Reflection point:

Product Design

As I sit down with a cup of coffee and my notepad to ponder on what a product is, a couple of answers come to my mind. A Product is anything that is designed to solve a problem and make our lives easier and anything that could be “Sold” or “Bought”,  but then where does “Facebook”, “ Google” and so many such free products available to the user, fit?  

I smell the aroma wafting from my cup. I gladly take it in along with a sip and realize,  that this very action is a product that was sold to me by the coffee makers. As Joshua Porter said in one of our lessons that “The experience is the product”;  In this case, coffee is marketed as an important part of the morning ritual, an experience that would be exclusive to its drinkers, made to think it evokes productivity; in a way it validates being an adult.  And now the definition opens wider. Anything and everything in which we see value… is a product.

The art of Coffee is a great design. But then what is good design? It took me a while to really think about that. “A good design is invisible”- a quote that helped me list a few, based on my past encounters. 

Sketch Up is a drawing application I was introduced to while in architecture school. At the time it was owned by Google and they made a free version available to everyone. It was easy to learn and one can quickly use it to draw a 3-D structure. I found this useful when I wanted to show conceptual designs. Compared to the other software widely used that required a learning curve like Auto CAD and Revit; Sketch Up was easy to learn. I have worked with clients who taught themselves how to use it and would bring me a model of their dream house.  This is a good product. It fulfilled the task it was meant to do.  

Taking from the above,  a great product would then be something that evokes a positive emotion along with all the qualities of a good product. An example would be the digital portal of “Imperfect Produce”. When covid struck at the beginning of last year, I was hesitant to go out even for groceries. At the time I had found that I could order my produce online and get it home through imperfect produce. After a month or so of using it, I found a feature on their page that allowed me to know how certain produces would be packaged. This was great news to me as I aspire to live plastic-free. I was given an option to choose from. I felt validated and included. The product empathized with me. Another such product I became obsessed with was Instagram. I have come to use it as my personal scrapbook; a place where I collect my favorite memories, musings, and affirmations. This reminds me of another quote from a lesson we learned recently on the Principles of Product design “ Personal value precedes social value”.

To conclude, product design is a living entity that constantly tries to evolve; it almost feels human. As an artist, I am drawn to that. To find value in something and to foresee its usefulness to others and agree that it might not be perfect but striving towards it is why I am pursuing Product design.