Less Is More In CE Design

July 2nd, 2009

Nathan Safran

With contributors:

J. P. Gownder , Abe Garon , Erik Hood

Summary

Consumer electronics (CE) design has long followed an upward technology curve as firms respond to consumer expectations for "more" — more features, more horsepower, more of everything. While consumers still expect their devices to become faster and more feature-rich over time, a recent slew of commercial successes using the "less is more" approach begs for a deeper analysis. We found that consumer product strategists should apply the less-is-more approach when: 1) users have a need but find existing solutions too complex, and 2) when consumers are willing to settle for less in exchange for convenience. Firms should conduct research to uncover opportunities to reach new and wider audiences using the less-is-more approach.

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