Wired
More than 20 years after its founding, Google will open its first directly managed store on June 17, local time. The entire ground floor of the New York headquarters is a store where you can actually touch and experience and purchase Google hardware products such as Pixel smartphones and Nest devices.
A Google store that is the exact opposite of the future like the Apple Store
“This space is designed to physically represent Google’s symbol,” said Ivy Ross, vice president of hardware design, UX, and research at Google.
The Google Store is 5,000 square feet and occupies a block of the city, with large windows shining on the wooden floor. Many tech companies, including Apple and Tesla, have futuristic designs in pure white and metallic gray, while the Google Store has furniture and flooring in pale wood. Is exhibited to express more natural beauty.
According to Ross, this Google approach is intentional.
We wanted to create a space that inherits the design principles of our products. Our philosophy is that technology must be unobtrusive and integrated into our lives. We want to make this space human because we believe that technology is a tool for expanding human potential.
Interactive museum-like store design
According to the US media Fast Company, the design of the Google Store is more like an interactive museum or exploratorium (a science museum for children and families) than a retail store.
There is a wall displaying the entire Nest product family, with the name of the exhibit listed below, like the Natural History Museum.
In the center of the store, there is a space that recreates a room in the house such as a children’s room and a kitchen, and Google hardware is scattered.
One of the most popular areas is the centrally located small room surrounded by three huge LED screens, where you can step into and experience Google’s software to the fullest. Different exhibitions were held during each period, and the current focus is on Google Translate. When you say a phrase, it is translated into 24 languages and displayed on the screen so that you can whisper in each language.
The three rooms, named “sandboxes,” give customers the opportunity to experience a variety of Google technologies. One of the rooms is dedicated to Pixel smartphones and tablets, the second is a game, and the third is a living room that explains how useful Nest products are.
Source: Fast Company
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