Haphone, LLC

Mopad Paradigms

When trying to explain Mopad to new audiences, we are always struck by how simple the solution looks – and how complicated and interrelated its implications are. One way of grasping Mopad’s impact is through paradigms or paradigm shifts. Another, more business oriented way is through changes in the basis of competition.

Paradigm Shifts

A paradigm shift is a radically new approach to looking at or solving a problem. In business, paradigm shifts often result in revolutions in usage and markets. Paradigm shifts usually happen one at a time – but Mopad embodies four paradigm shifts simultaneously.

Wearability – Wear the Device: Advantages: 1) hands-free carriage and operation, 2) availability – a worn device is always available, 3) findability – a worn device is in a known location.

The idea of wearability has been around for a while, and has been approached from a number of directions: wrist phones, neck phones, wearable computers, etc. But wearability is difficult to achieve, not just because of the miniaturization required, but because of multiple IO needs (audio, video, manual) of personal information devices. Moreover, wearability itself causes problems – a device that is easy to access while worn is typically difficult to access when it’s not worn.

Mopad both provides wearability and resolves the problems associated with wearability. Audiocore and remote controls act to meet meet multiple IO needs. And mode morphing ensures that the device can be easily accessed whether worn, carried or set down. Thus, though wearability is an old idea, Mopad makes it practical for the first time.

Integration – One Device Instead of Many: Advantages: 1) easier carriage, 2) simpler interface, 3) application integration (e.g., music pauses during phone use).

Integration is also an old idea. It is currently implemented primarily by integrating handsets with manual/visual devices (PDAs, cameras, etc.) But manual/visual integrated devices are often unnecessarily large for applications (e.g., telephony) or unacceptably small (web browsing). Integration of audio applications (telephony + music) is available to a limited degree, but suffers from usability problems (good phones are poor music players and vice versa).

Mopad provides both audio and manual/visual integration. Mopad’s configurations are geared to support all audio applications through hands-free carriage/usage and quick display, control and audio access. And mode morphing allows Mopad to provide the right sized screen and controls for both application and situation. So, though integration is a well known paradigm, Mopad takes it to a dramatically higher level.

Mode Morphing – Suit Shape to Mode: Advantage: Best physical configuration for every user mode. (Examples of user modes: sitting at desk, driving, running, standing.)

Mode morphing is not a paradigm for current devices. Precursors of the idea exist – e.g., phones that flip or slide open. But these adaptations do not substantially address the need to suit different user modes.

Mopad provides mode morphing through its modular design, and through particular mounts (neck, armband, handset, desktop) and remote controls (wrist, pocket, PDA, laptop). Mopad is the first product to offer mode morphing.

Style Morphing – Suit Shape/Design to Style: Advantage: Appearance expresses user’s character, taste and mood.

Style morphing is not a paradigm for current devices. Again, precursors of the idea exist – e.g., exchangeable faceplates and attachable dongles for mobile phones. But again, these adaptations are too minor to qualify as embodiments of the new paradigm.

Mopad provides style morphing through its modular design – primarily through exchange of and modification of mounts. Mopad is the first product to offer significant style morphing.

Changes in Basis of Competition

A change in the basis of competition is a change in buyers’ primary purchasing criteria. The concept was developed by Clayton Christensen, and described in his book, The Innovator’s Dilemma. Such events are important in markets because they typically result in large shifts in market sizes and leaders.

Like paradigm shifts, such changes typically happen one at a time and years apart. But for Mopad, each of the paradigm shifts above would cause a such a change if introduced by itself. Thus, Mopad induces four changes in basis of competition simultaneously.

Why Multiple Paradigm Shifts?

It may seem improbable that Mopad achieves not just one, but four paradigm shifts at once. There are several explanations for this: 1) Mopad had to achieve multiple paradigm shifts, 2) one of Mopad’s innovations is key to achieving all of the paradigm shifts, and 3) our developers are darned smart!

As the paradigm descriptions above make clear, the key innovation is morphing. Morphing has two paradigmatic aspects (mode morphing and style morphing), and it also enables and/or enhances the other two paradigm shifts (wearability and integration).

For more on our designers approach to personal information devices, see Mopad Usability Theory.