Good Things in Small Packages: User-Interface Design for Baby Faces in Devices and Appliances for Y2K and Beyond

Contents Hit Products in Japan 2000 1 The final year of the 20th century witnessed steadily declining consumer uncertainty over the future of the economy and a resurgence of " consumption to get pleasure out of life. " Fueled by these developments, the Internet use rate hit 36.2%.* The year 2000 saw an unprecedented increase in the number of consumers enjoying the full benefits of the " digital lifestyle " enabled by the rapidly advancing digitalization of daily life. Still facing human limitations, however, most people were not able to engineer the quick self-transformation needed to interface successfully with today's changing world. Both mind and body, forced to pay any price just to keep up with change, suffered excessive levels of stress, leaving people crying out for help. They panicked as good-old Japan, " where the living was easy, " seemed to vanish in the face of the relentless advance of the digital life. People came to dread the digital domination of their souls. Coping with this apprehension, people entertained fond wishes for a return to the simple and compassionate human way of life left in memory by an earlier age. This longing for the past spawned a rush of hit products, but also thrust the vitality and power of what it is to be human to center stage. Yet, the past could not be completely reclaimed. The best people could do was a " look-alike. " Closer examination revealed elements of the new digital age everywhere, infiltrating the things that seemed old at first glance. The two powers new and old—digital and human—shared the same stage, and on it the hit products of 2000 made their debut.; n=1,400. The percentage of men and women between 15 and 69 years old who use the Internet more than once a week at home, the office, at school or through a cellular phone. Hit Products in Japan 2000 2 Until now perceived primarily as a tool for business, the personal digital assistant (PDA) appealed to a wider range of consumers, with a host of PDAs featuring new operating systems and more stylish designs. The debut of a laptop PC with built-in PHS wireless communication foreshadowed new competition for the PDA and mobile phone. Mobile devices equipped with multiple functionality, such as digital cameras with Internet connection, PHS mobile phones with digital cameras, digital cameras with music players, and a combination wristwatch/digital camera/music …