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From Ownership to Use
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of subscription-based services (commonly known as "subs"), in which users pay a fee for the right to use a product for a certain period of time, rather than paying the purchase price for each product.
Behind the penetration of subs, there is an intersection of changing consumer values and innovation driven by technological progress. In this article, we will try to decipher the cultural and social changes through the service called subscription.
ーー End of demo ーー
In this demo, we have collected photographic representations of five case studies to convey the theme "from ownership to use." In the beginning, we show a series of visual representations that show the changes in various services, and when the reader notices the patterns hidden in the multiple visual representations, we present the concept of from ownership to use. In general, we think that the intended message is well delivered.
For reference, here are two ideas to keep in mind when selecting and arranging the photos.
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1. Method to Strengthen the Contrast Between Ownership and Use
The themed subscription-based services can all be accessed online. You can read a book or watch a movie through a cloud service without having to buy a book, CD, or DVD. The point of contrast is "ownership = owning things" and "use = using services without owning things." Therefore, we decided to choose photos that give a real sense of the existence of things for photos related to ownership and inorganic photos related to services for photos related to use.
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2. Method to Create Consistency in Photo Repetition
The idea of consistency is achieved by repeating the aforementioned contrast between ownership and use in multiple cases. What we would like you to observe in particular are the pictures related to use. You will notice that all of them use the same iMac image. This shows that services, which used to be centered on ownership, are changing to services that are used without ownership, and by keeping the reader's interpretation fixed on service photos projected on an iMac, the message is more easily conveyed.
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About Prototype Validation
If you feel that the message is not being conveyed while watching this demo, please try to understand why it is not being conveyed. As mentioned in Chapter 3, this may be due to the design, not you - we don't think the demo is perfect either.
The people involved in creative process tend to become emotionally attached to their creations. Attachment blocks critical thinking that can point out weaknesses in the work. Even when looking at your own work, try to examine it as if it were created by someone else. It is helpful to separate yourself from your work by changing the medium, such as taking some time off or checking it from a smartphone instead of a computer.
First, use yourself as a test subject to see if the message is conveyed, and explore through trial and error until there are no more areas of concern. Once you have thoroughly examined your message, get feedback from others. Use those opinions to improve the message based on what you did not notice on your own.
There are several viewpoints on this demonstration that should be critically examined. For example.
- Is the choice of examples appropriate?
- Is the choice of photos appropriate?
- Is the way in which the contrast between ownership and use is emphasized really effective?
- Is it too long for an introduction? Should we limit the number of examples to three or so?
- Is the Adobe Creative Cloud case study difficult to understand for readers who have never used Adobe?
- Is the Kinto case study difficult to understand for readers who have never used a car subscription? (Not suitable for introduction?)
- Is the order in which the examples are presented appropriate? (Shouldn't the oldest book be the first one?)
- Is the scrolling animation appropriate?
This demo is a prototype that replaces all of the listed examples with visuals. It may be necessary to reexamine the examples to see if they are appropriate. In addition, in story composition using photographic expressions, changing one photo can change the whole atmosphere of the story, or cause some photos to appear out of place. For example, it feels awkward when one part of a sentence ends differently, doesn't it? The same thing happens with visual expressions.
It takes practice to grasp the subtle nuances of expressions, but the best remedy is to enjoy them, making a conscious effort to examine your own perceptual experience. In the process of pursuing an expression that you are sure is "good", you will naturally acquire the skills.
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Image CREDIT
- Photo by hine - "Adobe Creative Cloud Mosaic Project" on Flickr
- Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
- Photo by Giyu (Velvia) on Flickr
Credits:
photo credit： jarmoluk - "library book reading" • congerdesign - "book read hands" • Santa3 - "traffic vehicle car"