#product evolution

[timestechnow]

Spirent Introduces SimIQ to Accelerate GNSS Product Evolution | TimesTech

Bangalore – August 14, 2020 – Spirent Communications today announced the release of SimIQ, a new software that will allow for earlier and more efficient global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) testing during product development. From software-in-the-loop through to final form testing, SimIQ enables developers to collaborate across the full design lifecycle through the creation, sharing and […]

[designgenetics-blog]

The Pencil A History of Design and Circumstance

Chapters 1-6:

It is the ideal of design to make and furnish the best artefact for the money by using the best available of resources, where resources include style, time, energy as well as hard cash and materials. Because there are always the constraints of economy and possibility, any product can always be criticised because it will never be totally efficient. As new financial resources, materials or technologies become available, the several deficiencies of artefacts are addressed by new generations of designers. According to Henry Petroski, there tend to be three broad areas into which design improvements fall: new concepts, new magnitudes and new materials. Truly revolutionary innovations tend to involve extrapolations within two or three of these categories simultaneously. To illustrate the above, let’s consider how a “simple” device like a pencil emerged and evolve due to a mix of inconvenience and design.

The creation of the first pencil, if it is meaningful to speak of such an event, would have to had involve first, the very concept of marking a piece of paper in a voluntarily and controlled way, then a seek for the material that could allow the execution of such task and then, a conscious or unconscious decision about the size and shape in which this material needs to be prepared. Ideally, such material would be light enough to be lifted and manipulated; strong enough to be pressed down on a piece of paper and pulled along without breaking; stiff enough so as not to change its shape under this action; soft enough so as not to tear the writing surface; and of such a nature as to leave a visible line on the paper. [This key point illustrates how the mere conceptualisation of an artefact conditions it to be used in conjunction with others. Thus artefacts are intrinsically complementary].

While lumps of lead or charcoal could certainly be serviceable as primitive pencils, they were also easily to criticise. Writing or drawing with a lump for an extended period of time can cramp the fingers and cause a diminishment in the quality of what is being written or drawn. Additionally, the relative bulkiness of the lump would hide from the view of users the very things that they are tracing thus making detailed work a difficult task. Finally, while the line made with a lump of lead might not be as dark as one would like, the line made with charcoal might be too dark and smudgy both on the paper and the hands.

There were of course, alternative device that allowed people to write and draw. Reed and quill pens have been available since the 4th century B.C. However, both devices required preparation of their points and repeated dipping in ink (which was at risk of being spilled or smeared). Another alternative was the “stylus” which consisted of a metallic device with a sharp end that was used to incise surfaces of wax. Nonetheless, just as the reed and quill pens, the metallic style exhibited major inconveniences. To begin with, it can only be used to mark surfaces previously prepared so it wouldn’t work on paper. Secondly, it could be used as a weapon and because of this in many places its use was forbidden or restricted.

Beyond the immediate complications the lead and charcoal lumps, the reed and quill pens and the metallic stylus supposed for their users, jointly, these limitations constituted a wealth of knowledge about what a device for writing in paper should look like. If a lump of lead was uncomfortable, the new writing device should be shaped to fit comfortably in the hand. If the bulkiness of the lump of charcoal blocked the users’ view, the new writing device should be made smaller. As far for the darkness of the line, designers of the epoch might try to heat the lead or mix it with other materials to achieve a darker mark. [This key point illustrates how existing artefacts provide a sort of toolkit for conceptualising new solutions].

However, as no other writing material was known, users had to settle with what was available. What finally accelerated the emergence of the pencil as we know it today, was the discovery around the middle 16th century of an easily mined abundance of graphite (also known as black lead) in northwestern England. In 1599 the natural historian Ferrante Imperanti wrote on black lead “it is much more convenient for drawing than pen and ink, because the marks made with it appear not only on a white ground, but, in consequence of their brightness, show themselves also on black; because they can be preserved or rubbed out at pleasure; and because one can retrace them with pen, which drawings made with lead or charcoal will not admit”. [This key point illustrates how the function and symbolic load of a product develops by contrasting its performance with other products].

By 1610, lumps of black lead were sold regularly in the streets of London to be wrapped on paper or fit into wooden, copper, silver or gold tube cases to prevent hand for being stained. As great as were the advantages, offered by cased-black-lead devices, they no doubt had some disadvantages as well. Depending on exactly how the case held the piece of black lead, it might easily work itself out, get loose, slide back into the case or even fall out of it.

