Book Preview - Stop! Playing the Dice: Devices to Design Amazing Products Introduction The most important aspect for developing new ideas about products and subsequently designing it requires a proper methodology, which is generally simple but effective. Every successful company has their set of method to design the products but the fundamental ideas remain same. This book tries to reveal the effective but simple methodology of designing the great products. The methodology discussed in the book has four segments and is called READ Technique. READ stands for Research, Experience, Analyze and Discover. ‘Research segment’ focuses on capturing and analyzing the information available in the market, ‘Experience segment’ focuses on checking out the views and ideas generated, ‘Analyze Segment’ focuses on observing the aspects for product and ‘Discover Segment’ focuses on surveys and interviews. Each of the four segments has several devices and methods specified in this work which would help the professionals in designing a great and winning product.

2. Title Page
STOP! Playing the Dice
Devices to Design Amazing Products
Anshuman Sharma

3. Copyright
Copyright ©2012 Anshuman Sharma
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 978-1-105-99132-5

4. Dedication
Dedication
To my beautiful daughters Gunn and Kli
To my lovely wife Nilam

5. Contents
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Introduction
RESEARCH SEGMENT
Device 1: Research - Scenario Analysis
Device 2: Research - Salability
Device 3: Experience - Extreme Conditions
Device 4: Research - Legality
Device 5: Research - Assumptions
Device 6: Research - Efficiency Analysis
Device 7: Research - Past trends Analysis
Device 8: Research - Design Publications
Device 9: Research - Trends and Design
Device 10: Research - Visualize Future
Device 11: Research - Product Support
Device 12: Research - One-time Buyers
Device 13: Research - Product Evolution
Device 14: Research - Manufacturing Capabilities
Device 15: Research - Present Trends Analysis
Device 16: Research - Future View
Device 17: Research - Micro Analysis
Device 18: Research - Other Industries Designers
Device 19: Research - Relationships study
Device 20: Research - Physical Attributes Analysis
Device 21: Research - Demographic Study
Device 22: Research - Psychographic Study
Device 23: Research - Repeat Buyers

6. Device 24: Research - Secondary Research
Device 25: Research - Behavioral Study
Device 26: Research - Competitive Analysis
Device 27: Research - Cultural Differences
Device 28: Research - Other Markets
Device 29: Research - Third Person Analysis
Device 30: Research - Product Disposal
Device 31: Research - Customer Delight
Device 32: Research - Customer Dislikes
Device 33: Research - Need Ring
Device 34: Research - Design Attraction
Device 35: Research - Customer Financials
Device 36: Research - Other Values
Device 37: Research - Perceptions
Device 38: Research - Product Material
Device 39: Research - Other Industries Marketers
Device 40: Research - Profitability Analysis
Device 41: Research - Feasibility Study
Device 42: Research - Macro Analysis
EXPERIENCE SEGMENT
Device 43: Experience - In Other’s Shoes
Device 44: Experience - Extreme Usage
Device 45: Experience - Use as Consumer
Device 46: Experience - Design Touching Senses
Device 47: Experience - Robustness
Device 48: Experience - Extreme Environment and Climates
Device 49: Experience - Training to Use the Product
Device 50: Experience - Create Working Model
Device 51: Experience - New Environment
Device 52: Experience - Interaction Design
Device 53: Experience - Look into the Future

7. Device 54: Experience - Feel it physically
Device 55: Experience - Basic Model
Device 56: Experience - On Stage
Device 57: Experience - Usage Models
Device 58: Experience - Various Users Testing
Device 59: Experience - Usage Stories
Device 60: Experience - Use it
Device 61: Experience - Product Assembling
Device 62: Experience - Limitations
Device 63: Experience - Live With Them
Device 64: Experience - Product Packaging
Device 65: Experience - Precautions
Device 66: Experience - Existing Users
Device 67: Experience - Product Integration
Device 68: Experience - Designer Perception
ANALYZE SEGMENT
Device 69: Analyze - Invisible Presence
Device 70: Analyze - Other Product’s Usage
Device 71: Analyze - Buying Behavior in Stores
Device 72: Analyze - New Product and Life
Device 73: Analyze - Carrying the Product
Device 74: Analyze - Product failing
Device 75: Analyze - Visual Affects
Device 76: Analyze - Innovative Usage of Product
Device 77: Analyze - Capture Pictures
Device 78: Analyze - Project Visits
Device 79: Analyze - Daily Objects
Device 80: Analyze - Become their Friend
Device 81: Analyze - Product and Life
Device 82: Analyze - Body Double
Device 83: Analyze - Social Connections

