Media Co-habitation and Experience Design

I was running an offsite scenario planning exercise with my three business partners yesterday on the future of broadcast media. A lot of interesting foresights came up. Just want to share some of the thinking and after thoughts with you here.

Let’s start with the idea that generally everything (devices, appliances, even ads) is becoming smaller, but then "experiences" are actually getting bigger, richer, and more emotive. One big challenge is that as devices get smaller, the adaptability of the interface becomes very important.  Not only the "interface" is the brand, more innovative new features are now fueled by software that eventaully be included as "service". That means what was once accomplished through changes in the physical configuration of a networkable product/device will now be managed by its digital interface and smart sensors. Designers can creatively play with the controls of a device so that, depending on the situation, can quickly morph from function to function, such as from a phone to internet browser (iPhone is an example). That is a big part of the brand experience. How does that impact the future role of advertising agencies?  Translation: ad agencies are not only about ads. Now that’s a problem for many. For the AKQA, Critical Mass, IDEO and RGA of the world the future is bright. For marketers, the future is to imagine and create a new experience (service) that extends customer engagement rather than disrupt it; brands can then strengthen their contextual involvement and connection with the consumer. Media will go beyond broadcast to "service". Advertisers will bid to support these services.

When distribution is trivial, unlimited, and available to all, marketing to a captive audience sitting on a cough in front of a box is now a thing of the past and creating "quality" product/service/content is paramount. Content is now a part of any product (and its experiences). Consumers will consume only what‘s relevant and what entertain them most, not what is marketed to you them in a repetitive fashion. So content becomes the bloodstream of marketing. Today we are constantly receiving content from multiple streams. Interestingly, the computer's encouragement of multitasking is equal to the TV's discouragement of it, suggesting that the former promotes active, albeit partial, engagement with multiple streams of content while the latter demands one full attention. Think about it, only about 17% of time spent watching TV is shared with other medium, according to the Kaiser study's findings, compared with an average of more than 65% for computer-based activities.

So here’s a big idea for you. It's Media Co-Habitation. Everything in the future needs to be designed with the idea in mind that the experiences not only need to accomodate multitasking, it should be argued that it needs to be designed to encourage or facilitate multitasking. That will bring a whole new paradigm in experience design, web or TV or small screen.  I don't know about, I am am a crazy multitasker and that's how I can get more things done (I use all 3 Thinkpads on my desk). I bet many of you are the same. A lot of thinking is needed here. A little caffine will help. Pls do share your thoughts.

JUST IN. Here are latest number from research houses for first half of 07, ad spending slipped 0.5% versus the 06. Not surprisingly, the Internet led the way--again--as the most improved category, UP 23.6% versus a year ago. Many of the TV platforms were also in the red, with spot TV taking the worst hit--down 4.6%. Network TV didn't have much to cheer about either; it was off 3.8%. Cable TV was the least hit, slipping just 0.3%.

NOTE: Advanced Brand Strategy Mastrerclass - We will resume our branding session next Monday and we will start module four. Looking forward for some exciting discussions.

Comments

[josha]

I really like this analogy, it means interactive designes like us need to expand our skills and think beyond physical attriutes of product features. It is exciting for people who work in this industry.

[Arnold Slazzenger]

Very insightful indeed. I also find your company Idea Couture's ideas very interesting. yes I used the link on your blog.

[Bart]

In my view: designing for multitasking means less actual 'tasking' and more decision making. For one thing: I think screens should (and will) largely disappear and interaction will be way more humancentric.

I'm very hopeful for future developments. I think we're just one or two steps away of seeing the Web integrate more with real life and be way more automated (e.g. personal digital agents which are always on and always connected, turning chaos into personalized structure), so humans can focus more on personal interaction.

A good example of this already happening is Last.fm. All the user does is turn on the player and type in the kind of music they'd like to hear (by either the name an artist or a tag). While listening, data is generated and preferences are personalized, automatically.

With the above in mind, I think designing for multitasking is mostly about 'making decisions that set things in motion'. Users need only actively interact at the decision making point (Do I want to order this book? Do I want to watch the game? etc) instead of be active through the entire process. This means that the flow of multitasking will go more and more from decision point to decision point, providing users with the right information when they need it.

As soon as this happens, there will be virtually no limit to the amount of multitasking we can do.

