Marko Ahtisaari: Nokia's designs on Apple

As Nokia's senior vice president of design and user experience, Marko Ahtisaari is the man charged with leading the software and hardware designers who must craft the challenger to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices that the Finns have so far lacked, reports the FT's tech blog.

"I still think the whole industry is missing a trick," said Mr Ahtisaari during a meet-the-press session in London yesterday. "All the touchscreen interfaces are very immersive. You have to put your head down. What Nokia is very good at is designing for mobile use: one-handed, in the pocket. Giving people the ability to have their head up again is critical to how we evolve user interfaces."

Given humanity's growing fixation with staring at glowing rectangles, any innovation that helps improve off-screen interaction really would be "social change", as Mr Ahtisaari puts it. Having to update Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger and Foursquare at all times can be quite a distraction from real-world conversation.

Nokia have an amazing track record for dreaming up wonderful concepts for interfaces and mobile devices which they never deliver. I love their ideas but I would love them more if I could actually use them.

Also, I find it ironic hearing a company like Nokia advocate less distraction from devices. I like hearing it but I'm not sure I believe it.

"Nokia is not about one lifestyle or one style," he said. "You are not buying into a story about how you have to live your life and what is good taste.... There will never be one single design language. It's much more democratic in that sense than many other brands."

So far, it seems smartphone buyers prefer Apple's benevolent dictatorship to Nokia's democracy. But in these tumultuous times for the Finns, Mr Ahtisaari will be leading the insurgency.

The Apple is closed or a 'dictatorship' meme is completely misguided and wrong. What Apple and other companies who value design and user experience have is more accurately called good design direction, which is akin to strong editorial and having a voice. Nokia's devices though robust on the low end, are a hodgepodge of features and design language. They are inconsistent, buggy and ultimately frustrating to use. People prefer Apple product for the very reason that they provide a far better user experience and Apple's ability to market this point. If Nokia can't concede this basic concept, that it's not about style but experience, how can they ever compete with the iPhone or Android?

Via putting people first.

Marko Ahtisaari: Nokia's designs on Apple

As Nokia's senior vice president of design and user experience, Marko Ahtisaari is the man charged with leading the software and hardware designers who must craft the challenger to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices that the Finns have so far lacked, reports the FT's tech blog.

"I still think the whole industry is missing a trick," said Mr Ahtisaari during a meet-the-press session in London yesterday. "All the touchscreen interfaces are very immersive. You have to put your head down. What Nokia is very good at is designing for mobile use: one-handed, in the pocket. Giving people the ability to have their head up again is critical to how we evolve user interfaces." Given humanity's growing fixation with staring at glowing rectangles, any innovation that helps improve off-screen interaction really would be "social change", as Mr Ahtisaari puts it. Having to update Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger and Foursquare at all times can be quite a distraction from real-world conversation.

Nokia have an amazing track record for dreaming up wonderful concepts for interfaces and mobile devices which they never deliver. I love their ideas but I would love them more if I could actually use them. Also, I find it ironic hearing a company like Nokia advocate less distraction from devices. I like hearing it but I'm not sure I believe it.

"Nokia is not about one lifestyle or one style," he said. "You are not buying into a story about how you have to live your life and what is good taste.... There will never be one single design language. It's much more democratic in that sense than many other brands." So far, it seems smartphone buyers prefer Apple's benevolent dictatorship to Nokia's democracy. But in these tumultuous times for the Finns, Mr Ahtisaari will be leading the insurgency.

The Apple is closed or a 'dictatorship' meme is completely misguided and wrong. What Apple and other companies who value design and user experience have is more accurately called good design direction, which is akin to strong editorial and having a voice. Nokia's devices though robust on the low end, are a hodgepodge of features and design language. They are inconsistent, buggy and ultimately frustrating to use. People prefer Apple product for the very reason that they provide a far better user experience and Apple's ability to market this point. If Nokia can't concede this basic concept, that it's not about style but experience, how can they ever compete with the iPhone or Android? Via putting people first.