From Prototype to Product
Think like a designer, build like an engineer and polish like a craftsman to successfully take your innovation to market
Author: Kiran Kumar H S, Exemplary Mentor of Change and Regional Mentor of Change - Karnataka
Published: 12-Dec-2019
This primer is all about the thoroughness, diligence and craftsmanship involved in designing great products that not only address users' need, but also achieve a high degree of excellence through quality and sustainability.
overview
Welcome to all budding innovators of this world ! As an innovator, what do you do after you build a prototype of your innovative idea? What is the next step? How do you take your innovation to the next level? Can you put your prototype to practical use? Can you sell your innovation in the market? These are common questions you may have.
This is where a many budding innovators feel stuck. Many are not aware of the rigor involved in taking their prototype further along the route where it ready for practical application in the real world. More often than not, budding innovators jump from prototype stage to commercialization stage rather too quickly without putting adequate effort to build a "product" first. They don't realize that there are a series of activities involving design and engineering that takes a prototype and converts it into a market-ready product that can then be produced in large numbers for commercialization. The activities not only incorporate necessary features & functionality needed by its users, but also add robustness, reliability, safety, etc. to make the product practically usable in real-life environments.
In this article, we start out by understanding what a prototype is, what a product is and the differences between the two. We then delve deep to understand the rigor involved in building great quality products. We also touch upon what it takes to build sustainable products.
The primer's primary aim is to encourage budding innovators to think like a designer, build like an engineer and polish like a craftsman to successfully take their innovations to market.
What is a Prototype?
A prototype is an early model of a 'potential' product. It can be a dummy model or a working model of a product that is yet to be built.
Often, a prototype implements a few core features and functionality of the desired product.
Often, innovators start with a prototype before they build a product.
An initial model of a product prototype can be built using simple prototyping resource materials like card-boards, wood, foam, clay, etc. These 'dummy' models may not really work, but are useful to give shape to an idea.
More advanced working prototypes may be built using one or more technological components involving mechanical, electrical, electronics, software or other elements. These advanced prototypes usually are capable of demonstrating at least a few core capabilities of the envisioned product, if not all.
A prototype serves multiple purposes:
- A prototype helps you validate an idea or innovation. It helps you to know what a solution for a given problem looks like. In effect, it gives shape to your idea.
- A prototype helps you validate user's needs before a full-fledged product can be built. That is, once you build a prototype, you can get the users to use the prototype and provide you feedback. This helps you to enhance or refine your prototype further to meet user's needs better.
- A prototype helps you to mitigate technological, market or other risks by implementing those features and functionality that are not proven yet, or where there are unknowns, or needs validation from users. This helps you to determine whether or not to invest further time, effort and money.
- A prototype helps you to showcase your idea or innovation to prospective customers, investors or at competitions. Instead of merely talking about your idea, you will be able to demonstrate how your innovation looks like and how it works.
What is a Product?
A product is a tangible or intangible solution for a user's need. It solves a problem or a addresses a challenge. It may even create and address a desire where none existed before. It brings something new to the world. It is a creative act that finds practical application in the hands of its users. Its purpose is to provide physical as well as psychological value and benefits to its users.
A product is nothing but a refined prototype that has gone through a rigorous process of successive refinements to fine-tune its features, functionality and quality to a level where it is ultimately ready for use by its users in the real-world.
A product can be tangible or intangible. A tangible product is one that has physical shape and size. It can be touched and felt. It occupies space in three-dimensions. It may be hand-made, custom-made or mass-manufactured. Examples of tangible physical products are cars, food items, furniture, computers, telephones, etc.
An intangible product is one that does not have physical properties. Digital products such as downloadable music, mobile apps, cloud-based software services or virtual goods used in virtual economies are all examples of intangible products. Insurance policies, tourism packages, etc. are often considered as intangible products though they are delivered to the users in the form of services.
Differences between a PROTOTYPE and a PRODUCT
The primary differences between a prototype and a product are the following:
- Purpose: As a prototype is primarly meant to prove a concept, mitigate risks, demonstrate the idea/innovation, get user feedback or raise funding, it is not designed for use in real-life by end-users. It is only meant for use in controlled environments and for a limited duration of time by a few users. Whereas, a product is a solution designed to address specific real-world needs, problems, challenges or desires of its broader user-base. It is meant to be used in real-life environments and to provide value and benefits to its users over longer duration of time.
- Functionality: A prototype usually has limited features and functionalities since it is important to showcase or validate only a few core features and functionalities initially. However, a finished product usually has many features and functionalities that are implicitly or explicitly expected by its users. For e.g., a prototype of a vacuum cleaner may demonstrate how effective it is in cleaning the dust, while the product version of the vacuum cleaner may have many additional features such as remote controlling ability, dust-bin 'full' indication, etc.
- Build: A prototype is usually built gradually with features and functionality added incrementally. It may also be built by hand with minimal or no automation involved. Generally, prototype development moves from basic to intermediate to advanced level. At each level, the complexity and sophistication of the prototype advances. Prototypes may be built using pretotyping techniques and using prototyping resource materials such as wood, foam, clay, plastic, etc. Prototypes can also be built using 3D computer aided design (CAD) tools, 3D printers, specialized technologies, machines and tools. The choice of the materials used and technique employed depends on the purpose of the prototype. However, most products are mass-manufactured in large quantities after the product design has been finalized. Automated processes, techniques and machines are often used to manufacture physical products. Mass manufacturing may not apply to intangible digital products though. Digital products are mass-replicated instead of mass-manufactured.
- Quality: A prototype is designed with minimal quality. It may not be able to withstand the working environment in which the final product would be put to use. For e.g., the prototype of a mobile phone may not be water-proof, while the final version of the same mobile phone may be built to withstand water ingression. Similarly, a vacuum-cleaner prototype may not be built for durability (the ability to withstand rough usage), while the product version of the same vacuum cleaner may be built for durability.
building a product
With an understanding of the differences between a prototype and a product, let us now look at what it takes to design and build a product. At the most basic level, a product addresses:
- User's needs, wants, desires, problems or challenges
- User's implicit and explicit expectations in using the product
1. addressing users' needs
A product's first and foremost function is to address its users' need. A product designer has to build necessary features, functionalities and capabilities in the product to address those needs. If a product does not provide adequate features and functionalities expected by the user, or if the users do not value the features and functionalities provided by the product, then the product has failed in its primary purpose. Secondly, the user should derive benefits from using the product. If the benefits are insignificant or none, then again the product has failed in its purpose.
For e.g., if a user has a need to know the time of the day, then a product to address this need (say, a clock or a watch) should be able to tell the time of the day in terms of hours and minutes (if not seconds). If the product can only tell the hour of the day (and not minutes), it only meets the user's need partially, and consequently may not be of much value to the user. The benefit of using this product is also low as it only meets the need partially.
As another example, let's say a user needs to travel across mountainous regions with paved or unpaved roads with steep inclines. If you offer him a city car, it doesn't meet his need well. However, if you offer him an off-roader vehicle with four-wheel drive, it meets his need very well. The benefit of using an off-roader vehicle to travel in mountainous regions is significant.
