How Not to Design a Product Like Everyone Else’s

Why all the products on the market look the same?

Have you ever been searching for a product that could solve your needs but could not choose one because all somehow look the same? Or it becomes harder for you to choose between 2 services because they offer the same features? The only thing that differentiates them is their design, but even that somehow becomes the same. So why do all products on the market look the same with little difference?

Before I answer that question, would like to clarify something. To create a great product that solves a need, you must have a human-centred design approach for that. An HCD process is an ideal state that all aspire to, but almost nobody gets there.

Human-centred design is a creative approach to problem solving. It’s a process that starts with the people you’re designing for and ends with new solutions that are tailor made to suit their needs. Human-centred design is all about building a deep empathy with the people you’re designing for; generating tons of ideas; building a bunch of prototypes; sharing what you’ve made with the people you’re designing for; and eventually putting your innovative new solution out in the world.

Most companies can’t get to that state because they have a disease called featuritis. What is the primary symptom? Constantly adding features to your product.

Today manufacturers compete with one another all over the world

The competition is severe and puts everyone under pressure. This pressure makes everyone move fast and break things. This way, companies almost always compete in these three fundamental ways: price, features, quality. And unfortunately, it comes in that order of importance.

Speed is important. Everybody wants to be first on the market and show their presence. But the speed…