Apple design is a system; not just one signature product, but a brand and an approach to industrial design that has become synonymous with cutting-edge technology. From the iconic first computer, the Apple Lisa, to more recent products like the iPhone and iPad, and now Apple Watch, each new product designed by the company’s in-house team of industrial designers is thoughtfully designed and meticulously crafted. The people who work at Apple are inspired by their surroundings. They seek inspiration in everything they see—from nature to music, films or art. This constant exposure breeds creativity and ideas that guide their design process from day one. In this blog post, we’ll share an anecdote about how Steve Jobs became fascinated with the aesthetic qualities of a white mouse he saw on his first visit to Xerox PARC in Palo Alto back in 1975. In this story you’ll learn about how Jobs used his experience to create an inspiring environment for his employees at Apple Design where they were encouraged to explore their own creativity without fear of failure or criticism.
The Story of a White Mouse
Steve Jobs was an incredibly curious man. He was fascinated by everything from animaniacs to the aesthetic qualities of a white mouse he saw on his first visit to Xerox PARC in Palo Alto in 1975. He was particularly fascinated by PARC’s white mouse. It was the aesthetics and the experience of using this white mouse that really captivated Jobs. He saw how it was the focal point of the lab. Everyone was aware of it, and its aesthetic qualities weren’t lost on the people who used it. The mouse was designed to be a neutral, unassuming white that wouldn’t draw attention to itself. It was the exact opposite of a flashy designer mouse. It was a mouse that drew attention to the materials and aesthetics used to create it. It was a mouse that embodied inspiration and creativity.
Inspiration in a Sensory Intake Area
In Apple design, inspiration isn’t written down in a book or on a whiteboard. Inspiration is seen, heard or felt in a sensory way. For Jobs, the most important part of the experience of inspiration is the sensory intake that’s gathered in a sensory intake area. Apple has a long tradition of designing spaces that draw inspiration from nature and the environment. In Apple’s main design lab in Cupertino, California, there are many sensory intake areas. One of the most important areas of the design lab is located on the wall opposite the front door. It’s filled with artwork that inspires Apple’s employees at all levels of the company. The artwork on the wall is constantly changing and is designed to be an ever-changing source of inspiration for Apple’s designers.
Lighting, Materials, and Color
It’s not enough to just have a pretty piece of art on the wall. It needs to be illuminated in a way that draws the attention of your team members. The lighting in sensory intake areas is designed to be soft and create a sense of calm and balance in the room. It’s an environment that fosters creativity and thoughtfulness. Lighting can also add color to the room to help add a pop of aesthetic appeal and also to help add a sense of warmth and comfort to the space. Apple uses a vibrant range of colors in its lighting fixtures and also tries to avoid using too many white lights in rooms where possible. There are also a variety of different types of lighting fixtures that can be used to add different effects to the room depending on the aesthetic qualities you want to achieve.
Emotional User Experience and User Personas
One of the most important foundational aspects of Apple’s design process is building emotional connections between its products and the people who use them. It’s not enough for a product to just work well, it has to resonate with the people who use it. Apple’s Design team is constantly thinking about how to create emotional connections between its products and its users. One way Apple does this is through the building of user personas. User personas are created from surveys and focus groups to help better understand the different types of people who use Apple products. These personas are used to inform the design process and help designers better understand their users. User personas are designed to help designers bridge the gap between their experiences in the world and the everyday experiences of their users. It’s important to remember that Apple’s designs aren’t just products for the people who use them. They’re also designed to inspire and be a source of inspiration for the people who make them.
The Process: Sketching, Model Making, and Prototyping
During the design process, Apple’s designers create a large number of sketches, prototypes and models using a wide range of tools. A sketch is a quick drawing that’s used to explore an idea and understand the design principles at work in a new product. It’s used for gathering initial information about the design. This type of sketch is usually done quickly on a pad of paper and generally doesn’t contain any mark-ups or annotations. The next step in the design process is to create a model of the product to better understand the geometry and the overall dimensions of the product. This is used for creating a visual model of the product. The model is a flat representation of the product that’s used to understand the shape, design play of the product and the overall dimensions of the product.
Finalizing the Final Design: Showcase, Workshops, and Discussions
From the first model, the model maker begins to create a final design by using the model as a guide to using a computer or design-creation program. The computer or design software is used to create a digital model of the product. The digital model is adjusted using a control panel and then exported as a file type commonly found on the web. This digital model can then be used to create a 2D or 3D view of the product and used to explore different design options and the interactions of the product with different aspects of the user experience. The digital model can also be used to create a 3D scan of the model that’s used to create a virtual version of the model. This virtual model is then used to create a simulation that’s used for exploring different design options and the interactions of the product with different aspects of the user experience.
The Process: Showcase, Workshops, and Discussions
During the design process, Apple’s designers use a number of tools and programs to create digital models of their products. A showcase is created to display the digital models of the products being designed. The showcase is a computer or design creation program that can be used to create a 3D model, create a 2D view or create a simulation of the models. The showcase is a window into the design process that helps the designers see the design in different ways, explore different design options and understand the design in a way that isn’t possible with just a sketch. Timelines are also created during the design process that helps keep track of when each model is created and used in the design process.