So, it is important to build a product that addresses users' needs adequately and provide desired benefits in using the same.
Start by identifying your target users and dive deep to understand their needs, wants, desires, pain-points, problems and challenges before designing your product. You cannot offer a product to any user as different users have different needs. It is important to identify your target users by segmenting the users on the basis of demographics, age, gender, personal preferences, usage needs, occupation, income, or other criteria. This helps you to focus the design of your product to serve the needs of a specific user group.
While identifying users who will use your product, it helps to bear in mind that there can be "direct" and "indirect" users for any product. The "direct" users can be further split into two groups - "core" users and "non-core" users. The core users are your end-users or customers who buy and use the product first-hand. They expect the product to do what it promises to do. A product primarily caters to the needs of its core users. So, we generally focus our energies on understanding their needs alone. However, we often overlook the non-core users. These users often come in many shades, including the product installer, the product repair & maintenance staff, staff who transport the product from the showroom to your home, the product administrator who manages the overall product operation, etc. We need to take into account the needs and expectations of these indirect users in designing products. Otherwise, product installation, repair, maintenance and transportation tasks will become very challenging. Lastly, the "indirect users" of the product are typically senior executives who may not use the product directly, but depend on information and reports produced by the product indirectly. So, we need to build suitable capabilities in the product that can provide the required information to these indirect users. If we miss the needs of the direct and indirect users, the product will likely fail in the market.
2. addressing users' implicit & Explicit expectations
Most innovators focus all their energies on designing and implementing features and functionalities in a product. However, they often overlook the implicit and explicit expectations of users. When we dig deeper, we understand that users not only expect the product to do what it says it does, but additionally expect the product to be simple to operate, safe to use, be durable, be reliable, etc. These expectations can be expressed in terms of attributes such as simplicity, safety, durability, reliability, etc. that qualify a product. More often than not, users don't state these expectations or attributes explicitly. Instead, they expect them to be inherent aspects of the product. Basically, these implicit expectations or attributes refer to "how well the users' needs are to be met". The attributes are also referred to as "product quality attributes" since quality is an expression of how well the product performs its function or job.
For e.g., from the perspective of a user, the product quality attributes of a car can be: simplicity (how simple is it to use/drive the car), performance (how fast does the car run), capacity (how many people can the car carry), efficiency (how fuel-efficient is the car), safety (how safe is the car to travel), etc. If a product doesn't meet these basic quality attributes sufficiently well, it falls short of the user's implicit or explicit expectations, and ultimately fails in the market. So, it is the job of the product designer to understand users' implicit and explicit expectations well and translate them into one or more quality attributes. These attributes can then be baked into the product such that they become intrinsic capabilities of the product.
In today's demanding marketplace where several products compete with each other, a product that doesn't satisfy its users' needs or expectations sufficiently well stands no chance of succeeding. A quality product also helps maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty while reducing the risk and cost of replacing faulty goods.
Watch the below videos that illustrate what it can mean to use products that lack quality.
Poor Quality Hurts
Video from Motilal Oswal that illustrates how poor quality hurts
The Cost of Poor Quality
Video that illustrates with few examples the high cost to be paid for poor quality
Below is a list of 23 product quality attributes that product designers and engineers routinely consider in designing and building a variety of products in diverse disciplines and industry verticals:
- Usability
- Aesthetics
- User Experience
- Performance
- Durability
- Safety
- Reliability
- Availability
- Modularity
- Extensibility
- Configurability
- Customizability
- Personalizability
- Manageability
- Maintainability
- Scalability
- Portability
- Security
- Compatibility
- Interoperability
- Standards compliance
- Regulatory adherence
- Smartness
Don't be over-whelmed by the larger number of product quality attributes listed above. This is merely a long listing of various product quality attributes to consider for your product. First and foremost, we have to realize that it is not always feasible to incorporate all the quality attributes in a product. You should ideally pick not more than 5 to 6 quality attributes that are most relevant to your product and work on incorporating them in your product's design and implementation.
Secondly, some quality attributes are more important than others depending on the users or markets your product intends to serve. You have to identify which attributes are important for your product by talking to your users and using your own common sense and judgement.
Thirdly, the extent to which a product incorporates certain quality attribute can vary from one type of user / customer / market to another. A premium product may focus more on "user experience" attribute than a mid-tier product targeted at mass market customers. For e.g., Apple's iMac computers powered by macOS operating system is an example of a product designed for the premium market segment (with its sleek finish and rich user experience) compared to Windows based desktop computers and laptops that are targeted at mid-tier market segment.
Fourthly, you may have to trade-off one quality attribute with another in order to achieve the right balance of capabilities in your product. For e.g., if you try to increase the performance or sturdiness of the product, it may increase the cost of the product. So, you will have to strike a balance between cost & performance, or cost & sturdiness in order to offer the product to the target market at the right price point. Similarly, if you increase the security of the product, it may impact the performance of the product. So, you will have to strike a balance between expected security and desired performance.
In the rest of this section, we will delve deep into each of the 23 quality attributes (PQAs) listed above. Having a basic understanding of the quality attributes will help you focus your thinking on what customers expect, and sharpen your "design skills" to build products that meet or exceed user expectations. Various examples provided with each quality attribute helps expand your thinking to consider the various ways in which the quality attribute can be incorporated into the product you are designing.
So, go ahead. Get a hang of the quality attributes. Think like a designer and build your product like an engineer by incorporating the most essential product quality attributes! Keep polishing your product like a craftsman until it reaches a high degree of perfection and radiates excellence.
1. Usability
Usability mainly deals with the user interface of the product that allows the user to interact with the product with effectiveness (accurately) and efficiency (speed), while also being engaging (enjoyable or satisfactory to use), error tolerant (being able to recover from errors) and simple to learn and use.
Kettle whose usability is poor
An MP3 player with poor usability
Kettle whose usability is better
An iPod with better usability
Example 1: Take a look at the kettle shown on the left. Although, it has a sleek design, its usability is not. The kettle is not convenient to use simply because the mouth of the kettle and the handle to hold the kettle are on the same side that makes it not only inconvenient for a user to pour tea from it, but the user is likely to spill hot tea on himself / herself in the process. Moreover, holding the handle on the side to carry a fully-filled kettle requires more effort and puts strain on the user's wrist.
Contrast this design with the kettle shown on the right. It has a handle at the top that not only makes it convenient to carry it around, but also requires little or no effort to use it. It also does not involve strain to pour tea from it. Its usability is much better than the earlier one.
Example 2: Consider the MP3 player shown on the left. It has multiple buttons that make it confusing and hard to use. In addition, the user needs to push the forward or backward buttons repeatedly to locate a desired song stored on the device and play it.
Contrast this with the iPod. The user can gently move his/her finger-tips in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction on the circular "click-wheel" to navigate through various songs stored on the device and play any of them by just tapping the central button. The iPod's user interface is highly intuitive, effective, fast and enjoyable, while being smaller in size and weighing much less than many of its counterparts.
