Product design in life--"Milk cola Economics" excerpt

Why is milk sold in square boxes, coke in a round bottle?

Almost all soft drink bottles, whether glass or aluminum cans, are cylindrical. But the milk box seems to be square. Square containers can use shelf space more economically than cylindrical containers. So why do soft drink manufacturers insist on using cylindrical containers?

One reason may be that the soft drinks are mostly directly in the container, so the extra storage costs are offset by the fact that the cylindrical container is more hand-called. But the milk is not so, most people do not directly on the box to drink milk.

If the milk container is cylindrical, we need a bigger fridge.

But even if most people drink milk directly from the box, the cost-benefit principle also shows that they are unlikely to be sold in cylindrical containers. Yes, a square container (whatever it is in the container) does save shelf space, but the space saved in an example of milk is obviously more cost-effective than a soft drink. Most soft drinks in supermarkets are placed on open shelves, which are cheap and usually do not have operating costs. But the milk needs to be specially installed in the freezer, the freezer is very expensive, the operation cost is also high. Therefore, the http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/17325.html in the freezer "> storage space is very valuable, thereby improving the use of square containers of milk benefits."

Why do you open the fridge, the refrigerator will be lit, freezer cabinet will not light?

To answer this question, economists are bound to compare costs and benefits. Whether in the freezer or in the freezer, an open door will automatically light the lamp, the cost is almost the same. That's what economists call "fixed costs," which means that it doesn't change as you switch the number of refrigerators. In terms of income, there is a lamp in the cupboard and it is easier for you to find something. Since most people open refrigerators more often than they do, it is clear that the benefits of installing a lamp in the freezer are greater. So, since the cost of adding a lamp is the same, then, according to the principle of cost-effectiveness, it is more cost-effective to put a light in a cooler than in a freezer.

Of course, not all consumers agree that installing a lamp in a freezer is not a good deal. By and large, the higher a person's income is, the more likely they are to pay for additional functionality if they are willing to pay for the benefits of such a function. Therefore, the principle of cost-effectiveness tells us that in order to enjoy the convenience of the lamp in the freezer, the consumers with high incomes may be more willing to spend more money. Sure enough. The Pro48 refrigerator produced by Sub-Zero, an upscale refrigerator manufacturer, not only lights up in the freezer, but also lights up each layer of individual ice. What's the price of this refrigerator? 14450 dollars. So Sub-Zero's Pro48 fridge is another exception to the principle of cost-effectiveness.

Why can laptops operate under the power standards of any country, and most other appliances are not?

At present, the United States power system to provide home electricity is 110 volts, there are many countries for 220 volts. The power cord of the notebook computer is built into the transformer so that the computer can operate normally under two standards. Conversely, televisions and refrigerators can operate only under one standard. To use American refrigerators in France, you have to buy a single transformer and convert France's 220 volt power supply to 110 volts. Similarly, in the United States with Korean television, can only buy a single transformer, the United States 110 volts of power conversion to 220 volts. Why can't these appliances be ubiquitous like laptops?

The electricity that transmits 220 volts is slightly cheaper than 110 volts, and is slightly more dangerous. In the end, most countries have had a fairly broad argument about which transmission systems to use, and once the decision is made, the country will invest a lot of money in the chosen system. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect countries to switch to a unified electricity supply standard in the near future. So people who travel with electrical appliances across the border need to find ways to ensure that they can be used under different power standards.

The built-in transformers for all electrical appliances will undoubtedly meet this demand, but this would increase the cost of manufacturing the electrical appliances. The vast majority of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions and other electrical appliances may not have the opportunity to travel abroad, so it makes no sense to add extra costs to their built-in transformers.

Laptops are an exception, especially when it's just born. At that time, most of the people who bought laptops were business people who needed to travel around their home and abroad. For these people, carrying heavy transformers on international flights is an unacceptable burden. So laptop manufacturers built transformers in their computers from the start.

The cost of

aluminum cans could have been lower, but why don't people do that?

The task of an aluminum can is to pack a drink. 12 ounces 1 ounces = 31.1039 grams sold in most parts of the world. --the editor's aluminum cans are cylindrical, and the height (12 cm) is about twice times the width (6.5 cm in diameter). If you make this kind of cans shorter and fatter, you can use a lot of aluminum. For example, 7.8 cm high, 7.6 cm diameter cylindrical aluminum cans, with the current standard can capacity, but less than nearly 30% of aluminum. Since shorter cans cost less, why do people still use standard cans?

Because of this illusion, consumers may not want to buy soft drinks with chunky cans and feel that they are small in size. But the explanation seems to imply that competitors are giving up easy profit opportunities. That is, if the illusion is only one reason why consumers are unwilling to buy chunky cans, competitors can offer the cans and make it clear that the container's capacity is exactly the same as the traditional cans. Since the production of chunky cans is cheaper, the beverage makers who sell the cans can offer a slightly lower price than traditional manufacturers, while offsetting their costs. Therefore, if only the illusion of a problem, there will inevitably be a competitor to take advantage of the easy profit opportunities.

The illusion: It looks like the vertical bar is long, but actually not.

Another possible explanation is that customers who buy soft drinks prefer slender cans. Even if they knew the capacity of the chunky cans was the same, they would rather have a little more money to buy the slender, just as they would be willing to pay more to live in a hotel room with a better view.

