Product Behavior

Recently, a friend overheard tourists talking about Dunkin’ Donuts being “known for” donuts. It got me thinking about what DD really is known for.

Let’s say you are the manufacturer of a product that’s been around for years, does its job well, and is pretty popular – except for the fact that it’s responsible for a few thousand deaths among children every year. You might want to come up with a way to counter bad press and bad feeling by extending your brand in a direction that softens and broadens your image.

Many of my clients have too narrow a view of the competition. They tend to only view products that sell on the same shelf, in the same store, as their own as competitors. A few years ago I did some work for a power-tool manufacturer trying to revamp a product line. The devices sell in [...]

I’ve been on the road this week, consulting with a client and conducting some research with consumers for a new product. The client has one product on the market and is adding another, which will perform a different, but related, function. It’s interesting because right now, the company is defined by their one product. But [...]

“Approachable” is a term designers often use to describe a product, as in… “It should be approachable.” “Which one is more approachable?” “Not approachable enough.” No one really takes the time to define it, except for the obvious “not repulsive.” Of course, there are products that say, “Pick me up and fondle me,” and there [...]