The smartphonization of design

Are we heading for a world where everything has a home screen?

The smartphone has become the default platform for companies to surface their digital offerings and features. However, the smartphone as a physical device and the capabilities that smartphone OSes provide are far from ideal for every use case.

I was recently introduced to the word “obsoletive” through this great blog post. An obsoletive technology makes another product obsolete, by doing the same thing but better. The most prominent piece of obsoletive technology is the smartphone. Its generality it has made many products, to a larger or lesser extent, obsolete. Examples are MP3 players, typewriters, newspapers, cameras, VCRs, etc.
It’s nice to have one device replacing several, but giving up specialized products for one generic product, we have also accepted restrictions in user experience. Design has been smartphonized.

Why does my egg clock have access to my bank login?

Would you buy a kitchen timer that forces you to type in a four-digit PIN code because it happens to also have access to your bank account? By letting a generic device do a wide range of different tasks you quickly run into privacy and security concerns, and have to introduce extra layers to solve it. The lock screen on your phone is currently a necessary obstacle that impacts the usability of simple tools such as the kitchen timer.

Can you hand me the remote?

Another example of a specialised device is your TV remote control. There are a bunch of remote control apps available to download but most people still prefer to have their constantly lost, plastic remotes lying around instead. Your TV apparently deserves a dedicated device to control it.

A strong reason for having a dedicated remote control is that it’s a multi-user device. Your phone isn’t. It’s about privacy but also about the fundamental use cases. Having several people controlling the same TV using their personal phones is not yet solved in a delightful and simple way and giving away your phone to whoever wants to change channel is awkward. There is a communal, shared aspect to some devices that smartphones can’t fulfill because we consider them so inherently personal.

The tablet – a generic non-personal multi purpose device

Many people are already using their tablets at home as a multi-purpose, non-personal devices. They make sure they are not logged in to any accounts to avoid their 2-year-old accidently spending a small fortune online or sending photos to the everyone@work mailing list. However, these tablets are stuck with the same smartphone OSes meant to satisfy completely personal use cases. Later updates of iOS and Android have empowered the lock screen as a sandbox where non-critical interactions can occur. But in general these platforms have a conflict between the personalized communication aspects and the Swiss Army Knife approach to satisfying every need for everyone.

The return of single purpose devices?

There might be a movement back towards specialized devices again, though. Good examples are sports and health products emerging.  They do what your smartphone already can do, but better and more effortless. Fitbit is probably the most prominent example.

Still, we may be over-relying on our smartphones to do everything for us. There is a tendency to think that an app is the best solution to a problem, and it often becomes the primary digital strategy for companies trying to keep their business up to date. As Android starts making its way into non-mobile areas we have to be aware that we may start seeing more and more generic user experiences also in specialized devices. This is already happening in automotive and home appliance. Do I really need a home screen on my refrigerator?

Naturally, there is a cost issue for all of this – cost of design, development, maintenance –  but company DNA is also an issue. Many of these companies have seen the digital aspect of a product as something optional extra, with a limited budget. This is changing, people will expect companies to take advantage and shape mainstream technologies, including digital, into great coherent products.

Now is the time for companies to take control of all of their experiences, get digital into their DNA, and do what makes sense for their product. The alternative is giving their business away to competition moving faster.