Tip: Simplicity is the cornerstone of usability.
2. Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty and taste. It refers to the visual attractiveness of a product. Studies have proven that creating good aesthetics in a product leads to better usability and user experience. Aesthetically attractive products bring up positive emotions and attitude in users. It makes them care more about the product. It influences how much pleasure users feel from the product. Aesthetics affects our long-term attitude towards products and even people. Users generally rate visually appealing products as more usable than they actually are, because of their attractiveness.
Aesthetically designed car
Aesthetically designed watch
Aesthetically designed furniture
Aesthetically designed computer
Examples: Here are four examples of aesthetically designed products that have attractive looks:
- A car with sporty looks
- A furniture with contemporary looks
- A watch with trendy looks
- A computer with curved edges and sleek finish
Tip: A product with good aesthetics can make up for minor deficiencies in other aspects.
3. User Experience
User experience (UX) not only includes usability and aesthetics, but goes beyond them. At its most basic level, User Experience (UX) refers to how a user feels about using a system or product. User experience is important because it aims to provide positive experiences that keeps a user loyal to the product.
User experience design is the process of enhancing the aesthetics, usability, accessibility, desirability and perception involved in using a product by its users. To design a product with rich user experience, a product designer needs to have a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, what their abilities are, and what their limitations are.
Regular TV remote control unit
Voice controlled TV remote control unit with better user experience
Example: Consider the conventional TV remote control. It has several small-sized buttons, and often users find it challenging to locate one among the many buttons to perform a specific operation on the TV, for e.g., muting the TV, adjusting the volume, changing the channel, etc. It is also cumbersome to switch the TV to the desired channel if one does not know the channel number. One has to scroll through the list of channels in the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) until one finds the desired channel.
Now consider the TV remote provided with Amazon Fire TV Stick. The device allows you to remotely control a TV through voice commands. You can use voice commands to search for TV shows, movies, and other programmes from different streaming media service providers such as NetFlix, Hot Star, etc. It significantly enhances the user experience by improving the usability of the TV as you don't have to fumble with the small buttons on the remote control anymore. You can just speak what you need by voice commands, and the TV responds. The Fire TV stick enhances the accessibility of TV programmes since you can directly ask it for a specific TV programme, show or movie rather than worry about the channel number. The Fire TV stick also improves customer's desire for new and simpler way of accessing TV programmes compared to conventional TV remote controls.
Tip: Designing your product for superior user experience will ensure that your product stands out from the crowd.
4. Performance
The term "performance" is defined as the accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. By accuracy, we refer to the precision with which the product performs its job without introducing errors. By completeness, we refer to whether the product accomplishes the job 100% or not. By cost, we refer to whether the product accomplishes the job within pre-defined budget, and by speed, we refer to the quickness with which the product can accomplish the job.
Battery-powered vacuum cleaner
Old computer with limited performance
240 volts AC powered vacuum cleaner
New powerful computer
Example 1: Consider a battery-powered vacuum cleaner (shown on the left) and compare its performance with that of a 240 volts AC powered vacuum cleaner (shown on the right). While both products are meant to clean dust from table tops, furniture, beds and other small surfaces, the AC powered cleaner can do a better job of cleaning dust than the battery-powered one as it packs greater suction power. This is because, the small-sized battery within the battery-powered cleaner can provide limited power to the vacuum pump within the cleaner, which in turn limits its ability to suck dust. The AC-powered cleaner, on the other hand, can draw more power from the mains power supply to operate its higher-capacity vacuum pump. As a result, this cleaner can suck dust better and does a better job of cleaning the surface.
The cleaner with AC mains power supply can also operate longer compared to the battery-powered one whose battery will drain out after a few minutes of use and needs to be re-charged before it can be used again. In summary, we can say the performance of the AC powered cleaner is superior to that of the battery-powered one.
Example 2: A computer with higher processing power, more memory and storage usually gives better performance in running a particular software application when compared to another one that has limited processing power, memory and storage space.
Tip: When designing your product for performance, finding the right balance is the key.
5. Durability
Durability is the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when faced with the challenges of normal operation over its lifetime. Durability of a product is usually measured in terms of "years of life", "hours of use", or "number of operational cycles". A new product has to go through durability tests by government approved certification agencies before it can be sold in the market. Most product manufacturers offer time-bound warranty on their products to assure their customers that their product is durable. In case the product were to inadvertently fail within the warranty period, the manufacturer promises to replace the failed product or product component freely to the customer.
A durable TV remote control unit that can withstand falls
Car tyres that wears out too soon
A flimsy TV remote control unit that gets damaged easily
Example 1: Let's consider the TV remote control again. Remote control is a product that we operate in our hand, either while seated, standing or even while walking around at home. At times, the remote control slips out of our hands and falls to the ground. What if the electronics within the unit comes loose and the unit stops working the moment it drops to the ground? What if the batteries fly out the moment the unit drops to the ground? What if the remote control casing cracks or breaks upon impact with the ground? Well, if any of these happens, then its clear that the product is not durable. We would rather not buy such a product.
A durable remote control unit will likely have a sturdy casing or one that makes use of shock-absorbing materials to ensure that the unit continues to function and doesn't break upon falling to the ground from a reasonable height.
Example 2: What if you buy a new car and one or more of its tyres wear out even before you hit the 10,000 kms mark driving on city roads. Would those tyres be considered durable? No !
Tip: Nobody likes a flimsy product, even if it costs less. Design your product with the right level of durability.
6. Safety
Product safety is the ability of a product to be safe for intended use when evaluated against a set of established rules. Product safety deals with the risk, injury, damage, harm or sickness that may be caused to humans or other things in the normal usage of the product. Product consumers have a right to expect products they buy to work properly without any risk of causing illness or injury. A new product must go through safety tests by government approved safety certification agencies before they can be being sold in the market.
Table with sharp edges can cause injury to people
Radiation leaking from home appliances can be hazardous to health
Bread toaster that gives electrical shock when touched by hand
A phone that heats up has the possibility of its battery exploding
Example 1: A furniture or a table with sharp edges can potentially cause injury to a person if he/she accidentally moves past its corners. Sharp edges of furniture can also get chipped while being transported. A better furniture design will have rounded corners.
Example 2: If the bread toaster at home burns your finger or gives electrical shock when touched, then its not safe to use. A good toaster design will have an insulating cover around its body that protects people from heat or shock when touched.
Example 3: If the microwave oven at home leaks microwave radiation, then its not safe to use. Microwave radiation can heat body tissues the same way it heats food. Exposure to high levels of microwaves can cause painful burn. Some research even suggests that exposure to microwave radiation can cause cancer. A good microwave design ensures that no radiation leaks from the oven.
Example 4: Some mobile phones heat up especially when using gaming apps that consume significant processing power, which in turn draws more power from the battery. This may result in the battery heating up and the phone potentially exploding. A good phone design ensures that the phone doesn't heat up, or cools it down by stopping some of the CPU-hogging apps.
