What is the perfect product? Have humans ever created such a thing? And if we had, how would we define it? In design, engineering and manufacturing, what does “perfect” even mean? Is it actually possible?
Humanity has made many huge strides. Life is easier now than it ever has been. Where product invention initially took hold in sectors such as agriculture, textiles and transport that are vital to our quality of life – the past couple of hundred years have given rise to numerous items, never previously conceived, that we now take for granted in our daily lives.
Where problems were limiting our quality of life or productivity, we have innovated incredible solutions. But there is still plenty of room for innovation to elevate our experience further.
How do designers and manufacturers develop new products that will change the game? What are the traits of the products that come close to perfect?
In this article we take a look at some of the world’s most iconic, products to shine a light on the characteristics, beyond all others that create the magic for customers and try to understand what made them so great.
The bicycle – the perfect mode of human transport?
When the bicycle was invented, it wasn’t just the launch of a new product, it was the creation of an entirely new mode of transport for people.
Today, bikes are so common that they are part of the fabric of life itself, from the social to the physical, from the daily commute to the nostalgia of childhood. To many, bikes are a way of life. And they are one of very few human inventions that factor in the Olympic Games.
To many across the world, bikes are much more than this. Through adaptation, they can become anything from a street food stall, to a wagon transporting unfathomable quantities of goods. This way, the humble bicycle affords many around the world a living.
The engineering of bicycles is simply brilliant and has incrementally improved since 1817. The shape and fundamentals of bikes have not changed much in 200 years despite the recent rise of digital technologies. That said this is a sector defined by disruption. Unlike the automotive sector which is dominated by a smaller number of large companies, lower barriers to entry mean this is a space defined by a much larger number of small companies. Their success depends entirely on innovation. And each model has a new release every year which also accelerates innovation.
From the late 1950’s to today it is possible to map the effects of innovation on vital systems like braking and gears. Cantilever brakes gave way to v-brakes, which gave way to hydraulic brakes, which gave way to disc brakes. As a teenager I remember that the coolest bikes had the most gears, but today, innovation means that a lower number of gears provides the same range with better stability and less risk of the chain coming off. In general, most of innovation in cycling is a simplification.
That simplicity is the core brilliance of bikes. They are self-powered, self-driven and self-maintained. They are arguably one of the most efficient products humanity has created because they are (I generalise) well-built, have a long lifespan and they allow us to travel at speed, under our own steam like no other mode of transport, and are entirely serviceable by normal people
If you were to write a brief setting out the need for a vehicle enabling humans to travel short to medium distances under their own steam – there could be no better reply. And if we’re feeling lazy, there’s no need to worry as eBikes have us covered.
The bicycle is simple, no-nonsense, culturally significant and it transcends borders. People have achieved all manner of unthinkable feats on bikes, from cycling the length of the Americas to the breath of Eurasia. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to counter argue that they are the perfect product for humanity.
What designers can learn from the bicycle:
- Incremental innovation and iteration. The bicycle has undergone numerous stages of transformation, evolving from the ‘boneshaker’ of the 19th century to today’s precision-engineered full suspension eBikes. Design is an iterative process of refinement and innovation based on user feedback and technological advancement. Product developers should embrace the concept of continuous improvement, understanding that each small enhancement can contribute significantly to the overall user experience and product performance.
- Materials are an “enabler”. The shift from heavy iron frames to light, robust materials like aluminium and carbon fibre has significantly enhanced the bicycle’s performance, usability, and efficiency over time. Materials science has helped optimise strength-to-weight ratios, resulting in bikes that are not only lighter and faster but also more durable and comfortable to ride. This highlights the importance of selecting appropriate materials to meet specific design goals relating to performance, durability and cost.
- Simplicity and focus. Customer feedback has entirely guided the development of bikes over 200 years which has accelerated technological advancement. Ride quality has improved significantly with incremental improvements such as the introduction of pneumatic tires, derailleur gears and latterly advanced suspension systems. This improves the user experience and makes them easier for owners to maintain.
- Structure, form and function. Uniquely, with a bicycle, these are all the same thing. Effective performance dictates that industrial design, engineering and manufacturing are all working together to balance and achieve something “great”. Ultimately, it’s this seamless blend of art and science that transforms a simple mode of transport into an extraordinary product for humanity.
Land Rover – the perfect off roader?
Originally designed in 1948 the Land Rover is the crocodile of the auto world. Not only is it as tough and fearless as anything ever engineered – its original design was so perfect that it has hardly evolved in the intervening eight decades.
The Land Rover was the first of an entirely new breed of vehicle. Originally designed for farm and light industrial use, its creators focused on simplicity, durability and off-road capabilities, fulfilling a specific user need during the recovery from war when practical, robust vehicles were in high demand. From the plains of Africa to the highs of the Himalayas, the Land Rover has since conquered every environment on Earth.
Globality is just one aspect though. Unlike any other vehicle I can think of, the Land Rover has been steadfast through the decades. To put it into perspective, think about the evolution of cars over the same period. Cast your mind back a few decades to the 1990s and the cars on our roads were vastly different in terms of durability and performance. Go back yet further to the 1950s and cars still had design ties to the horse and cart.
If you were to write a brief in 1948 outlining the need for a simply engineered all-terrain vehicle that can rove any kind of land, anywhere – the brief would have been exceeded. In hindsight they could have called it the Earth Rover.
What designers can learn from the creation of the Land Rover:
- Keep designs simple and “lean”, achieve more with less. Very important to note is that the Land Rover wasn’t over engineered. Everything had to earn its place. Despite its simple design, the Land Rover offered high functionality. During a time of challenge, it tested a simple hypothesis with minimum resource and effort to meet a pragmatic need. To replicate this outcome, think about the brief rather than how you want your product to look and strive to keep things simple. The Land Rover exemplifies the principle that form follows function.
