What Makes a Great Product?

What makes a great product? Why do some consumer products become super popular while others sit on the shelf? I’ve been thinking about these questions lately, and have decided to create a hierarchy of sorts, similar to that of Maslow’s, but for consumer products.

The list is simple. First, and at the base of the pyramid is the product must do what it’s supposed to do. In other words, it has to work. Imagine you buy a winter coat but it doesn’t keep you warm, it’s not a good coat.

Next on the hierarchy is the product must be priced well. Using the previous example, suppose the coat does keep you warm, but this time it costs $2,000—you can forget about me buying it. There are proven strategies to price products for different markets, but in general, people have an intrinsic number for what something ought to cost. This is why you can estimate the exact price on The Price Is Right. So if you have a working product, that’s good, but if it costs ten times what people expect to pay, it’s not a great product.

Finally, and this is by far the hardest bucket to fill, is that a great product should aspire to represent the values of its customer. You could think of this level as “lifestyle brand” status. A company like Patagonia doesn’t just sell warm coats, they also sell you the dream of living an adventurous outdoorsy lifestyle, even if you’re not that adventurous.

If a product can fill all three buckets, I’d argue it’s well on its way to becoming great. In summary, I think at the most basic level, products must function. Once they do that, they need to be priced within reason. Finally, and perhaps the hardest level to achieve, is that a product should strive to represent the lifestyle and values of its customers.

What do you think makes great products? Do you agree with this hierarchy? Let me know in the comments below.

(Disclaimer: Ideas are my own and do not represent that of any other person or business.)

Designing All Day

I spent a long time designing today.  What?  It's been over a year and a half since I started this blog.  I've done my best to add subtle changes here and there, but sometimes it takes a serious investment of time.  This is why I'm very excited to announce that Nicholas Petersen of Less.is has agreed to help.  I love Nicholas' philosophy on design and we've been chatting about possible projects for nearly a year.  The past few weeks, he and I have brainstormed some ideas which will go live in the next week or so (some of which are live today).

Like this bridge, designing is about figuring out how to get from point A to point B.  How do you say everything you need to say and nothing more?  Though tweaking design won't make me a better writer, I feel more connected through a more personalized site.  I asked Nicholas if he could "add some soul" to my very minimal foundation and can't wait to reveal the results. 

Good design is worth the investment.  Naturally, designers are some of the most thoughtful people.  Their work effects us all daily.  Great design has the capability to delight the user, make you pause and think, huh, that's really clever.  I love these moments. 

Look for some fun changes in the next week.  I've also been brainstorming new projects for this blog.  If you haven't already subscribed, I'd love to add you to my small but growing list of readers.  At the end of the day, and right now, it's the end of the day, sure I write for myself but I also write for you--otherwise I'd just keep a journal.  I hope you like the new design, and if you're still reading and not my mom or grandma (they subscribe) that means I must be doing something right.  Thanks for all your support.