User-centric "proficient in the heart, simple in the form"

When we do Internet product development and design, most people think that we should put users in an important position. But we tend to talk about how to be user-centric.

When I hear such six words: "Proficient in the heart, simple in the form", it seems to be able to directly understand the meaning of it. "Proficient, simple in style" is translated from English sense-and-simplicity, from the Royal Dutch Philips electronics company brand Commitment [1]. In the past few decades, with the increasing of people's living standard and the diversification and complication of product form demand, Philips has shifted the product focus to health care, high quality life and illumination. The goal is to "understand the needs and desires of consumers and customers, and to provide innovative, easy to experience solutions". As the name suggests, "proficient in Heart", indicates that product development and innovation must be from the user's heart needs and carefully designed, but also indicates that the product design needs to stand at the user's point of view or even higher than the user's point of view, and "simple" shows in the product appearance, as far as possible to simple, intelligent, easy to use, This is also from the user's point of view, because the vast majority of users in the use of products, want to be convenient and effective. These two points are just the perfect combination of the two angles of technology and design in the process of innovation.

In these two points, as a member of the Internet industry, our concept is also fit and adapt to the development of the Times. "All based on user value" just shows that we on the Internet platform is also from the understanding of the user's final needs and aspirations, the user's experience in product development and design of the core part. Therefore, user experience and research have become our necessary consideration. Through scientific methods of user and market research and analysis to ensure that products more user-friendly, more targeted, in the use of more convenient intelligence, a better experience and Word-of-mouth.

In user-centric innovation and design, contains a lot of elements. These elements are not independent, but are often interrelated or contained in product functionality and design. Now, let's take a look at how Philips did it at this point; from Philips's case-sharing, we should learn, think and learn from it.

Easily

Most users want to use products in a relaxed environment, even if it is exciting and exciting things, users hope to be less nervous. At this point, Philips is focused on providing a relaxed environment when designing their medical systems. I once had an MRI of the brain, and during the process, people were pushed into a semi-closed device with a tight fixture on their head and a piercing sound. Obviously, such an environment can easily cause people to panic, especially with repressed people or children. So, Philips in product design, according to the user's demographic characteristics, provides a relaxed and pleasant environment (ambient atmosphere) [2], for example, to provide children with interesting cartoon scenes, so that children in the MRI or CT examination, was led to participate in a game, And listen to some songs to screen the sharp tweets that occur when the device is checked.

Natural

Human health is actually closely related to nature. Users in the bottom of the heart is the need for natural environment, but because of the changes in the habits of life, users often do not realize their own in a lot of times in an unnatural state, and this state of long-term maintenance, users are accustomed to, and difficult to find. So when we design, we need to dig deep into the user's implicit requirements. This also requires us to have more knowledge, so that products designed to guide users. To know, the user's demand is often pseudo demand, we must stand higher than the user, so as to bring them an unexpected experience. Philips has designed a wake-up light (wake-up Light) [3], which is gradually brightening by imitating natural light, combining the sound of nature (such as the bird's bark and the sound of the wind over the branches) to wake people in a natural process during sleep. This way can be awakened when the least energy loss, in the new Day has more energy, the body is also the healthiest.

Comfortable

Comfort is an important feature of users ' pursuit. In life, many patients are suffering when they undergo some internal examinations. For example, when doing gastroscope, need to put a very long tube from the mouth into the stomach, to obtain some medical data in the body (such as ph, temperature, moisture content, etc.). I'm sure no one would consider this a comfortable approach. So, recognizing this, there is a need for better ways to do similar checks. Philips's product innovation is also from this point of view, designed a smart pill (Ipill, intelligent pill) [4], through a small pill, integrated with a number of dedicated measurement sensors, can wirelessly measure and transmit data. The whole process can only be done through the patient's natural consumption and discharge, allowing the patient to complete the examination in a comfortable and painless environment. Of course, such design is the need for strong technical support, so, the rapid development of technology, user-centric product design has brought more possibilities.

