The story of Sony’s Xperia Z illustrates Sony’s smartphone design process. The Xperia Z was a sleek Android smartphone with a five-inch, high-definition touchscreen. It was Sony’s contender in the 2013 flagship smartphone market dominated by Apple’s iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S4. A confluence of factors produced the Xperia Z. Sony research had found that consumers, stuck in a stagnant economy, wished their gadgets would last longer. Sony designers were also influenced by the fact that people cherish their possessions, including their smartphones, but can also find gadgets annoying—forming a barrier between them and content they want to read, watch, or otherwise experience. Sony designers were further motivated by keywords including ‘quality,’ meaning good craftsmanship, and ‘efficient’ as in efficient use of space and…
