1 October, 2006

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LOOK-LOOK Product Trend Report
1 October, 2006
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Agenda
Introduce Macro Trends (5)
Introduce Product Trends Therein (1-3 per macro
trend)
Product Trend Examples
Wrap Up
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MACRO TRENDS IN PRODUCT DESIGN
Crafting / Customization
products as creative kits
products for a crafting subculture
collaborative products
new products from found-objects
Digital Proliferation
ubiquity of camera phones
accommodating online communities
we display/share digitally, not physically
homeless negatives
Multipurpose
smart geometries
Sustainable / Eco Design
emergence of sustainable materials
products that grow
products/packaging with a second life
Challenged Consumer
reduced/simplified choices
products for an aging population
products that give us more free time
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Crafting / Customization
products as creative kits
products for a crafting subculture
collaborative products
new products from found-objects
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Crafting / Customization
product trend products as creative kits
Kits have come a long way since paint-by-numbers.
Todays crafters want more freedom and
self-expression. Online stores like 5inch,
CafePress, and Zazzle produce small and
not-so-small runs of customized goods, ranging
from CDs and stickers to dog T-shirts and real
postage stamps. The Tune n Radio has to be
finished by the consumer, who must drill holes
for the speaker, add and antenna, and attach
buttons. The Dutch radios designers explained
the concept The basic radio becomes a canvas
which people can decorate and by doing so bond
with the radio.
In 2003, kits accounted for ¼ of total sales in
the 30.6 billion arts-and-crafts
industry. According to the National Craft
Association A more sophisticated look is
emergingthe style is urban, artsy, unique to the
creator. And the new direction doesnt follow a
patternwhich allows for a lot of creativity.
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Crafting / Customization
product trend products for a crafting subculture
How would craftsters build their own frames?
Hipsters love irony. Craftsters love kitsch. A
picture frame in needlepoint lets the craftster
create their own designs and graphics. Make it
as fun and bright as you want, or make it
understated and reserved. Either way its still
kitschy.
Kitschy throwback in needlepoint Fun, original
designs Unique texture and appearance for frames
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Crafting / Customization
product trend products for a
crafting subculture
Crafting isnt just a hobby, its a way of life.
So many young people are crafting, that whole
communities have formed, locally and globally on
the Internet. Craftsters are proud of their
work and their culture. They express this
sentiment through crafts that reference and
celebrate crafting, like theses measuring tape
purses and ruler CD cases. Individuals sell
their crafts at the hip crafting fairs like LAs
Bazaar Bizarre and online through Etsy.
The Craftifesto of Chicago's DIY Trunk Show
states, "Craft is political. We're not just
trying to sell stuff. We're trying to change the
world. We want everyone to rethink corporate
culture and consumerism." KnittaPlease is a tag
crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with
vibrant, stitched works of art. Seriously.
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Crafting / Customization
product trend products for a crafting subculture
What does crafting culture look like?
People connect to the products, tools, and ideas
around their cultures. Car guys make clocks out
of hub caps, nerds buy clip boards made from
circuit boards, but what about craftsters? Well,
they might like themes like knitting, measuring
tapes, cutting mats, etc.
Simple themes Easy to manufacture
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Crafting / Customization
Playing together is more fun. Online crafting
communities like Craftster.org make dialogue and
collaboration easy. The energetic, friendly
spirit of crafting is perfect for newbies.
Magazines like ReadyMade and Make offer how-to
guides on projects ranging from a foldaway closet
desk to an intelligent swarm of tiny insect-like
robots.
Craftster.org has 75,000 members and is visited
by 300,000 people every month. Sixty percent of
American households participate in crafts and
hobbies according to a 2001 Hobby Industry
Association study.
product trend collaborative products
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Crafting / Customization
product trend collaborative products
How can a group of friends collaborate on a
single picture frame?
A frame mailed from friend to friend, with each
person adding a photo and a special touch to the
frame. Like a game of exquisite corpse, the
final frame has a surprising and singular
character. This traveling frame brings joy to
all who participate, and it has an element of
viral marketing as well.
Brings multiple users together around a single
product Fun, game-like experience Completely
original final product Viral marketing
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Crafting / Customization
How many things can an Altoids thing do for you?
Clever consumers have been turning them into
pinhole cameras and cases for their digital
cameras and iPods. The art of decoupage, or
collage on surfaces, has been around since the
12th century, but it still remains a topic of
interest on craftster.org. Ever found a USB
flash drive in the woods? Guido Oooms did, and
created a hit with the Twig USB drive.
According to the National Guild of Decoupeurs,
the art of decoupage has been around since the
12th century.
product trend new products
from found-objects
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Crafting / Customization
product trend new products from found-objects
What found-objects can become a picture frame?
