Oppo (2021) - Strategic directions for new smartphones
The challenge
This project had two parts. First smartphone maker Oppo asked us to explore the market and come up with new strategic directions for a new technology they have. After presenting our research to their team we designed new concepts to make that research tangible.
My impact/role
I created a research deck that contained different strategic directions for future development of smartphones.
Together with the client several directions were selected as the starting point for the team to generate (lots of) ideas. These ideas were explored using sketching and then translated into physical mock-ups, serving as props in a photoshoot. The outcome was a comprehensive deck showcasing new concept phones in context, combined with supporting research and strategy.
Team
Team Lead
Product Designer (me)
Time frame
8 weeks
Insights
Developing new concepts for smartphones made me realize that the success of a concept isn’t determined by the features it provides. How these features are supported, by one manufacturer, over multiple years is equally important to make it stick. This is the large advantage of Apple, when they introduce a new feature widespread adoption happens immediately and developers can be sure that it will be supported for many years to come.
Cross ecosystem user experiences are key for Android to deliver innovations that stick and make actual use of the strengths of the large and diverse Android ecosystem, instead of it being a weakness. Competitors within this ecosystem are in a strange relationship with each other where their success partly depends on working together while being different.
The client had Chinese origins, and during several meetings, we required a translator for effective communication. I noticed that the younger generation was proficient in English, enabling us to delve into essential nuances of a concept. However, in meetings with a translator, these subtleties often got lost in translation. This resulted in contradictory feedback which slowed down the process.
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Sketch it
This process started with a strategy deck turned into new opportunities. Each opportunity is carefully sketched to convey the essential items needed to showcase the potential.
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Render it
I’ve modeled each concept in 3D before being able to render them with the proper UI on them. These shots were used as a showcase image, conveying the essence of each idea in one shot.
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Print it
Next to rendering we needed to make shots in context, this required me to craft a range of 3D printed models.
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Shoot it
With all ideas on the miroboard we’ve prepared a shot-list, collected all the materials, mock-ups and models and did the photo shoot on a proper location. These images were then edited and merged with the visuals to deliver one high quality pitch deck.