Laptop styling design - a true art?

In October 1992, when IBM introduced the first ThinkPad 700 product line, the importance of design at that time played a crucial role in building the familiar image of today's ThinkPad. Inspired by 'Shōkadō bento', a Japanese black box of food, the first ThinkPad products have a lot of good designs focusing on basic features ' . a self-help article about Laptop design. by Naitoh San, Vice President, Laptop Development Division - Lenovo, who has 15 years working as a laptop designer.

Not long ago, design was considered to make a product aesthetically appealing, more than other important contributions to the success of corporate strategies, creativity or delivery. market development. Today things have changed. Product designers are important in leadership, they help the company explore new areas, new products, create new markets successfully or solve an existing problem with one Very creative plan.

Designing a ThinkPad machine, according to a colleague of mine, David Hill said, is like playing a 3-dimensional puzzle game. I agree with that. There are many different components that need to be meticulously arranged inside a black box, while ensuring the invisible properties such as cost and physical properties are not conflicted. After that, all other standards such as usability, price, and aesthetics must also be noted. That was the case of 15 years ago when we first launched ThinkPad products to the market. Our dedication to creativity and design today is still very strong.

In October 1992, when IBM introduced the first ThinkPad 700 product line, the importance of design at that time played a very important role in building the familiar image of today's ThinkPad. Inspired by 'Shōkadō bento', a Japanese black box of food, the first ThinkPad products had a good deal of good design focusing on basic features.

The first ThinkPad of IBM - Lenovo ( Photo: IBM )

For example, the ThinkPad 701 series offers a fold-down keyboard design, also known as TrackWriteTM, which allows the product line to be very compact when closed, and very convenient to use, although only wide. 9.7 inches with 10.4-inch VGA LCD monitor. However, the following lines are equipped with a larger screen, so there is no need for a folding keyboard. Another pretty good design is on the ThinkPad 760 series, which is a high-lift keyboard thanks to the two arms attached to the small sliders on the side of the screen, making it feel more inclined and comfortable than the keyboard horizontal flatness of other machines. Today, the base devices for laptops also have this feature.

The key point to note here is, the key feature is the foundation for inspired designs. Functional components are removed when they become redundant. This is a very important aspect in any successful design. Creativity or excessive focus on aesthetic purposes is gradually being removed from this important aspect.

At Lenovo, our approach to product design is influenced by the desire to solve customer problems and not just innovation. It is the right thing to ask for the principles and passion to stick with our design philosophy. We define what affects users and find an innovative solution to solving these very real problems.

A successful product design often makes a difference from other products in a fiercely competitive environment. ThinkPad is a good example. Nearly 15 years since its first introduction, the ThinkPad design retains the typical brand ideas and designs that users have loved and loyal to this product line. This is an important part of product design when it is integrated with the company's business strategies and developments.

Coca-Cola bottles are also a good example of a great successful product design, which created a unique brand identity. But not only the unique shape of the bottle has created the brand and contributed to the success of Coca-Cola. The bottle design is also paid attention to features. It was designed to be easy to handle, but few people realized that it was also designed to be easily recognizable in the dark when you woke up and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. So is the knife for the Swiss army, the habit of the user and the style have been intertwined in a harmonious and harmonious way.

A real test for the combination of product design and functionality has to be paid over time and how it is adapted. The first generation of ThinkPads in the early 1990s focused on energy management, durability and CPU cooling technology. The second generation from 2000 to 2005 improved these characteristics, but at the same time focused on creation in software such as ThinkVantage technologies or business issues of interest such as better security features. and increase battery life. The 3rd generation and the current generation of the ThinkPad series are now focused on enhancing connectivity and true mobility, helping to increase productivity for users.

A key element in successful product design is the willingness to cope with the foreseeable risks and work towards building a company culture for new creation and inquiry (new thinking and inquiry). It is very important for companies to realize that the best ideas do not need to originate from any lab, but can be from any one person somewhere in the world. At Lenovo, we draw this view with a simple slogan: New World, New Thinking.

A typical example of product design by facing the risk of forecasting and new innovation is the development of the Motorola RAZR product line. While the market is dominated by 'candy bar' phone designs, Motorola has succeeded in taking risks and offering a sleek and stylish 'flip' design. The development was very risky and accepted all the designs that were being used, even those that were considered traditional Motorola.

I personally believe that, although there are a lot of smaller computer devices being launched today, we will not focus on shrinking the size of the next generation of ThinkPad. What is a wide and long size, according to designers, we consider it as indicators related to screen size and keyboard, because they are closely related to usability and performance. work rate. The third indicator relates to the thickness and weight of the product that we are expecting to have creativity in it. Technologies that will define the future of PC and ThinkPad models will be improved cooling systems and new energy management algorithms along with easier and more convenient security management capabilities. Improvements in antenna technologies and wireless connectivity will also be new focus directions.

For example, on some new ThinkPads, Lenovo has added a new scroll frame around the LCD screen, a cooling system with new designed fins and technology to enhance wireless connectivity. Ultra Connect II, in which the UltraConnect antenna is mounted around the screen, provides the best wireless performance. We also introduced a number of flash memory models, enhanced system response time, discrete graphics systems and Battery Stretch technology for better energy management.

A classic design is always classic. That's why the ThinkPad is still standing today. But like any other classic design, it always adapts over time. Changes in mobility, connectivity and management and security features will continue to be core areas for creativity. In order to create a successful design, it is necessary to take into account all factors such as user perception, customer needs, price aesthetics and product features. The optimal combination of these elements and reasonable sales and sales strategies will bring unexpected results.

Naitoh San