The design mix refers to three aspects of design that companies need to consider during
the research and development stage of creating a new product. Getting
the right design mix for your target market helps create a product that consumers want,
at a price they are willing to pay. By creating a product with the right design mix
you are significantly increasing the chance of success when the product is brought to market,
as it’s easier to sell products designed with the wants and needs of consumers in mind.
But what is the design mix?
The design mix is made up of 3 factors that a business needs to consider
when creating a desirable product. The first of these factors
is aesthetics. The aesthetics of the product is how the product looks. This part of the design
mix is about creating a product that is visually appealing to the target audience. The aesthetics
of a product helps businesses differentiate their product from their competitors, and when done well
can be the products USP. A luxury product will need a sleek design using premium materials
along with packaging that also reflects the premium image of the brand.
Take the iPhone 13 pro for example it is extremely aesthetically pleasing to the eye
with its all-glass front and sleek minimalist design. The materials used in its construction
are high quality and allow it to be extremely thin and light. Customers can choose from a range
of colours and two sizes to give them a choice of phone that meets their personal preference.
Each element of the aesthetics of the phone are designed to appeal to customers and make the
phone better looking and more desirable than the competition. This premium feel is also reflected
in the packaging with its minimalist approach and box design. Having a successfully aesthetic design
has added value to Apples iPhone as it has become an aspirational item that many customers must own.
Function is the second factor of the design mix, and relates to what the product does and how well
it does it. Does your product work reliably and function as it should? When creating a product,
the function it has, and its reliability can quickly become the products unique selling point.
iPhones are well known for their functionality and reliability with the iPhone 13 pro being
no exception to the rule as it has many functions that all operate at the top of their game such as;
the world’s fastest smartphone chip, 1 terabyte of storage and a 12 mega pixel true depth camera,
plus much more. By Apple focusing on function in the design mix they have
continually managed to create iPhones that consumers desire based on what they can do.
Cost is the final piece of the design mix and is about how cost-effective a product is to
manufacture and whether the production of the product is financially viable.
If the cost of production is high, then this cost will be passed on to the consumer which
could make the product too expensive for its intended audience. If costs are kept low by using
sub-standard materials, then the product will look cheap and will not be of the required quality.
The iPhone 13 pro is an extremely profitable product, as they have struck a balance
between using good quality materials and a price point that consumer are willing to pay.
The iPhone 13 pro costs around 420 pounds to make,
with a sale price in the UK of £949 making the economics of the iPhone 13 pro very viable.
Apple could make the iPhone for much less by using cheaper materials such as plastics
instead of stainless steel and aluminium, but this would compromise the quality and aesthetics
of the phone potentially ruining their reputation and their ability to charge a high selling price.
Having the right design mix for your product in terms of; aesthetics,
function and cost increases the products chances of success. It is about finding the right mix for
your customer and what their wants and needs are from your product. This may be making the product
as cheap as possible but highly functional or could be making the product more premium
by prioritising the design and aesthetics of the product at higher costs like the iPhone 13 pro.
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