Posts Tagged: functionality


29
Apr 08

Fashion over function?

Marek Pawlowski write about one of the topics at this year’s MEX conference: fashion.

“It may be limited to the high-end of the mobile market, but Vertu is a great example of two very important techniques which are applicable at all levels: total experience planning and customer involvement. The Vertu experience extends across the hardware, software, services and retail environment. At the same time, it involves its customers directly in the product development process, producing customised handsets and allowing customers to actually see how their device is built.

“These principles may manifest themselves in different ways at different levels of the pricing scale, but the fundamentals remain the same. A successful manufacturer must be able to see its products in the wider context of a user’s lifestyle and must structure its development process to respond quickly to the needs of individual customers.

“Perhaps this is indicative of manufacturers following ‘fashion’ or becoming ’style-orientated’, or perhaps it is just good user experience practice?”

Link: Is fashion a stronger motivator than functionality? (mobileuserexperience.com)


18
Apr 07

Strong-specific vs weak-general

Craig Mathias describes the tension between strong-specific and weak-general devices.

“You get the picture. We’re going to continue to see innovation, but always with a degree of compromise attached. You’re likely to try lots of mobile devices, and all of them will prove unsatisfactory in at least one dimension. Everyone, for example, is lusting after Apple’s iPhone…But it has no physical keyboard, and touch-screen keyboards have been notoriously fickle. You should be able to attach a Bluetooth keyboard, but that’s another accessory to carry, and convenience would take a hit. ”

Link: Why one device can’t do everything (via)