Better fitting condoms could cut sexually transmitted diseases

Poorly fitting condoms raise the risks of infection and pregnancy, according to a survey of 436 men reported in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. Ill-fitting condoms more than doubled the chances of them splitting or slipping off, and doubled the chance of men taking them off midway through sex. Out of the 436 men, 195 reported that their last sexual encounter involved an ill-fitting condom. A total of 120 of these said that this had reduced their own sexual pleasure, and 57 said it had reduced it for their partner. Problems were far less frequent among men who reported a well-fitted condom.

One solution, according to the US researchers, would be better public health efforts to make sure that men achieved the best fit. Simon Blake, from advisory charity Brook, said that, used correctly, condoms were 98% effective and protected against both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. 

However, while different sizes and shapes are available in Europe and the US, Gill Gordon, from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and says the size and fit issue must be addressed if condoms are to be used effectively to reduce the number of new HIV infections in Africa, "If we are serious about people being able to use condoms consistently, then we need to listen to their needs," she said. Source: BBC, 16 February, 2010. tinyurl.com/yhzto57

Passengers unhappy with poor design

Cramped, poorly designed lavatories and a lack of luggage space on long-distance trains are biggest source of passenger discontent, a survey by Passenger Focus has found. The study investigated passengers' experience of nine existing long distance rail operators. It comes as industry awaits delivery of the next generation of carriages to replace the ageing Inter City fleet. The survey found that nearly two out of three of passengers who used Virgin's Pendolino trains between London and Scotland were unhappy. Even though train lavatories were considered largely clean and well maintained, passengers were unhappy about their design, particularly small size, and the washing and drying facilities. There were also complaints about poor signage to the lavatories and the lack of instructions about how to lock the door. In some cases the poor design meant that the floors were wet. Passengers on South West Trains were particularly unhappy with the “cramped” vestibule area by the doors, with some passengers facing difficulties manoeuvring luggage and push chairs. Passengers were also unhappy with security, accessibility and amount of stowage space. Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said the findings should be taken into account when the detailed designs are put together for the new fleet of long distance carriages. Source: Telegraph, 06 May 2009. tinyurl.com/oqebdo

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewblack/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

International Design Scoreboard ranks countries

The first International Design Scoreboard, which ranks countries by their design capabilities, sees the US top in absolute terms and UK fourth. When the size of the economy is taken to account, Singapore tops the table, with the UK dropping down to sixth and the US to 11th. The Scoreboard has been produced by a consortium of British universities led by the University of Cambridge and supported by the Design Council. It measures countries’ design capability based on a number of factors, including public investment in design, total number of design graduates, and number of World Intellectual Patent Office design registrations, and levels of employment in the design sector. Source: Design Week, 15 April 2009. http://tinyurl.com/c36ywv

“You’re always on your @#$&&$ computer!!!”

Microsoft’s Bill Buxton reflects that, in the pre-computer age, we had specific rooms in our homes for certain activities. Nowadays, for many everyday activities, social cues have disappeared as activities are centred around a single digital device. And this causes all kinds of trouble. So how can we redesign tools and technologies such that they encourage behaviours, and visibility of activity, that are consistent with our places and values? Buxton suggests extending the “persona” concept used in user-centred design with the notion of “placona”, the canonical set of physical and social spaces within which an activity might be situated. “If one of the purposes of design and innovation is to improve our lives – for business, artistic, or familial purposes – then design that does not consider the larger social, cultural, and physical ecosystem is going to miss the mark.” Source: Business Week. http://tinyurl.com/d78nud