Sony designs senseware
Another reason I see a particular attitude and spirit of originality in Sony products is that other manufacturers tend to overemphasize technology. Products of exotic parts or materials are paraded for consumers to admire, as if that alone constitutes groundbreaking design. Superb design is not so annoyingly ostentatious, in my opinion. It's something that suddenly attracts our senses, or it may be subtle, going unnoticed. In fact, I think that's the direction design may take as it evolves.
As it does, we should keep in mind the notion of "senseware." Far older than any hardware and software, senseware itself has evolved through an intimate connection with our senses. In the Stone Age, our stone tools were a form of senseware. Hold a stone tool in your hand and you'll see. Your senses are awakened by the weight, the hardness, and how easy it is to use as a tool. Something inherent in stone, physically, inspires us. And it drove advances in an age that lasted hundreds of thousands of years. Paper is also at once a medium and an example of senseware, in my view. Long ago, we were immersed in an earth tone world, but suddenly, this innovation caught our eye. Paper—pure white and appealingly firm. These are key properties for the medium of paper. And what a stimulating medium it has proven to be. We've always gotten the urge to put our thoughts to paper, to make a record. The contrast between the pure white of the page and the inky black of our letters, characters, or symbols has probably made quite an impact on what we create. If paper were dark green, or flimsy like vinyl, we certainly would have been less inspired.
I think we must seek out the senseware in our new technology, the same as we did for paper. And isn't this Sony's mission, after all? Digital or electronic media seem to be a kind of senseware, but they lack the tangible, physical properties of paper or stone. Perhaps there's actually tremendous potential in this. We've only just begun to adopt digital media, which still feels a bit rough, but it does promise a new awakening for our senses in fundamental ways.
What's missing in contemporary product development
Haptic is a word we hear more these days. It's used in reference to things that appeal to our sense of touch. Personally, I equate it with senseware. But contemporary product development is very rational. Elements such as color, shape and texture, points, lines and surfaces, and motion, balance and rhythm are neatly analyzed as the basis for building desirable products. That's the idea, anyway. But as I've mentioned, products alone are only half the story (although they're not exactly works of art). The other half lies in the feelings they elicit in us. How can products be developed with a focus on users' senses—that's the point.
Physically, our inherent ability to feel and potential to take in the world are beyond measure. I think our lives are richer to the extent we apply these powers creatively to feel what's around us. It's about time we face this observation. When we look beyond just colors and shapes and focus on how users feel, a new field of design will take shape. That's why I think concepts such as senseware and haptic feedback are vital in Sony product development.
