The 12 Consumer Values to Drive Technology-related Product and Service Innovations was created by the Washington, DC-based research and consulting firm Social Technologies. It forms a nice pillar and touchstone for anyone launching a marketing, interactive or social media initiative i.e. is my project/deliverable going to align with some/enough of the "12"?
Here is a brief explanation of the values.
User creativity
Consumers increasingly want to create, augment, or influence design and
content, and share these creations with their peers. Supporting user
creativity will be increasingly important to consumer technology, and
will become more mainstream in coming decades.
Personalization
Consumers will increasingly look for products and services that align
with their specific personal needs and preferences—whether in the
aesthetics of a product or in its functional design. More goods will be
created to match individuals’ unique specifications.
Simplicity
Simplicity will have growing value for consumers confronted with
information overload, time stress, and technological complexity.
Simplicity’s influence is already evident in new, stripped-down devices
that offer just a few functions, as well as in minimalist interfaces
that conceal breathtaking complexity. The common denominator of all
these efforts is that they are human-centered—and thus easy to learn
and integrate into busy lives.
Assistance
As consumers are bombarded with more tasks, choices, and information,
and as demographic changes such as aging reshape consumer markets, they
are looking to assistive technologies for help. Consumers will seek to
bolster and extend their natural abilities—with technologies ranging
from pharmaceuticals that enhance mental performance to robot aides for
the elderly.
Appropriateness
Products and services will need to embrace the principle of
appropriateness to ensure that they are suitably designed for users
with varying physical needs, resources, cultural characteristics,
literacy levels, etc. Appropriateness will aid in the spread of
technology products and services to new markets and to diverse user
segments.
Convenience
Already well-established in mature markets, demand for convenience will
rise as a technology value for consumers all over the world. Consumers
will look for technological products and services that give them what
they want and need on demand and that reduce effort and relieve time
pressure.
Connectedness
Connectedness gives consumers what they want, when they want it, and
will grow exponentially with the expanding global information
infrastructure. Consumers will look for products and services that
seamlessly integrate with this global network.
Efficiency
Efficiency is the ratio of output to input—or, put simply, the ability
to do more with less. It will become more important to technology as
consumers search for products and services that let them manage
emerging resource uncertainties, rising costs, and other pressures.
Intelligence
Intelligence will be enabled by innovations that increasingly shift
information and decision-making burdens from the user to the device or
service. The demand for greater intelligence will come in response to
factors including complexity, aging, and the desire for personalized
experiences.
Protection
Protection will be sought by consumers in a world that feels
increasingly insecure. Consumers will look for technology-enabled
products and services that strengthen their sense of personal security
and protect their families, homes, wealth, and privacy.
Health
Consumers will look to technological products and services to maintain
and, increasingly, improve their health and wellness. The search for
health-enabling solutions will extend beyond traditional health and
medical products and services to include more of the things consumers
use in their everyday lives, whether at home, work, or play.
Sustainability
Consumers will increasingly look for products and services that embrace
sustainability—reducing the “human footprint” on the environment while
maintaining quality of life. A variety of technologies offer ways to
minimize resource use, waste, and pollution while improving human
welfare.
