Furniture Maker Ikea Creates an Emoticon App

IKEA is great, isn’t it? Many a time I have spent rearranging the back seat of the family seven-seater to pack in numerous boxes of household furniture Tetris-style.  In fact, I think I have been to my local IKEA store so many times since I’ve been married that I could call it a second home. One thing I have never thought of getting from the Swedish furniture manufacturer is an app.

No matter what I, or indeed anyone else thinks about the matter, IKEA went ahead and released a smartphone keyboard for iOS and Android. The new Emoticon app that comes fully laden with stacks of furniture related icons. If you are thinking ‘why has Ikea done this’ you are not alone. Ikea’s new icons are mostly related to the home, so there are pets, food, and as you would expect, drawers, couches, beds and other furniture to spice up your texts with. In the advertised video, the company has claimed their keyboard is about improving relationships between people. IKEA observes that women and men ‘have always found difficulty in communication.’ Emoticons is a tool designed to ‘ensure universal love and understanding in your home.’

The downside to this amusing story, is the app itself. The Emoticon keyboard is not very intuitive, so your chosen flatpack shelf or high heeled shoe emoticon does not automatically appear when you tap it. You still have to paste it into the appropriate text box.

Feel free to test IKEA’s emoticon app yourself, by downloading it from iTunes or Google Play, depending on your chosen OS.

[Image marketingland]

SOURCE: Engadget