Deconstructing Product Design

Lil’ Pup Dog Bowl

Mark Kimbrough and Pearce Jones for Wetnoz, 2001

1. Perhaps the most valuable and least understood skill in product design is opportunity recognition — that is, recognizing when problems can (and cannot) be materially impacted through design. Although difficult to formalize, one constant among those proficient at the skill seems to be the ability to achieve a deep understanding of user needs, needs that in many cases users themselves are unable to recognize or articulate. Such is the case with the founders of Design Edge and Wetnoz, both of whom have demonstrated an uncanny knack for not only recognizing opportunities where design can make an impact, but also capitalizing on them — as they have with their ultramodern line ...