Assignment 1: Pleasure with Products

This week, we learnt in class as well as in the readings about how cognition and emotion has been taken into consideration in the design of everyday products, from household products such as teapots to transportation such as cars. This is all in the name of user experience design, where the user, who "experiences" the product with his brain as well as with his emotions, is placed in the centre of the design process. In particular, we have learnt about visceral, behavioural and reflective designs as being sometimes at odds with each other yet are present in varying degrees in most products.

To this end, I shall discuss three different models of mobile phones - Nokia 7280, Nokia 3310 and the Apple iPhone in this week's blog report. Each of these models fall somewhat arbitrarily into the categories of visceral, behavioural and reflective designs respectively, although there is some overlapping of these characteristics of all three cases. I feel that to a certain degree, the temporal context of the visceral, behavioural and reflective elements of design should be taken into consideration. This is because what is physically appealing or functional in one time period may not be so a few years later as new designs (often by new market competitors and innovators who take advantage of more advanced technologies) flood the market and inundate the consumer with many more choices which may lead to a more discerning consumer with higher expectations. However, in some cases, the reverse (lack of change of taste, partially due to sentimentality and nostalgia) can also happen, as I shall illustrate with the first case.


Nokia 3310

I shall first discuss about the Nokia 3310, which was commonly used in the early 2000s. I would categorize it under behavioural design. As you can see from the picture above, its design is simple, with uncluttered up and down, call and select keys that make for easy navigation as well as evenly and neatly spaced number keys that are easy to press. The phone's compact size is very convenient for placing in the palm of one's hand when SMSing and its durability, too, made it a popular choice among many during its time. In addition, a major draw of this phone was its ability to send SMS messages thrice as long as normal phones, making it popular among heavy SMSers.

The emotional impact of the Nokia 3310, is thus, is overall usability, from the ease of operating the keys to its durability that endeared many users to this phone, despite having a rather dull design as compared to the more stylish-looking Nokia 8250 which was also ubiquitous during the same time. In fact, many users of this phone commented at http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_3310-reviews-192.php that this phone is the "best" due to its durability and ease of operation, one saying he even "feels safe" with it in his pocket, as its hardness can be used as a self-defence tool!

Hence, I do not think that it is difficult for a predominantly behavioural design to elicit positive emotions from consumers; in fact in some cases a basic design and durability could be the main attributes that attract some consumers, especially those who are more into functionality and ease of use than flashy looks and high-tech features. The interesting thing to note is that the comments on this website are posted very recently, which shows that even when many more sophisticated phones have entered the market, this phone still has pride of place and sentimental value among many, again drawing attention that a good behavioural design has the potential to create a strong, positive emotional impact that can last through changing times.

Nokia 7280

The Nokia 7280, as shown above, is widely known as the "lipstick" phone due to its uncanny resemblance to one. It is part of a "Fashion Phone" line of Nokia, highlighting the visceral nature of the unique design which I believe is geared towards young trendy females who see a mobile phone as a fashion accessory rather than solely a functional device. Instead of a numeric keypad, it has a select key, four soft keys and a rotating pad (spinner) and relies on voice commands that can be unreliable in noisy environments. SMSing, too, is a chore as the user has to scroll through all the characters one by one to select the desired character to form a sentence. Coupled with a tiny screen that fades to become a mirror when not in use, this phone scores low on functionality and usability.


However, the physical appearance and visceral quality of the phone more than makes up for its lack of usability. For one, the small screen gives out a red glow that "exudes mystery and excitement" according to the Nokia blurb (http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/nokia-7280.htm). The mirror, too is an everyday object heavily loaded with meaning for many ladies (and some men too) and its incorporation into the device seems is likely to draw a mostly positive response from such "fashionable" folk. To me, the small, extremely compact size easily fitted into a handbag and its black, white and red line design evokes a certain slickness that may attract users who want to look "cool" and "different" with the device, giving it a reflective quality as well.


Thus, the eye-catching appearance of the phone which has a very unique design capable of attracting attention, seems to have earned the thumbs up from many users at http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_7280-reviews-884.php, even though many of them did not like the its general lack of usability. Detractors of this phone at the website called it a "freak" phone design and "insipid", evoking negative spontaneous rections to the phone's appearance. Nonetheless, as mobile phones are regarded increasingly by many as less of a call device and more as a decorative accessory, the visceral quality of mobile phones are still an important focus of mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia which try to impress consumers and evoke positive emotions towards their product, its functionality notwithstanding.

Apple iPhone


Last, not certainly not the least, I shall discuss the reflective quality of the brand-new revolutionary mobile phone in the market (though not out in Singapore yet) - the Apple iPhone. This phone has a very stylish and unique design, qualities similar to that of the Nokia 7280, thus giving it a strong visceral quality. However, the major difference between the iPhone and other existing phones is that the former uses an innovative touchscreen interface and a Safari web browser for an enhanced websurfing experience. Thus, the reflective quality of this phone is very prominent when considering that it has the brand names (Apple and Safari), utilizes the most recent technology (touchscreen for phones which was uncommon before the iPhone's launch) as well as being the latest status symbol as the iPhone is widely seen as the next generation in-thing that revolutionizes the mobile phone industry, just like how the Nintendo Wii revolutionizes the video-gaming experience.

As for the brand name, Apple has been known to incorporate unique designs that are different from existing products, like the iMac and the Apple OS, thus possessing an iPhone rather than the ubiquitous Nokia or Samsung speakes volumes of the owner wanting to be different and unique. The desire to possess such a phone for its unique branding and latest technology can be reflected in many Singaporeans purchasing their iPhones overseas recently and illegally configuring the memory card slot to read local SIM cards, even before the official release of the iPhone here. The burgeoning popularity of the iPhone has apparently not dampened despite its functionality taking a hit by the "variable call quality" and "missing" basic features such as stereo Bluetooth support and 3G compatibity (http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/apple-iphone-8gb-at/4505-6452_7-32309245.html).

This goes to show that in a status-conscious modern society, being associated with a brand well-known for its unique-ness and the latest technology can make a reflective design the winning choice as there is plenty to brag about when in possession of such a product.

Conclusion

While designs of modern products and artefacts often combine visceral, behavioural and reflective qualities, the question regarding which of these qualities has the edge in winning over people's hearts and minds is still a subjective matter. This is because different people experience the same things differently, as they bring a wealth of personal experiences and preferences with them while experiencing the product. This is especially true with mobile phones, as I have illustrated above. Thus, as mobile phone use today is no longer restricted to making phone calls, there are practically no limitations to a mobile phone designer's imagination on what could possibly constitute an "ideal" phone that evokes a satisfying emotional response from users.