A number of years after the first internet appliance, but before the arrival of iOS and Android phones and tablets, we were exploring what people need at home.
What is striking is how these prototypes enabled people to express themselves and their expected needs, but people also had deep scepticism about whether the promise of such products would really be delivered.
In particular they were worried about being embarrassed in front of their more tech-aware friends by having bought an unconventional PC.
This problem was exacerbated by using focus groups where the individuals were all drawn from the same market segment – and it was much reduced by deliberately having more diversity in each group. The ease with which people realised that the people around them were ‘like them’ led to an increased focus on self presentation.
