Co-design, China and the commercialisation of the mobile user interface [uiGarden.net]
“Until recently, the user interface of mobile devices was researched, designed, developed, and tested by UI groups within manufacturers such as Nokia and Motorola,” writes David M.L. Williams of Asentio Design in a long feature article on uiGarden.net.
“Development took place on proprietary software and hardware platforms.”
“With the codesign model, design control must be shared with other organizations, e.g., operator design teams that are more likely to be in marketing groups or third-party application developers. These teams may be as well or better skilled to produce user interface designs but will have different design and commercial objectives.”
“The collaboration of operator, manufacturer, and software developer is the first step in the evolution of codesign. A new and more interesting development (from the point of view of experience-focused rather than technology-focused design) is the entrance of MVNOs [mobile virtual network operators] and consumer brands into the design arena.”
Based on a case study on a codesign project in China involving the operator Anycom, Williams provides a series of guidelines and outlines what he thinks is the future of codesign.
[…] Fino a poco tempo fa, l’interfaccia utente dei cellulari era progettata e sviluppata da gruppi di ricercatori interni ai produttori, come Nokia e Motorola. Con il codesign, il controllo sulla progettazione viene condiviso con altre organizzazioni, come gli operatori. L’entrata in scena di questi soggetti nel design produrrà interessanti cambiamenti. […]