Facilitate

Efficient convenience is often listed as a higher demand for users. In life, people often complain that certain products or certain processes are inconvenient and inefficient. In the use of products, users are pursuing an efficient rather than onerous process. In fact, the product design itself should consider what the user does not consider. For example, many people in the use of many electronic products, often encounter a variety of electronic devices are proprietary chargers, easy to lose, and more things, one charge is very laborious. Usually the user will find this inconvenient, but can not think of any way to solve. In fact, many innovations come from life and careful observation of life. Philips's wireless flat-panel charger (Wireless charging) [5] is designed to be based on the potential user needs of the user. All products can be placed on a charge panel, the panel through the wireless signal controlled.

The real

I believe that many users will want to experience a situation in a safe environment that they cannot experience. This is more evident in the design of Internet games. Because this brings not only entertainment, but also a simulation of the experience needs. Reflects the human curiosity and adventure experience psychology. So it is based on this user's psychological needs, Philips designed a perceptual experience jacket (emotions jacket), put on such a jacket, users can choose the characters in the film, and can draw real experience of the film characters perception and behavior.

Green

Green Environmental protection is a worldwide theme. In fact, this is the enterprise for users to stand on the sustainable development and low-carbon life point of view. This should also be reflected in product design. In fact, many users in the use of products, but also pay attention to the green environment, which has become a very important user needs one. Philips's Green Street lighting (Light Blossom) [7] highlighted this. The system can save electricity through solar and wind energy, giving users a cleaner living space.

Pleasure

Pleasure is often the performance of upgrading as a user's needs. In other words, this demand is not as the user's most basic needs, but it can improve the user experience, so that users get more pleasant mood. To a certain extent, to meet the needs of users to pursue more pleasant and higher quality of life, in product design is often considered as an important factor. Philips designed a multi-sensor Cooking bowl in 2009 (multi-sensorial gastronomy) [8]. This kind of bowl can perceive the color of the food through the optical sensor, and make the color of the dish match according to the color of the food, let the user in the meal, obtain more joyful mood, thus enhances the customer's life quality.

Intelligent

Intelligence has always been a main line in the development of modern science and technology and product design. In life, the user's voice is often: "This thing can do more intelligent, can automatically realize (some kind of function)?" In our product design, there are similar sounds. Intelligence also contains the user's comprehensive needs for ease of use, convenience and effectiveness. The design of the Philips Smart Hotel [9] is based on this demand, intelligent the function of the room from the concept is not manual, for example, when you are near the window, the intelligent system determines whether you want to open the curtains according to the direction you are standing in and the features you wear. Then the curtains will open automatically. Smart hotels are still in conceptual design and will be implemented in the near future. The CitizenM Hotel at Amsterdam Schipol Airport is the prototype of the Smart Hotel concept.

Custom

In my user research experience, user customization is often referred to as a feature. Some users in the user interview, many of the functions of the product, want to be able to participate more or less, there is a desire for interaction, I hope that when the use of products can have a certain degree of customization. This customization can often increase the interest of these users in the product. Philips is seeing this, combining its own advantages in lighting and optics, to invent a customizable dynamic color T-shirt (lumalive) [10]. Our common traditional T-shirts have a fixed pattern, and this kind of T-shirt can be used to set the static or dynamic shape and color.

Health

The user's demand for health is very high. The health here is not just medical, but also a healthy lifestyle. Often, people ignore or even get used to many behaviors that negatively affect their health. Such behavior, as a product design side, can not be ignored. Like many software now, users will be reminded to rest when they use their computer for too long. People's studies also contain a lot of health-friendly product design considerations. Also, we know that people's emotions have a great effect on health. It was with this potential user demand that Philips designed an emotional detection and rationalization bracelet (Rationalizer bracelet/bowl) [11]. This bracelet can be detected by the user's skin, blood, temperature and other parameters, to obtain the user at the moment of emotion (calm, anxiety, etc.), so as to remind users to adjust the mood at the moment, so as not to cause chronic harm to health.