- Invent solutions to the problems you encounter, not to theory. The Land Rover was unlike anything on the market at the time. Incredibly practical, the boxy design, lightweight frame and high ground clearance – all deliberately invented to make the vehicle ideally suited to traversing varied terrain. Ironically the designers had to venture off-road with their thinking, and invent everything to bring their vision of a Land Rover to reality. Never be afraid to test untried solutions. Thinking differently enables us to invent, but also to bring new solutions to age old problems
- Durable equals sustainable. One of the hallmarks of the Land Rover is its durability. Products that are built to last not only provide long-term value to customers but also contribute to sustainability by reducing the need for frequent replacements. Products should be designed to last, with simple, easy replacement parts, providing long-term value to people and planet.
The pinnacle of human achievement – creating the perfect aircraft
The perfect aircraft has to be the Concorde, right? It was the pinnacle of passenger transport and could fly from London to New York in under three hours. Surely it doesn’t get better…
While the design, performance and cultural impact of the Concorde are all huge – I’m going to surprise you all and discuss the F35 Lightning II. The F35 is a testament to the ethos and evolution of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, which paved the way with the development of the SR71 Blackbird which featured previously on the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence blog in this article. The F35 took that ethos but combined it with a pioneering attitude towards new technology.
Manufactured from 2006, the F35 is the cutting edge of aviation technology. The single-engine craft integrates advanced stealth capabilities, supersonic speed, extreme agility and advanced sensor fusion technology, making it one of the most advanced aircraft in the world.
The F35 program revolutionised manufacturing processes by utilising techniques such as additive manufacturing, automated assembly and digital thread technology. The production of the F35 truly set new standards in efficiency and precision. Then comes the onboard technology. Advanced avionics, integrated sensor suite and unparalleled stealth capabilities go hand in hand with the F35’s ability to gather and share vast amounts of data in real-time. This enhances situational awareness and decision-making, giving pilots a tactical advantage.
Being an engineer, the thing that fascinates me is its inherently unstable shape. Fly by wire computer systems handle “relaxed stability” flight and are driven by software that is programmed to help the pilot react in any conceivable scenario. Much of this is comes from simulations on top of simulations. It’s all incredible stuff!
In an age of advanced aircraft, the F35 goes beyond. From materials that minimise the radar cross-section to cybersecurity – the aircraft brings together the latest engineering and technology approaches with more agile, software-style development.
As we all know perfection is not a static concept. Learning and adaptation has to be a key facet of perfection and this is where the F35 really excels. A digital thread connects the entire lifecycle from design and engineering to maintenance an operations enabling continuous improvement over its lifetime. Even if we conclude that the F35 is not currently perfect, as a truly evolving asset that lives in both digital and real worlds, constant digital feedback means it becomes more perfect with every iteration.
Today it is rightly considered the world’s most advanced fighter jet.
What designers can learn from the creation of the F35:
- User-centric design. The F35 was of course designed to hit a “multi role” defence brief, and is designed with certain missions and the pilot’s ability to meet those missions, in mind. Speed and responsiveness are compounded with tools to provide pilots with unprecedented levels of situational awareness to aid decision making. The tip here is to always think about who is using your products. Ask what they need to do with them and why.
- Embrace new technologies as needed to execute your vision. The F35 showcases the importance of integrating the latest technologies into product design. From stealth materials to advanced avionics. From the operational digital thread to onboard data sharing capabilities. Embracing the very latest technology can elevate performance to create an iconic product. You simply could not develop the F35 using the same tech it took to develop the bike and Land Rover.
- Digital collaboration at scale. The F35 team ran one of the first ever fully digitised manufacturing development processes. Beyond drawings and models – this involved digital project planning. Not just across not just teams, divisions or companies but countries, there were eight partner nations collaborating on the project. With a digital end-to-end process you can hit new levels of organisation and creativity. Always use the latest collaboration tools to empower global teamwork and ensure contributors are working towards a common goal.
- Smashing together real and virtual worlds. The late 90s saw tremendous changes in virtual design and manufacturing. It was crucial for the development team to translate digital innovation into physical reality with the F35. It’s here that ideas of “quality” are actually played out and in the case of the F35. Lives and national security depend on it. As we move forward, increased interconnectivity between the physical and virtual is a key enabler. This is how we create closed loop quality systems that continuously improve over the lifetime of an asset.
The bike, the utility vehicle and the fighter jet
The three products mentioned above differ in practically every way. Using an indicative scale we can crystallise this point. A bike has perhaps 10 engineered or innovative components. The Land Rover might have closer to 100, but the F35 fighter jet probably has in excess of 10,000. The examples provided therefore directly map the evolution of products from simple to ruggedly engineered, and onto highly sensory, precision machines.
They also do something else – they directly map the rise of technology and the adoption of digital tools within engineering. The basic engineering of the bicycle has remained steadfast, proving that simplicity is often the answer. However, modern AI and simulation tools take us from the penny farthing to the latest full suspension e-Bike in a couple of hours.
The technology landscape and product perfection
Technology has a huge role to play in any conversation about product perfection. The future is vastly more exciting than the past and present. It about digital application and scale.
In a follow on blog I will explore how technology can accelerate us ever closer to perfection. We’ll assess the meaning of excellence and perfection. We will do this by looking at product development through the lens of emerging technology such as Digital Twins, AI, collaboration and more. This will highlight how product developers can augment their innovation.
Join me then and in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few closing thoughts on the topic from Elon Musk.
