Taking “user friendliness” and “fun” much further

In order for users to easily operate the camera,
elements related to user-friendliness and enjoyment were given priority in the design.

Fashion, culture and users' ideas are changing everyday. Because of this, we have to ascertain carefully what people really desire. From the product design aspect, we try to create a product so that the people who need it will find it irresistible to use.

Realizing a form that is easy to grip with both hands as well as a simple-to-operate design that children can use

The exterior must inspire you, just by holding the camera

For the COOLPIX W100, as a new experiment, we proposed a marine pattern print on the front of the camera as a special color variation. This concept started from an idea that we might be able to create something attractive if we applied the popular camouflage pattern of the COOLPIX AW130 to this product by redesigning it to match the new camera. At one stage of discussion, we presented various motif patterns such as flowers and insects, made mock-ups, then took surveys several times to finetune results. Finally, because the COOLPIX W100 features effective waterproof and shockproof performance, impressions of underwater creatures with a fundamental color scheme that would stand out in active assumed usage situations, was decided upon. At that same time, considering technical issues, the motifs were located so as to avoid possible problems when printing patterns. The exclusive case was also designed to possess a sense of unity with the camera body, encouraging users to carry the camera with them wherever they go. This model is only available in Japan.

Because this camera's intended users cover a wide range of age groups, care was taken to encourage users to feel a great attachment to the product and to have fun, rather than just making it easy to use. The interface was designed so that users will never get bored, from the start-up screen, during shooting, after shooting and including the menu screen.

The GUI accommodates both adults and children

Fun-to-view opening screen

When turning on the power, the LCD monitor shows a small tree germinating, which grows as the number of taken images increases.This visual effect was created with our wish that children will feel as if they are growing with the camera, as the tree is shown growing. We will be very pleased if they become familiar with taking photos and using a camera.

In addition to the tree's growth, background screen images and characters that are displayed automatically include some that just occasionally appear. By including some screens that only rarely show up in the screen variations, the screen changes every time the power is switched on, which provides more fun to users and keeps their interest.

Also, as a screen effect, the background images and characters change according to whether it's day or night and at certain times, which increases the variations of the opening screen.

For this camera, we included many new characters. They can be viewed in a slideshow. Our designers created these characters to be enjoyed by users. We hope everyone will find a favorite character for themselves.