It's the reason people buy Apple products,
Its the reason people buy Samsung.
It's the reason people buy Xiaomi
It's the reason companies make a ton of money on cheap products.
and it's the reason we have 1000's of cars to choose from.
Industrial design is in every object we touch on a daily basis, from the premium iPhone, to the cheap and cheerful desktop printer, to the spoon you use to stir your tea with.
The general definition of an industrial designer goes something like this: An industrial designer is a professional who specializes in creating and developing products for a variety of industries, including consumer goods of all kinds, medical products, transportation, and more. They use their understanding of the product design process and manufacturing techniques to improve the functionality, aesthetics, and profitability of a product.
This doesn't tell me much about an industrial designer's true value. It doesn't tell me the 'why'. The magic sauce.
Why spend the money on great design, when I could roll with my cousin who learned CAD last summer?
To really understand, we need to go backward in the design process and talk about why people purchase products.
Reason 1, Aesthetics: Establishing an emotional connection with a product's aesthetics can persuade you to buy. It's an interesting topic to talk about. People probably won't like to admit it, but we are attracted, turned on, despise, and intrigued by an object's aesthetics. It's the reason you drive the car you drive, or wear the clothes you wear. Aesthetics can sway a decision to buy or not buy a product.
Reason 2, Necessity: I have a problem, or paint point that I need a solution to help me overcome this problem/pain point. For example, I have broken my leg, I need a cast. I have a dog, I need a collar. I have feet, I need shoes. You will have noticed that in some of these statements, there is a varying scale of how necessary it could be, this is important to note.
Reason 3, Price: I only have a certain amount of money to spend, therefore I only have these options to choose from. Money doesn't grow on trees and shit is expensive. The product price directly impacts customers' decisions to purchase products.
Reason 4, Deal: A close reason to price. If customers think they are getting a deal, this can influence their decision in a positive way. The better the deal, the more incentive.
Reason 5: Pleasure: A close cousin to Aesthetics. Buying for pleasure is one of our dirty little secrets. Retail therapy is called therapy for a reason. It makes us feel dam good when we buy new shiny things for ourselves. A new jacket, shoes, watch, lamp, blender, frying pan, whatever the item, it's person specific. Pleasure is related to how that specific item makes us as an individual feel. It strokes our ego, and pumps in the endorphins. Personally, I'm a slut for shiny new tech and soft toilet paper.
Reason 6: Convenience: Boring, but necessary. A shopping bag because you forgot yours on the kitchen counter, a bottle of water on a walk, a coffee cup on the go. Convenience purchases are many a time food related.
Reason 7: Identity: When we look in the mirror or converge with our inner voice, we have an identity figured out, or attempting to figure out. Products help shape who we see in the mirror and fill in those missing features of who we want to be. Buying products can help hide the pain, mask our insecurities, or pump up our ego.
Reason 8: Comfort: Products that we wear, or interact with require a level of comfort. If we pick up a chef's knife and it feels unbalanced, our brain says, something is wrong. If we try on a helmet and it's squeezing our head, that's a nope. But when we try on a pair of shoes and it feels like we're walking on clouds, you better believe I'm walking out of that store with those shoes! Comfortable products sell!
We start to get an idea of how many different points or reasons someone could use to make the decision when purchasing a product.
Have a think about some of your latest purchases.
Why did you buy that toilet paper? Necessity/Price/Comfort/Deal?
Why did you get those headphones? Aesthetics/Comfort/Price/Identity?
Why that T-shirt? Comfort/Identity/Necessity?
What phone do you use? Why?
When products are purchased there are a collection of reasons that person uses to justify the purchase to themselves. And there is always a hierarchy of which a reason is more important than another.
Understanding the importance of why people will purchase your product is key to developing a well-rounded product suited for your business and need.
The power of great industrial design is not designing some fancy, premium designer item. It's understanding why you came to us in the first place. It's understanding your mission.
Why are you here?
What are your goals,
Who is your market,
What type of manufacturing can you afford,
Are you testing, or going straight to market?
And it's not always about expensive or premium. or the best looking. Some products prioritize manufacture so it's as cost-effective as possible, some must look dam hot, some don't even make it to a product because the need could be satisfied with another solution.
These factors all determine where your unique product position is in the business timeline and have to be considered when designing your product. An industrial designer's mission is to help you design your product in a way that suits your unique situation.
If your product development team is not asking these questions, and just building a CAD model with pretty renders. Then you are leaving money and opportunity on the table.
Maximizing the number of reasons someone wants to purchase your product in relation to why you are building the product, is how you create not just a sustainable business, but a flourishing one.
This is the power of good vs great design. Strategy
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