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modo production ready prototype


modo IDEO engineering CADs

modo Scout Electromedia Inc.
San Francisco, CA
New York, NY
modo.net

Victor Chu Design Director
1999 / 2000

About modo
MODO was the first wireless lifestyle, entertainment-marketing device. A $24 million Flatiron Ventures / JP Morgan Chase Bank and Idealab! pervasive computing, hi-tech venture. A cultural and technology precursor to lifestyle devices such as the T-Mobile Hiptop, the RIM Blackberry and hipster marketing.

Design Direction
Design Director, conceptual design direction, product design direction working closely with IDEO’s industrial design, materials, color and engineering teams to execute the modo product design and production ready prototypes. Design management, package design, brand design, marketing direction. The design objective and solution was to create a sexy, fashion-technology accessory that provided nightlife data and advertising to urban hipsters in New York, LA, SF and Chicago.

Hardware Development Partners
IDEO
Flextronics

Related Articles
the modo museum teendrama.com
Scout Pioneers New Wireless Market All Business
MODO: THE FIRST WIRELESS LIFESTYLE DEVICE Broccolli & Cheese
Where to go? Ask modo or Vindigo CNN
Idealab buoys Scout with Funds Variety
Digital Information For The Tragically Hip New York Times
Modos for Moderns BusinessWeek
Modo for Scout Electromedia IDEO
Modo.net No More Forbes

Got Your Modo Workin’
Artbyte November-December 2000
Gadget Porn / High-tech tools and toys
by Chris Allbritton

Wrapping your fingers around it and feeling it settle into the curve of your palm, modo makes you think, not of molded plastic, but of the curve of a sensuous hip. And of hip in the street sense. Modo is a handheld device that uses a wireless network to put location-based information about clubs, movies, shows and shopping at the fingertips of today’s excruciatingly lifestyle-conscious 18 to 34-year-old urbanite. For now, modo is available only to New Yorkers; later this year the company will expand its service to Los Angelenos and San Franciscans. Think of it as a digital concierge with attitude.

Designer Victor Chu envisioned the device existing at the intersection between fashion and technology. He wanted to evoke the feeling that modo- which means, well, nothing, actually- is alive, or at least lifelike. Artbyte buttonholed Chu at the launch party for modo, where he offered insights into why modo is what it is.

The Case and Shape
We designed it to look lik a beetle. I really wanted to emphasize its living nature. The two knobs at the top are like eyes and the back is like a beetle’s shell. Because it’s constantly changing its content, it’s as if modo itself is alive and the beetle shape really reinforces that. We wanted modo to look organic. We also wanted to make it very sensuous, so women would like it. It’s sexual. That was deliberate. The flap hooks into this notch at the bottom- almost like a thong, see?

The Flap
The flap is made of a silicone material. It’s designed to evoke sexy feelings. Women especially like it. It’s like skin, or a tongue. These little ridges and bumps are like backbones and the nub is sort of clitoral. It’s very sensuous.

The Colors
We made the modo in three colors- dark blue, pearl and gold- so that it could be a fashion accessory. That’s very important. It appeals to women and young people. And the dark blue makes it look professional enough for executives. Technology can be boring, but making it part of your everyday life is interesting.

The Content
Each night, Scout Electromedia [the company that makes modo] updates the data on the devices using the network, so every morning you’ll have something new. There are movie listings, bars, things to do, that kind of stuff. We have editors who create this content. One of the things I came up with was the “characters”- local people telling you what’s cool. Again, since these are live people giving you information, it makes modo seem more alive.