Venessa W. Wong Online

A 15,000 square foot LED display atop the retailer’s new store in Times Square, which opened on November 19, is adding more flash to New York’s busy hub. Anyone who makes a purchase can broadcast a photo and 20 character-long message on the screen, which towers over the corner of 46th Street and Broadway. Already, one man popped the question on the big screen (she said yes).

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BusinessWeek published a list of design programs to watch as part of a special report ondesign thinking. I recently followed up with representatives from RISD, Aalto University, College of Creative Studies, Parsons The New School for Design, Rochester Institute of Technology, Tongji University, University of Applied Arts Institute of Design, University of Michigan, Univerity ofTechnology (Sydney) and Univerity of Tokyo to see howthese new and upcoming master’s programs are developing.

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Going to business events and making frequent trips to the coffee makerdo not burn many calories, I’ve learned. In fact, my profile onDirectLife, Philips’s (PHG) new health program that I have been testingfor two weeks, shows I spend a large part of my days sitting andtypically walk less than 30 minutes.

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The days when corporate communications meant pushing out information to the public are numbered. As social media continues to permeate consumer culture, companies are trying to learn how to engage consumers in two-way conversations through blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other tools. “A customer is a precious thing. No matter how much you think you’re listening, you’re really not,” says J. Christopher Preuss, vice president of communications at General Motors. The company operates several blogs that allow people to comment on developments in the company.

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With the Internet, we are instantly disseminating all sorts ofmedia–videos, photos, tweets. Yet in emergencies, such as hurricanes,many people continue to rely on television and radio for information.

I spoke with former CBS meteorologist Bryan Norcross, who started America’s Emergency Network (AEN), a company that uses IP video technology for emergencycommunication. It streams live video and audio updates over theinternet that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection viaa computer or mobile device. The content is automatically archived andcan also be broadcast over television and radio.

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In a recent meeting with Erik de Heus, CEO of New Wellness Solutions atPhilips Electronics (PHG), the multinational health-care, consumerelectronics, and lighting company headquartered in Amsterdam, wediscussed a device I would try out—the new DirectLife healthmonitor. It is a white 1.2-inch square that detects acceleration tomeasure how far and fast you move and how many calories you burn—basedon an online profile you set up with your height, weight, age, andgender using proprietary algorithms. Like an iPod, the device plugsinto your computer and automatically updates your profile with data onthe day’s activity using DirectLife software you download from theInternet.

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Last month, I wrote about plans by banking and security products company Diebold to launch mobile banking services in the U.S. Today, Diebold’s partner, ClairMail,a Novato (Calif.)-based company, announced another effort toproliferate mobile banking: Smart Client. This free application for theiPhone is now available to banks, which will offer it to consumerslater this year, and aims to make it easier yet for smart phone usersto register for and use mobile banking.

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The future of hotel design: giving travelers an authentic andunfamiliar experience without leaving their rooms. While quality,consistency and a comfortable bed remain paramount, some designers nowaim to immerse guests in unexpected, and sometimes quirky,environments—the rain forest or museum, for instance.

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Companies such as Nokiahave been cashing in on mobile banking in emerging markets includingIndia, Brazil, and South Africa. The success is in part due to thelarge number of people in these areas who have mobile phones but do notyet have access to land lines and Internet. Will well-wired Americanconsumers have the same demand for this service?

Diebold believes there is potential. I recently spoke with Keith Lewis,director of marketing for the North Canton (Ohio)-based maker of bankequipment (e.g. ATM) and security products.

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I’ve recently had several conversations about outcome-based outsourcing for product development with Gordon Brooks, president and CEO of Symphony Services,an outsourcer headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. with 4,000 employeesin the U.S., India, and China. Can this model become widespread inproduct development?

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