custom products and customizable experiences

"Nike's Riley on the World of "Custom" Today: As consumers start to expect custom products and customizable experiences how should product design evolve to provide relevant executions that engage consumers' desires? Everything from design flexibility, one-off manufacturing, streamlined distribution and consumer interaction will need to be analyzed and revolutionized. We are approaching the era where the consumer truly decides what form, what features and what aesthetic their individual product will embody—not the designer, not the brand planners, not the marketing team and definitely not the focus group. The Microsoft/IDSA Designer Spotlight Series presents Ray Riley, IDSA, senior director of advanced innovation for Nike's Global Footwear Division, Wednesday, July 19, at 1:00 pm ET. This session will be an open ended exploration of the world of custom today, the possibilities for tomorrow and the rules that will need to be broken to get there.



Co-authoring at Philips

According to Green, the conventional industrial model is under increasing pressure and will ultimately no longer be able to sustain itself. This creates a whole new set of challenges for companies like Philips. People are becoming more empowered, and want to 'co-author' by demanding a greater say in the products and services they choose. How do you cater for this sea of change?

Philips does so by regarding people not as consumers of technology, but rather as living side-by-side with it. "Our focus is to understand people's everyday lives rather than letting technological roadmaps dominate the direction of future developments," says Stefanie Un, Senior Research Consultant at Philips Design in Eindhoven.