Ever wonder who comes up with the designs of products you use every day? Designers have the ability to shape much of the world around us, articulating the look and feel of the things we use most. Who are these people and what was the thinking behind their designs? We sat down with Motorolan Rhea Jeong, one of the designers of Moto Hint, who was recently recognized in Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s tech 50, to pick her brain on finding inspiration in Instagram, pretending to speak Spanish, and designing Moto Hint.

How did you first get into design?
When I was a kid I loved sketching and making things, and reading comics. I was always a very visual person. Growing up I learned the things I liked to create and discover were all actually a process of designing things. Earlier in school I got into making things online like little websites and other communication design-related things, like website and album jacket concepts.

By the time I was in high school, I decided to go into industrial design for a major since I was interested in the synergy of technology and design. After graduating from Hongik University in Seoul for Industrial Design, I decided to come to the US for my career.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I like traveling around and seeing things. I think those experiences accumulate and produce creative fuel. My colleagues are also always an inspiration to me. We share design blogs and new things that pop up. A lot of daily inspiration comes from online sources. Instagram is a great way to see interesting things around the world, if you follow the right sources.

Why is design important to our everyday lives?
It’s a broad question since design can also be seen as a holistic mentality and process. I think good design is important because it can shape our ideas into impactful objects, systems, and creative solutions so we can improve the quality of our lives and create something meaningful that transcends time and location. Design can provoke different ideas and networks that ultimately transform the culture we live in.

What does design say about Motorola?
Our design language connects with the consumers in an approachable way -- it’s very “natural” in user experience and industrial design. I believe it speaks to the consumer when we are connecting the object, interaction, and graphics to a single idea and experience—which becomes the brand and identity of Motorola.

What were some of the main inspirations for Moto Hint specifically?
We were imagining people with their heads up and immersed in the moment. Moto Hint could give you the world’s information directly to your ear by asking a question and giving you a choice to hear rather than see the information. This device could be more than an accessory and more like a personal assistant.

The discreet new wear style was key to this product, to make it universally appealing and comfortable and easy to use. We believed revolutionary design and engineering and novel user experience could create its own category and break the stigma of the traditional headset category. The earbud style makes it comfortable, familiar, and easy to use.

Are there any cool details about Moto Hint that may not be immediately apparent?
Moto Hint can detect when it’s in your ear. So it turns on when it’s in your ear and turns off when it’s out. I think it’s a very magical and intuitive experience. Also, it charges when it’s in the intelligent charging case. The lanyard tag on the charging case is the notification, telling you how it’s doing. When connected to a phone like the new Moto X, you can simply start speaking to activate voice commands. When paired other phones, you can simply tap the surface of the earbud to activate voice controls.

One favorite thing I like to do with Moto Hint is ask how I speak a different language. “How do you say ‘such and such’ in Spanish?” And it will read back to you how it’s spoken in your ear. You can just follow and then pretend you speak Spanish!

What advice would you give to aspiring designers?
I think they should try to meet different people, see many things, and go different places. You can learn something from everyone and everything. But ultimately you decide what you act on. Also, try to have inspiring people around you.

Posted by Noelle Chun, Social Media

To keep you connected at all times, we built the new DROID Turbo with a huge 3900 mAh battery—the largest battery of any smartphone—that gives you up to 48 hours of battery life (assuming mixed usage of email, web browsing, apps, texting, calling, etc., that you may typically use in any given day).

Two days is a long time. And that got us thinking: What kind of fun and epic adventures could you get into on a single charge of the DROID Turbo?

Here are just a few:

For many in the northern hemisphere, the weather outside is just shifting from “Oh, it’s crisp and beautiful today!” to “Holy moly, is it winter now?” Ah, savoring—or, for some of us, remembering—the last days of autumn. But just because the days of orange and yellow leaves are quickly ending doesn't mean you can't continue to celebrate the beauty of fall colors with your phone.

One Friday every year, they roam the store aisles, bleary-eyed, mouths agape, arms outstretched as they grope for discounted items to fill their shopping carts. You can be quickly overwhelmed. Or, worse, be turned into one of these desperate souls. The single-minded, dull-eyed Black Friday shoppers shambling after the next deal.

Don’t let this happen to you. Armed with some Motorola devices and a vigilant attitude, you can survive the hordes this holiday season. Here’s how:

1. Gather intelligence. Anytime you’re standing still, locked in indecision, you are vulnerable. Never get caught wondering if you can buy the same thing for cheaper somewhere else. Apps like ShopSavvy and RedLaser let you scan barcodes and compare prices at other stores, while PriceGrabber compares in-store prices to sales across the Internet. Be aware that this level of savviness may also make you a target! Watch out for people looking over your shoulder and following you through the store.

2. Know the terrain. First, know your closest exit at all times. Second, plan your Black Friday with surgical efficiency. You will be hitting several stores, so download an app like ESPO route planner to optimize your path from place to place. You’ll get your shopping done twice as fast as everyone else, so you can be the first to get home and dive into Thanksgiving leftovers.

3. Stay on mission. It can be hard keeping track of what to buy all of your loved ones. You may find yourself in the store browsing, wondering if they would like this thing or that. Before you know it, you’re one of the zombies staggering aimlessly through the aisles. Preserve your humanity with a nifty gift list app. Dictate gift ideas the moment they strike using Moto Hint, monitor what you’ve spent and who you still need to shop for, and share lists with others. Shop like you’re on a mission. Because you are.

4. Track your vitals. The intensity of Black Friday is enough to make anyone’s heart race. Which might make you wonder what your new, accelerated heart rate is. With Moto Body, you can find out. If your signs are good, keep on shopping. To get Moto Body, just get the update on Moto Connect for your Moto 360.

5. If you’re low on juice. Panic is the enemy! Take a deep breath. You have a Power Pack Slim. It lets you charge up. It’s lightweight, compact and you can even charge a buddies phone at the same time. Wait… you didn’t get a Power Pack Slim? Okay, maybe you should panic now.

6. Or just remain indoors. If it all seems too dangerous to venture out, close the blinds, lock the doors and lie low until Cyber Monday for some sweet deals. Why fight the zombie crowds when you can shop right from your phone? Plus, you still have all those leftovers to eat…

Posted by the Motorola Blog Team

We love them dearly, but there are those people in our lives who have a talent for driving us absolutely nuts. She’s constantly late. He talks too loud. She slurps her coffee—it could be anything.