chapter 3 - people, culture and society

People

• People across the world can have very different needs and tastes

• Products successfully launched in one country can often be a complete failure elsewhere

Consumer choice

• The global manufacturing sector has grown substantially over the last century and the rapid increase of international trade agreements has meant that products can be shipped all over the world

• The internet has helped create a global marketplace where designers and manufacturers can trade goods relatively freely with consumers

• This has led to a huge increase in choice and also means that prices are kept low through wider competition

Technology push

• Technology push is when tech is used to create a new product that people didn't know they wanted

• Drives forward current thinking and creates new and exciting developments

• Research and development (R&D) departments are one of the most important areas for a company, and they need to produce new and exciting products to ensure they keep their market share

• Being the first to market with a new technology can be the difference between success and failure

• Technology push is where the technology is available and the designers make a product to use it

• The best example of this is touch screen technology

• Usually results in a very expensive product, due to the high R&D costs

Market pull

• Market pull is when consumer demand is the driving force behind new products - there is a “gap” in the market

• Market pull is where the market has a need for a product so the designers make a product to meet that need

• The best example of this is cameras they have evolved over the years to meet the changing needs of the user

  • The market needed to be able to take and store a large number of images and the size of the camera needed to be reduced

  • Cameras became lightweight more compact clearer resolution along with editing software improvement

  • Now even smaller and in the front of mobile phones

• Market pull puts pressure on companies to constantly improve their products so that they keep their share of the market through brand loyalty as well as attracting new customers

EXAMPLES

Companies will have the ability to apply for patents to protect their designs meaning that other companies cannot copy them

Hooks new customers into their products and tries to create brand loyalty

Shows the company is an innovator and a market leader

Usually means increased sales

Changing job roles

• As the ever-increasing automation leads to a reduced need for manual labour, a change in job roles and working conditions is inevitable

• Rather than creating mass unemployment, it is believed that the human workforce will become “up-skilled”, meaning people will be trained for jobs that have a higher value

• Workforce needs to be flexible

Culture

• Culture in an amalgamation of the ideas, beliefs, customs and social behaviours of a society or group of people

• Often manifests itself through ritual, art or fashion

• Important for designers to be aware of the society around them and try to understand different cultures

• Society - a group of people that live or interact with one another

Fashion and trends

• Different cultures, influences and beliefs combined with a consumer driven economy result in a product design market that is invariably influenced by the “latest thing” 

• It is quite natural for consumers to want to be part of a group and to fit in or buy into a particular lifestyle

• Through the testing process of a product, a wide group of users should be consulted to ensure the product is not only for for the purpose, but also that it does not offend any potential users or members of the community

• Fashion and trends can be influenced by new technologies, social influence and popular culture

Faiths and beliefs

• A designer has to be responsible for considering the wider implications of a product launch within certain communities

• Inclusive design is the design of products that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people in society as reasonably possible

Society

• At the forefront of responsible design are companies who consider the environment before profit

• Areas of design considered to be responsible include at least one of the following:

  • Produced by carbon neutral means

  • Made from renewable materials

  • Reduce carbon emissions and/or other greenhouse gases

  • Reuse existing materials or use recycled materials

  • Designed to be 100% recyclable

  • Designed to help or ease suffering or that promote fair trade

  • Made and sold locally to avoid transportation costs and associated pollution

  • Organizations that are not-for-profit and where all money is reinvested to support good causes

Design for the disabled and elderly

• A designer should maximise the number of people a product will appeal to whilst being aware of whom it may exclude

• Should consider the elderly, people with disabilities long term illnesses, and those of different cultures

• Modification of products is an area that offers inclusivity, as specialist equipment and adaptations can be made to help those who find themselves outside the normal range