8. Device 84: Analyze - Problems from Product
Device 85: Analyze - Supporting Product or Service
Device 86: Analyze - How They Live?
Device 87: Analyze - All Categories of Customers
Device 88: Analyze - Consumer’s Habits
Device 89: Analyze - Video Capture
Device 90: Analyze - Consumer Day
Device 91: Analyze - Personal Productivity
Device 92: Analyze - Movement Patterns
DISCOVER SEGMENT
Device 93: Discover - Segmented Users Testing
Device 94: Discover - Customer’s Dislikes
Device 95: Discover - Ask for Features
Device 96: Discover - Feature Priorities
Device 97: Discover - Customer Journal
Device 98: Discover - Customer Feedback
Device 99: Discover - Product Value
Device 100: Discover - Cross Question
Device 101: Discover - Conceptualize
Device 102: Discover - Other Markets
Device 103: Discover - Think Aloud
Device 104: Discover - Interviewing
Device 105: Discover - Focus Groups
Device 106: Discover - Word Design
Device 107: Discover - Requirement Analysis
Device 108: Discover - Meet Critics
Device 109: Discover - Other Markets
Device 110: Discover - Buying Thinking Process
Device 111: Discover - Perceptions
Device 112: Discover - Picture Book
Device 113: Discover - Card Organization

9. Device 114: Discover - Navigation Charts
Device 115: Discover - Cultural Differences
Device 116: Discover - Visualize and Draw
About Author

10. Introduction
The success of a company depends mainly upon the quality of the products it
develops and sells in the market. A successful product needs to be unique and should
be according to the requirements of the customers. A good product becomes its own
marketer as every time it is used, it delights its users, which makes them the advocates
of the product. We can observe this phenomenon in some of the winning products in
the market. A winning product has great design, quality and gives satisfactory
experiences to its users.
Few companies have mastered the art of product design and they are extremely
successful in the market with high profitability and growth. These companies use the
product design skills as their competitive advantage and protect it like trade secret. In
fact, the process of creating great products is not complex. It is a set of tools and
methods which, if used properly and sincerely, can support any design team to
develop amazing products. We have tried to expose these methods and devices in this
work.
To contrast the available books on product design methods, we have kept this
book extremely simple. The specified devices can be used by any sincere person
looking to design products. The simplicity of the devices is evident from the fact that
even a layperson, with no knowledge about product design, can understand and use
these devices. A successful product needs to be holistic, equipped with innovative
marketing, superior quality and emphatic support. An innovative design of a product
with weak support cannot get success in the market.
The products are differentiated by their value proposition, quality and features. An
excellent product has great design, which evolves from the culture of the company
where everybody is serious about design and focuses on improving it consistently. A
great design evolves mainly from the attitude rather than technical expertise.
It has always been difficult for companies to create great products. Some
companies hire highly qualified technical experts to create the magic, while others
outsource the product design process. Sometimes the responsibilities of creating new
ideas and products lie on few elite individuals, in other cases R&D department bears
the complete responsibility of developing successful products. In most cases these
efforts fail. The main reason for this failure is the wrong approach.
The most important aspect for developing new ideas about products and
subsequently designing it requires a proper methodology, which is generally simple but
effective. Every successful company has their set of method to design the products but
the fundamental ideas remain same. This book tries to reveal the effective but simple
methodology of designing the great products.
The methodology discussed in the book has four segments and is called READ
Technique. READ stands for Research, Experience, Analyze and Discover. ‘Research

11. segment’ focuses on capturing and analyzing the information available in the market,
‘Experience segment’ focuses on checking out the views and ideas generated,
‘Analyze Segment’ focuses on observing the aspects for product and ‘Discover
Segment’ focuses on surveys and interviews. Each of the four segments has several
devices and methods specified in this work which would help the professionals in
designing a great and winning product.
To design a great product the designers need to focus on a specific area of the
design process. The specified segments and devices in the book would serve the
designers by focusing their attention to each area of the design process. Each device
described in the book briefly describes it, specifies its importance & value, explain the
way to use it and supported by an example to describe it.
The design devices list specified in this book is exhaustive and every device would
not be suitable for your projects. Design team needs to identify and list the devices to
be used for a specific project. These devices would motivate the design team in various
ways by suggesting them relevant methods to solve the design problem.
It is suggested that this resource should be used as a guide and reference to create
better product designs.

12. RESEARCH SEGMENT
Research segment of the READ Model includes the devices which focus on
collecting and researching the available data, information, insights in archives,
published or tacit format. This segment equips the designers with substantial grasp of
the project to graduate to other segments of the model.

13. Device 1: Research - Scenario Analysis
Check with various scenarios to identify different ways which would create operational
difficulties for the product.
This device would help the designer to identify the various situations when the product
would be affected negatively with user’s actions.
Identify various scenarios which can fail the product due to human actions. Find the
reason for these failures. These can be through human mistakes, negligence or actions.
The purpose is to design the product robust enough to protect itself for possible
problems.
Example: Identify various ways when a glass container can break during its usage.

14. Device 2: Research - Salability
Check for the salability of the designed product.
This analysis is important as the designed product should be marketable and
commercially viable.
Conduct a market survey asking the target segment about their intention to buy the
product based upon product features, value proposition and pricing.
Example: Check the salability of the newly designed software based upon its features,
value proposition, interactivity, user friendliness and pricing.