Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Underhill Observation

I couldnt help but think about the reading as I was looking at the new iPhone from apple (Chris has a link on his studio blog). The first thing I thought of was how cool the new phone looked and when and where I could get one(even though I cant afford it), just because it was the new cool gadget out. The reading pretty much hit that one right on the head, how males generally gravitate toward the cool technology gadgets. On a more serious note, the reading has been very interesting in how observation and client comfort/satisfaction goes a long way in the retail world, which should be a good model for designers in general.

6 comments:

Peter James DeIuliis said...

I agree.... Observation seems to be the key... figuring out who the client his, and how best to serve them....

The tech gadget/male connection is interesting.... I have never really thought of it in these terms... but now that I look back over my life, it is quite evident... all of the technofiles that I have ever known have been men.. without exception... I am sure that there are female technofiles out there, but they were not in my sample.... which further reinforces the importance of observation... sometimes we just don't notice whats right in front of our eyes...

Ellie said...

There is nothing inherently NEW about the iPhone. It is a video iPod, a phone and a PDA. All of which exist. The fascination (to me at least) is in the revolutionary interface that it is. The GUI is simply, better designed.

Kyle Basilius said...

Why do you think we gravitate towards gadgets...latest and greatest...i have the new blackberry pearl...left verizon JUST to have the toy!!! And now i want the iphone since I am a mac user and lover and would love to have a mac phone! Though concerns have been stated by others how can you possibly keep that thing charged...watching movies, listening to music...talking on the phone..surfing the web....seems like a little trip on a plane or in the car would wipe that sucker out. And I hope that screen is durable!

Paul Garland said...

Welcome to Marketing. Does everyone need a 71" plasma HDTV with the latest surround sound system and the blue ray dvd while working on your laptop surfing the net wirelessly talking on your cell phone with the hands free blue tooth technology....and don't forget about play station 3....
Well yes, I guess I do.....hmmmm

Tim Shremshock said...

Hey... the male/techno thing was maybe a generational phenom that has passed by the wayside.

I had to ask my 12 year old daughter to help me with my blogging when this all started last week. In fact, she's always helping me out with technology. She saved all my phone numbers to a sim(?)just yesterday, so I could transfer them to my new phone. Heck, I thought that was a video game or something that came loaded on my phone.

Underhill would stress that we have to analyze all possible shoppers including 12 year old girls. Don't take anything for granted.

Anne McQuown said...

It's getting to the point where there are different kinds of techies out there. There are the videogamers, the computer networkers, the perfect cell phone stalkers (my boss), ipod and music fanatics, and the list goes on. It seems that it may have something to do with what Underhill said about being saturated with retail and products. With so many choices of gadgets to love, not everyone will run after the iPhone. I know I won't.