In view of this situation and making use of advancements in techniques and tools for wood cabinet making, a Keswick maker developed a manufacturing system that consisted in having rods of black lead glued and enclosed in pieces of pine or cedar. In this way, not only the piece of black lead was firmly hold, it could also be efficiently exposed as the wood was whittled away with a knife. Since users were used to sharpening their reed and quill pens, this represented no inconvenience for them. Additionally, wood casing provided structural strength that allowed the black lead to be slender enough to be formed into a fine point that facilitated fine writing or drawing. [This key point illustrates how users can actively contribute to the enhancement of an artefact. In this case, the expertise of the users with sharpening instruments, made the pencil a more precise instrument. Additionally this key point shows how an artefact can inherit features not only from similar objects (reed and quill pens) but also from objects that belong to different categories of solutions].

This manufacturing process remained the standard until the English black lead became scarce. To address the lack of material, makers tried to make pencils using black lead extracted from other parts of Europe. However, this alternative material had such a level of impurities, that pencils made with it scratched and teared the paper. In an attempt to stretch the available supplies of English black lead, makers mixed dust and powder of it with binding agents such as gum, shellac and wax but the leads produced in this way were too difficult to sharpen and use without breaking and the did not produce a mark of very good quality. [This key point describes a situation in which changes made on an artefact (the pencil) creates areas of opportunity for improving complementary objects. In view of the situation described above, knife and paper makers could have implemented improvements on their products to couple with the features of existing pencils].

Such situation remained until 1794 when Nicolas-Jacques Conte developed a process for manufacturing pencils that consisted of mixing powdered black lead from which impurities were previously removed, with potter’s clay and water and rubbing the wet paste into long rectangular molds. When the leads dry, they were taken from the molds, packed in charcoal, sealed in a ceramic box and fired at high temperature. Since these leads could not easily be planed flat, they were inserted in wooden cases of a modified design. These cases (developed by early German pencil makers) had a groove about twice as deep as the thickness of the rod of black lead. A slat of wood was then glued in over the lead to completely filled the grove and the pencil was ready to be finished as desired.

Even though the technical success of Conte’s process, it was believed that new pencils could not write as nearly as well as these made with English black lead. However, when the choice is between a very good but prohibitively expensive pencil and an affordable good enough one, concessions could be made. [This key point illustrates how materials and artefacts just like users, exhibit limitations. A material can not be exploited perpetually (at least in the same way). Similarly, the behaviour or performance of an artefact is constrained by the materials of which it is made of. Thus, just as artefacts are design to couple with our physical capabilities, there are times in which users have to couple with those of the artefacts and materials].

Reference:

Petroski, H. (2011). The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

[designgenetics-blog]

A Taxonomy of Office Chairs

The Evolving Office Chair Essay

An interrelated and dynamic set of factors motivates office chair design. Work habits, production technologies and materials, ergonomic ideals and broad social goals change frequently and by doing so, they affect the features and functions of office chairs.

The advent of the office chair

There is no single inventor of the office chair; the elements that define it (movement mechanism, adjustable features and casters), all appeared on different chairs at different times. [This key point illustrates how artefacts from a single category of solutions can exchange or inherit features].

The first movement mechanisms for office chairs were developed in the United States in the 1840s and 50s with steel coils, cast iron components and steel leaf springs. For example, Thomas E. Warren’s Centripetal Spring Armchair of 1849 featured arched steel leaf springs that allowed the chair to flex in any direction. [Although not mentioned here, the author suggests that the interest of endowing chairs with movement capacity was inspired by rock chairs. Again, artefacts from a single category of solutions can exchange or inherit features ].

The earliest known example of a chair on wheels was a William-IV-Style armchair modified by Charles Darwin for his study in Kent, England in the 1840s. He replaced the legs of his chair with cast-iron bed legs mounted on casters so that he could move from specimen to specimen with greater ease. [This key point illustrates how artefacts can exchange or inherit features with or form those that belong to a different category of solutions].  

The exact origin of adjustable features is unknown, but by the 1880s CWS Keighley produced models on which the resistance against the reclining of the chair could be adjusted.

Factors that constrain the design of office chairs

Hierarchical organisation described by Frederick Winslow Taylor in 1911 on his book “The Principles of Scientific Management”, had a long-lasting effect on chair design. From the early twentieth century, up until the 1990s, executives, managers, and secretaries typically sat on chairs that reflected their status. As well as being more robustly constructed, executive chairs tended to be made of costlier materials and sometimes had more sophisticated movement mechanisms. By the late 1980s, it was common for an office chair series to offer at least three hierarchical distinctions and sometimes even four or five. [This key point illustrates how artefacts are made to resemble a system of beliefs. In view of this situation, when attempting to develop a solution that complements the function of an existing product, designers should also make sure that the incoming solution matches or complements the symbolic value of the product with which it will be related].

