What business are you in?
You know everything about your competition. Are your products differentiated from their offering? Is it enough?
When you're developing a new product or updating an existing one, what are your reference points?
Do you believe there's an aesthetic for your industry?
Are you following that aesthetic?
Are there expected interactions for products in your industry?
Are you following those?
Medical products are a great example of an industry aesthetic. These machines that analyze and test typically have a similar aesthetic. Simple, monolithic forms that are primarily white with an accent color that is typically black.
Here is a screenshot of a quick Google search:
Everything looks similar.
Almost all umbrellas have the same function and interaction. Mechanically they all move the same way. The usability is almost identical. This has benefits for the user since they can purchase almost any umbrella and they will know how to use it and how it works. That same benefit for the user is what makes the umbrella a commodity. Some buttons or release mechanisms may be different but overall they are all the same.
Mimicking aesthetics and function is a signal that a product belongs to an existing market or industry. That's a big benefit but it also is a double-edged sword. The aesthetics that visually gained the product access into that industry, will be the reason it fades into obscurity.
Anytime multiple companies create similar looking products with similar features and similar experiences they start to commoditize the market. And guess what game you're going to be playing? The price and feature game. Prices are pushed down while features are added. Eventually, your margins are too thin and the quality is subpar. Now the brand is meaningless to the consumer. Those past decisions are responsible for this outcome. It's delayed consequences.
So, How can this be prevented?
Stop using your competition as your reference point. I'm not telling you to be completely unaware of what they do, that would be ignorant. You still need to know your competition. Stop using them as inspiration and as the measuring stick for success.
Think about the automotive industry. Everyone references each other for functions and aesthetics. Each segment has vehicles that appear similar to each other. You're also going to have a similar experience inside all of them. Why would someone be willing to pay a premium for the majority of automotive offerings?
Who's doing it right? Dyson and Apple. They don't follow the market. The competition mimics them. They did things contrary to the competition but appropriate for the users and the environment their products are used in. When Dyson launched their vacuums the appearance was bonkers. They had bright colors, the surfaces, and forms were overly complex, and they were very expensive. The vacuum didn't look like it belonged in that industry.
Dyson wasn't just focused on aesthetics, it's the opposite in fact. Their vacuums are a good case study on form follows function. The engineers designed a new, more powerful way to create suction and the designers used color and form to highlight what was unique. This implementation creates a focal point that controls the consumer's attention. The aesthetics celebrated what made it different. They did it again with the hair dryer. It looked completely different than any other hair dryer while offering a great user experience. It got them attention and justified the price premium.
Was it risky to look completely different than all the other vacuums and hair dryers at the time? Absolutely.
Was it beneficial that it look completely different than everything on the market? Absolutely.
You don't get to be the market leader by doing everything that the competition is doing. You don't get people's attention by appearing the same as everything else.
There are 6 things you can do to mitigate some of the risks:
1) The product experience needs to be exceptional.
2) Use products or services from other markets as your reference point for success.
3) Reject industry standards for colors, textures, materials, forms, and interactions. Don't reject everything, use contrarian thinking to identify meaningful opportunities.
4) Understand your customers and consumers so you can speak to them with the language that connects.
5) Use design to highlight what makes the product unique, interesting, and compelling.
These steps justify the chance someone will take on buying your product.
You can do it!
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