Appeal of an object

I was asked the question 'What goes on in your head when you buy something new?'

1) Why is it that we want our belongings to do more for us than to function well?


I am going to base this on my mobile phone which is a Samsung X830. The main function of a mobile is to make calls, however the reason i got this was specifically due to the design and the way it looked. As well as this i got it as it had a 1GB internal memory facility. The phone also had a slide function, which turned into an MP3 player.



I believe people buy products due to how they look, what functions they have, and what the user can get out of it. However, we want our belongings to do more than their function, we want them to stand out with their individual aspects which set it apart from other products just like it. We want a product which looks good, functions good and makes us feel good also therefore reflecting how we are as a person.
A mobile can be bought very cheaply, yet it does the same function as all the others; but what we want is the latest design which both looks and functions well. The idea we have in our heads in that the more a phone is worth, the better it is going to be; which mostly is the case.



I also think we want our products to do more as there is a lot more technology available now which will undoubtedly progress further. Therefore, the expectations we have are to a more higher standard. For example, Satellite navigation is available on many mobile phones and we will expect this to be a normal function on mobile phones in the near future.