At any given moment, if you take an unsuspecting glance at a large group of people in a crowd, you are more than likely to spot more than half of those individuals looking down at their phones, listening to headphones attached to their smartphones, or otherwise utilizing mobile technology to best fit their needs, desires, and preferences. Whether enrobed in sleek black fiberglass, decorated with a shiny Pop-Socket, or adorned with crystals, personalization of mobile technology starts with the physical attributes of a chosen mobile device, and delves into the innermost workings of the device. After all, everyone has a smartphone, but we all use them in different ways. By leveraging the power of highly intuitive technologies, smartphone users harvest the power to create a completely bespoke device, one that seemingly understands the owner’s preferences.
Unique You, Unique Security
Throughout continued advancements since the initial iteration of the Apple classic, iPhone users have welcomed a bond with their device, sparked by the allowance to create personalized security measures meaningful to only the device’s owner. As the Golden Age of Technology has sparked continued advancements, iPhone devices have now leveraged the inherent unique nature of each individual human being to serve as the forefront of the device’s security. Utilizing the unique fingerprint of owners, the iPhone can decipher an appropriate user based on this forgery-proof method. Additionally, through the advent of facial recognition software, the iPhone can now be unlocked by users by merely glancing at the screen, with highly complex mechanics working in the background to determine several points of facial awareness. Parlaying the uniqueness of each individual owner, the iPhone’s bespoke features allow for added security completely tailored to the individual.
In addition to providing unique security features, most smartphones allow for complete customization that parlays the need of all users. From larger format lettering, to hearing assistance settings, and even the ability to dim the background, smartphones enable a positive experiences tailored to the needs of every individual, inclusive to all conditions, handicaps, personal preferences, and needs. Unlike mobile technology of the past, today’s smartphones aim to contain customization options for usage in a bespoke manner.
An App For Me, An App For You
With the surge of apps flooding the e-market throughout the previous few years, talented developers have created a massive array of apps based on general interests, and niche interests alike, in every category, from fitness to finance. Many apps have been created to be helpful, useful, or even merely entertaining, each serving a purpose within an individual’s bespoke mobile experience.
Highly personalized tracking apps have the ability to provide custom insights related to users’ health, weight, steps taken within the day, and other metrics that can be parlayed into positive results in the quest for personal health and wellness. Based on the preliminary input from users, many fitness tracking apps utilize highly sensitive technology to create predictions about wellness, fertility, and even water consumption. Without having to track these metrics analog-style, staying in health in a completely customized manner is easier than ever.
As developers continue to develop more niche apps, there are increasing amounts of options available for groups of individuals interested in learning a particular skill, or engaging in a particular activity, like Geocaching. By combining a global community of outdoor adventure seekers, along with the locality of finding “treasures” within local community spaces, the Geocaching app provides a safe space for avid adventurers to partake in this hobby via a centralized hub.
Digital Mood Boards
Decades ago, individuals seeking daily inspiration spread out dozens of magazines on the floor, cutting and pasting glossy pages together in what was then referred to as a “mood board”. Capturing images of inspiration, dream travel destinations, and possible future haircuts on large poster paper, mood boards served as a way to conceptualize desires, and were a visual reminder of goals, bucket lists, and even to-do lists. Fast forward a few years, and the mood board has gone completely digital.
Through sites like Pinterest, users can virtually save recipes to try at a later date, showcase a desired ring catalog to significant others, and embark on a mission to find a new way to glue studs on Converse sneakers. In a cohesive and streamlined aesthetic platform like Pinterest, aesthetic manifestations of the wandering mind can create a constantly updating mood board for every aspect of life, minus the collaging.
Email, But Only You-Mail
With the prevalence of email as the preferred method of interpersonal conversation, as well as the most common marketing solution, inboxes can swiftly become flooded with content at an alarming rate. This scenario can make it wildly difficult to distinguish needed content from spam, and can diminish the effectiveness, and enjoyment, of browsing possibly interesting subscription content. With this scenario growing in scope rapidly, app creators work to surpass the concept of regular email, and provide customized solutions to the thoroughly modern problem of the stuffed e-mailbox.
Unroll Me, a leading email management and streamlining tool, aims to go above and beyond, creating the most personalized email experience for each user. First, users are provided with a generated list of their subscription emails, and choose which email listings they would like to unsubscribe from, and conversely, which emails they would like to keep. From there, users receive an aesthetically-driven, customized, once-daily digest of content called “The Roll Up.” Categorized in a way that is easy to access based on interest and need, this e-newsletter contains daily email content of interest, presented in a fashion similar to that of apps like Pinterest. With complete customization available to create a thoroughly bespoke experience, users can choose the time of day to receive their “Roll Up,” along with category selection, and the ability to retrieve all information via a backed-up email folder.
E-Flea Market Finds
With big-box retailers seemingly on every corner, it is easy to see a dozen people on the street strutting through the catwalk of life in the same shoes. While there’s nothing inherently sinister about a classic pair of shoes, many people are seeking bespoke clothing, jewelry, and homewares, items that feel as though they were made by hand. Much like traditional vintage shopping of the past, the goal of finding the perfect item on an E-Flea site is to feel personally fulfilled by a purchase, connected to the item in question, and happy to wear, use, or display the new goods.
Sites that empower makers and creators, like the ever-popular etsy.com, continue to parlay a culture that values handmade treasures, and personalized goodies that can be garnered completely online, without having to venture outside in search of a monogrammed wooden drink coaster. Etsy’s extensive marketplace boasts a vast variety of products and makes it possible to find just about anything quirky, unique, or otherwise not available in the big box retailers.
Here’s Something You Might Enjoy
Like a good friend who knows your taste in music, uniquely intuitive sites like Pandora, and Youtube, create suggestions based on information garnered about users, and previous usage, to determine what content you may enjoy in the future. The more that content is streamed, the more streamlined these recommendations can become. By creating an algorithm of users’ likes, behaviors, and usage, these sites can provide you with content you didn’t even know existed, helping you find the next underground band, or the latest videos of cats riding around aimlessly on robotic vacuum cleaners.
As technology continues to become more intuitive, it can become seamlessly integrated into everyday life, serving as a useful personal companion. By reminding us of upcoming dental appointments, keeping tabs on our bank account statements, and providing us with countless podcasts for entertainment, mobile devices have become a virtual extension of users, with each device as unique as the individual who clutches it in their hand at all times. With so many ways to create a customized tech experience, modern technology provides a vast array of information, entertainment, and support to users on a daily basis. With new content being created at a rapid pace, the concept of bespoke technology will continue to evolve into the future, based on the needs of users, ebbing and flowing with the newly formed cultural norm of entertainment, lifestyle management, and most importantly, communication.
Dil Bole Oberoi
