the year ahead 2014 trends

The connected crowd will come of age in 2014. The technologies that facilitate the creation and passive sharing of

people’s data streams will become more ubiquitous. We will see new products and services being shaped by the

aggregated preferences or behaviour of consumers, as expressed via their data.

Crowd Shaped

Crowd Shaped examples

Kutsuplus. On-demand minibus service

calculates optimal route for those on board.

CheckinDJ. The Foursquare for Spotify. It uses music preferences from social network profiles to create Spotify playlists for coffee shops and other venues.

The other side of the coin. People are starting to get tired of companies, brands and governments using their data, they

are feeling watched and utilised. This all leads to opportunities for ‘No Data’ brands: brands that simply offer brilliant

services, while also loudly and proudly avoid the collection of personal data.

Not examples available yet.

no data

Consumer interest in ‘Quantified Self’ products will continue to grow, as smartwatches and other powerful and affordable wearable tech

products appear. Much of the sector’s focus has been on physical health. Next year consumers will increasingly see their smartphones as

devices for total lifestyle assistance, helping them track and improve mental wellbeing, stay calm and live in the moment.

2 types of consumers fuelling this trend: -Those for whom mental health is a new benchmark. -Those time-starved, overworked, stressed,

always on and anxiety-plagued consumers for whom this innovations offer much needed relief.

The mind, the new body

the mind, the new body examples

Melon: Smart headband that tracks focus.Shadow: App allows users to record, share and analyze dreams

the mind, the new body examples

Virgin Atlantic meditation gurus developed videos

to stream on its flights teaching consumers how

to sleep and stay calm.

Mico: Headphones detect user’s mood and play music accordingly)

the mind, the new body examples

Lift: Lift helps you achieve your goals big or small

and change habits

Headspace: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness App

Consumers are more aware than ever about the damage done by their consumption - damage to the planet, society and themselves.

But “a mixture of indulgence, addiction and conditioning” are making impossible for the majority to modify their consumption habits.

This is creating new opportunities for brands that combine tackling consumer’s guilt spiral with their endless status seeking. Brands that

benefit people and the planet, are highly sustainable, but at the same time offer chic, iconic, high status products.

GUILT-FREE STATUS

guilt free status examples

Nudie’s rugs made from recycled jeans The Tesla Model S sedan luxury electric vehicle.

We expect more of our entertainment. Entertainment, narratives and brand experiences will become more

immersive in a attempt to capture our imagination and attention.

Immersive experiences

immersive experiences examples

IKEA hosted a sleepover for facebook fansWireless audio system maker Sonos set up installations in NYC and Los Angeles where colour washes, lighting and animation coordinate with the music playing out of speakers.

We live in an increasingly visual world. Photos, emojis, short video and other imagery, are largely supplanting

text.

Visual language

visual language example

Tinder app simplifies the online dating process by including photos that can be scrolled through quickly instead of wordy profiles in. Tinder gets 350 million swipes each day-swiping right indicates interest, swiping left indicates a decline.

With the mainstreaming of the on-demand economy and our always-on culture, consumer expectations for speed

and ease are rising exponentially. As businesses respond making the availability of their products and services more

instant, impatience and impulsiveness will only continue to increase. They will expect more, faster and more

conveniently than ever before.

The age of impatience

the age of impatience example

eBay in US will deliver anything you want from a local merchant in roughly an hour for $5.

In emerging markets, mobile devices are representing a gateway to opportunity, helping people to change their lives

by giving them access to financial systems, new business tools, health care, education and more, most times with

something as simple just an a SMS.

Mobile gateway to opportunity.

mobile gateway to opportunity example

A partnership between Vodafone and Turkey’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture allows farmers to receive updates on the weather, government regulations and the market price of goods.

In 2014 connected objects will center around people. Anything exceptional that ‘connected objects’ can do for

consumers, whether that’s monitoring or improving health, helping them save money, getting chores done, will be

warmly welcomed next year and beyond.

The internet of caring things

the internet of caring things examples

OMsignal: Sensor-integrated shirt monitors

medical dataXkuty: Scooter sends alerts in the event of a crash

We’re starting to both fear and resent technology, living constantly anxious of missing out, both online and offline.

We’ll put a higher value on all things that feel essentially human.

Technology, love

& hate affair

tech love/hate example

Some musicians (during concerts) and hospitality services are starting to ask people to put their phones away.

As technology makes our daily lives more precise, curated and polish, we lust for the imperfect, the unusual, the

flawed. Imperfection provides an unfiltered human version of reality that reflects the diversity that surrounds life.

Proudly imperfect

proudly imperfect examples

Another German retailer, Edeka, has tested

selling ugly products at a discount, branded as

“Nobody is perfect.”

An Austrian grocery store chain called Billa launched a line of slightly imperfect fruits and vegetables called “Wunderlinge.” The word itself is a combination of “anomaly” and “miracle.”

!

With social norms quickly changing and a new anything- goes attitude, people are mashing up cherished traditions

with decidedly new ideas, creating their own recipes for what feels right and redefining social norms.

Remixing tradition

remixing tradition example

While religious affiliation is declining, “godless congregations” are seeking to bring people together for many of the community benefits and ritualistic gatherings associated with Sunday churchgoing.

If you can design a service to be as you would like it to be, what else would you change in the world?

thank you