New Form Factor PC Co-creation Project
Desk Research, Pioneering user & KOL recruitment management, Test user recruitment management, Workshop Facilitator, Concept Test Execution
Background
Advances in display technology are the main driver for upgrading digital product formats
With the emergence of new technologies of artificial intelligence, flexible screen technology and fifth generation mobile networks, as well as the rise of young consumers, digital products will progress towards low power consumption, small size, light weight and multi-scenario applications. Currently, foldable screen has been used in smartphones. As the technology for winding OLED screens matures, the shape of digital products will change significantly.
The Lenovo team expects to explore innovative product forms based on SMART criteria
The Lenovo team has made initial explorations of digital product form innovation based on flexible screen technology. Still, the team does not believe the existing innovations explored are comprehensive since they are only from the internal technical perspective. Therefore, by combining scientific methodologies with the power of external brains, the Lenovo team expects to exhaust all the product experience scenarios and clarify the target users, to make every step firmly in the future product development process.
Planning
With external brains (professional innovation consulting team, KOLs, pioneering users, etc.), we will help Lenovo team, regarding the topic of "how flexible screen technology can empower productivity tools", to create new product forms that can be implemented in 2-3 years and establish a future innovative product concept pool as a reference for subsequent product development.
We will answer 3 core questions through this project:
1. Why- Why do users use flexible screen products?
2. Where- In which scenarios will users need flexible screen products?
3. How- Where are the future opportunities for flexible screen products?
The project includes two main stages: Co-creation and User Test
Desk Research
Desk research focused on 3 main targets:
Collecting information on announced/launched flexible screen products, comparing and analyzing their advantages and disadvantages, and sorting out real user feedback on flexible screen PCs.
Exploring current trends in screen form to learn about the principles and technical limitations of flexible screen; through mutual communication, clarifying that the boundary of flexible screen co-creation design is set to directional bending.
Based on the unique properties of flexible screen, deriving the user types and usage scenarios that are likely to have innovative needs in the future; combined with past successful experiences, improving the user test process and refining the operation plan.
Based on desk research, 3 main core scenarios of flexible screen are defined, which will be the guidance for co-creation user recruitment.
Pioneer user/KOL Recruitment
As for user recruitment, we selected 6 users out of many candidates. All of the users have good expression skills and rich experience of using flexible screen. Based on their main usage scenarios, we devided them into 3 types: mobile office workers, geek creators, life generalist. They will be alligned in different groups and target different topics of flexible screen scenarios.
We also invited 3 KOLs with rich experience in the industry to participate the co-creation, who will share their opinions from perspective as experts.
Co-creation
A two-day co-creation workshop was faciliated. Partipants included 12 Lenovo inter-departmental colleages, 6 pioneer users, 3 KOLs. They were devided into 3 mix groups.
The process of workshop can be concluded into 4 steps: User interview, Brainstorm, Concept Deepening, Concept Visualization.
User interview
The user interview was arranged as the first part of the workshop. So that Lenovo team were able to transforming from a business perspective to a customer perspective.After mentors taught techniques of user interview, the Lenovo team communicated deeply with KOLs and pioneering users with a focus on interviewees’ daily usage scenarios, and gained insights into core user needs.
Brainstorm
We used various methods to help divergent thinking via stimuli for brainstorming such as scenario card analysis, KOL sharing, What If and cross-industry cases.
Concept Deepening
We used DVF model, prototyping, and hand-drawing storyboard to help participants deepen their product concepts.
6 concepts are voted and selected as the output of the workshop.
Concept Visualization
After the workshop. 6 selcted concepts are visualized in professional storyboards with concept names and instructions, which will be used for user test in the next step.
Example of product concept & storyboard
User Test
To further test the user desirability of the six product concepts, a focus group was used to conduct user testing.
Users will further supplement the behaviors and needs in the three main scenarios and provide feedback on the six concepts. Finally, the final version of the concept description is formed.
Outcome
The six product concepts produced by this project will support the work of Lenovo's R&D department and provide reference for the design of foldable screen laptops.
According to Lenovo's annouced information, Lenovo plans to launch a device that can be expanded from 13 inches to 17 inches by sliding in the second quarter of 2025. The device is a combination of a tablet and a notebook, and will also be equipped with a stylus. Samsung will provide the OLED panel. Previously, Samsung had demonstrated a new OLED screen form factor called "Flex Hybrid", which combines the scroll screen form factor and the folding screen form factor into one.
This product looks alike one of the concept from the project called “Rock n Rolla”, which also used rollable screen to adjust the ratio of screen. It is ideal for users who want wider screen for production or entertainment.