I’m sure you’ve seen those calendars or books with photographs of colorful doors and postboxes from around the world. but how about some more mundane everyday objects which have just as much uniqueness and beauty? How about a book or calendar with photos of newspaper boxes from around the world. I recently came across the above box and loved how it was painted and even the setting it was in. I’m sure there are many thousands just like it!
Category Archives: Product Ideas
New Product Idea – Slaughterhouse Reality TV Show
After just seeing a preview for a new reality TV show on loggers called Axmen, I extended this concept to a cattle slaughterhouse. Watching the loggers cutting down trees with chainsaws and then dragging the logs through the forest, the comparisons to a slaughterhouse were too obvious. The grit, danger, and intensity of logging are all there in a slaughterhouse. Of course, the show would have to have lots of warnings and be shown only late at night after the kiddies are asleep. But showing people how their steak and burgers go from cow to counter might be shocking, magnetic, and offensive at the same time – the perfect combination for a TV hit!
New Product Idea – Kids Gloves and Mittens with a ‘Snow Sleeve’
One day this winter, we were sledding and snow kept getting between my son’s mittens and the cuff of his coat. So the idea of the Snow Sleeve on kids gloves and mittens was born among the parents. The Snow Sleeve glove or mitten would have a nylon sleeve that goes up the arm to keep snow out. The sleeve could have a drawstring as well to keep it from sliding down. I’ve had sports gloves with a similar sleeve but shorter to keep out the elements. But the Snow Sleeve would be designed to stay up and keep know out. What do you think?
New Product Idea: Automotive Design Star Ratings
There are star ratings for safety, top ten lists, car of the year, car of whatever but how about a Star rating for design? It would be completely subjective of course since everyone is an expert when it comes to design. One way to do this would be to have a rating panel made up of industry ‘experts’ such as former designers, design analysts, etc. This would be just like having movie critics post their reviews on Yahoo or financial analysts publish their stock recommendations. In addition, the great unwashed masses could also rate designs as well so you could have a peoples’ rating . The ratings could fall into the following categories:
5 Stars – This car would be a timeless classic, a pure, authentic, and evolved and mature design sure to remain beautiful generation after generation. The car’s exterior and interior design would exude simplicity and sophistication. Every form, line and volume would have perfect balance and emotion.
4 Stars - This car has a superb design with something new and exciting but with something missing or with a critical flaw. Perhaps it’s too much design or not enough. It’s a good-competent design catches the eye for a second look but fails to ignites the senses. An example would be the Mini which is an outstanding car in almost every way but the interior remains over designed compared to the exterior and the total car.
3 Stars – This car has a fair design that you really don’t notice for being too good or bad, a passable attempt at designing a car that will be soon forgotten. The car may have something special about it however…
2 Stars - The car has a poor design that never should have left the drawing board, a bad design that that leaves people wondering why did they even spend the money to design it in the first place! Still, it’s a car that is not terribly offensive.
1 Star – This car has a terrible design that lacks style, substance, and even novelty, a horrible design that insults the senses for it’s lack of sensibility.
Zero – a complete waste
I’ve already started using this scale on some of my posts.
New Product Idea: How about a Phone Camera instead of a Camera Phone?
Camera phones are pretty much the standard now with video and still pictures up to 2-3 megapixels fairly common. But the phone is still the dominant partner in this relationship. Cell phone images are still low resolution and suffer from poor lenses and lighting. So how about integrating a cell phone into a digital camera instead? Let’s look at the problem from the opposite perspective to come up with something new…we’ve got digital cameras on the market now that have GPS and Wifi – so why not one with cell phone capability too? Companies like Canon, Nikon, Kodak, etc should partner with a phone company and provider to market the first ever cell phone camera. The product would be a full functioning 10MP digital camera with a 3x zoom lens, built in flash, and lots of in-camera image retouching features AND a cellphone TOO. Now we can just have 1 gadget to carry instead of two.
New Product Idea – Video Game: Great Battles in History First Person Shooter
If you have an interest in FPS video games, you know all the great ones such as Call of Duty, Halo, Counterstrike, Doom, etc. They range from current and past realistic wartime scenarios, to futuristic ‘bug hunts’. Sometimes they even mix up the two a little. But how about a game where you can play across the great battles of history? This doesn’t have to be a time travel story or science fiction – just a game where each scene instead of building the next, is a different historical battlefield. For example, you can play a modern urban street battle set in the middle east, then a Vietnam era jungle battle, then a WWII battle in Europe or on a Pacific island, and then a trench battle in WWI, and finally perhaps even a Civil War battle. Weapons would need to be historically correct and for you could unlock weapons that you can take from era to era. Such a game would have great replay value, unlimited opportunities for level design, and appeal to lots of people of different ages. It might even be educational!
Daimler’s New car2go Car Sharing Business
Yesterday, Daimler’s internal innovation group launched a new car-sharing service called car2go. It’s very similar to Zipcar but with some added flexibility in drop off location. It will first be tested in Ulm, Germany by Daimler employees. Once this trial phase is complete, car2go is expected to expand across major European cities.