A Velcro frame comes with Velcro stickers.
Attach the stickers to old toy cars, funky
costume jewelry, foreign coins, plastic flowers,
or whatever you can find. Arrange and rearrange
the objects however you want, whenever you want.
Endlessly reconfigurable and engaging Personalized
Unique three-dimensional quality
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Digital Proliferation
ubiquity of camera phones
accommodating online communities
we display/share digitally, not physically
homeless negatives
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Digital Proliferation
product trend ubiquity of
camera phones
Without a camera? Well, youre probably alone.
As the number of cell phones users continues to
expand, so does the availability to capture and
share every moment. Over 60 of teenagers have
cell phones, and with nearly 50 of phones sold
with cameras, we enter an era where its possible
to capture nearly every moment of our lives. The
images captured are crude compared to those of
traditional cameras for now. Why not take
advantage of the unique characteristics of the
images (low resolution, candid, different
proportion)? Kodak and Flickr already offer
services to easily download, share, and print
cell phone pictures.

• 60 of teenagers have cell phones (untapped frame
  market)
• 300 Million camera phones sold in 2005
• Its now easy to print and share these images via
  Flickr and Kodak

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Digital Proliferation
product trend ubiquity of camera phones
Can a frame be as fun as a picture?
Lets give kids something to get excited about.
Mini frames made to hold printed cell phone
images could be sold alone (for cheap) or in
packs. Much like the Polaroid iZone a few years
back, we could hang these mini frames anywhere,
especially if they had a sticky or magnetic back.
Places like lockers, car dashboards, and
cubicles seem like prime targets.
Affordable Existing manufacturing techniques,
only on a smaller scale Super fun to
get/make/share Fits in places/environments we
dont normally put frames (lockers, etc)
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Digital Proliferation
The internet is connecting people in increasingly
more effective and emotional ways. MySpace.com
recently registered its 100 millionth user.
Over 134 million blogs exist today. People have
an opportunity to sell themselves as never
before, offering up images, thoughts (as blogs),
and opinions (product reviews, etc). The online
profile is king. Product are beginning to adapt
as well, with Apple Computers shipping their
cheapest computers with built-in cameras and
software, making blogging, sharing, and printing
a snap.
Myspace.com Yahoo! Groups Facebook.com Apple
computers with built in cameras
Product trend accommodating online
communities
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Digital Proliferation
Product trend
accommodating online communities
Can frames create a community?
Canadian Jones Soda Company has created a
successful product doing just that. They solicit
interesting images from Jones consumers, and
print runs of labels with them. Looking through
the bottles is fun and engaging. Why not try it
out with face paper? Allow consumers to send in
their images (royalty and license free), create a
brand name to support it, and you have the next
product wave. Lets see a private label
manufacturer copy that.
Use existing frames Create a simple system to
collect, print, and insert the paper
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Digital Proliferation
product trend we
display/share digitally, not physically
The way we share memories is changing. Cameras
are digital, allowing us to share right from the
back of a camera, via a website, a computer
application, or even with digital picture
frames. The screen is replacing the print as the
primary way to share images. Nearly half of all
internet users still dont print digital photos
at all, says Kristy Holch, a Group Director at
InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. Consumer comments
reveal the causes, such as home printers that are
low-quality or out of service, too many steps in
the printing process, lack of time, or not enough
interest in having a printed photo. These
results indicate that improving ease-of-use would
boost average print volume.
Flickr, Kodak, shutterfly Picture DVDs iPhoto /
Picasa Viewing Camera Screen Digital Picture
Frames
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Digital Proliferation
product trend
we display/share digitally, not physically
Can we frame a picture without printing it?
It sounds a bit silly, and it is, but who said
that framing had to be so serious all of the
time? Why not create a large frame for our iMac,
or even small frame stickers for our impromptu
presentation from the back of our cameras?
Fun Make from cheap removable stickers
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Digital Proliferation
product trend
we display/share digitally, not physically
Can we print a picture frame?
Why sell pictures frames at all? Actually, this
is a good idea. A simple acrylic frame could be
sold with a CD containing thousands of high
resolution digital frames. Software would
combine your images and the chosen style, and
voila, a brand new frame. Not feeling the simple
walnut frame you chose last month? Then reprint
the picture with a gaudy gold-leafed baroque one.
Fun to try new styles, from modern to
colonial Make one frame, and have thousands of
choices
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Digital Proliferation
product trend homeless negatives
Were taking more digital pictures than ever.
Since I went digital, my annual shots numbered
about 10,000, says Simon Colliss. With the
increase in images though, there has not been an
increase in our ability store this information.