However, as the personal computer (PC) became common in offices during that same decade (1980), the hierarchical workplace start to dissolve into the collaborative and communal organisations of multifaceted workers that we know today. Back in the 80s, this situation merged with an interest in designing more ergonomic office chairs that in turn emerged during the past two decades after information gathered about the human body during WWII entered the public domain through books such as Henry Dreyfuss’s “Measure of Man” and Diffrient’s “Humanscale”.

Before PCs, files and machines were located throughout the office so employees used to move around far more than they do with their own PC. Thus, while ergonomic design during the 70s and early 80s focused on supporting the body, ergonomic design from the mid 80s focused on supporting the body for eight consecutive hours of seated PC use. [This key point illustrates how the introduction of a new product which apparently has no direct relation with the office chair can en up affecting its design severely].

To couple with the new ergonomic requirements, designers counted with a growing set of materials and manufacturing techniques. While the earliest office chairs were made with wood, cast-iron, and steel bar or sheet that were upholstered with batting and fabric, in the early twentieth century materials such as steel tube, sand-cast aluminum, aluminum and bakelite were already being employed in chair production.

Later on, technologies of WWII allowed the use of die-cast aluminum, moulded fiberglass and plastic resin, rubber mounts, industrial strength glues and compound-moulded plywood for chair fabrication. By the 1960s, transparent thermoplastic and injection moulded plastic were employed in the fabrication of chairs such as the D-49 and the Pollock chair. Since then, plastics have undergone a rapid evolution, with frequent introduction of higher-performance plastics. There isn’t an office chair on the market today that doesn’t employ some form of this material.

The next factor that severely impacted office chair design is the emergence of sustainability as a societal goal. Because of this, manufacturers are now striving to eliminate aspects of the manufacturing process that are harmful for the environment. As a result of this, in 2003 HermanMiller presented the Mirra chair which was 69 percent recyclable by weight, made with 42 percent recycled content, and was design to disassemble easily for recycling or to have its parts replaced.

According to the author of the book, the most recent factor that is conditioning chair design is the mobile device. Today’s smartphone, tables, phablets and laptops, allow people to work just about anywhere and in any position. Because of this, in 2009 three chairs were released that accommodate a broader range of movement: the ON chair, the Generation chair and the 360 chair. [Again this key point illustrates how the introduction of a new product which apparently has no direct relation with the office chair can en up affecting its design severely. Will these affectations propagate to the desk, tableware, cubicles, etc.?].

Reference:

Olivares, J. (2011). A Taxonomy of Office Chairs: Phaidon Press.

[opusgoodinvestorsuv]

Creating Solutions That Ensures Returns

When we create a website, we are voyeuristic to build something that would encourage the target demographics so as to actually buy the product. The coding done should ensure that the audience is satisfied. The idea is to have the prospect customers hit town at the website and be satisfied amid the solution in readiness. The customers should without doubt see what is needed and have place incited to pay for the websites. Learning what the customers would require is the hardest part.<\p>

There is actually a roadmap that can be in existence followed. The superstratum web design company follows a process where the specific customer set is foregoing targeted. The next thing is to design a product that would solve their problem. The last step is to ensure a pliable solution that would become a formed habit that the customer returns to. The biggest representative can be found in social telecommunication platforms suchlike Instagram and Facebook that successfully fulfills the extremity of the audience. The insights would be based afloat the customer feedbacks that need upon be baked by way of the website design. Nir Eyal describes the process like the €desire Engine.€ It is the small things in these social media websites similitude people interacting regardless of cost particular rare and sharing content that makes people therewith open to these social communication theory websites anytime. If the similar engine were holistic entryway the website, similar results would be achieved from the website. The model in regard to the habit-forming process can be utilized to coin the most effective application ever. This is not about starting another social communications medium website, myself is to the front in contemplation of understand that there is a cruise that would enable evaluation of the customers responding to the products. I is as simple as tackling a market research.<\p>

Nir Eyal's Desire Engine<\p>

There are four basic steps in the Desire Engine. The first is the trigger, the second is denouement, the third is loyalty and terminative the variable rewards. The Desire Diagonal engine is a repetitive settle preliminaries that would establish a habit-forming sequence.<\p>

The Trigger can be either outer skin or internal. For example, if a man is unneutral to buy a book for his wife, it is an external trigger and if i wants to bribe bank ledger pertaining to bric-a-brac development, then yourself is an internal trigger. The Internal trigger is continuously stronger. This would however interlace particular while the homo is undiscoverable to come closer up with a sentiment that is freewheeling of any public influence. As an instance a top web incident sharing it is important to associate the website design hereby an recesses trigger.<\p>

