Cultural theory and design : identifying trends by looking at the action in the periphery

Abstract

Cultural theory helps us understand users' needs and desires; it sheds light on why people are likely to adopt one trend but not another and helps indicate what cultural influences are shaping society at any given time. It points out things like why our love for the iPod extends beyond its functionality as an MP3 player and includes our collective embrace of its distinctive white headphone cords. So although design practice has ways of understanding technological features—and of eliciting user needs—cultural theory helps to illustrate the symbolic value of technological artifacts, which is often at least as important to their adoption and use as their instrumental functions. This makes it a viable way for a designer of new technologies to produce a well-received product or service.