In fact, many computers users dont even back up
their digital information regularly, putting
priceless memories at risk in the event of a
computer failure. New solutions, such as the
Slingbox or Lacies external hard drives, are
making backups easier. With the availability of
high speed internet access, many people are even
trusting sites like Flickr to maintain their
photo collections securely online.
About one-third of digital camera users are not
backing up their photographs Slingbox media
storage Lacie Hard Drives Flickr online photo
storage
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Digital Proliferation
product trend homeless negatives
Does memory keeping need to involve frames?
Heres a quote that says it all
When clearing my late father's house I found a
shoe box with old photo's going back many
generations of the family. These pictures are
absolutely priceless. In these days of digital
photography where we delete this and that, these
records will never be kept. I do have a digital
camera and copy every picture to a CD ROM. These
are actually kept in the same shoe
box..!! Dudley Piggott, Providenciales, Turks
and Caicos Islands
Lets create a place too keep all of those
digital negatives that were creating. A secure
hard drive enclosed in a traditional picture box
could do just that. We could even keep an area
to actually keep our printed photos and family
heirlooms too!
Connects to traditional storage Easily manages
backups with included software No-hassle solution
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
emergence of sustainable materials
products that grow
reclaimed/recycled materials
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
product trend sustainable materials
Sustainable doesnt just mean recyclable today.
Materials can be sustainable depending on how and
where they are grown, or how they are sold, used,
and disposed. Bamboo can grow up to a foot every
day. Cork comes from the bark of the cork tree,
and it can be sustainably harvested without
damaging the tree, unlike other woods. Thai toy
manufacturer PlanToys uses wood from old rubber
trees that have stopped producing rubber, trees
that were traditionally cut down and burnt.
Also, new plastics are being made from vegetable
starches and oils, which biodegrade within months
of disposal. These plastics are being used for
disposable goods like fast food packaging and
disposable dinnerware.
Cradle to Cradle Certification is a new system
that helps companies and consumers find products
and services that are credibly sustainable and
environmentally responsible.
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
product trend sustainable materials
Can a picture frame make you think and act
greener?
Sure, a picture frame made of sustainable
materials is great, but there is a difference
between being green and looking green. A frame
made from sustainably harvested cork needs to
educate too Face paper that tells the
sustainable story behind the frame.
Environmentally friendly Unique, natural
appearance Educational Makes users feel good
about themselves
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
product trend products that grow
It aint just Chia Pets anymore. More than half
the world lives in urban areas today. To make
life in the concrete jungle a little friendlier,
more and more products today are growing things.
These products offer a juxtaposition of
artificial materials and living, organic matter.
Egglings ceramic shell contains pre-planted
seeds in peat, while the Plant-Me Pet is made
from biodegradable, natural latex with seeds for
eyes. This magic Starbucks coffee bean has the
Starbucks logo laser-etched onto it. The
laser-etched bean grows into a laser-etched
sprout. On a larger scale, green roofs have
gained in popularity among builders and city
planners. Green roofs increase energy efficiency
and help manage rainwater runoff.
Plants can clean up to 87 of indoor pollutants,
under the right circumstances. In urban areas,
plants can reduce dust counts by 75 percent.
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
product trend products that grow
How can a picture frame grow?
A picture frame that makes planting seeds easy
Seeds and enriched peat are contained in the
bottom bulb of the frame. Just stick it in a
planter and start watering.
Makes growing flowers and plants easy Unique
aesthetic effect for a picture frame
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
Freitag sells over 100,000 products per year made
out of recycled truck tarpaulins. To date, they
have recycled over 200 tons of truck
tarpaulins. Sales of reclaimed wood are growing
by as much as 50 percent annually.
product trend reclaimed/recycled materials
Waste equals food. The revolutionary mantra
described in the book Cradle to Cradle can be
seen the works of designers around the world.
Super-hip bag manufacturer Freitag used recycled
shipping containers to build its flagship retail
store in Zurich. REProject turns discarded glass
bottles into beautiful new bottles. Reclaimed
wood is becoming popular with interior designers.
Each highly unique batch is taken from an older
structure that is being demolished, like
abandoned factories and barns. The wood is
prized for its patina and character, complete
with original nail holes and saw marks.
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Sustainability / Eco Friendly
product trend reclaimed/recycled materials
What does a reclaimed/ recycled frame say about
the picture inside?
A frame made from reclaimed wood has personality
and character in the same way as an old downtown
loft. If your pictures are quirky and
individual, your frames should match. A frame
with as much history as the picture it holds?
Now thats a good story.
Individually unique frames Environmentally
responsible use of materials
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Multipurpose
smart geometries
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Multipurpose
product trend smart geometries
Some objects change shape to change function.
With smart geometries the shape stays the same,
but the context changes. Moving parts are more
expensive and difficult to manufacture, and they
are prone to breaking. BasicKnives offer a clever
and elegant way to combine tools in the kitchen.
