265: Travel Edition

Design Details

This week, we're both trotting the globe, so we discuss some interesting accessibility features we've encountered during our travels. And Apple had a event announcing new iPhones and a new Watch, so (of course) we talk about that stuff.

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Follow-up:

• Brian owes Marshall a Coca-Cola for losing a bet made at the very end of the previous episode

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Event Recap:

• Apple launched new iPhones and a new Apple Watch in their latest event
• Apple's event invite had Marshall thinking it was a reference to the coil in the AirPower wireless charging mat
• "Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat reportedly plagued by overheating issues"
• John Gruber's shares his "Thoughts and Observations on Apple’s iPhone XS/XR and Series 4 Apple Watch Introductory Event"
• Steve Jobs on the Apple product matrix
• LifeCall (not Life Alert) commercial: "I've fallen, and I can't get up!"
• Apple's new GiveBack program

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Travelogue:

• Note: After doing a little research, it's clear the story Marshall told about the origin of "The Land of the Morning Calm" is actually apocryphal. Well, shit.
• Percival Lowell, a businessman and scientist, is credited with coining the phrase
• The Forbidden City
• Tactile Paving
• Here's a 108-page design document on the proper installation of tactile paving
• The percentage of visually impaired people in Japan was 1.3% in 2007
• Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto talks about solving multiple problems with a single solution
• Here's a great video by Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit on multipurpose design solutions in the game Downwell
• Crossing signals
• Here's a (warning: very shaky) video showing these pedestrian crossing signals
• Seven-segment display
• Here's a video of the crossing sounds, sometimes accompanied by bird chirps
• "China's Obsession with QR Codes"
• Alien Tommy Lee Jones Japanese Commercials
• "Meiwaku and Gaijin: Politeness and Group-Mentality in Japan"
• Note: It's actually pronounced may'-wah-koo

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Design Details on the Web:

• We are @designdetailsfm
• Brian is @brian_lovin
• Marshall is @marshallbock
• Sarah is @sarahberus
• Drew is @luperdev
• Join the conversation on Spectrum
• Leave us a review on iTunes

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This week's episode was brought to you in part by Asana:

Asana is growing, and they’re looking to hire 6 new product designers and design managers via a few days of interviews in Chicago and Austin. Find out more by clicking on the links at the top of https://asana.design.

This week's episode was also brought to you in part by InVision Studio:

InVision Studio is the world’s most powerful screen design tool that brings together design, prototyping, animation, and collaboration all in one place. Check it out and get started for free at https://www.invisionapp.com/studio.