Tip: Safety is a must, not to be compromised at any cost. Design your product with high standards of safety.
7. Reliability
Reliability is the ability of a product to consistently perform its intended or required function, on demand, and without degradation or failure - as long as the product is used under specified conditions, and used for the purpose it is intended to serve. A reliable, trouble-free product continues to satisfy its customers for a long period of time. Product reliability is quantified by two metrics: MTBF and MTTR. Mean-Time-Between-Failures (MTBF) measures the average time elapsed between a failure of the product and the next time a failure occurs. That is, MTBF is an indicator of how frequently or infrequently the product fails. Mean-Time-To-Repair (MTTR) measures the average time required to troubleshoot and repair a failed product. That is, MTTR is an indicator of how long it takes to fix a broken product.
A washing machine that doesn't work as expected is not a reliable product
A car that breaks down frequently in the middle of the road is unreliable
Example 1: Suppose you buy a brand new washing machine for your home, but within a few weeks of using it, you encounter problems with it. The machine doesn't start sometimes, or occasionally stops midway through washing, or the liquid soap oozes out of its door at times. If these issues happen frequently, would you consider the washing machine to a reliable product?
Example 2: Suppose your car breaks down frequently and you have to get it towed to a repair garage every time to have it fixed. Either the car has a manufacturing defect, has not been repaired properly earlier, or has developed a new problem. Whatever may be the case, a car that breaks down frequently is not a reliable product. If the car breaks down, say, 3 times in 3 months, then its MTBF is 90 days / 3 = 30 days. If it takes a total of 6 hours to repair 3 breakdowns, then MTTR = 6 hours / 3 breakdowns = 2 hours.
Tip: Reliability of a product is an inherent expectation of any user. Build a reliable product, and half your battle is won.
8. Availability
Availability is the ability of a product to perform its job when requested. Availability can also be defined as the proportion of time a product is in a functioning condition and is usable by the user. It is not always possible to have a product functioning or operational 100% of the time. This is because, the product may fail / breakdown as a result of prolonged use. Alternatively, a product may intentionally be made inoperable for a period of time for upgrade, maintenance or repair. The duration of time during which a product is inoperable is considered as product downtime. The product is not available for use by the user during its downtime.
Availability is expressed as a percentage and is computed by the following formula:
Availability % = ((Total duration - Sum of individual downtimes during the entire duration) / Total duration) * 100
If a product has a downtime 1 hour on day-3, 2.5 hours on day-13, and 1.5 hours on day-29 in a month, then, its cumulative downtime during the entire month is 5 hours. The availability of the product during this month is then computed as: (((30 days * 24 hours) - 5 hours) / (30 * 24)) * 100 = 99.30 %. The higher the availability of a product, the lesser the chance of it failing, breaking down or becoming in-operational. However, achieving higher availability comes at a high cost. So, a product designer has to balance availability of the product with the cost involved in building and operating it.
Availability of a portable vacuum cleaner
Availability of mobile network infrastructure
Example 1: Consider the case of the AC-powered vacuum cleaner we discussed earlier as part of the Performance quality attribute. This is a portable hand-held vacuum cleaner suitable for cleaning table-tops, beds, sofas and other furniture. The vacuum cleaner can be operated for a maximum of 15 minutes in one go. If used for more than 15 minutes, the motor inside the cleaner heats up and the chances of the cleaner getting damaged increases. So, it is advisable to limit its operation to 15 minutes at a stretch, and allow the cleaner to cool down for the next 5 minutes before using it again. So, effectively, in an hour's duration, the vacuum cleaner's availability is a maximum of 45 minutes with a downtime of 15 minutes. This translates to an availability of 75%.
Example 2: Consider a mobile network infrastructure similar to that of Airtel, Vodafone or Reliance Jio. The availability of the end-to-end mobile infrastructure is very crucial. Even a few minutes of downtime means all ongoing mobile calls will drop and no new calls can be made by users. They can mean a loss of several crores of rupees to the service provider. As such, mobile network infrastructure are typically designed for very high availability (of the order of 99.999% or higher) with a cumulative downtime of not more than a few minutes or hours in an entire year.
Tip: High availability is highly desirable, but it comes at high cost. Build your product for the availability level your customer is willing to pay for.
9. Modularity
Product modularity is a method of designing products by sub-dividing the product functionality into several smaller functional blocks or modules. Each block or module has a distinct functionality. When these blocks are combined / integrated with each other, they give rise to the overall product. Modular product design provides several benefits to product designers as well as to end-users:
- Modular design helps product designers handle complexity by breaking down the product's functionality into various less-complex modules or blocks, each with its own sub-functionality.
- By designing each block with well-defined interfaces, product designers can easily integrate various blocks with each other. This gives rise to plug-n-play product architecture.
- Modular architecture makes repair and maintenance of the product easier. A block that is faulty can be repaired or replaced with another block without impacting the rest of the product.
- Modular product blocks can be used independently or combined with different blocks to give rise to different product functionality or features. This gives greater flexibility and convenience to users who would like to use different functionality of the product at different times and for different needs.
- By combining multiple 'similar' blocks together, it is possible to scale up / down the product capacity to handle increased / decreased load.
- If designed with the right intent, it is possible to integrate one or more third-party blocks with the product, thereby extending the functionality of the product.
A modular vacuum cleaner with different attachments, brushes and nozzles for performing different types of cleaning jobs
Example: Consider again a home vacuum cleaner. Most of the modern vacuum cleaners come with multiple attachments such as brushes, hose pipes and nozzles. There are various types of brushes provided for cleaning floor, cleaning carpets, cleaning furniture, cleaning fabric, cleaning windows, etc. By attaching one hose pipe to another, one can extend the overall reach of the vacuum to clean ceiling, wall corners, floor corners, stairs, etc. using different sized nozzles.
Imagine for a moment if you had to buy different vacuum cleaners for each of the above jobs. That would have been a nightmare !! By making the vacuum cleaner design highly modular, it becomes possible for the user to buy one vacuum cleaner with multiple attachments, and use different attachments for different cleaning jobs. In case any of the attachments break, the user can just replace the particular attachment instead of buying an entirely new vacuum cleaner!
Tip: Modular products can bring significant flexibility and convenience to end-users, repair technicians and also to product designers & manufacturers.
10. Extensibility
Extensibility is a measure of: 1) the ability to extend a product's functionality beyond what it was initially built for, and 2) the level of effort required to implement the extension. Extensibility provides for future growth of the product through addition of new functionality without impairing existing functionality. Depending on the design of the product, it may be possible to extend the product functionality by product designers, by end-users, or by both. In addition, some products may have built-in extensions that can be made use of by users on need basis.
Extending a car's ability to carry extra luggage
Moto Mods - Modular extensions to Motorola smartphones
Extending a train by coupling coaches to each other
A sofa that can be extended into a bed
Example 1: Take the case of a luggage-carrier that can be fitted on top of a car. This is an extension that can be added to the car to enhance its ability to carry luggage on its roof.
