A new era of design

This article is excerpted from the October 2014 "programmer" magazine article:

Looking back on mobile internet for five years, if you want to find a representative company with these five-year characteristics, then not millet company.

Founded in April 2010, the first to develop Android ROM primarily, after the launch of its own-brand smartphones, has now been extended to the field of intelligent home, during the various challenges, in the competition with the traditional mobile phone giants, out of a mobile internet mode of the new smart phone play, less than 5 years, Valuations have reached $10 billion trillion (up to the end of 2013), and what are the areas worth exploring and summarizing? Recently, "Programmer" magazine visited the Millet company co-founder, vice President Li Vanchang, together on the mobile internet over the past five years of change and his understanding of mobile five years to explore.

The topics we talk about are mainly about design and marketing.

A new era of design

In the age of mobile internet, everyone is more in the submission of the mutual design, because the end of the intimate degree of the people have been sitting in front of the equipment from the original to now in hand, so the interaction design replaced the design, become a new topic, flattening is the mobile Internet current interactive design trends, whether it is iOS, Android or Windows Phone is flattening its design framework, from icons to interactions.

"Programmer": You have been a designer of Jinshan since 2000, and now have 14 years, can say that these 14 years also almost experienced the traditional software, Internet software and mobile internet three times, in your opinion, these three times, in the product design and user experience are different?

Li Vanchang: In fact, for these three times, the most direct there are several changes, the first is the entire equipment center has changed. The traditional software age and the Internet age are all computer-centric. More accurately, the software era is purely PC, to the Internet era has become a "computer +internet", and to the mobile internet era is "mobile +internet", network access mode from the Internet into "mobile communication data +wi-fi." From a device perspective, I think that the screen is getting smaller and faster, and the information is moving more and more quickly. The most typical change here in design is the so-called "flattening".

In fact, flat two changes in the level: the first is in the visual graphics, the second is in the information structure. Visual graphics is easy to understand, that is, the proposed materialization of the 3D visual style to "flat." Information architecture contains more meaning, traditional software pursuit of all-inclusive and functional level, after flattening means that the entire hierarchy is "snapped", only one layer. This is mainly due to the small device screen, as well as the rapid delivery of information. In the acquisition of information content, in fact, today everyone's interest has been overflowing, so in the understanding of information, hope the sooner the better.

"Programmer": if the time to shorten, only to see the mobile internet age, the product design concept to follow the above changes?

Li Vanchang: So to speak, first of all mobile Internet is accurate from around 2007 began to slowly start to grow, UC is a very typical representative (everyone began to use UC browser on the phone to the Internet). Mobile Internet is real when users start to surf the internet on their mobile phones and consume them via E-commerce (the earliest UC is actually a simplified format for reorganizing browsers).

By the year 2007 and 2008, Windows Mobile had entered the spotlight. Later in 2010, Windows Phone's Metro UI was the originator of a flat design that was later ported from Windows Phone to the Windows 8 design. Now, both Apple's iOS 7 and the Android system are embracing the flat design concept. So, I have to say that flattening is the most important key word in the development of mobile internet for nearly five years.

Programmer: As you mentioned above, flattening means not only the flat of the UI interface, but also the flattening of the "information structure", can this be explained in detail?

Li Vanchang: Mobile Internet age users are accustomed to small and beautiful products, an application if the user clicks more than three levels, users will be very disgusted. So, if you want to integrate more features into an application, your product hierarchy tends to be more than three layers, such as camera or video sharing, so you might want to separate this part of the functionality into a new app. The reason is because the mobile Internet more emphasis on personalized consumption. This means that your application to face the crowd is narrow, is very accurate, to seize the hearts of these users, it is necessary to allow users a short period of time to understand your products. Behind this is not by a simple manufacturer to launch the design wave, but the user's consumption mentality has changed.

Passive to participation, the new trend of marketing

Millet every 18 months for a new stage: Millet 1 before the release of low-key brewing products is the first stage; focus on doing miui and Millet 1 after the release is the second stage, focus on doing enthusiasts brand and the release of Red rice, mark Millet into the third stage, that is, the public consumption brand stage. "Rice noodle" culture in these three stages has been continued, millet even the April 8 of each year as Rice festival. Li Vanchang through the "sense of participation" this book, the external interpretation of millet is how to communicate with users. The sense of participation not only shows the essence of millet in product design, research and development, marketing and service, but also embodies its unique status in the special era of mobile internet.

"Programmer": Your new book, "Participatory Sense," mentions that participatory consumption is a major trend in the future, does it apply to all mobile Internet products/services, or to certain features of the product/service?

Li Vanchang: It applies to all mobile Internet products/services. For example, for example, when we are talking about participation, we hope that when a company makes products, it can open up all the nodes that are open to all of your products, including research and development, marketing, sales and service, so that users can participate in it. In fact, you can think of this thinking as marketing, can also be understood as a product, in fact, they have been seamless. Once you get the user involved and get the re-creation that he wants, you'll find that a "sense of participation" becomes a consuming process. Therefore, the concept of participation, not only limited to the company of Millet, but also limited to the Internet and mobile Internet, it is really a key word of the times.

"Programmer": the concept of participation in millet specifically how to achieve?

Li Vanchang: Mainly in the research and development, marketing, sales, service and other processes, as much as possible to allow users to participate in. For example, research and development, the most typical is MIUI weekly update. In the market sales, our weekly open purchase, the process itself is a very strong sense of participation in the process, the user must first to make an appointment, after booking can also bask in the list or share. Of course, we will also through some activities to stimulate the user's enthusiasm, such as June 2014 we did a call "service point praise Month" activities. In the past, manufacturers in the service point of Praise Month is what concept? Users rely on the manufacturer or sample data to determine which service is the best, which provider is the best. And we are the user to vote, all the data are also open on the site. Emphasis on the sense of participation, in fact, is to emphasize full customer service. This way you will find that every day, every moment, you have the opportunity to interact with users through Weibo, rice chats or forums.

"Programmer": When was the idea of participation the first time in your head?

Li Vanchang: This feeling is in doing MIUI's first project, the word "participation" is summed up in the past two years. At that time our idea was very simple, is to make MIUI into a system that allows users to participate in the improvement. Because MIUI is a systems engineering rather than a simple app, we really have to rely on the wisdom of the masses to do a good job of the system.

"Programmer": If you use a keyword to review your 5 years in millet, which one would you choose?

Li Vanchang: Still four words--keep loving. I think, the so-called value of millet, is "true love", the dismantling of true love is "sincere" and "Love", this is the core of the enterprise culture of millet. ("Programmer")