The study is an attempt to understand the future ICT device market by strategically redefining interface that used to have limited usage to some degree in the changing interface environment, and to add value to products and provide them more durabilit...
The study is an attempt to understand the future ICT device market by strategically redefining interface that used to have limited usage to some degree in the changing interface environment, and to add value to products and provide them more durability as a mega-trend by presenting improved interface. With rapid technology development,
progress has been made in a major part of interface. Some of the progress were expected and have been verified with time. Moore’s law saying that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years has contributed to the development of systems that have been applied to diverse fields of human life. With high-tech development and decrease in product sizes and prices, various new ICT devices such as smart phone, PDA, digital camera and MP3 player have been produced. Besides, as platforms like internet have been developed and novel networks such as GPS and Bluetooth widely used, a content-based new software market has emerged, and mobile-based applications such as SNS and Cloud service have taken center stage.
The changes have rapidly permeated all strata of society, transcending place, time and method. As a result, communication and interaction methods of people have been changed. The interface environment is transforming with technology development and change of multilateral factors in society and economy, which has significant effects on design.
Socially, population aging and low birth rate issues have come to the fore and the size of households is getting smaller from family-based households to one-person households. Communication methods are also changing in the same direction. Economically, value shifting has taken place from traditional hardware manufacturing industry to new manufacturing and service industries distributing contents based on ICT,
in other words, to a software market. Technologically, scientific technology has shown innovative development, which resulted in increased functional complexity. Communication between things as well as between human beings started to take place and the system has been embedded in most products. The communication method and functional complexity have brought about a rapid change of the interface environment, which, in turn, is heavily influencing design. The most notable change was made in smart design due to the traits of ICT devices, among four mega trends in design: universality, durability,
sensibility based on analog, and smart design.
As mentioned above, ICT devices are closely related to technology development in particular, and the interface is considered to serve as a means adding durability to smart design, one of the mega trends.
According to Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, when the performance, reliability and cost do not satisfy consumer needs, the market is led just by initial adopters who have a tendency of early adopters and are users eager to adopt the technology early. However, most of the general customers belong to late adopters who accept only the technology that has been tested, and want usability, great user experience and value. As a design method to create ICT devices with
durability that cross the chasm and satisfy the desire of late adopters, namely, general customers, it is necessary that multilateral studies be conducted on the interface that provides usability and great user experience, and the extent of the interface be strategically broadened according to the change in the interface environment. Therefore, the study strategically expanded the definition of interface to interface 1.0 as place where independent systems meet and interact, interface 2.0 as interaction that takes place in the place, which includes the meaning as a means, and interface 3.0, as Eco-system surrounding the Place and Means. In addition, by organizing terms that used to have narrow meanings, or mixed usage, analyzing the related technology, predicting the future interface environment with scenarios based on persona, and suggesting an interface circumstances of @Home,
@Work and @3rd Place for ICT devices, this study aims to lay the foundation for understanding and assessing the interface environment for ICT devices of the near future.