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UI/UX Design: The End of “Products”
Why products as we know them will more than likely disappear in the next ten years, and give way to the rise of micro-services.
Overview
In the not-too-distant future, there will more than likely come a time when products as we know them today will disappear forever.
This is not to say that products themselves will cease to exist, but the definition of what a product is or does will have to fundamentally change to accommodate shifting market conditions.
Today, we’ll cover why products as we know them will more than likely disappear in the next ten years, and give way to the rise of micro-services.
We’re drowning in products
The first and foremost problem that we face as UI/UX and product designers is that the world is already drowning in products, both physical and digital, all of which are vying for user attention.
Close your eyes, toss a rock, and 9/10 times you’ll hit a product or service that “does” what you’re looking to do.
The trouble isn’t with products specifically, it’s with the economics and market conditions that are impelling these products in the first place.
Most “competing” products are exactly the same
Let’s face it, most products that do anything anymore coexist within a domain that has been ABSOLUTELY SATURATED by products/services that do more or less the exact same thing.
- Steaming: HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, etc.
- Transportation: Uber, Lyft, Curb, Bolt, Gett, Cabify, etc.
- Food delivery: Grubhub, DoorDash, UberEats, Instacart, EatStreet, Gopuff, Postmates, etc.
- Buying a car: Autolist, Autotrader, CarFax, CarGurus, Cars.com, Edmunds, TrueCar, etc.
- Investing: Betterment, Invstr, Acorns, Wealthbase, Wealthfront, Fidelity, Robinhood, Charles Schwab, Ellevest, etc.
- Buying a house: Zillow, Xome, Trulia, Homesnap, Realtor.com…
