Corsair Voice

Apple Story On Heart Simulator

2006-08-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Apple just released a story on the Science and Technology site about the mac mini powered Heart FXPOD, a 53 foot mobile heart failure simulator that CORSAIR created for AstraZeneca.

It has been drawing a lot of interest from the international community lately....
Check out the story

From Finance to Design

2006-07-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Changing careers from investment banking to design has been a rewarding choice. As a banker, I had no appreciation for visual communications and thought that all pictures were created equal. The value of communication, I thought, was in words; if they correctly and convincingly told the story, it didn’t really matter what they looked like. When, working on a power point presentations, I would spend more time than I thought necessary on the lay-out, white space or choice of fonts, I wondered whether I was wasting time. Time was invested in crunching the numbers and writing convincing copy. A few pictures were added to please the eye.

Now, after almost two years of living a life imbedded in design, be it visual, spatial or industrial, I can honestly say that I have expanded my horizons. Of course the numbers need to be accurate and the copy compelling, but when combining those with beautiful design, the effectiveness of communication is greatly enhanced. It was most interesting to learn that to find the appropriate font, the correct lay-out and create the best graphic, takes as much, if not more, effort than the numbers and copy.

The most important lessons I learned:
1. Strong Visual design greatly enhances the message
I started seeing the impact of, among other things, different fonts, how each communicates a certain message, be it playful or serious. And, while I already knew that a picture says 1,000 words, it was interesting to learn the difference between pictures and the impact of their presentation. Do you show everything, or crop? How much white space should frame the image? What color should we use for headlines? How these questions are answered depends on the client’s identity and their desired market presence. Every decision made in the design process is a conscious choice to further the effectiveness of the message.

2. Be positive and informed
The most efficient creative processes are with clients who enjoy and appreciate design. They are better able to articulate when a draft does not meet with their expectations. Design is an iterative process, with necessary back-and-forth to hone in on the client’s desired look. Clear constructive open communication is the best way to produce the most effective designs.

3. Good design takes time
Design illiterates, like the former me, have little idea of the research and thought behind good, and certainly great, design. I did not understand the complexities behind a visual and have since learned that in the creation of a beautifully designed page, takes as much editing as a well-written or correctly calculated document.

Posted by Janera Soerel
janera@corsairstudio.com

Disclaimer and IP statement:
All content is intellectual property of Corsair Studio, Inc.
We encourage the sharing of our ideas as long as we are credited with authorship.

The Path to Successful Digital Signage Deployment

2006-06-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

Digital signage is a confusing and often misunderstood entity; we at Corsair understand this and can help navigate this path.

Digital Signage is so much more than plasma or LCD screens placed within the retail environment; we will explore a few issues that will help illustrate how Corsair understands challenges faced by a retailer while entering this new space.

There are 5 areas this document will address:

1. Understanding the Ad Model
You Own the Network

2. Positioning: Become the Market Leader in Digital Signage
Why becoming the authority in retail Digital Signage is important

3. Building the Internal Team
Preparing for Deployment

4. Creating Effective Engaging Content
The most crucial element

5. Deployment Strategy
Next Steps

Understanding the Ad Model

When you build a signage network in essence you own a TV network, a network that can be programmed at your discretion. A network that serves a captive audience. With advertising revenue shifting from broadcast and print to narrowcasting (in-store Digital Signage, mobile, and web), you have the opportunity to offset significant costs in deploying the network. How is this done? Understanding the Ad Model of Digital Signage is the first place to start.

Blocks of programming or spots can be sold to vendors, leveraged towards your highest margin products while providing increased brand awareness for the in-store sales force. Corsair has found that successful deployments depend on this Model.

Positioning: Becoming the Market Leader in Digital Signage

Now understanding the power of the Ad Model, you need to be positioned as the industry leader in successful Digital Signage deployment.

Why?

One of the most important keys to soliciting your vendors is your position as the leading authority in Digital Signage with in your market. This will allow you to command a premium for advertising and placement within your Digital Signage network.

How is this achieved?

Press – Corsair understands the importance of building awareness within the marketplace. You need vendors to take notice, through innovation, performance and deployment.

Corsair can facilitate workshops with You and the top vendors, educating and motivating Digital Signage buy-in.

Corsair can assist in creating a controlled set of Beta sites with different methods of deployment, placement, and content models. Creating unique display arrangements, dynamically responding to reporting data, incorporating interactive technologies and actively engaging the customer. These Beta sites should use existing locations, in a few regions, creating a control set.

Corsair can also build a “LAB” where vendors can watch, listen, touch and truly understand how this medium can work for them. Corsair can also pre-visualize signage locations for vendors as needed, allowing traffic analysis and sightlines to be realized before installation.

Building a strategy for your private label brands will allow a baseline to be established on the performance of the network.

You can take the lead.

Building the Internal Team

Preparing for deployment internally will require team building across existing departments, and the possible creation of new departments. You need to leverage existing internal talent, while educating all departments about Digital Signage and what this new medium can do for you.