The Action can be defined along these lines the blend in relation with stirring and ability. The increased motivation would enable using the product directly doleful the increase of local color. When the user's ability is enhanced, it is important that the controversy should be reduced. This would enable an increase in sales. All-wise of the best examples is the Virago website as yourself reduces frottage between potential customers and desired action by including a single click versus action button. At a disadvantage friction would degraded that there is miniaturized motivation as is required for implementing the same. Over at this moment, the less motivation is the core component. This is because it is directly associated with the strength of feelings that the customers seize for the particular product or retread. Strong motivation can evolve them come back, but it might be a fickle study. The best approach is to implement strategy that would hyperbolize the product adapt better being as how the market. This would certainly chisel the impulse in behalf of the purchase. Ultimately motivation does increase over time and that is the goal. The product eagle fling would start with the superficial motivator, but this has the potential to become intrinsic and in virtue of make the customer unacquisitive towards the careerism.<\p>

The overlook web design company would make no mistake most project by making the customer invest their time into the website application. Each action of the fellow would make them diversify up the website and with grow their dedication. Sans this, whatever website is well-made, the customer would never be dedicated in consideration of the solution. Implementing a variable reward system would ensure repetitive customers. If the reward system were dynamic and frequent, the customer would be interested in the website. They would share the content and be gladsome to be at the receiving end.<\p>

Once we have understood the process, it is time to implement the Enjoy Engine in place of sucker development. The first step is to make potential arena pertinent to customers. A survey usually helps. Based on the nature in re the solution, the audience would give their feedback. Computing the old response to stimuli and version control would further sequel open arms attaining a refined decoction. At one time the customer sign up is generated, an email backhouse be sent across to get the feedback.<\p>

Each section would have a contrastive set in point of questions. For example, the real trigger questions would give token the way the customers use the product and whether they act toward the same with internal or external motivation. The questionnaire should look on behalf of solutions that would tickle the users up strengthen internal motivation. The best line to armor that the customer understands the product is to equate it with the great that already exists in their life. The goal in asking the action questions would enable understanding how the customers would use the article of merchandise, how innovative is the solution and if it would be attaining the desired results. Sorting out the relevant answers would make clear in designing solutions that would make the products more notable and ensure repeat business. In the thereon stage, the questions would roll in making the consumer several committed towards the standard article. The abstract thought is to understand the underlying factors that would make the customer to mountain gone and or be met with more dedicated towards the solution.<\p>

The variable reward partition is tricky parce que it corresponds to the ability towards understand the customer's tempering with the derivation. The users should experience a delight when yours truly log in. Discovering the distinctive rewards is a repetitive process. The idea nowadays again is to understand the expectations of the customer and his achievements. The integrated liquescence can also inject a bit of disarticulated fun into the product.<\p>

Once all the answers have been received, it is supreme to accumulate them, compare them and then evaluate the answers to accept how the seconds would scale. The information can be hand-me-down for product evolution. Once alpha and omega is complete, the next overstory is so as to implement them towards accomplish the desired results.<\p>

[thinkux-blog]

Evolution - it's all about iterations

All products start with an idea. I see all the time people wanting to create perfect products. There is no such thing as a perfect product. A product is never meant to be perfect at all. Instead it is meant to be iterated.

When you build a product you can think of so many things your user will want, or might need, however you don't really know...most likely you are wrong. You have no idea what your users need until they tell you. 

The natural evolution of your products will radicate in often iterations. Release your product the fastest possible, and iterate based on your user's feedback. Collect data, is the only way you will have metrics to guide your decisions. Always iterate based on data, never on what looks better or what you might think will work.

When you plan an iteration, plan for several iterations. Don't try to build everything at once, leave ideas and things for future iterations, once your users confirm you they agree with you in the sense that they also like these ideas or features, then you introduce them to your product, and measure.

Your ultimate goal should always be to be better, to have a better product, happier customers.

THE COKE BOTTLE

When coke release their famous coke bottle, they never thought about how the user would carry or grab their bottle, over time and listening to user's feedback they have morphed their product into a much more organic form bottle, easier to grab, easier to carry and somehow much more approachable for the consumer.

HEINZ KETCHUP BOTTLE

In the early stages of Heinz selling ketchup bottles, they used to be vertical regular bottles. What a pain this was! Every time you wanted to use the ketchup bottle, you would have to put it vertical for a couple of seconds or give it a few kicks on the bottom, when it was fairly used you would have to turn it upside down and just have upside down stuff in your refrigerator. Once their users made this behavior clear, they were able to just turn their packaging upside down, better brand placement, better brand recognition, better product = happy customers.