The UM tote bag uses a zipper for structure as
well as a means to open. It can be easily
deconstructed for cleaning or finding chapstick.
The Flip chair changes from a slung-back lounge
chair, to an upright dining chair, simply by
switching positions.
BasicKnives UM tote bag Flip chair
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Multipurpose
product trend smart geometries
Can a frames form add to its function?
Simple, lets take the bookshelf, already full of
books and frames, and flip it. Now we have a
picture frame that is a bookend. Simple, easy,
and fun.
Already in use in this environment Clever shape
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Challenged Consumer
reduced/simplified choices
products for an aging population
products that give us more free time
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Challenged Consumer
Product trend reduced/simplified choices
We are saturated with options and choices
everyday. At stores like Best Buy and Dell.com,
consumers are presented with many products that
are difficult to differentiate. In an effort to
attract female consumers (those usually with
buying power), Best Buy created Studio D, a
technology boutique that limits choices and
provided classes and assistance. Video game
controllers are catching on too, with Nintendos
next generation Wii system offering a controller
that replaces buttons with motion sensors (which
it claims are more intuitive). Apple has changed
the way we listen to music, offering simple
interfaces for the iPod, and now the iPod HiFi.
Nintendo Wii controller Apple iPod HiFi Studio D
Boutique Even menus are changing. Chipotle
offers a simple menu, making decisions easy and
saving time.
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Challenged Consumer
product trend reduced/simplified choices
Can arranging frames be simpler?
Its not just a matter of getting the picture in
the frame. When it comes to hanging the picture,
things get serious. Will it fit with my other
frames? Will I have to hang it 3 or 4 times get
an arrangement that works? These questions lead
to extra time and anxiety. Why not sell packages
containing several frames, all made to hang
together on the wall? Using embedded magnets, we
could hang one or two large images, and smaller
ones could attach without tools or hardware.
Quick Installation Easy to change you mind and
rearrange images Packaging could suggest
arrangements
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Challenged Consumer
product trend products for an aging population
As baby boomers enter retirement, we are entering
into the largest population of elderly persons in
history. According to the US census, the 85 and
older segment of our population is the fastest
growing. Furthermore, this population is more
educated and healthy than previous generations,
making independent living possible for longer.
Products such as the OXO GoodGrips family of
cooking products and newer, ergonomic washing
machines are designed with physical limitation in
mind, but still attract younger consumers. Smart
electronics, such as the oversized calculator
from the MOMA store, or Ronsonics TeleFace
phone, allow continued ease of use as vision is
lost.
Seniors are the fastest growing US population OXO
GoodGrips Ergonomic washing machines Teleface
phone
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Challenged Consumer
product trend aging consumer
Can we make a frame with the elderly in mind?
Products can be difficult to use when for older
individuals. Often times, tasks that were once
simple or more difficult to achieve. Threading a
needle is a common example, but how about those
small clasps use to hold the image in a frame?
By creating a simple frame that sandwiches the
photo, we remove the small hardware and make
framing simple, as it should be.
Simple No small or difficult to use
hardware Ability to change images without taking
frame down from the wall
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Challenged Consumer
Americans feel over worked. Over 20 of
Americans work more than 50 hours per week. This
is true at both ends of the spectrum, with high
paid individuals trying to beat out the
competition, and low paid hourly employees
working overtime to make ends meet. On top of
all of this, we now commute longer and further
than ever before. All of this results in less
and less free time. Products that encourage easy
use and consumption, such as Cuisinarts
Two-to-Go coffee maker, which pours coffee
directly into a travel mug, are reaching out to
consumers in a hurry. Evens salads have caught
on, with pre-washed bagged salad becoming a 2.8
billion industry. And of course, we still eat
fast food to save time and money.
20 work more than 50 hours per week We commute
more Products that encourage the to-go
lifestyle, offer us more free time
product trend products that give us
more free time
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Challenged Consumer
product trend products that give us more free
time
Can a frame give us more time to play with our
kids?
With less and less time, who wants to spend time
getting pictures into a frame? Very few people
it turns out. So lets make it as easy as
possible. Why not make a frame that accepts an
untrimmed letter sized sheet of paper? Just
print your image in the center of the page, and
slide it in. No cutting, no measuring!
Uses existing computer paper size standard, not a
photo size that requires trimming
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Wrap Up
Now lets get started. The previous trends and
ideas are meant to plant seeds for future
products. Weve seen what consumers are
thinking, and some of the new products that they
are buying. There is a tremendous opportunity in
this market. Whether its through short term
solutions, using existing manufacturing
competencies, or completely new ones. Where can
we take the memory keeping category?