Products are the foundation of technological improvements and growth in humanity. They help provide tremendous value and can be used as tools to elevate us to reach the next level. Steve Jobs once explained that humans are one of the worst and least efficient users of locomotive ability in the animal kingdom and the condor was the best. However, humans with a bicycle were vastly more efficient than all other creatures combined. With the help of these magnificent tools, humanity is all the better.
I like cars. However, I would not say I love cars for the sake of liking cars or because they can go fast for the purpose of going fast (for the most part). I mean fast cars are cool, but I primarily love cars because they let people travel across the planet quickly to other places. In 1983, the average trip from New York to Los Angeles took 63 days. The same trip today is about 28 hours. The fastest car then drove about 12 mph and the fastest car now (the Hennessey Venom F5) drives at 301 mph. These vehicles amplify the human experience of life. They have gone from tools of local and occasional use to global daily use thanks to their effect on how we travel and where we can now move to.
The smartphone does things greater than someone in the 1800’s could comprehend. You can call, text, look something up, listen to music, shop, bank, schedule things, and do almost an infinite amount of other things on a rectangular device. It has allowed people to stay in the know and provide the world with incredible information.
The development side is a different passion of mine. When I create something of intrinsic value for someone, I feel great. When it’s something exciting and cool in my eyes, it feels even more significant. The process of putting the puzzle pieces together and making something that you sell plus build to surprise consumers, lets you start to feel the greatness that is product creation.
An example of this for me is shoes. I know, here I go on shoes for the billionth time. However, I have recently been developing a shoe (for the second time), and everything about it makes me excited. When I started working on what the prototype would look like, I became acutely aware of how much it didn’t even seem like work. Same goes for the process of material selection, sole style, what the last looks like, etc. In roughly 20 days I will receive the manufactured prototype. If all looks well, then pre-orders will start and if not then I will continue to try to make the shoe as best as possible.
One of the best parts of making something you’re going to put out into the market is that in the process of doing so, you get so many ideas for bigger and better improvements. You get ideas for technological advances that can help consumers and take place in your interested field. The ideas for marketing, operations, finance, etc. start to fill your mind, and it is pure bliss. One also merely recognizing the process of actually making it happen is joy in of its self.
This is why I love products and product development.