There was once a time, when one could distinguish products and their underlying technologies merely from the way they looked. It was like a silent art and style revolution, which even the ‘man on the street’ could follow. Now however, we are all in the same boat whether smart tech-savvy or street-smart or Grannies and Grandpas.
This kind of levels or steam rolls the class based designing that existed in a not so long ago era. What then, should be going on in the mind of the designer today as against his decade old counterpart?
To answer that, lets dwell on the sources of inspiration then and now. Twenty years ago more than half of the world did not have colour TV. Publicity was wide on radios, and in print, libraries made a living by just putting books and more books on the shelves. Children had play stuff made in simple colours, and there were almost no hand-held gaming consoles to tag along.
Today, we stare and wonder how to stop the onslaught of new TV technologies that erupt every month from the various combinations of 3D, LED, 4 COLOR and now are waiting for the surreal 4D in our living rooms! Magazines are now available in print and e-verisons. Most print versions are accompanied by their virtual real counterparts, with magazines now introducing the immersion experience by “smart tagging”.
How far can this go ? Frankly, we can’t really say because “the sky is the limit”. If so, what can be predicted about this phenomenon, and can that be trusted? Again, the answer is a sorry “may” or “may not”. It is difficult to reason out why the answers are like this, but what can definitely be said follows.
Technology development cycles have been greatly crashed in recent decades. However, most of this has been possible due to the availability of information in the public domain, topped up with advances in top secret centres run by huge investments. The rate at which this is going on, it seems that soon, we will only be left with information to work on, which is classified, patented or pure hypothesis. The options stated mean that future developments that find their way into the products we use, will have to be made at either huge costs, by huge money spending, or by purely innovative means. Traditional methods of product development will wither and slowly becomes scarce commodity or will not be done in any of existing methods at all. That brings us to the next question, which methods will suit product development henceforth?
If we trend product development cycles over the last 50 odd years, we can see a progression from hit and miss; to specific targeted methods; on to creative and lateral thinking; and lately onto high technology computing for quick screening of ideas, then the hard prototype using various new RP methods.
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