Example 2: Railway coaches are designed and built keeping extensibility in mind. A train's capacity to carry additional people or goods can be dynamically extended by adding additional coaches using inter-coach coupling mechanisms.
Example 3: Moto Mods are extensions that can be attached to Motorola smartphones to extend the functionality of the phone. The extension Mods include zoom lens, speaker, power bank, projector, wireless charger, vehicle mount, etc. These Mods can be snapped onto the phone using magnetic contacts.
Example 4: Consider a sofa with built-in extension that allows it to be converted into a bed. During day time, the extension is folded-in, allowing users to sit on the sofa. At night times, the bed extension can be pulled out allowing users to sleep on it.
Tip: Never limit your product design to only today's needs and requirements. Future-proof your product by designing with extensibility in mind.
11. Configurability
Configurability defines the ability of a product to be dynamically modified, adjusted, re-arranged or extended while it is operational. Configurability involves changing a certain part, component, aspect or parameter of a product so that the variation alters the operation or performance of the product. Configurability allows the product designer to design a generic product which can then be configured to serve the needs of different types of users or customers. Without the ability to configure, a product needs to be customized to every customer's requirements. In summary, configurability brings flexibility to the product operation by allowing the product to: (a) be used in different operating environments & conditions, (b) meet different user needs - without having to be re-designed or re-built for each configuration.
Configure WiFi hotspot on phone
Configure or tune car's engine parameters
Configure WiFi settings on laptop or phone
Example 1: Laptops and mobile phones provide users with the ability to connect to WiFi network of their choice by allowing users to configure the WiFi network's credentials (SSID and password) on it.
Example 2: Car manufacturers design an engine and make many of its parameters configurable. This makes it possible for them to tune the engine to meet the requirements of different markets without re-designing the engine for each market. In addition, by allowing the engine parameters to be tunable, it becomes possible for service technicians to tune the performance, fuel-efficiency, or emission levels of the car to desired levels.
Example 3: Most modern smartphones allow users to configure a WiFi hotspot on the fly, making it possible for other devices to connect to the hotspot using the hotspot's credentials (SSID, password and security type).
Without the ability to configure, a product would remain set to factory default settings and would not be usable in different user environments or operate at the desired performance levels.
Tip: People love to configure and re-configure products to accommodate their changing needs and requirements. Designing products that are configurable allows product designers to build a product once and offer it to multiple customers, who can then configure it to their individual needs.
12. Customizability
Customizability refers to the ability of a product to be modified as per a specific customer's needs or requirements. Usually, the product designer, developer or manufacturer customizes the product before it is shipped to the user / customer. However, in some cases, it may also be possible for customers to customize the product on their own. The advantage of a customized product is that it can meet the specialized or specific needs of a customer well. At the same time, the disadvantage of a customized product is that it is no more generic, and consequently, any change to the customer's requirements at a later date requires custom changes to be implemented in the product. As such, a customized product increases its total cost of ownership over time.
Tailor-made suit
Customized shoes
Customizing a car's interiors & exteriors
Custom-made furniture
Example 1: What can be a better example of a customized product than a suit, shirt or dress tailor-made for your size and style?
Example 2: Most car manufacturers give you the ability to customize the car's interiors and exteriors by installing additional accessories such as seat covers, foot mats, fog lamps, stereo system, etc. These accessories need be additionally purchased by you and the dealer can fit them for you at the time of purchase or later.
Example 3: Nike is an international brand that makes shoes. The company allows its customers to 'custom design' their own shoes which will then be built and shipped by Nike to the customer.
Example 4: People often hire the services of a carpenter to build custom furniture to suit their personal tastes, styles and needs.
In all the above examples, the products are customized by the seller or manufacturer as per the needs and expectations of their customers.
Tip: Design your product in such a way that its core functionality is fixed, while non-core aspects are customizable. This will allow you to cater to different customer needs without changing your core product.
13. Personalizability
Personalizability is the ability of a product to satisfy a user's requirements by either allowing the user to customize the product interface or layout on their own, or by automatically providing a personalized user experience by dynamically learning about the user's need and requirements.
For e.g., many software products allow their users to customize the look and feel of the user interface. For e.g., smartphones allow the user to customize the ring tone, wallpaper, apps displayed on the home screen, etc. This is the case of user personalizing the user experience as per his/her need.
As another example, consider software products that have the ability to automatically personalize the user interface as well as the user's experience from data gathered about the user. For e.g., Amazon.com and and several other eCommerce sites improve the user's experience dynamically by personalizing product recommendations provided to the user. The personalization is achieved by learning about the user's past buying patterns, past product searches, geographical location, gender, age, etc. This is a case of personalization undertaken automatically by the product.
Let's look at a third example. Take the case of Nutella which is a brand of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread which is popular with children. The company which makes Nutella allows its customers to have their name printed on the Nutella jar and have it shipped to them. Printing a custom name on the product before shipping can be considered as product customization. At the same time, printing a custom name that has personal significance to the user can be considered as product personalization. This is an example that involves both customization and personalization.
Personalized movie recommendations
Personalized welcome message
Personalized temperature setting
Personalized label on Nutella jar
Example 1: Netflix personalizes movies recommendations to you based on the type and genre of movies you have watched on Netflix in the past.
Example 2: Google Nest thermostat has the ability to automatically personalize your home temperature by learning from your past preferences.
Example 3: Hector, the smart connected car from Morrison Garages (MG) allows you to customize your driving preferences. The car can even welcome you with a personalized greeting as you approach the car.
Example 4: Nutella is a brand of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread which is popular with children. The company which makes Nutella allows its customers to personalize the jar by having their name printed on the jar and have it shipped to them.
Tip: People love to use personalized products because they add value to them and make their life simple, convenient and enjoyable. Consider designing your product with personalization in mind to attract customers and make them stay loyal to your product.
14. Manageability
Manageability is the ease, speed, and competence with which a product can be configured, modified, installed, controlled, metered and supervised. A product that is manageable allows itself to be maintained and operated easily over time and minimizes the chances of the product breaking down or malfunctioning (thereby improving its overall availability and reliability). A product may be self-managed, managed externally from external systems, or by users themselves. When a product is managed externally, it could be managed locally or remotely. A locally-managed product requires another system or user to be available at the location where the product is deployed in order to be managed. A remotely-managed product allows itself to be managed by external systems or users from a distance using communication networks.
Managing app updates on smartphones
Managing networked computers remotely
Managing Amazon Echo device using Alexa app
Managing a laser printer
Example 1: Today's smartphones have several apps installed on them. These apps need to be updated from time-to-time to take advantage of the latest features made available by its developers. Smartphones allow you to either "auto-update" the apps or "manually update" the apps. If you choose the auto-update option, your apps get automatically updated on your phone as and when new updates are available for the apps on the App Store. This is an example of a self-managed product. Alternatively, you can disable the auto-update option and choose to update your apps selectively by yourself. This is an example of manually managed product.
