The design strategies of Korean consumer electronics companies in the late 1980s and early 1990s: Goldstar and Daewoo electronics

Abstract

Background In the late 1980s, South Korean consumer electronics companies began to prepare new design strategies to strengthen their competitiveness in the face of a crisis of wage hikes and market opening. At this time, design organizations in the companies also began to seek substantial changes in the product development process, influenced by the rapid growth of the domestic market which was entering the maturity stage of consumer society. Methods In reviewing ?monthly design?, major daily newspapers, writings and papers, this study tries to reconstruct various attempts made by the design organizations and to analyze the inner dynamics and logic of their attempt's strategy in socioeconomic contexts. Results The design organizations could implement market segmentation strategies thanks to the growth and differentiation of the domestic market. In the process of refinement of these strategies, they began developing Korean-style home appliances through lifestyle research and introduced a high-touch approach based on the human use of technology. Conclusions Through lifestyle research and a high-touch approach, the design organizations had built product development processes that promote horizontal collaboration with marketing professionals and engineers. The concept of "living people" in lifestyle research led designers to recognize the cultural dimension of everyday life, while the concept of "user" in the high-touch approach led them to explore the possibilities of digital technology.