Everyday Non-Tech Products: Explain Their Design Strengths and Redesign One

Name three non-tech products that you love, and explain why each one is a favorite. Then choose one of the three and explain how you would make it better. ### Clarifying Questions - What counts as a non-tech product here: anything with no electronics or software, or anything not made by a technology company? - When I improve the product, may I add technology to it, or should the improved version remain non-tech? - Should the improvement serve people like me who already love the product, or may I target users it serves poorly today? ### Part 1 — Three favorites and why Present your three products. For each one, explain who it is for, what it does for them and what makes it stand out from the alternatives. ```hint Explain the design, not the feeling "It's convenient" or "it's well made" is not a reason. Point to the specific choices in the product's shape, material or price that make it work, and say which user problem each choice solves. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - Three products that clearly fit the definition and show some range. - For each product, the user, the need it meets and the concrete design choices behind its success. - A common thread across the three that reveals how the candidate judges products. ### Part 2 — Improve one of them Pick one of your three products and propose how you would improve it. ```hint Look for who it fails Even a well-loved product leaves some users or situations poorly served. Start from those gaps rather than from features you would enjoy adding. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A reasoned choice of product and a clear goal for the improvement. - A target user segment and its specific pain points. - Several improvement ideas, prioritized, with one recommendation and its trade-offs. - How the improvement would be tested and measured. ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Reasoning grounded in users and design decisions rather than personal taste alone. - An improvement that keeps what makes the product great instead of piling on features. - The constraints of physical goods: manufacturing cost, durability, retail price and safety rules. - Success measures a physical product can actually collect, such as sales, returns, ratings and warranty claims. ### Follow-up Questions - Your improvement raises the cost of making each unit. How would you decide whether to ship it, and at what price? - How would you test the improvement before committing to a production run? - Which of your three products is most at risk of being replaced by a digital alternative, and what should its maker do about it?