I’m always excited by innovation in the smartphone market.  I was a little disappointed with myself that I fell for this clickbait-y headline about new innovation in the market. 

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While I’m keen on the idea of solid-state batteries, over the air charging and long range continuous zoom, these seem to be some way from being part of my smartphone experience any time soon.  And I’m not too fussed about bezel-less displays or bendable glass. 

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All this got me wondering why the industry is so obsessed with adding new innovations and not focussing on making what we have better.  Ben Wood gave a great example on LinkedIn last week, where mobile technology promises to do something and then does it really badly.

 

Most people have the following issues with smartphones:

• The battery runs down quickly

• The software is complicated – particularly for people who struggle with technology

• The camera is really important and should be top quality

• The screen is fragile and the whole thing breaks too easily

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Significant improvements have been made in all these areas so why does it feel there’s so much further to go?

 

For example, manufacturers are obsessed with making smartphones things of beauty.  But then I need to buy an ugly phone cover and screen protector to save it against drops and scuffs? The sheer volume of communications happening between the handset and network means bigger batteries are needed just to stand still.  And there’s a real need to improve usability for everyone.

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I don’t want to be too pessimistic because – as this innovation shows, the smartphone will be central to much more than just communications – it can help educate us, keep us well and warn us when we are unwell.  But to fully embrace this potential smartphones need to do the basics really well – and to only incorporate new and critical health and wellbeing applications when fully proven.  As Ben’s LinkedIn post shows, we are currently some way from that.

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The value of design in PR and Communications​

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My colleague Will Herman reminded me this week how valuable a creative design partner can be to help a business achieve its potential, reinforcing brand values, driving engagement and sales.

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Will should know – he regularly provides creative direction to brands in every sector, helping them develop and design digital and print-based assets such as market reports, whitepapers, brochures and banner adverts as well as graphics for trade shows and exhibitions plus animation and video content. 

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This is worth mentioning because if you have a requirement in this area, we can help you by providing access to outstanding design partners and managing the process from concept to delivery. Drop Will an email for some more information.

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