat race. God paints the sky everyday, thus I know that creativity is infinite. Maybe it also starts with talking less and listening more.
5. How do you conceptualize the design you’re working on and incorporate it into your design process?
Reuben: In my limited experience it begins with approaching the design problem from every possible (or impossible) angle, and not getting hung up on early ideas too soon.
6. Precision is unfathomable; do you relate this to your profession?
Reuben: Precision in an engineering or functional sense is a mark everyone strives to achieve. But when it comes to human emotions such as joy, pleasure or excitement, how do you design a product to evoke maximum pleasure? Just last night a friend told me that the greatest poems or songs have many different meanings, left to the interpretation of the listener. I think the greatest designs evoke pleasurable emotions, and thatâs what people want- hopefully not at the cost of functional aspects!
7. What is innovation to you – design, technology or the creative processes itself?
Reuben: I think innovation to me is all the above- the creative use of technology through design. Maybe innovation can be defined as something that makes people go âwhy didnât I think of that?â
8. What are the advantages and approaches of the more holistic approach to designing?
Reuben: I guess a holistic approach considers all the surrounding issues around a product â before itâs made, how itâs made, when itâs sold, when the user opens the packaging, how the user interacts with it, how the user stores it, and then disposes of it. Thatâs basically leaving nothing to chance through the design process. While a holistic approach is good, and should always be kept in view, that can sometimes lead to a loss of direction because you do need a strong driving focus to see a project to the end.
9. How would you label/categorize your work?
Reuben: Perhaps this is more an aspiration as I know I still have long way to go, but I want my work to have lots of heart behind the central ideas, because itâs all about people in the end.
10. Any suggestions, you’d like to give to the budding designers?
Reuben: When itâs time to work, work hard. But when itâs time to rest, rest well.
11. Finally, we’d like to have your views on Coolbuzz.org?
Reuben: I love random stuff, the site hits that spot quite well. Itâs also very encouraging for designers like myself being featured like this, thanks a lot!
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the following:
If you had to walk in another person’s shoes for a day, it would have to be?
Reuben: My shadow or my guardian angel. I think it would be amusing to watch myself, maybe embarrassing even.
What is your greatest day-in/day-out obstacle?
Reuben: Learning to look past discouragement.
Websites you must visit every day?
Reuben: Google news headlines & Sydney weather radar
What music is on your iPod or radio?
Reuben: I devour music. I have death metal, hardcore, jazz, motown, and indie music on my ipod. Iâm listening to 1930s Shanghai Jazz now, itâs brilliant.
Who would you like to design something for?
Reuben: Alessi maybe! But to answer the question properly, it would have to be my parents. That would be the least I could do to thank them for everything.
Thank you Reuben for sparing out time in doing an interview with us, it is greatly appreciated. Iâd also like to wish you success for all your future endeavors.