Is the age of ubiquitous computing is upon us? We may not be living yet in William Gibson's plugged-in future, but there's no doubt that we're absolutely dependent on the digital realm. From tablets to smart phones to laptops to car navigation systems, we always seem to be connected. The digital life is everywhere we go, and software is our intermediary between physical reality and the bits and bytes. Over the past two years, the massive rise in popularity of mobile devices has changed the frequency, duration, and level of engagement of our digital existence. No longer is digital interaction reserved for those specific times when we huddle around the glow of desktop monitors. Mobile has made software integral to and embedded within people's lives, but the convenience and pervasiveness of mobile computing is only part of the story.

Happy new year! Two thousand and twelve is going to be big here at Involution Studios. We're excited, not only by the software we're designing and building for our clients, but also by an internal project, that, after months of operating in stealth mode, is ready to have the wraps taken off. So, as the new year brings with it a cold blast of arctic air, at least in the Boston area, let's warm ourselves up around the glow of the Invo endeavors of the coming months.

Here’s what we’re reading online, this week at Involution, on design, tech, and the digital life, in our links round up.

If You Make Sure You're Kinected, the Xbox is on the Wall
Last week, Microsoft's Kinect turned one year old, and the Redmond giant celebrated the "Kinect Effect" with a video highlighting future applications of the technology from healthcare to music to education.

I'm a big Boston sports nut. And, as cliched as the sports metaphor may be for discussions on teamwork, there are lessons to be learned from the collapse of the Red Sox, which was the worst in baseball history and has ongoing and transformative consequences for the organization. There were, of course, many reasons for the losing streak that took the Red Sox from a healthy lead of nine games in the AL wild card race to the low point of their 2011 season, where they dropped out of playoff contention entirely.

As countless, near-identical Steve Jobs obituaries spew out of the blogosphere/Twitterverse today, let's honour his contribution by doing what he did best: anticipating at what will be next...

The space in which we work defines us, both as individuals and as teams. Sometimes we're unaware of how important our office environment is, but the fact remains that it's key to our every day mental health and our ability to perform. Our work space effects whether we're able to get our work done and whether we enjoy doing it. Of course, the digital life of the knowledge worker provides a measure of flexibility when choosing working environments. With the need only for a laptop and a broadband connection, we can easily work remotely at home or in shared co-working spaces, in coffee shops or even in public areas. The question comes down to: How do we work best, especially with others on our team? For businesses: How do we optimize our physical space so that it serves both the well being of the team members, as well as productivity? At Involution Studios Boston, we have settled on an open floor plan, with desks more or less clustered according to work function type.

At Involution, our software design methodology approximates that of the industrial design process: Designers take an overall, system wide view of the product, and are responsible for specifying, as much as possible, the final form and function. This means that, just as an industrial designer understands her materials, be they metal or silicon, so too must the software designer understand his, be they pixels or code. Ours is a rigorous and broad perspective, which requires that the designer be fluent with everything from concept sketching to pixel pushing to prototype coding. In the end, asking a user interface designer to understand all of these parts of the process gives them a powerful set of tools for creating effective and beautiful software, which is always our goal. And while taking this path to creation can be challenging, we find it yields positive results.

At Involution, when we design software, we draw upon a process akin to industrial design, where—after we engage in an initial product architecture to understand the feature grouping, flow, and functionality—the next step is often sketching.

If you haven't done it before, sketching concepts for a software user experience may seem like a daunting task located in foreign territory: Aren't we creating for the digital realm? Am I a good enough artist to do this? Where do I begin? However, the benefits to sketching can be great and change your overall design process for the better. So, here are five reasons to give it a try.

Last week Involution Studios celebrated seven years in business. We've had a bunch of highs, a handful of lows, and a whole lot of fun in that time. We've had amazing employees, partners and clients, and even as another recession seems to be looming we are going strong and showing no signs of slowing down. Here are the seven most important moments for the company, one for each year, even if not evenly distributed, in chronological order.

Here’s what we’re reading online, this week at Involution, on design, tech, and the digital life, in our links round up.

Death to RFPs
A List Apart has a great article on why RFPs are no way to hire a creative firm. While I've heard from some that there's plenty of great work to be had by responding to RFPs, my personal experience is that the process is often arduous and by definition, a one size fits all approach to evaluating proposals. If you can get past the poorly articulated boilerplate language and foam and froth of legalese, you might be able to figure out what the client is actually asking for and craft a proper response. Of course, since most RFPs are a shotgun blast from an organization looking to receive as many proposals as possible, if you play the game, your chances at winning the work are dubious at best.