1) Technology influences product design and designers will continue bridging technology and users. 2) Products will evolve based on understanding user needs and engagement. Personalization and customization will be common as people treat electronics as valuable personal items. 3) Designers must balance letting users control design with collecting user data that may differ from actual preferences, and creating flexible products that provide user choice.

2. Consider these facts.
1) Technology influences how we
make things.
2) Designers will continue to bridge
the gap between technology and
you.
So how will we design our products
differently in the next 10 years?

3. 1
The “Unibody” is made by a
computer controlled precision
milling process. The advantage of
this process includes reduced part
count, thinness and a rigid
structure.

4. 1 Samsung spent millions perfecting
this molding process. The unique
clear rim and red to black color
gradient has become a design
language synonymous with their
brand.

5. 1 The HP Envy’s surface pattern is
created through a chemical etching
process on its metal body. The
texture gives the surface and
product a unique character.

6. 1 Freedom of Creation uses rapid
prototyping technology to create
shapes and forms that traditional
manufacturing processes cannot.

7. 2
My experimental Un-p3 project
explores the use of laser cut
plywood to aims to create an
electronic product that ages well
and is warm to the touch

8. 2 Joey Roth’s ceramic speaker design
celebrates the use of organic
materials.

9. 2 Silicon and cloth bangles by Tzuri
Gueta (left) and concrete jewellery
by Karen Konzuk (right).

10. 3 The business of consumer
electronics looks for the next big
thing. Much of it are evolutions.
What will products evolve to next?
?

11. 3
Understanding a user’s needs and
how they engage with a product or
technology is the key to a successful
evolution.

12. 4 “Design is the silent ambassador of
the Brand” ~Paul Rand

13. 4 Hey, look at how big my “thing” is?

14. 4 In an environment of tight budgets
and informed consumers, designs
need to communicate not only their
function but their brand promise.

15. 5 Simple but Complex. Technology
allows us to create simple products
with deep user interfaces and
experiences that can be made
meaningful to users.

16. 6
Less is More when it comes to
digital convergence. Adding more
functions makes a product harder
to use.
Modularity responds to this by
allowing you to only buy/use what
you need.

17. 6 Prosumer, or “professional
consumer” cameras push the limits
of digital convergence by balancing
simplicity with in-depth
functionality.
Often it is about reducing
specifications, like the G11’s
megapixels, not increasing it.

18. 7 This a testament to the rise of the
Internet brands. As humans are
inherently tangible creatures, these
brands realize they need to get out
to the real world to bring their
brand experience closer to their
consumers.

19. 8 Inanimate electronics products,
they are often viewed as cold and
distant. Haptic design philosophies
allow users to form strong tangible
relationships with the products they
use.

20. 8 This is also known as “High
Touch” electronics.

21. 9
More and more people treat
electronics as items of value. Both
in a personal and monetary sense.
Personalizing, customizing,
accessorizing and hacking a
product to better fit an individual’s
needs and fancies will be common
activities.

22. 9 Products will never be a 100% fit to
a user’s needs. The well informed
consumer will seek out solutions
beyond what a product can offer.
It is thus a lucrative business to
provide accessories that solve
problems like a hot laptop casing.

23. 10 It is often good if consumers can
tell designers what they would like
in the products they buy. This
reduces product development risks
as it often guarantees sales.

24. 10 Technology facilitates and makes
the tedious task of collecting
consumer data simple.
But how much of your design
creation will you let the consumer
control?
How hard do you listen when what
people tell you is often different
from what they really want?
Can you design a product or system
that is flexible enough to provide
the user with enough choice?

25. 11 Look at how far we have come
since the first multipurpose
computer was announced in 1946?
After 64 years we now have
computers as big as your palm.

26. 11 With miniaturization at the heart of
technology, it is conceivable that
manufacturing machines will soon
be small enough to sit on your
desktop. Actually, it already has.
So now everyone can be a designer
as they are able to make anything.
So then what is the value of design
and designers?

27. Follow the conversation at www.DesignSojourn.com.