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Why Are Abstractions Important in Product Design? Can They Inspire Your Thinking?

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Why Are Abstractions Important in Product Design? Can They Inspire Your Thinking?

Simplicity is not the absence of clutter; that’s a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object or product. The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That’s not simple.

Abstraction is the process of capturing the essential characteristics of a system, object, or concept to create a high-level representation of its underlying functions, processes, and components, with a focus on functionality. In product design, abstraction enables developers to simplify complex systems, enhancing comprehension, modularity, and efficiency through techniques such as abstraction laddering, design abstraction, and incomplete models as teams navigate the product development process. By understanding how organisms create, utilize, and recycle biological and technological elements, designers can identify uncommon and invisible problems. This approach allows them to tap into nature's unique efficiencies and emotional resonance, ultimately elevating everyday experiences. The following TED talks challenge our perspectives on systems thinking, manufacturing inspired by biology, the life cycle of systems, and the concept of regenerative products.

Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers by Janine Benyus

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Practitioner insights:

• By observing how organisms create, use, and recycle materials, product designers can rethink, simplify, and redefine functions that nourish a product's multiple paths to value.
• Product design may consider regenerative functionality as an attribute to maintaining life relevance in the markets. Products-as-systems rely on structures and processes that grow without proportional increases in cost, complexity, or fragility.
• Self-assembling materials and green chemistry point to safer, smarter manufacturing inspired by biology.
• Living organisms grow by repeating simple units (cells). Scalable products are built from modules (APIs, features, services) that can be reused, extended, or recombined.
• Designers may consider systems that favor learning and show resilience as they tolerate failure.

Science-Inspired Design by Mathieu Lehanneur

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Practitioner insights:

• Human needs are more complex than marketing suggests, and science can reveal them in unexpected ways. By combining biology, technology, and empathy, products like noise-canceling balls, layered antibiotic pills, and plant-based air filters tackle unseen challenges at home and in the workplace.
• Product systems thrive on the interdependence of complementary items and depend on ecosystems for sustainability. These ecosystems require energy for operation and are capable of evolution. Designing for succession helps avoid unnecessary complexity and consumer rejection.
• As biological systems, products foster emotional well-being by creating environments that promote safety, meaning, and connection with consumers. Emotional intimacy in product design reduces uncertainty, enhances positive feelings, and cultivates relational bonds.
• Empathy should be integrated into product design by understanding how living systems sense, regulate, and relate. This includes ensuring that interfaces reflect empathetic design and serve as regulatory bridges.

About the Author

Carlos M Rodriguez

Carlos M Rodriguez is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Quantitative Methods and Director of the Center for the Study of Innovation Management, CSIM, in the College of Business, Delaware State University, USA. He is the KHUB’s Product Design and Development Tools section curator and a collaborator to the Product Development Management Association, PDMA. His publications have appeared in the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, European Journal of Innovation Management, Journal of Brand Strategy, Journal of International Marketing, International Marketing Review, Management Decision, Journal of Business and Leadership, Journal of Higher Education Research & Development, Journal of Marketing and Consumer Research among others. Currently, he serves on the editorial board of several journals. His research interests are relationship marketing, branding and customer experiences, product design and innovation, and new product development teams. He recently published the book Product Design and Innovation: Analytics for Decision Making, which is centered on the design techniques and methodologies vital to the product design process. He is engaged in several international educational, research, and academic projects and international professional consulting activities.

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