Social charity Care

Charitable care is a lot of enterprises to have temperament. For some users in need of help, product design should be more concerned about the way of charity, that is, the user in the need to receive charitable care. This is also reflected in the concept of user value. For example, in some backward or affected areas, people need money and supplies in the short term, but in the long run, it is more necessary to survive and develop skills and capabilities. In many backward areas, people still use the traditional stove firewood to cook, but this method is very harmful to health, because the smoke from traditional stoves seriously endanger the body's lungs and respiratory system. Philips India invented a smoke-free stove called chulha[12, a stove that is cheap and easy to make. By donating the solution, India can reduce the smoke inhalation of 1.6 million people a year. In this type of product design, Philips gives the slogan "Use creativity to develop low-cost, Easy-to-use solutions, and not just money". This has aroused my concern in particular. This idea is worth sharing and learning.

In fact, the above cases are not out of thin air, but in the repeated "user-centric" thinking, investigation, research and exploration, derived from our daily life, and technology and design into a user-oriented solution. All the elements we focus on are not mutually exclusive, but fuse with each other, which is perfectly presented to the user through the carrier of the product. The above mentioned cases are very good embodiment of "proficient in the heart, simple in shape."

Philips advocates a healthy lifestyle, while Tencent focuses on the internet's one-stop experience and life. I think the Internet life platform is like a real life platform, and the Internet products are like real life in a variety of products; This analogy is a bit blunt, but there is no lack of meaning, there are many sources of inspiration. In fact, in our previous work, products tend to be concise, and many elements can also find traces and embodiment. For example, QQ screen-cutting function embodies the convenience; Qqmail's attachment paste reminding function embodies the intelligence; the game time of QQ game is too long to remind the user of the health care; QQ show dynamic expression reflects the product of the real; Tencent Weibo design embodies a relaxed and comfortable network life status , QQ invisible function embodies the user's personal customization needs, the attention of the blind QQ more show a kind of social charity care, and so on.

In the real life and virtual network life of these two platforms, can we find product innovation and design of the point of agreement? Can you find a user-centric concept? Is it possible to continuously bring satisfaction and surprises to the user and bring about a high-end and meaningful experience? I think the answer is YES! I think that the user-centric, we still have a broader space, more needs and more valuable inspiration can be dug, innovative, can be "proficient in the heart, simple in shape", forming our own characteristics.

References:

[1] www.philips.com
[2] "A New Light in healthcare–lighting FX for configured and Comfort", Philips Luminaires, Philips Electronics North America Corporation, 2007.
[3] "Wake up Light", US-Design patent, patent No.: D606, 235S, 2009. http://www.wakeuplight.philips.com/
[4] intellicap technology. http://www.research.philips.com/newscenter/topics/20090619-ipill.html
[5] "Wireless Battery Management System", US patent creator publication, Pub. No.: us2006/0152190a1, June 2006. http://www.research.philips.com/technologies/projects/ Wireless-charging.html
[6] P. Lemmens, at al., "A body-conforming tactile jacket to enrich Movie", viewing World Haptics, 2009.
[7] "Simplicity tomorrow–sustainable City Light Concept", Philips simplicity Event magzine, 2008.
[8] multi-sensorial gastronomy Probe, enlightens dining Experience, 2009.
[9] "introduces simplicity to the Hotel experience", CitizenM HOTEL. HTTP://WWW.citizenm.com/press/philips-introduces-simplicity-to-the-hotel-experience
[ten] Philips Lumalive Event gear– Engaging and memorable brand experiences, modified. 2009.
Http://www.lumalive.com/Downloads/Public?path=General%2FLumalive_Leaflet_MC.pdf
[one] T Djajadiningrat, at Al., "Rationalizer:an emotion mirror for online traders", design and semantics of Form and Movement, 2009.
[12] http://www.design.philips.com/chulha/index.page
(this article is from the Tencent CDC Blog, please indicate the source when reproduced)