A bad product is a bad product. If the 70s era Ford Pinto looked like a Porsche and still blew up when rear-ended, it's still not making anyone's short list of purchases.
Bad product is generally bad if the "design" is bad. And a good product is usually good because it is well-designed. The two are inseparable, imo.
Are you perhaps asking if good *aesthetics* can save a bad product? If so, my generic response would be "No". It's only one part of the overall design.
Good design can sell a bad product in the short term, in terms of packaging and positioning. But good design can never create true brand equity in the face of bad product development.
A product that is designed well to serve the purpose of it's user, then it can't be a bad product. Owing to poor marketing it may not have been sold but the product cannot be labelled 'bad.' A product, created with the only motive of making profits, without meeting the need or even want of the buyer, is definitely a bad product. Even a mighty marketing effort to promote a bad product will be a waste of resources. = Gurudatt Kundapurkar
I thought this comment by Steve Jobs puts the case for getting it all right... "[The G4 Cube] was not a failure of design," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "It was a failure of concept. We targeted the Cube at a professional audience. We thought they would rather have something small on the desk than expandability and we were wrong. It was a wrong concept "fabulously implemented."
... and it took 4 iterations of the iPod to match emerging behaviours with the technology to enable "it" to emerge!
Good design in this instance is a very weird concept for me. Devices such as the iPhone are incredible design, technological feats, and so much more; although their customization capacity is limited (without jailbreak hacks).
The great design improves the limitations and constrictions of a carrier locked device, but is that really worth it all in the end?
Share your ideas
10 Total
February 2, 2008 at 6:32pm
Edward SussmanPerhaps great design, can. But if a product doesn't work, it's hard for a pretty aesthetic to save the day.
February 5, 2008 at 10:15am
David UtterA bad product is a bad product. If the 70s era Ford Pinto looked like a Porsche and still blew up when rear-ended, it's still not making anyone's short list of purchases.
February 6, 2008 at 11:33am
Haewon KyeIf it was well designed, it wouldn't be a bad product. To design means to develop a plan for a product not just aesthetically but functionally.
February 8, 2008 at 11:17pm
Matt VeckmanWhat is that old adage?
A good idea with bad design is doomed immediately but a bad idea with good design is doomed eventually?
February 9, 2008 at 8:35pm
c. sven johnsonBad product is generally bad if the "design" is bad. And a good product is usually good because it is well-designed. The two are inseparable, imo.
Are you perhaps asking if good *aesthetics* can save a bad product? If so, my generic response would be "No". It's only one part of the overall design.
February 10, 2008 at 1:31pm
David SherwinGood design can sell a bad product in the short term, in terms of packaging and positioning. But good design can never create true brand equity in the face of bad product development.
February 11, 2008 at 3:14am
Shawn DavisAs a designer it's my job to get people to try something one. It's the manufacturer's job to get them to buy it again.
February 12, 2008 at 12:04am
Gurudatt KundapurkarA product that is designed well to serve the purpose of it's user, then it can't be a bad product. Owing to poor marketing it may not have been sold but the product cannot be labelled 'bad.' A product, created with the only motive of making profits, without meeting the need or even want of the buyer, is definitely a bad product. Even a mighty marketing effort to promote a bad product will be a waste of resources. = Gurudatt Kundapurkar
February 15, 2008 at 5:15am
Jim RaitI thought this comment by Steve Jobs puts the case for getting it all right... "[The G4 Cube] was not a failure of design," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "It was a failure of concept. We targeted the Cube at a professional audience. We thought they would rather have something small on the desk than expandability and we were wrong. It was a wrong concept "fabulously implemented."
... and it took 4 iterations of the iPod to match emerging behaviours with the technology to enable "it" to emerge!
February 20, 2008 at 10:36am
Brian KingGood design in this instance is a very weird concept for me. Devices such as the iPhone are incredible design, technological feats, and so much more; although their customization capacity is limited (without jailbreak hacks).
The great design improves the limitations and constrictions of a carrier locked device, but is that really worth it all in the end?
Share your ideas