One Design Magazine

Electronics maker Philips used to be a rather boring, upright mom'n'pop brand. During the last couple of years they have revitalized the entire company with a sharp focus on design in all its aspects with a particular focus on 'sense and simpliciy'.

To document and showcase this strategy, Philips publishes One Design Magazine. In the January 2006 issue, the theme is Simplicity today, simplicity tomorrow.

Product Strategy & Planning Manager for Connected Planet at Philips Consumer Electronics Rob Timmer says in the article Talking about design;

The CE leadership - and indeed the Philips Board of Management - recognizes that the user interface in its broadest sense (including the remote control, quick start guide, user manual etc.) is crucial to delivering 'sense and simplicity' to the end consumers. It is therefore an issue that receives attention at the very top levels of our organization.

A few years ago the user interface wasn't considered very important at the point of sale, as it was primarily focused on device set-up management. But with today's ever increasing number of TV channels and digital A/V content we are moving towards an almost fully screen-based user interface and therefore we increasingly see the user interface as a differentiator for our products.

The One Design magazine gives you an insight into the design processes in a big corporation, and you can read more in One Design Magazine.