The patterns and paradigms of product design, development, and consumption are in transition. New so-called 'smart' products are emerging which combine familiar forms/functions with more flexible and adaptive control and inter-product communication capability. Agile and automated serial manufacturing processes and technologies can economically fabricate high quality products with a high degree of variation in the individual product instance.
An increasingly sophisticated consumer population is demanding products which address individual taste and lifestyle choices.
Add to this the ecological pressures of sustainable and cleaner manufacturing processes and you have the a strong rationale a product design paradigm shift. The discovery and development of new models for consumer centered product design will center on the implications of applying interactive generative design techniques to product design and development. This approach to design redefines the consumer's role in the design and development process and holds the possibility for detailed and structured feedback to the designer and a more rapid and subtle product refinement than traditional marketplace and consumer research techniques.
Consumer-centered design as embodied in areas such as mass customization and consumer preference research has the potential to revolutionize information age product development. This approach to design gives the consumer a greater stakes in the products populating their world. This translates into stronger product identification and by extension increased brand loyalty.
By addressing these main themes of consumer participatory design, mass customization, adaptive products/appliances, agile manufacturing and product previsualization, and the economic drivers for a sustainable production model we can surface the core issues involved in the formation of a practical application of a new product paradigm.
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Michael S. Pontecorvo
Emergent Design