INTELLIGENT PRODUCT DESIGNS THAT INVOLVE CONVERGENCE OF MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES:
THE EXAMINATION OF RELEVANT APPLICATIONS IN TURKEY

In recent years objects that have a constant role in our daily lives are becoming intelligent. The rapid development of information and communication technologies causes these technologies to enter into industrial product designs and interactive products to enter into our daily lives. The disappearance of technology and interfaces on objects with the growth of embedded technologies, allows ordinary physical objects to involve computing technologies and network systems.

The most important factor in the development of interactive products is the opportunity of the convergence of multiple different technologies. Converging technologies are causing industry boundaries to blur; therefore the nature of products and services changes.

As a result of the convergence of industries and the disappearance of industry boundaries, differentiating the products with value creation becomes important. Today, the only way to create value through profitable growth is innovation. In order to generate value and innovation in a sustainable manner; a new point of view is required, one that allows individual customers to co-construct their own consumption experiences through personalized interaction, thereby co-creating unique value for themselves. In the further applications of innovation, the focal point will pass from products and services to experience spaces created by the consumers and the producers.

In today’s applications of innovation, intelligent products which create value through covering multiple technologies are becoming important. In this research, the term “intelligent product” is defined in two levels. First level of product intelligence allows a product to store data about itself and to communicate effectively with its environment. Second level product intelligence allows a product to participate in decision process through assessing its function in addition to communicating its status.

The aim of this paper is to examine the product development process of intelligent products which contains multiple discrete technologies, through open ended interviews with firms that develop intelligent products in Turkey. One well-known white goods manufacturer: Arçelik and another consultancy firm which serves for the companies that outsource design expertise: T-Design; are selected within relevant firms. The interviews cover four main categories: the firms’ point of view about the terms converging technologies and intelligent products, the process of product development, following technology and integrating its findings into products, the further positioning of intelligent products in Turkey. In the analysis of the interviews, first and second level intelligent products and common and different applications in the intelligent product development process are determined.