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Why do some products need instructions and some don’t? (That sounds like a dumb question, but think about it) One of my pet peeves, of purchasing a new product, is opening the box and finding instructions. Seriously, am I the only one who hates reading a book of complicated directions before using my latest high-tech purchase? On the other hand, there is sheer joy that enters my life when I open a product and no instructions are found. Then on top of that, I’m even more excited to realize the product truly doesn’t need them.
Now, I’m not sure you could eliminate the need for instructions on every product (maybe you could), but many could use an extra dose of innovation and simplifying. I believe most of those overcomplicated products are actually the industrial designers fault. Yes, there are other causes, but may I suggest a few reasons due to designers:
1. Lazy/bored designers (this is obvious, but I’m sure we’ve all fought this). If a designer is not happy with their project or job they most likely lack vision to create truly innovative products.
2. Lack of research. This can be caused by small budgets, but usually from a neglectful designer not willing to perform due diligence.
3. Lack of innovation. Once all the data from customers, finance, engineering, etc. is collected, the designer translates and styles them seamlessly into a product. This is one of his/her main responsibilities. Some lack talent, but usually this is a result of simply not spending enough time.
If we spend more time in the innovation stage we can minimize or even eliminate the need for instructions. Let’s also look for ways to integrate them into the product or use cues such as color and placement to suggest things like direction and purpose. As designers, lets commit to spend more time innovating, staying motivated, and most importantly keeping the customer first. Always ask yourself, “Is this something I could use?” If it’s too complicated for you, it’s probably too complicated for the customer.
Short story before I go – I just returned from a trip to Columbus, OH where I took my wife and three-year-old son to Cosi, a children’s science museum. The place was huge and had several exhibits displaying natural phenomenon. It was great to watch my son, as he would push a button and trigger some “magical” event like waves forming in a pool. It reminded me of a customer’s relationship to our products. How many times have you interacted with a product and delighted in its “magical” function, simultaneously thinking, “How did they do that?” On the other hand, how many times have you been disappointed and thought, “That’s it?!” When we truly eliminate the need for instructions and design naturally usable products we also create “magic.” If customers are greeted by this during their first interaction, they’ll keep coming back for more.
What do you think, could and every product be designed so well that instructions would never be needed again? Feel free to leave a comments.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawing cars. I grew up loving to draw, paint, take pictures, take things apart, and put things back together. I suppose, becoming an Industrial Designer was one of the simplest decisions I’ve ever made. Read more...
Hi Rob,
A topic close to my heart as early last year I changed from a consultant to an inhouse designer to do this very thing for my new employer. Currently the products a exactly that, over complicated and in general lack vision. It has been a real eye opener leaving the speed of consultancy life where innovation and design is king to having to explain everyday why it is essential for the company to integrate design throughout the product development and manufacturing process. I initially thought that the designers must be lazy or lack vision to let products like that make it to market. However, after a few months I realised this was not true, the other designer there and the one I replaced came up with some great stuff which never saw the light of day.
From the outside looking in I would have said that the designers at my company are definitely guilty of the three sins you mention earlier, however, there is something deeper beneath the surface that I believe prevents great products being made. There are so many products out there that are difficult to use and don’t need to be. In fact it seems the exception to the rule to find a product that meets expectations. Why is this so? Are there far more bad designers than good designers? I refuse to believe this…. In the case of our company the structure and culture puts barriers infront innovation and good design. The lack of representation for design at an executive level makes changing this culture and having effective and consistent design leadership extremely difficult. I have been in the trenches the last 6 months trying to educate and lead and have made very little progress.
Under the right conditions, with the right leadership and team then I believe it is possible to make a truely great product. But this is not the norm and only a select few companies seem to have the formula.
Hi Paul,
To me, Ford feels massive and nearly impossible to influence. Life would be much easier if design leadership came from the top down, but what can we do when it doesn’t? Perseverance and patience are our best tools. In a way I see it as an infection that can happen from the bottom up. As long as you are always demanding leadership you will inspire others to also, and it will continue to the top. The trick is to never push, always lead. Sometimes I lose patience and my actions turn to “pushing.” I can’t stress how much worse that seems to make things. Even though people like change, nobody wants to be changed!
Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts, I couldn’t agree more. Currently I’m a designer at Ford, and I feel a lot of your pain
Keep up the battle!
Thanks again for your insight.
I’ll chime in on this one, it’s a great topic. I’ve mentioned some of it to you already, Rob. I am the ONLY IDer at the company I work for and really the only one they’ve had. (In all honesty looking back, I believe I was brought on as a warm body that learned the software real quick.) A big source of the Design “chasm” I’ll call it, is misunderstanding. They didn’t know what to do with a designer who actually wanted to design things instead of just build and release the first version of any idea. To the engineers I work with, designing is just planning. When an engineer starts thinking about how to make something, he feels he’s doing the design in his head. It feels very similar to an unspoken class distinction I picked up on in ID school. Trans guys felt like product guys couldn’t draw cars. Sketchers felt like modelers couldn’t ideate. And the “CAD Jockeys” were meant to take orders and fill in the technical gaps. So to have an ID noob to the company show up and try to actually DESIGN something (thinking about processes, aesthetics, user experience, etc) is to step on the toes of people who have plenty of technical training and feel like they can do the job just as well.
In the 5 years I’ve been here, there have been enormous improvements. I’ll always remember a Friday morning review with management and the owners where a concept was being reviewed and there was an awkward silence. Being naive I broke the silence with “well, it is kinda ugly.” More silence, until the owner said “FINALLY! Someone else around here that actually cares about the way things look!” That little gamble added power to my future arguments because the owner was then on my side. A small but effective feature we added to weight equipment was color coding operations. For instance: the knobs, handles, etc that a person was supposed to touch, grab, or move, were anodized red. Little things like that were able to build a case over time for ID and the value it adds. Most recently on the weight equipment you’ve seen, I was able to use emotional design to get people on board. That’s a story in itself, but the shortest version of it is that I recognized what I had to work with. Rectangle tubing. Whoopie! What could I do with this stuff to really stand out? (my ZAG) In the end it was this aggressive, almost Gothic juxtaposition of smooth bends with mitered corners and lines that doubled back on themselves. And it’s been an absolute hit. With sales people reporting how excited their customers are about the new equipment (these big name colleges and NFL teams) it only validates the importance of design.
As designers, we all like to make things happen fast. Ideas are running in and out of our heads at crazy speeds, and most of the time once we really think an idea through, in our minds, it’s already been done and pursued, so we’re free to move to the next one. That is where our frustration comes from. Some people/companies/organizations just don’t understand us, and we don’t necessarily have the patience to figure them out either. But as designers we (theoretically) are experts in visual communication. So let’s not waste time trying to TELL our companies why they need us, let’s SHOW them. Add a little “magic”, as you put it, into everything we touch and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that magic is likely to return to us.
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