[Josh]

I agree with Bart's idea that the web is deeper and deeper intergrated in our daily lives, but I think the idea of 'digital agents'is not happening anytime soon. Computer assisted decision making, sure, digital agent..not sure. I hope it will not be running Microsoft Windows.

[Bart]

"I hope it will not be running Microsoft Windows."

Ghe ;)

I think we're already underway with the extra icon appearing on the screen of the new iPod Touch when you walk into a Starbucks. That's the first step towards a personalized location based narrowcasting system, which - in my view - is only a prelude towards personal agents.

My educated guess is personal agents will definitely become mainstream in the next 5 to 7 years.

[christian briggs]

Here on the Human-Computer Interaction side of the product equation we are struggling, like marketing folks, with a resistance to cultural methods of inquiry (empirical methods are still reigning supreme), though the importance of experience is becoming apparent.

An interesting thought i'll pilfer from a talk today by Jodi Forlizzi (HCI Researcher at Carnegie Mellon University)represents a small shift toward operationalizing social inquiry based on her "Product Ecology Framework." She conceives of products (defined as goods, services, places and experiences) as each having their own ecology. Changes to one product's ecology will almost always have an effect on the ecology of another product.

As a simple (lame) example, if i am a customer of a mobile telephone provider who decides to start offering free long-distance on weekdays, the product ecology of the phone changes, and may perhaps become a more social ecosystem consisting of my phone, my family and me. The product ecology of my car (my car, me, my carpool friends) might simultaneously change as well, since now there is a good chance that i will be happy to spend more time in the car chatting with family now that i am without fear of huge mobile charges.

To extend Jodi's idea, the smart firm will anticipate and capitalize on big shifts in their products' ecologies and in those to adjacent ecologies.

@Bart, to support your "decision" concept, the smart firm will understand the series of decisions the user will make with their product as well as the decisions the user will be making with adjacent (sometimes even competing) products. To question the idea that personal agents will be mainstream in 5-7 years: Lots of folks (Patty Maes et al.) have been working on personal agents for a long time now, but they've not been able to gain widespread adoption. I'm not sure we're as close as it may seem. Not only are the logistics of the infrastucture still pretty untenable, but there also a bunch of cognitive reasons that a bunch of "agent alerts" might be a lot harder on the user than it seems on the surface (Think Microsoft Clippy x10 for a fun mental picture) :)

[Bart]

We'll see. Don't forget most of the mobile systems are only in place 8 years or less! I was at a Mobile Monday meeting yesterday and saw a great presentation by Tomi Ahonen (click for slideshare).

The guy is pretty spot-on in regards to past and future numbers and trends (the limitations of the mobile device - screens, typepad - are irrelevant. It's the understanding of the behaviour of generation-C (age <17), that is important) and has very interesting insights on 'near telepathic communication'.

So I do believe you have a point in regards to the cognitive side. However, once Apple, Google and the likes have busted that barrier by delivering superior consumer experiences, things will move forward very, very rapidly. Don't forget most of the mobile infrastructure is already in place (it has a way higher penetration than any other mass medium out there: 103% mobile vs. 51% internet!) and in front running countries like Japan, 44% of the consumers actually use (click on) mobile interactive ads!

My view? Technology is already mostly in place. It's just waiting for the right generation to exploit it to the fullest and generation C will be that generation.

[christian briggs]

So we'll have to place our wagers off-line then Bart! :) I completely agree that the mobile side is here already. I'm just not sure about the personal agents. I actually love the idea of them if we can get user experience right. Coming into the formal field of HCI 3 years ago, i figured we were closer than we are, but in working with folks like Yvonne Rogers and some others who are at the front of the fields of ubiquitous/pervasive computing, i realized that the user experience always seems to lag in such things.

If you're right Bart, my career is much better off, so let's hope my prediction is wrong :)

[Bart]

I'm in for a good bottle of wine, just remind me te to send a mail in 5 to 7 years (on the other hand: if your personal agent remembers to send me a bottle, we'll know who has won ;))

Tomi actually was quite frustrated as well that the human adaption went so slowly, but according to him, there really is a radical change that comes along with this new generation.

Do you have some good reads in this field? I'd love to go a bit more in-depth, especially in the cross-cultural area (why do some things like imode/wap/etc work in Asia, whereas they completely fail in Europe)

[Bart]

It looks like Apple is taking another big step in the right direction..

Return of the Apple Newton (more here)