Example 2: Alexa app can be used to locally setup and manage Amazon's Echo voice assistant device in your home. This is an example of local manageability where both the mobile phone running Alexa app and the Echo device are connected to the same WiFi network.
Example 3: A remote computer can be used to remotely login to the computer network in your school or office in order to install software tools, configure network settings, setup anti-virus software and user accounts, etc. This is an example of remote manageability.
Example 4: A laser printer can be managed locally by its user for loading paper, configuring print settings, etc., or remotely managed or metered by an external system over the network.
Tip: Design your product to be manageable, either locally or remotely. A product that is not manageable makes life inconvenient or even complicated for the end-user as well as for the company which sells the product.
15. Maintainability
Maintainability is the degree to which a product allows safe, quick and easy mechanism to identify & correct defects or their causes, repair or replace faulty or worn-out components without having to replace still working parts, prevent unexpected working condition, improve product performance by tuning configuration settings, maximize a product's useful life and maximize product's efficiency, reliability & safety. Typically, service engineers or technicians are involved in maintaining a product. At times, a customer or end-user may also perform maintenance job if it is simple.
Most product maintenance jobs are conducted at the site where the product is deployed, though smart connected products allow service engineers to remotely perform maintenance operations on the product via the Internet. Maintainability is a very important aspect of product design to ensure that the product runs at its optimal capacity and performance without breaking down or malfunctioning. If adequate maintainability capabilities are not built into the product at the time of design, it will make it harder to undertake repair or maintenance jobs. This can result in high product maintenance costs, long out-of service times and possible injuries to maintenance engineers.
Manholes for cleaning clogged sewage
Remote maintenance of computers
Using OBD port in car to perform maintenance operations
Example 1: Haven't you noticed manholes on street corners? They are used to carry out inspection, cleaning and removing obstruction in the sewer line. Manholes have a removable lid that can be opened by municipal staff for maintenance operations. Without a manhole designed as part of the sewer network, it would be very difficult to carry out maintenance operations.
Example 2: Modern cars have a connector called "OBD Port" in them. It is usually found underneath the car's dashboard or below the glove compartment. The OBD port facilitates maintenance activities by service engineers. The service engineers connect a computer to the OBD port through a cable in order to diagnose the car's emission levels, mileage, speed and tune the car's engine performance. Without the OBD port, it would be difficult to diagnose or tune the engine. The OBD port makes the maintenance job easier.
Example 3: Today, most computer manufacturers offer remote assistance service to buyers of laptops or desktop computers. In case you have any trouble with your computer, you can call the service center, and a service engineer will remotely login to your computer and fix it. This is an example of remote maintenance. If your computer didn't have remote access capability built-in, you would have to physically carry your computer to the service center to have it fixed.
Tip: Design your product to be maintenable, either locally or remotely. A product that is not maintenable makes life inconvenient or even complicated for the end-user as well as for the company which sells the product.
16. Scalability
Scalability describes the ability of a product to grow in its capacity to handle increased demand over time. A scalable product is advantageous because it is more adaptable to the changing needs or demands of its users or customers. Scalability of a product can be improved by scaling up (vertically) or scaling out (horizontally). Vertical scaling involves adding higher capacity resources to the product to improve its ability to handle more load in a given time. For example, by employing a bigger refrigerator in a cold-storage unit, you can increase the number of items that can be refrigerated. Horizontal scaling involves adding multiple product resources, each of which can individually handle part of the job and together contribute to the overall ability of the product to manage higher load. For e.g., you can setup several small refrigerator units to increase the total number of items that can be refrigerated in a cold-storage unit.
Use a big bus or multiple cars to scale
Scaling up/down a table to seat more/less people around it
Horizontal & vertical scaling of computing resources
Scaling a train to carry more passengers
Example 1: What if you need to transport 40 people from point A to point B. Either you use of a big bus which can accommodate 40 people (vertical scaling), or press into service several cars to do the same job (horizontal scaling). Either way, you can handle the increase in load (people to be transported) by scaling up vertically or horizontally.
Example 2: Suppose you have a software application running on a computer and there is a spurt in the number of users using your software application. How do you handle the increased load on your software? You can either put in place a bigger computer (with greater processing power, memory and storage) to run your software application (vertical scaling), or add several small computers that run in parallel to share the increase in load.
Example 3: An extensible dining table (shown in the picture to the left) can be scaled up / down to seat more / less people around it.
Example 4: A train can be scaled out to carry more passengers by adding several coaches to it, or scaled up to carry more passengers by having a small number of double-decker coaches, that each carry more people.
Tip: Products don't remain stagnant while in use. As users and customers see value in using a product, they wish to get more out of the product. This can increase the load on the product. A product that can't handle additional load will fail sooner or later. Design your product with future scalability in mind.
17. Portability
Portability is the ability of a product to be easily and safely carried around, or moved from place to place and be used in a variety of situations and locations without increasing the user's effort and workload. In other words, portability is the flexibility with which a product can work anywhere without requiring any changes or needing significant setup time. Product portability greatly enhances user experience as it improves flexibility in product usage.
Portable gadget
Mobile number portability
Portable software
Portable wheel chair
Large sized products that can be disassembled and re-assembled are portable during transportation
Example 1: A mobile phone is considered a portable gadget as it can be carried around and used anywhere. It owes its portability to its small size, light weight and battery power. It also works on a wireless network. Contrast this with the refrigerator in your home that is large is size, quite heavy and requires AC mains power supply to operate rendering it much less portable than a mobile phone.
Example 2: A wheel chair is considered a portable product as it has wheels, enabling it to be moved around easily compared to a regular chair that has no wheels.
Example 3: A mobile number is considered portable if a customer can switch from one mobile service provider to another while continuing to use the same mobile number. For e.g., when I switch my mobile service provider from Airtel to Vodafone, I can retain the same mobile number as before. This is called mobile number portability.
Example 4: A furniture such as a big sofa that can be disassembled during transportation and re-assembled at the installation site can also be considered as portable.
Example 5: A software program that can be readily transferred from one computer (running operating system "A") to another computer (running operating system "B") is considered portable (for e.g., Java, Python, HTML, etc. programs) in contrast to those software programs that require modification before they can be run on computers with different operating systems.
Tip: A portable product provides flexibility and convenience to users over products that aren't portable. Consider how your product can be built with portability in mind.
18. Security
Product security deals with unintended or unauthorized access or usage of the product; unauthorized access, tampering or destruction of data maintained or transmitted by the product; and physical tampering or damage of the product or product components. Product security design employs suitable measures to prevent unauthorized access or usage of the product; ensures confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data managed by the product; and ensures physical safety of the product.
Preventing unauthorized usage of a tap with a lock
Preventing unauthorized access to software using login credentials
Ensuring physical safety of the product
Using anti-virus software to prevent unauthorized access, tampering or destruction of data on computers
Example 1: Consider the tap shown on the left. The in-built locking mechanism allows the owner to prevent its unauthorized usage.