Marketing teams, Catalogue teams, Web teams, Technology teams, Sales Teams, and Merchandising teams all need to work together to allow for a successful deployment.

Corsair can facilitate the communication workshops needed to create internal awareness as well as create internal communication pieces that can be distributed through your existing intranet.

Creating Effective Engaging Content

Content creation and evaluation is the most crucial element of your Digital Signage network. Creating dynamic, engaging content based on the time of day, weather, trend and existing merchandise stock, will define the value of your Digital Signage network to vendors.

Corsair knows not only how to design and build engaging content; we understand the unique media needs of Digital Signage. Dynamic generated content can reduce the production costs and allow you to respond to reporting and trend with efficiency. By creating real-time composites, backgrounds can be separated from copy allowing promotions to change with the agility need to successfully respond to reporting data. Using audio, RFID, motion sensors, and interactive elements can add to the customer experience and captivate your audience. Placement and floor plan, traffic patterns, captive audiences (escalators, POS, fitting rooms) are all considered when creating content for this medium.

A robust content management system needs to be selected for the efficient and dynamic cycling of all media on the network. Playlists alone are not an answer. Dynamic response to POS, inventory, and metrics allows you to modify and tweak sales programs as needed on the fly, with out wait and cost of printed signage.
Corsair can work with you to create baselines for software, hardware and deployment options.

Corsair has a deep-rooted understanding across all media formats; Digital Signage, web, print, interactive, broadcast, video, audio, mobile and a solid core discipline of design and branding.

Deployment Strategy

You need a solid, tangible deployment strategy; Corsair is prepared to help navigate the path and position you as the market leader in Digital Signage.

Next Steps

1. Set up a meeting with our strategy team to define your goals
2. Corsair facilitates developing a deployment timeline with you
3. Corsair facilitates developing your Digital Signage vendor program
4. Corsair facilitates developing your Digital Signage baselines (hardware and software)

Disclaimer and IP statement:
All content is intellectual property of Corsair Studio, Inc.
We encourage the sharing of our ideas as long as we are credited with authorship.

Want to Experience Heart Failure?

2006-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

A cardiologist is taking a debilitating walk through the park; heart pounding in his chest and head, legs pumping, every step is labored. Approaching a slight incline it becomes increasing difficult for him to make it only a few more yards. This doctor has just experienced the freighting effects of heart failure, but luckily he will be able to walk away unscathed yet with a very different view of his patients disease.

An estimated 5 million Americas are living with heart failure and a half million new case are diagnosed each year. Numbers like this shows there is a need to educate and create an empathic environment for doctors to understand the debilitating effects and catch the disease earlier.

AstraZeneca recently launched the award winning HeartFX Pod, the first of its kind multi-sensory immersive experience we developed to educate doctors and staff on the debilitating effects of heart failure. A complete mobile simulator, integrated within a custom-built 53' double expando tractor-trailer. Chest compression, tactile induction, haptic feedback, binaural audio, high definition video and environmental lighting all combine to create a lifelike disease state and empathic educational experience. The simulator is currently running on an 11 month North American tour of medical centers, hospitals and educational facilities.

Developing simulators to simulate disease states while creating a captive media conduit for messaging is a unique way for medical schools, health organizations, and pharmaceutical companies to promote and educate disease treatment and awareness of symptoms. The is a quantifiable difference between reading about a symptom or side effect and experiencing it first hand through an immersive simulator.

Captivating storytelling is one of the most important elements of a successful simulation experience, allowing the participant to become more empathic and aware of all of the ailments a patient would be experiencing. Creating a compelling story arc allows the participant go through different stages of a given disease and experience the progression of symptoms as well as the regression with the correct treatments.

When designing a simulation you always have to take into consideration all of the elements that will truly immerse and not distract the participant such as: Temperature, motion, light, wind, scent, sitting, standing, prone, virtual reality, audio.

Allowing participants to experience the simulation requires a venue or means to transport it on or in. A simulator can reside in a briefcase or backpack when deployment requires ease of portability or multiple units in the field. For larger simulations a permanent venue can be designed with ancillary facilities, such as training or briefing areas. When mobility is needed for a larger simulation, special designed simulation vehicles can be built to accommodate the simulation as well as waiting areas and pre/post experience briefings. The mobile simulator can also provide a large canvas for awareness campaigns as a 53' truck also acts as a giant moving billboard.

Other ideas for immersive disease simulators include:

Asthma, Diabetes, Glaucoma, Parkinson's, Migraine, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Obesity, Phobias, Epilepsy, Anxiety, Insomnia

The simulator won the 2006 Horizon Interactive award.

Corsair Studio develops immersive experiences for the medical, education, and entertainment markets.

Author: Peter E Raymond
praymond@corsairstudio.com

Welcome

2006-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

We will begin to create a running commentary on media, design, social issues, technology and culture.