Intentionality is critical to product design. Why does
Ikea design their furniture the way they do?
Why does Tata Motors design a
stripped down, super-efficient automobile?
In both cases, the “why” was determined by a desire to tap into a vast
market segment while minimizing shipping costs. By producing furniture
and cars at the lowest possible cost, Ikea and Tata Motors capture the
cost-conscious, utility-focused consumer and makes their supply chains as efficient as possible..
The gadget highlighted in the article exemplifies this
intentionality in that it is extremely functional for a certain subset of
people: urban apartment dwellers. Within
one hour, the battery-operated vacuum can charge enough to clean an average
studio apartment. And, at a weight of
roughly 7.5 points, the vacuum can be easily transported from the store to
one’s home.
How, then, does intentionality impact one’s supply
chain? Ikea and Tata Motors both design
their products with their supply chains in mind. Both companies built their products such that
they can extract every ounce of value from their shipping and freight
costs. The AirRam vacuum, with its light
weight and compact frame, seems designed with a similar objective in mind. Its
design is also amenable to the greatest constraint on big-city life and to the
final phase in the supply chain: transporting the product from the retailer to
the customer’s home. Imagine
Philadelphia or Chicago or Manhattan- big cities in which most people rely on
light-rail and bus networks. A portable
vacuum is much easier to bring on a subway than a hulking Dyson.
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