Image courtesy of Sci Fi Tech
On the top, you will find a product called The Concierge System that is being developed by Springboard Networks. On the bottom, you will find a product called Infoclerk that I worked on with a classmate at the University of Illinois…in 1996. I realize that other products have come out since that date similar to the one being designed by Springboard Networks, but I was struck by how similar this was to a design I helped create. Am I claiming our design was stolen? Of course not, I just thought it was funny. Not sure if this really fits into the inspiration category, but could it be that I inspired someone else???
What was the name of your product again?
I’m kidding, of course I remember the name. It was brilliant….
The level of similarity is pretty cool. I forgot about the detail of your design, though. Did yours have a camera that showed you where you’re going? (Or is that just a bkgd image of the UI?) Cuz that would make sense, if you’re looking down and interacting with the device — there would be a lot of collisions in the store, unless there is a camera and a warning system if another cart gets too close! Ha, maybe too geeky.
Anyway I’ve heard of professional design firms ripping off student work, so it wouln’t be totally unreasonable to think that you may have inspired someone. In this case, though, I think you can just be proud knowing that your student work showed such discipline for simplicity and ability to think forwardly. Wish I could say the same about my projects (which I at least enjoyed smashing with a golf club).