As a follow up on our previous work on mobile phone devices, we recently completed an intensive though extremely exciting project on new and changing behaviours of owners of smartphones and devices.
The last three to four years has seen a massive surge in the intelligence as well as size, shape and type of devices available to consumers. From smartphones to the latest tablets and phablets, there is an overarching range of technology we not only use but have become dependent on in running our everyday life.
Though many definitions exist – for the purposes of our study, we simplified and blurred the boundaries between smartphones and tablets and stuck with studying devices coming out in the last two-three years from within this convergence. This also gave us the freedom to work across a multitude of devices available in the market today.
Alongside this explosion of technology gadgets, that seems to there is another quiet transformation – which is our behaviours and how we interact, engage and make use of these everyday objects. Could it be that this surge of new intelligent devices is transforming our behaviours and attitudes? And if so, what are these new behaviours and changes? Can we see these and what are they triggered by? And can we anticipate what these changing behaviours are moving towards?
It is with this task that STBY recently went into the field to explore and gather insights on these consumers. To address a question as multi-layered as this, we used a mix of design documentaries, in-depth video interviews and ethnography methods to capture and tell the stories of the people we met. Emphasis was placed on capturing specific stills and videos to enrich these further with different degrees and layers of perspectives.
Later in the insights and ideas workshops we used the short films as inspiration for creating the insights and ideas for further opportunities. The research informed specific lines of enquiry that had been developed with the client, and helped to broaden the existing base of knowledge.