Creative User-Centered Technology
The key to a trillion Dollar market
We are in the midst of a digital transformation. One that is unlocking huge markets in a wide range of sectors. We in Finland have all the skills needed to take advantage of these opportunities.The key to success is to understand that the technology of tomorrow is all about the user, not just the tech itself.
Traditionally, technology has required the user to adapt, but now the tide is turning. Technology needs to adapt to people. User interfaces are evolving. Soon, devices will be controlled more and more intuitively, for example by speech and gestures. With this evolution, user experience will play an increasingly important role while technical skills become less important.
This is where the creative industries have an essential role to play. Creative professionals, such as game designers and storytellers, can create meaningful and engaging user experiences. They know how to make technology user-friendly and engaging. The Finnish game Angry Birds, for example, won the world with its ease of use and enjoyability, not its brilliant coding.
Creative user-centred technology is an approach where technology is designed with people’s needs and experiences in mind. The creative industries play a key role in this development, with users actively involved in the design process.
Why is this important? As the digital economy grows at a tremendous rate, Finland needs to understand the importance of user experience as a key competitive asset. Technology needs to be not only productive, but human-centred and engaging as well.
Some examples of creative user-friendly technology include health apps that gamify exercise, industrial robots that are controlled in a user-friendly way, and immersive learning environments that use storytelling.
A Trillion Dollar Market Awaits
The digital transformation is not only a technological shift, but also a huge economic opportunity, known as the trillion-dollar market. Conquering this market is not a foregone conclusion; it is about creating solutions that excite users and meet their needs. This is where creative user experience is key.
Several technologies have been evolving for decades. Now they are ready to come together to create new solutions. Smartphones have already demonstrated this potential by combining multiple technologies into an user-friendly device. Now a similar integration can be seen on a larger scale.
Examples of the Trillion Dollar Createch Market in 2030:
Metaverse: the internet of the future, where the digital and physical worlds merge. This market is estimated to be worth up to $13 trillion. From entertainment to work and education, the Metaverse is powered by creative content and user experience.
Smart cities: technology used to transform cities and improve the quality of life for residents. This market is estimated at over $3.7 trillion. Smart cities are designed to be welcoming and inhabitant-friendly.
Smart homes: technology-enriched homes make everyday life simpler and more comfortable. This market is estimated to grow to $540 billion. Smart homes are designed to be easy to use and understand.
Augmented Reality (AR): bringing digital content into the physical world. This market is expected to grow to over $1.1 trillion. AR opens up opportunities for entertaining and illuminating user experiences.
Digital health: technology for healthcare and wellbeing. This market is estimated to grow to nearly $2 trillion. Digital health services need to be user-friendly, safe and trustworthy.
Autonomous military devices: Autonomous military devices are a fast growing market. This market is expected to reach a value of at least $30 billion. A creative user experience is key to the operation, control and collaboration of autonomous devices with humans. This will have a significant impact on their effectiveness and deployability.
Creative Technology In Today's Applications
Creative user experience is not just a crazy idea: there are already many applications that are successfully using creative technologies. These applications improve the user experience and create new value and revenue for both businesses (B2B) and consumers (B2C).
B2B: Createch Business Applications
Digital twins in industry: virtual models of physical objects, processes or systems. Creative technologies make them visual and user-friendly. Siemens, for example, offers digital twins to industrial companies for production optimisation and training. The benefits include faster product development and more efficient training. (Siemens Digital Twin Platform)
- Creative training and simulation applications: virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) make training more engaging and effective. For example, Varjo is developing VR/AR glasses for professional use in flight simulators and medical training. This results in more motivated learners and better learning outcomes (Varjo Technologies)
- User-centered military technology: Modern military technology aims at being user-friendly and intuitive. For example, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter control systems are designed to be user-centric. (Lockheed Martin F-35)
B2C-Applications: Createch In Everyday Life
Health and wellbeing apps: Applications that motivate and maintain healthy lifestyles through gamification and personalisation. For example, MyFitnessPal helps with diet and exercise tracking. The results are better health and more committed users. (MyFitnessPal)
Learning and entertainment apps for children:
Creative technology makes learning playful and fun. For example, Khan Academy Kids offers interactive learning games for kids. The benefits include motivated learners and early digital literacy. (Khan Academy Kids)- Personalised entertainment experiences: streaming services and social media personalise their user experience using creative technologies. For example, Spotify recommends music based on user listening preferences. The benefit is more engaged and satisfied users (Spotify)
Ready to Develop People-Centered Innovations?
Createch Lahti Region is aimed (mainly) at companies in Lahti region that want to develop new products and services in cross-sector cooperation. We also welcome independent experts, freelancers, scholars and students approaching graduation.
Get in touch and join us in building solutions that combine the digital world, service industries and technology – directly to global markets! And even if you’re not exactly from Lahti Region (Päijät-Häme), join us anyway. Borders are for breaking…
We will launch the registration form in mid-March – before that, you can email us at kati@createchfinland.fi
The Createch Päijät-Häme project is supported by a grant from the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme to support sustainable growth and vitality (AKKE funding).