Certainly one of the characterizing aspects of improvements in devices is not manufacturing breakthroughs but design. Whilst you could assert that design and technology innovations move hand in hand, it is equally quick to see precisely how design dominates shopper habits. Having said that, this is not something new since mass-production allowed producers to create cheaper products where the onus was on design instead of functionality. E.g., the paper clothing of the 60s were cheap and of a bad standard still for some fashion conscience consumers they were must have wardrobe items.
This continues today. Cell phone producers continually play with the dichotomy of design vs functionality. Lots of product designers choose understated designs and instead rely on features. Others yet choose to provide less features but instead focus on design, sometimes working with singers.
With this focus on design over usability, it is easy to regard products solely as aesthetic yet it is good to not forget that these products should have functional benefits. When making your choice of what product to buy there is always three aspects that you need to think about – design, cost and features. Sometimes you might want to spend more on features and at other times for design. Other times design and functionality are merged together. Apple’s design ethos is an excellent example of design converging with technology.
If you always buy products based on their design then you should really start to consider the functional aspect too. While it may be tempting to buy the coolest design, it may not be the best performing. You should always check the functionality of the device and how you will use it. There is no point getting a high-tech computer if all you will be doing is sending emails with it or surfing online.
So, whenever you are purchasing new products, always think about how or why you need it. A good example is e-book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle. They have practical uses in real life. For example, loads of airlines now limit passengers to a single piece of luggage. An e-book reader is a lot smaller than your average book and you are able to take more books with you on holiday than you might otherwise be able to.
Mobile phones are a good example of improved technology. You can use your cell phone for all your media needs. Many phones now come with large amounts of memory enabling you to save videos, pictures and music. Lots of phones now also have digital cameras too, meaning you don’t have to buy a separate, costly camera. The Internet is not any different. Plenty of sites have been designed with functionality and usability in mind. You are able to find sites which were made to allow you to organize your web time much better.
A passwords manager will really save time and will transform your work process. Unfortunately, many of them have a functional design. It will be interesting to see how they will evolve as more people expect good functionality that is displayed in a well designed and aesthetic product.