MY_WAY Portable Printer

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Message MY_WAY Portable Printer The name Olivetti holds significance for writers, designers, avid letter-writers, and professionals around the world who have delighted in the company’s iconic desktop technology, which includes leading edge typewriters as well as calculators and computers. In 2004, after nearly 100 years in existence, Olivetti approached IDEO about reestablishing the Italian company as a leader in the research, innovation, and design of information technology. Over a fourteen-month period, IDEO and Olivetti worked closely to develop a number of brand values that would help Olivetti establish a sustainable brand platform. These brand values would be embodied in an IDEO-designed interaction design language for a new range of inkjet printers, and in MY_WAY, a portable photo printer for consumer use. The project began with a two-day IDEO workshop, during which eleven team members defined the appropriate values for Olivetti’s new brand identity and established a sustainable framework for the future. To realize such brand values as simplicity of design and use, and superlative user experience, IDEO and Olivetti designed MY_WAY, a portable photo printer that is Bluetooth-enabled for use with mobile phones, memory cards, and digital cameras. The printer, based on Olivetti’s proprietary ink jet technology, is the first in a new generation of products that represent iconic design language and user interface. Based on human-driven insights, MY_WAY has been designed to provide an enjoyable user experience that enables the photo-printing process to feel as free and immediate as the activity of digital photo-taking. Uniquely, the printer is also calibrated to successfully print on regular A4 paper, despite the design’s compact size. Designed to be read in a linear fashion, much like a book, the printer communicates with the user in a step-by-step process of interactions, symbols and indications. The clean-lined form is maintained through a retractable handle and push-open doors. Monochromatic color is highlighted by the counterpoint of a matte exterior and glossy interior surface. MY_WAY’s IDEO-designed user interface has also been used in Olivetti’s ANY_WAY multifunctional printer, designed by James Irvine and Alberto Meda. Both printer designs were launched in September 2005. http://www.ideo.com/work/my-way-portable-printer/

A portable photo printer with Bluetooth capability

The name Olivetti holds significance for writers, designers, avid letter-writers, and professionals around the world who have delighted in the company’s iconic desktop technology, which includes leading edge typewriters as well as calculators and computers. In 2004, after nearly 100 years in existence, Olivetti approached IDEO about reestablishing the Italian company as a leader in the research, innovation, and design of information technology.

Over a fourteen-month period, IDEO and Olivetti worked closely to develop a number of brand values that would help Olivetti establish a sustainable brand platform. These brand values would be embodied in an IDEO-designed interaction design language for a new range of inkjet printers, and in MY_WAY, a portable photo printer for consumer use.

The project began with a two-day IDEO workshop, during which eleven team members defined the appropriate values for Olivetti’s new brand identity and established a sustainable framework for the future. To realize such brand values as simplicity of design and use, and superlative user experience, IDEO and Olivetti designed MY_WAY, a portable photo printer that is Bluetooth-enabled for use with mobile phones, memory cards, and digital cameras. The printer, based on Olivetti’s proprietary ink jet technology, is the first in a new generation of products that represent iconic design language and user interface.

Based on human-driven insights, MY_WAY has been designed to provide an enjoyable user experience that enables the photo-printing process to feel as free and immediate as the activity of digital photo-taking. Uniquely, the printer is also calibrated to successfully print on regular A4 paper, despite the design’s compact size. Designed to be read in a linear fashion, much like a book, the printer communicates with the user in a step-by-step process of interactions, symbols and indications. The clean-lined form is maintained through a retractable handle and push-open doors. Monochromatic color is highlighted by the counterpoint of a matte exterior and glossy interior surface.

MY_WAY’s IDEO-designed user interface has also been used in Olivetti’s ANY_WAY multifunctional printer, designed by James Irvine and Alberto Meda. Both printer designs were launched in September 2005.

Project date: 2005