It’s one thing for a start up company like Zipcar to offer this service but what would cause a traditional car company to invest in such a revolutionary business model? There are 2 converging trends driving Daimler to sell transportation vs. cars: (1) global urbanization and (2) urban car restrictions due to parking, emissions, and usage regulations. So if you’ve made your money manufacturing and selling cars to individual drivers, the above 2 trends foretell a future where private car ownership for city dwellers not only becomes impractical – but also undesirable. Combine that with emerging bike-share programs in Europe and car-share businesses operating in America (such as Zipcar), and you’ve got some pretty strong indicators that the growing urban market is changing. The car2go service allows you to reserve your Smart car (owned by Daimler) using a mobile phone or through a website. You can pick up and drop off the car anywhere within the city limits and the service takes care of cleaning, insurance, fueling, and maintenance. You just pay by the minute for the use of the car – all inclusive. The Smart cars will come with a variety of diesel, hybrid and electric power-trains. It will be interesting if Daimler can really establish themselves as a transportation service provider vs. a vehicle manufacturer. For more about car2go, click here for a video demo. So what do you think? Is this something a car company can do? Have you tried such a service or would you in the future? And what if Daimler’s car2go service offered a selection of AMG Mercedes or even an SLR..
New Product Idea – Build to Order, Upgradeable, Modular Digital Camera
For years now, we’ve been able to buy built to order computers where we can specify our own combination of processor, memory, hard drive, screen, etc. We can order a computer from almost any company online, customize the specification to suit our own needs, and have it built and shipped overnight from an overseas factory.
What if we could buy our new Nikon or Canon DSLR like that? There are many comparisons between computers and digital cameras which support such as concept. For a good enthusiast level Digital SLR camera, you can pay from $500 to $3000. There are a wide variety features that are found across numerous makes and models. The same is true for personal computers which are in the same price range, bought by the same people, and also offer numerous brands and options. In fact, the customization of computers has become a whole separate category where power users built their supercomputers for gaming. There are numerous magazines dedicated to the computer upgrade and customization consumer.
For digital cameras, customizable build to order features on could include: sensor type (CCD/CMOS, other), sensor size (APS-C, Full Frame, etc.), sensor resolution (how many megapixels), sensor cleaning features, sensor stabilization features, battery type/size, memory card type, grip type (plastic or rubber), case color, viewfinder (with live view technology improving, viewfinders will likely become optional as they have on point and shoot cameras), LCD size/resolution/tilting, number of manual controls (buttons, switches, dials), etc.
As you can see, there are as many hardware features on a good camera as there are on a good computer. So from a customer usage viewpoint, this seems like a worthwhile idea. A customer could custom order a new camera built exactly to their specifications. If a manufacturer were to adopt such an approach to making/selling cameras – what would be the advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and the manufacturer:
Advantages:
- Product differentiation from competition and first mover advantage – nobody else is offering customer the ability to customize their camera straight from the factory
- Better buying experience – allows customers to spec out their own products (like a computer or car)
- Provides customer with the right camera and the right feature set for their needs. No need to worry about ‘over-buying’ or having to constantly upgrade
- Opportunity to upgrade camera as required without having to by a new one every year or two
- Opportunity for a cheaper entry level and a higher priced ‘fully loaded’ models – more pricing options for consumers
Disadvantages:
- Companies would need to establish a build to order production and fulfillment system
- Camera architecture would need to be re-designed to support modular components and upgradeability
- Marketing strategy would need to shift from several discreet models to fewer discreet platforms that you can option up and upgrade in the future
- Loss of resale value because each camera will be different and second hand buyers will have a harder time understanding what they are buying.
The bottom line is that a built to order, upgradeable digital camera architecture would definitely change the marketplace and improve consumer choice. I believe people would even pay a premium for this product which would offset the back office changes required to produce it.
Do you think this is a good idea? I appreciate your comments.
VW’s Future of the Automobile: Volkswagen 2028
Elsewhere in the blog, you’ll find posts on how to immerse yourself in the future or to imagine different scenarios of life years from now based on current and forecast trends. VW has created such a scenario and designed several vehicles for it. Volkswagen 2028 is an interesting view of the future and the transportation solutions we may find in it…
Solar Electric Powered Sailplane Glider Concept
We’ve seen electric cars, trains and bikes - but how about an airplane? This was my Master’s thesis project from 1993. Yes, even 15 years ago, people were thinking about the environment! It’s an electric solar powered sailplane/glider for 2 passengers. All the wings and the main lower fin fold up for easy storage for ground transportation too. The propellor turns about the fuselage and the landing gear is retractable.
And what is it about a sailplane or a sailboat that inspires? It’s the direct connection that a pilot can have with the air he’s flying through. The only sound you hear is the sound of the wind. You don’t have to even look at the airspeed indicator when you can just listen to the rush of the wind over the canopy. You stall when there’s silence! A thermal rise of warmer air can be felt through the shuddering wings and fuselage letting you instinctively react with the purely mechanical controls. It’s a great feeling!
The above image is of the 1/4 scale model.
