NYT on what we do
A couple of weeks ago, Laura Holson came to our studio in Los Angeles to discuss the things we do. Her article was published this morning. Although it is an industry-wide piece, a large portion is describing our idealistic views and unusual methods at Nokia Design.
The group is the first of its kind at Nokia, the world’s No. 1 seller of mobile phones, bringing together 14 designers and researchers from California and Helsinki, where the company is headquartered. Their charge is to tell Nokia’s top executives not only what consumers will want next year, but 3 to 15 years from now.[...]
“Design used to be inconsequential: just make it pretty, make it sell,” said Mr. Newman, who, along with three members of his team, was interviewed at Nokia’s design center near a strip mall in downtown Calabasas, north of Los Angeles. Now, he said, “we have to think about human fundamentals.”
[...]
When asked if they felt pressure to design new phones more quickly in an increasingly competitive market, Mr. Chipchase responded with a quizzical stare. “Why do you want to innovate faster?” he asked. “Are you innovating something gimmicky just to sell a product? Or is it saving the planet you are after?”
Also Rhys and I ended up having our mugs and fast moving hands pictured! Good laugh...
