PortMag.com The Look-Down Generation and Kitchen Trends
A new generation of products is hitting the home market, smart and miraculously multi-functional enough to stretch the definition of “killer apps” to mean mere appliances. Although these ovens and refrigerators seem sci-fi futuristic, we should be used to ordinary household gizmos doing the impossible—hello smartphone. Mobile technology has created a generation of people with high expectations who happen to look down at our phones a lot. We’ve grown up with, or have come to love the intuitive operation, connectivity, and convenience of this everyday appliance. Other than the dangers of driving or walking in a look-down trance, we’ve adapted to these devices well. Home appliance makers are responding to the demands and purchasing clout of a wide-ranging demographic with new offerings that would basically blow Betty Crocker’s mind. And they’re safe to use in your kitchen. According to Mark Steiner, Senior Manager-Industrial Design at Hamilton Beach, customers still want simplicity from their appliances, no matter how cool the available technology is. “Customers engage more fully with intuitive functionality. Appliance operation typically deals with heated and/or fast-moving parts, and people want to be confident they can operate their appliances safely.”