Products That Are People
I got myself a birthday gift yesterday.
An iMac G4, the “lampshade” incarnation of this iconic computer.
The funny thing is that I didn’t buy it to use it. I got it because I just love collecting lustfully designed Apple stuff.
This Apple machine is not just a machine; It’s a piece of art.
It’s ambiently appealing furniture.
And it got me thinking.
This was an emotional purchase. I just needed to have it. I don’t need another computer, after all.
And looking at it now gives me a weird sense of joy, as if I were playing with a real live pet. *the flexible crane monitor is so fun to move around!*
It’s something that Apple products are brilliant at. Communicating personality.
I remember when I was in Singapore a couple of years back. A friend had just bought his first iPod. Cradling it in his hand gave him that similar sense of joy that i feel with my new toy. In fact, he was so happy with it that he gave it a name, dubbing it “Snoop”. The it became a he.
The technical term for this is “anthropomorphization”. Wherein people relate with objects as if they were other people. The object begins to take on a personification.
But it cuts both ways. People can treat objects with disdain – just think of all those images of people shouting at traffic lights or kicking errant vending machines.
Or they can evoke positive emotions, like boys talking to their cars. Or women cuddling their jewelry.
As a product designer, you definitely want the latter. In a very twisted sense, the products that truly succeed become almost like a best friend, or a lover.
Now, back to my new toy …
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