| By Sohrab Vossoughi, ZIBA Design
Amid all the other changes in this "New Economy," a clear call
is sounding for people in the business of designing things: things
are becoming less important. Consumers, increasingly sophisticated
and demanding, are placing less emphasis on the products they buy
and more emphasis on the experiences those products provide.
Dematerialism
This trend, "dematerialism," manifests itself in many ways. One
is the growth of environmental and retail design. Look at Starbucks,
for example. The ubiquitous café understands that people feel overworked
and over-stimulated in the information age and are looking for a
"contained escape." In response, the company's outlets pipe in music
and array furniture in such a way as to provide an oasis from the
hectic world outside. They aren't just selling coffee – they're
selling five-minute vacations. A second example is Old Navy, which
designs its stores using a warehouse-meets-playground motif, combining
industrial casters and pipe racks to reinforce the perception of
value and fun in a simple shopping experience.
Dematerialism is also apparent in the emerging trend toward "service
wrapping." Here, a product is wrapped in a service to create more
value and a continuing stream of cash. The most obvious example
is cell phones; it's not the physical device that matters as much
as the freedom to make calls from the car, beach or ski slope. In
the same way, wireless digital receivers and personal video recorders
use service wraps to ensure that radio and television programming
conform to the user's schedule. Products are lifestyle enablers,
rather than mere objects – as evidenced by increasingly frequent
promotions where cell phones or other high-tech gadgets are given
away with service subscriptions.
Making Connections
Making the leap from designing an object to designing the holistic
experience of owning and using that object doesn't necessarily mean
scrapping your design and engineering group. It requires a shift
in perspective and in investment in resources. The key is taking
a more psychological, or emotional, approach and finding ways to
capture and shape meaningful "connections" between people and the
products they buy. This applies to everything from washing machines
to vegetable peelers to computer software. Put yourself in the consumer's
shoes and ask yourself, does the product understand me? Is it warm
and comfortable when I pick it up? Does the weight and sturdiness
of the product enhance my sense of quality? What are the non-visual
qualities of the design?
Making the "connection" between people and objects is the essence
of design in the New Economy. Technology is pervasive. The gadgetry
of the 80s is behind us. The explosion of networks in the 90s has
delivered the Internet. The Internet has changed our lives. Humanity
is the new frontier. Simplicity and usability should be embraced
as core design values. Emotion and intuition should drive the process.
Think of this as "Me-Tech" – the drive to make technology
intimate and personal. From the nostalgia of the new VW Beetle to
the handy charm of Canon's ELPH pocket camera, the intangible essence
of things is becoming at least as important as the things themselves
– another facet of dematerialism.
Designing Experiences
Designers working in this new environment recognize that conventional
market research-i.e. focus groups and surveys – is more about
yesterday than tomorrow. Instead of conventional research, innovators
are mapping behavior patterns to anticipate customer needs and wants.
By defining what people need, not what they say they want, we can
create innovative product visions.
The manufacturer's bottom line benefits as well. A customer's experience
starts with a company's brand identity and flows through the life
of the product. From first use to second ownership, managing the
customer's experience builds brand credibility and brings the consumer
back for more. Properly executed, the linkage between brand and
experience is a virtuous cycle that creates value for consumers
and manufacturers alike.
Sohrab Vossoughi is founder and principal
of ZIBA Design, a full-service,
multi-disciplinary product development firm based in Portland, Oregon.
This article first appeared in the May
2000 issue of DMI News.
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