User-Oriented Definition of Smart Products: a "Body" Perspective

As more and more smart products appear in people's daily lives, designers begin to pay attention to smart product design. Industry and academia try to explain "what Smart Products are" in different fields. Although Smart Products are not a new term, there is no consensus on the definition of Smart Products. However, this is problematic for designers. Because the understanding of Smart Products directly affects how designers design smart products to bring users a better life. Smart products are quite different from previous products in terms of functions, interactions, and technologies. This not only affects designers but also poses challenges for users. This paper reviews the concept of Smart Products and Intelligence, constructs a user-oriented definition of smart products based upon the embodied cognition theory of cognitive science, proposes the characteristics of smart products, which provides designers with a new perspective for designing smart products.