Consumer needs vs. Firm’s technology
Don Norman recently wrote a web article, Technology First, Needs Last. In this article, he argues that technology drives needs. Although his argument is not only interesting but also consistent with the key argument of my thesis work, it does not fully resolve my curiosity about how designers deal with the relationship between consumer needs and firm’s technology. In other words, his article did not fully convince me why many contemporary designers create/choose solutions by intentionally avoiding cutting-edge technology (e.g., Swiffer and iPad)
Recently, I came across another article, Balancing Need and Technology, written by Fil Salustri. It quenches my thirst to some extent. It is absolutely worth a read!
Advertisement
Maybe he is right but not always. To me as a designer, such issue related to both techs and needs sounds like wordplay, chicken and egg. (Am I rude?)
Few days ago, I found a quote which could be a competitive against the Norman’s thought:
“Design is always about synthesis – synthesis of market needs, technology trends, and business needs.” – Jim Wicks
Yes, designing is about thinking of all processes and both visualization and forming are just one part of them. Who knows which segment has a top priority? Our era has been passing. And the shape of the relationship between them can’t be fixed. It’s always changing in designers’ mind and sociable phenomena.
And, here is another quote instead of representing my thought of this issue.
“If we want users to like our software, we should design it to behave like a likeable person.” – Alan Cooper
I believe designing itself is a kind of magics building a bridge connecting each of two separate ends: techs and needs. So, designer should know well both.
Cheers!
JaeWoo