May 13, 2005
Designs on less complex mobiles
The mobile phone industry is in danger of confusing people in its quest to pack everything into handsets, thinks Scott Jenson, a leading mobile industry design consultant, reports the BBC
"The mobile industry is full of excitement about music. Nokia, SonyEricsson and Samsung are all making an assault on music with their latest models.
But converging all these functions that are now possible into one device opens up major design problems.
"What the industry should be coming up with are more innovative ways to get at these functions, thinks Mr Jenson, in ways that understand the kinds of experiences people want. It is about simplicity through design.
[...] The iPod, the top-selling digital music player, is a prime and oft-used example of what Mr Jenson calls a "transformative technology".
Its design success is partly down to its minimalist outer shell and peripherals which appeal to a diversity of tastes.
But its main design triumph has been to think about new features which have actually changed the way people experience their music, argues Mr Jenson."
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