From Editorial to Curatorial...oh, and the iPad

I heard a great word the other day – curatorial.

I had never figured on a variant of the word like that – doh!

It’s a word to watch out for to be sure. I will probably now bore everyone I meet with it.  Starting right now. The context of hearing it for the first time was this chap who said there was no ‘curatorial layer’ to the application. There literally could be any amount of data about to be unleashed on him. He would then have to plough through it. No thought applied to the way in which the content had been distilled. Curated. He went on to say it would be like drinking a pint of quick drying cement. So he wasn’t about to do that.

Meaning, rather like Google search, that you will get a million responses to any search term. It’s kinda what happens. If no design thinking gets applied to the experience of the user, or the reason why you might want all that data - watch out you will be fire hosed. Because we can!

So in the new world order, this idea of curation of data is huge.

Rather like the word ‘Editorial’ meaning - the summary or overview/management function - so that the context stays true to the intention in some way ‘Curatorial’ will come to mean - intensely valuable construction and design of intelligent content - brought together from wherever - by thinking about it (intelligently) and creating more and more rich/valuable experiences for the consumer.

We so need to get our heads around this if we are to take advantage of the onslaught of devices like the iPad.

So - talking about experiences.

Buying an iPad in the US was something quite special. A very quiet mall in a district of Atlanta at 11 am Sunday morning. A quite beautiful and sunny day. The Apple store came into view - a small queue buzzes patiently for the place to actually open.  Every other store deserted, looking enviously at its counterpart. Within literally 5 seconds of the place opening a very attentive Apple concierge explained the options, the process of buying iPads, how it all just works - and then within a few minutes there it was, my very own iPad.

Jonny Ive was spot on when he called it magical.

I’ve heard the word delicious applied to many things. Mostly food, wine, women and Italian cars.

Now I genuinely felt that thought about glass, aluminum and the countless man years of magical design applied to digital machinery. I make no excuses. It is incredible. It is genuinely a game changer. Easy to say but it really is. If this is the first edition in a new category of product then hold onto your hats.

The way the apps work is exactly how I imagined - only more delicious. And remember this is just the beginning. Design thinking makes it come alive because they have considered the whole experience. They have studied important insights they’ve gained with iPhone and iPod. They have thought through the real use to which this machine will be put.

You hold, caress, squeeze, tap, push, slide and stroke the thing. You consume not only the information but much more meaning within the information because of the care that’s been taken to think about that. It’s intuitive. A truly curated experience.

I will stop now.

Posted via email from Just Thinking!