Example 2: Take a look at the metal enclosure built around the machine, which provides physical security and prevents unauthorized access, usage or tampering of the machine.
Example 3: The login or sign-in mechanism built in a software product provides security against its unauthorized access or usage.
Example 4: Anti-virus software tools provide security against unauthorized software, malware or virus from accessing, stealing, destroying or manipulating data, or infecting operating system or software applications installed on a computing system.
Tip: Assess the usage environment and security needs of the users or customers who buy and use your product. Design your product with adequate security mechanisms to meet or exceed your customer's expectations.
19. Compatibility
Compatibility is the capacity of two products to work with each other without having conflicts, and without the need to be altered. Compatible products usually share the same working environment. Compatibility is possible between any two products: hardware and software, products of the same or different types, or different versions of the same product, etc. Compatibility between products can be enhanced by using standardized coupling mechanisms.
A software that is compatible with Windows 8 and 10 OS
A bolt that is compatible with the nut
A printer that is compatible with the computer
A bulb holder that is compatible with the bulb
Example 1: A software program is said to be compatible with Windows operating system (OS) if it can be run on all Windows based computers.
Example 2: A printer and a computer are said to be compatible if they can be connected to each other through a common coupling mechanism to facilitate sharing of data between the two.
Example 3: A bolt and a nut are compatible with each other if the nut can be fastened on to the bolt tightly and held in place.
Example 4: A bulb and a bulb-holder are set to be compatible with each other if the bulb can be affixed to the bulb-holder making proper electrical contacts between the two.
Tip: A product that is compatible with other products has greater usability and desirability. Design your product keeping compatibility in mind.
20. Interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of a product to exchange information with other products or systems seamlessly. The inter-operating products are usually independent of each other and do not share the same operating environment. They nevertheless share information between them through well-defined or standardized interfaces. Several international bodies have defined standard integration mechanisms to enable interoperability between dissimilar products. A product that has been designed to inter-operate with other products or systems stands greater chances of acceptance in the market, while products that don't inter-operate with others face unexpected difficulties in their daily usage, control and interaction.
Interoperability between mobile phones and laptops via USB
Interoperability between mobile phones via Bluetooth
Interoperability between TV and mobile phone via WiFi
Interoperability between computers using HTTP protocol
Example 1: Laptops and mobile phones that implement the universal serial bus (USB) standard can inter-operate with each other through the USB cable to exchange information.
Example 2: Smartphones and television sets that implement the WiFi wireless networking standard can interoperate with each other. This makes it possible to remotely control the TV from a smartphone. One can also play videos, music or cast mobile screen on the TV screen via the Wifi interface.
Example 3: Two mobile phones that implement the bluetooth standard can inter-operate with each other. This makes it possible to exchange photos, videos, contacts and apps between them via the bluetooth interface.
Example 4: Two ore more computers can inter-operate with each other using standard web protocols such as HTTP.
Tip: Your product rarely works in isolation, if at all. Today, the best way to get the most out of any product is to have it inter-operate with other products. Design your product with interoperability in mind. Your customers will love it as it minimizes or eliminates hassles in using your product with other products.
21. Standards Compliance
In essence, a standard is an agreed way of doing something. Standards compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy or standard that has been agreed upon by several people, organizations, entities, businesses or industries. Standards ensure that products meet basic quality requirements, meets certain technical specifications, works in well-defined ways, meets certain performance or safety levels, takes input or provides output in well-defined ways, inter-operates with certain other products, etc.
BIS standards compliant electrical plugs and sockets in India
IEEE 802.11 standards (WiFi) compliant wireless products
HTTP standard compliant web browsers
ISO standards compliant tyres
Example 1: Size and shape of electrical plugs and sockets are generally standardized within a country. In India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has specified the standards to be used for plugs and sockets for electrical appliances made in India. This ensures that any electrical appliances that needs power from the main power supply can easily plug into the wall socket. If the dimensions of the plug and the socket were to be different, they would not fit into each other, and you would have trouble powering on the electrical appliance.
Example 2: All Internet web-browsers implement HTTP, the standard web protocol defined by Word Wide Web Consortium. In addition, all web browsers support HTML, a web page rendering standard. This enables any web-page to be displayed on any web-browser in identical fashion irrespective of the web-browser, operating system or computer.
Example 3: Any product supporting WiFi connectivity has to comply with the IEEE 802.11.x standards from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Example 4: Tyre manufacturers comply with standards defined by International Standards Organization (ISO). These standards provide specifications for tyres of different sizes and vehicle types including cycles, moped, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, tractors, etc.
Tip: Customers don't prefer to use non-standard products as they may not be safe to use, may not perform as expected, may leads to interoperability issues and challenges in finding product replacement parts from other vendors. Ensure that your product adheres to well-known and globally recognized standards as far as possible.
22. Regulatory Compliance
In the context of products, regulatory standards refer to laws, rules, regulations and advisory opinions, guidelines and orders promulgated by the Government or Government approved regulatory agencies to ensure the safe & proper creation and use of products. The regulations may encompass a product's compliance to performance, durability, safety, fire hazard, health hazard, environmental hazard, compliance to local or international standards, etc. Backed by regional, national, and international governments and agencies, these regulations must be complied with in toto by product manufacturers before, during and after introducing their products in the market. Any violation of regulatory norms by product manufacturers may attract severe penalties, banning of the product from the market, or even lawsuits.
For e.g., electrical and electronic products sold in the US have to comply with FCC and UL standards among others, while products sold in the European Union (EU) have to comply with CE standards. Similar products sold in India have to comply with several standards enforced by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Regulations for vehicular emissions
Regulations for electrical equipment
Regulations for medical devices
Regulations for wireless products
Example 1: Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES) are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to regulate the emission of air pollutants from internal combustion engines and spark-ignition engines & equipment, including motor vehicles. BS-VI emission standards are coming into effect from April 2020 which requires all vehicle manufacturers in India to comply with the new emission regulations applicable across India.
Example 2: All medical devices and equipment sold in India are regulated by the standards published and enforced by the Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) in India.
Example 3: To promote the safety and the right usage of electrical equipment, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has formulated rules and regulations which encompass safety, ease of use and adaptability, simplicity of technology, value for money and energy efficiency of electrical products. It is mandatory for product manufacturers to comply with these regulations.
Example 4: For manufacturers who want to market products with built-in wireless technologies in the Indian market, MCITT certification is essential.
Tip: Be aware of governmental regulations that apply to your products and design products that adhere to these regulations. Products that don't comply with all applicable regulations cannot be sold in the market.
23. Smartness
In today's digital economy, smartness is a facet of a product that customers have come to expect. Smart products often have some kind of intelligent behavior that enables them to react to real-world situations and even predict the needs of their users. Smart products usually have built-in sensors, microprocessors, data storage, controls, embedded operating systems, artificial intelligence, etc. that make them intelligent compared to other products. Most smart products are also connected to the Internet (although they don’t have to be).
As an example, think of a light switch - one of the most basic electrical devices. Imagine what you could do with a light switch if it were connected to the Internet via a sensor: you could see whether it was on or off, and toggle it remotely from anywhere in the world. A “smart” light switch would go beyond simple connectivity, with features designed to make the user’s life easier. Motion-activated light switches can be seen as a type of basic smart device: they turn on and off whenever you enter or leave a room.
Advanced smart devices are able to go even further and adapt to the circumstances of individual users. They can even “learn” from experience, understanding your behavior and preferences in order to make your life easier and more efficient. For example, you might usually not want to turn on the light in the middle of the night because you have a pet dog that might trigger the motion detector. Sometimes, however, you might want to be awake at night, such as if you have an early morning flight. In these cases, if the light detects a large amount of motion it might decide to turn itself on anyway. Smart devices need to be intelligent enough to assume some of your responsibilities as a human being, or reduce your cognitive load in some way.
Smart 'self-driving' cars
Smart thermostats
Smart refrigerators
Smart robotic vacuum cleaners
Example 1: A self-driving car can be considered a smart vehicle that uses several sensors, microprocessors and software algorithms to determine road conditions in real-time and drive the vehicle autonomously. Such cars are already under road trials. Soon, they may be a reality on city roads.
Example 2: A smart refrigerator is one which can identify what items in the refrigerator need replenishment (such as milk, eggs, vegetables, etc.) and place order with the nearest grocery store automatically.
Example 3: The Google Nest thermostat is a smart product that can automatically adjust the temperature in your home based on your preferences and past settings.
Example 4: Roomba is a smart robotic vacuum cleaner that uses sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence and wireless technologies to clean floors in homes autonomously.
Tip: In today's digital economy, users increasingly expect products that are not only connected to the Internet, but are also smart. Designing a product that is smart is highly preferred if you are targeting Gen-Y customers.
going beyond quality - building sustainable products
Increased human activity is leading to global warming and climate change over the last several years. Human activities is leading to large-scale emission of carbon dioxide and other green-house gases into the atmosphere. We are also cutting down more and more trees and forests to cater to increased human consumption of natural resources. All these is leading to rise in global temperatures; high levels of pollution in urban areas, rivers and water bodies; rise in sea levels and frequent flooding of rivers. These effects are not only affecting the life of humans, but also that of plants & trees, birds and animals on land and in water bodies. If we continue down this path, it will become highly unsustainable to live our lives the way we are used to living. Drastic changes are needed in the way we consume things and lead our lives if we have to reverse the effects of climate change.
Fortunately, there is increasing awareness of the environmental impact of human activities among more and more people today. Individuals, businesses, industries and governments are increasingly feeling the need to behave responsibly towards the environment. They wish to reduce their footprint on the environment, move towards renewable energy sources, reduce their dependence and use of bio non-degradable products, re-use products rather than increase trash, re-cycle products into new products, etc.
The term Sustainability refers to our ability to meet our needs in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs - all the while protecting the environment from degradation and misuse. Today, there is concerted effort towards sustainable living, sustainable farming, building and using sustainable products, etc. - with the objective of striking a balance between meeting our current needs and sustaining planet Earth to meet the needs of future generations.
Sustainable products are those products that provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare over their entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials until the final disposal of the product.
As a product designer, merely addressing users' needs and meeting quality expectations of users is no more sufficient. You have to take your product a notch higher by designing your product with sustainability in mind.
Sustainable products help reduce usage of materials consumed in building or using the product; enable re-use of existing products for new purposes; or make it possible to re-cycle old products into new products. Let us explore three in more detail below.
1. Reduce
Sustainable products reduce usage of resources consumed (or avoid those that cause environmental harm) in building or using a product, thereby avoiding unnecessary consumption and contributing to environmental protection.
Home appliances can consume a lot of energy
Flushing toilets can consume a lot of precious water
Petrol & diesel vehicles pollute the atmosphere
Paper made from trees contribute to deforestation
Example 1: Consumer appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, television sets, etc. consume significant electrical power. We can reduce the impact of energy-hogging appliances by moving to new energy-efficient appliances that come with an energy star rating.
Example 2: Petrol and diesel vehicles emit harmful gases into the atmosphere, polluting the same. We can reduce the effects of pollution by moving to electrical vehicles which do not cause environmental pollution.
Example 3: In homes with older type toilets, an average flush uses about 13.6 liters. That's significant consumption of precious water. We can reduce wastage of water by using ultra-low-flow (ULF) toilets which consume only 6 liters per flush.
Example 4: Paper is made from trees. Cutting trees to make paper contributes to deforestation. We can use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, thereby reducing usage of paper and minimizing the environmental impact of deforestation.
Tip: Strive to design products that consume less resources or materials - both during production as well as during usage of the product.
2. Re-use
Sustainable products enable re-use of existing products for new purposes. By re-using existing products and avoiding wastage of precious raw materials consumed in the production and usage of new products, sustainable products contribute positively to the environmental protection.
Old news papers can be re-used to pack items for transportation
Old cardboard box can be re-used to store un-used books at home
Glass bottles can be re-used for storing groceries in the kitchen
Empty Liquid soap dispenser can be re-used for cleaning window grills
Example 1: Old newspapers can be re-used to pack items when being transported.
Example 2: Old glass bottles can be re-purposed to store daily-use grocery items needed in the kitchen.
Example 3: Old card-board boxes can be re-used to store un-used books at home.
Example 4: Old and empty liquid soap dispenser can be used for cleaning window grills with water.
Tip: You don't always have to create a new product to address user's need. It may be possible to readily re-use an existing product and re-purpose it to serve the needs of your users.
3. Recycle
Sustainable products make it possible to re-cycle old products into new products. By re-cycling old products and avoiding wastage of precious raw materials consumed in the production and usage of new products, sustainable products contribute positively to the environmental protection.
Old glass bottles can be re-cycled to create new glass artifacts
Old clothes can be re-cycled to create cloth bags to carry things
Paper can be re-cycled to create invitation cards or handicrafts
Components from old electronic products can be re-cycled to create new electronic products
Example 1: Old glass bottles can be re-cycled to create new glass artifacts.
Example 2: Paper can be re-cycled for printing business cards, wedding invitation cards, or for making paper handicrafts.
Example 3: Old clothes can be re-cycled to create cloth bags to carry things.
Example 4: Components from old electronic products can be re-cycled to create new electronic products.
Tip: See how you can re-cycle an existing product to build a new product.
Conclusion
Incorporating quality attributes in product design raises its degree of perfection to such high levels that your product soon starts shaping up beautifully and begins to radiate excellence with inherent quality, value and meaning !
When your product has reached a high degree of perfection, beauty and excellence, customers are automatically attracted to it. The product sells by itself with minimal marketing push. There is no need for hard-selling on your part. You know you have achieved something significant when your users take pride in buying, using and recommending your product to others.
So, strive for the highest standards of perfection, beauty and excellence in building your product. Success will surely be yours sooner than later.
PS: Watch out for my next primer on product commercialization that is coming soon...