Product design features sometimes reflect the firm's deliberate thinking: how different functions affect user behavior. For example, if someone doesn't want to get a speeding ticket, he might be willing to pay more for a car with a speeding alarm. The following two examples show how a manufacturer's strategic decision on a design feature, which will have an impact on the use of the product, is reflected in the product.

Why are some of the car's refueling holes on the driver's side and some on the co-pilot side?

One of the most frustrating experience of renting a car is that Che Zhao always open his own car to stop in front of the pump, but found that the tank position on the other side of the body, oil gun out of reach. In fact, the car manufacturers only need to unify the refueling hole on one side of the car, can solve the problem. But why didn't they do it?

In countries where the United States and other vehicles drive on the right, it is easier to turn right than left when crossing the street. So most drivers will go to the gas station where they can turn right. Assuming that the fuel tank is always on the driver side of the vehicle, the driver must park on the right side of the pump in order to refuel. As a result, all the right oil pumps will be packed in the rush hour, while most of the oil pumps on the left are not being used.

So, the refueling holes of different models are located on different sides, which means that some cars can refuel from the left. So the drivers don't have to wait in line to refuel. This benefit, obviously, is much more costly than the occasional stop-and-go when it comes to fueling a rented car.

If the fuel hole is on the driver's side, the gas station will surely queue up a long fleet.

In some cases, product design not only to meet the possible use of products, products want to express to the user what kind of information will also affect it. The following two examples show that the information conveyed in a certain form is more easily absorbed by people or cheaper.

Why is the portrait on the coin on the side like the portrait on the paper?

Look at the change in your pocket and you'll find that the former president's head on the coin is all sideways, with Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt on the Dime, Washington and Kennedy on the side. But you can't find a profile on the paper money in your wallet. Washington on 1 dollar notes, Lincoln on 5 dollars, Lewis Hamilton on the 10 dollar, Jackson on 20 dollars, Grant on the 50 dollar, and Franklin on the Hundred dollar bill are all positive portraits. Except for a few exceptions, the situation in other countries is similar: the coin is on the side, and the paper is a positive image. Why is there such a difference?

To put it simply, although most painters prefer a positive portrait, the technical difficulties that exist in metal engraving make it difficult to draw a positive portrait of a high degree of recognition on a coin. The space on the coin for painting is generally 4 centimeters square, because the fineness is not enough, it is difficult to draw a positive portrait that can be easily identified. On the other hand, it is much easier to recognize the subject if you are only painting the side image. It is technically necessary to draw a fine, positive portrait on a coin, but the cost is very substantial. At the same time, with the circulation of coins, exquisite details will soon wear off.

Since the profile is easier to make and identify, why is it discarded on the paper? This is because the fine and complex face portrait can prevent the manufacture of counterfeit banknotes.

Why women's buttons on the left, men's buttons are always on the right?

It is not surprising that garment manufacturers adopt corresponding uniform standards for different purchasing groups ' different demands on the function of clothing. Oddly enough, women apply the same standards as men. If the standards are entirely random, that's another thing. But the men's standard is also very suitable for women. After all, more than 90% of the world's people (both men and women) are right-handed, with the right hand from the right button to buckle more easily. So, why are women's buttons on the left?

Dress problem, history is the final word.

In this example, it seems that history is the final rule. When the 17th century button was first published, only the rich man's coat was buttoned. According to the custom at the time, the man dressed himself, and the lady was helped by the servant. The buttons on the women's shirts were nailed to the left, greatly facilitating the hostess's servants (many right-handed). Men's shirts are buttoned on the right, not only because most men wear their own clothes, but also because they use their right hand to pull out the sword hanging on the left waist, which is not easily taken by the shirt.

Now there are still servants waiting for the ladies to dress, I am afraid, why the women's buttons remain on the left? Once the norm is established, it is difficult to change. Since all women's blouses are on the left, it would be risky to have a garment dealer with a blouse on the right. After all, ladies have long been accustomed to buttons from the left, and once the buttons are switched to the right, they have to develop new habits and use new skills. Despite this practical difficulty, some women may feel embarrassed to wear a shirt in the right hand, because the person who sees it will think that she is wearing a men's shirt.

In this form, I also add a:

Why foreign mobile phone pre-installed procedures are less, while the domestic likes to preinstall a lot of programs?

Foreign mobile phones are usually equipped with the App Store, less pre-installed procedures, and even put some important programs in the app shop (such as ibooks's iphone), can encourage users to learn, use the App Store, more tripartite application can be promoted, This is beneficial to the establishment of the whole three-party software ecological environment.

Domestic conditions are different from those in foreign countries. First, the operator-led app Store itself was poorly designed, followed by a large number of handsets that did not wifi,3g/gprs the cost of using the App Store. In this case, more pre-installed programs become a good way to promote software. Of course, the side effect of this is that it is likely that the user has been using the phone for a long time, still unaware of the existence of the App Store.

Summary whether the Internet product design or other product design, there is no external to the minimum cost to meet the greatest demand. The product design of life has the scale effect, but the Internet product most marginal cost is low. Product design ultimately does not revolve around economics; the Economic Society provides some ideas for product design. A feature that is useful, but with too few opportunities to use, is less likely to be added to a product. Product design needs to find a balance between demand and price. The function of product design should be in accordance with the principle of cost-effectiveness. The details of the product design also have a certain relationship with the geometry principle. The firm's strategic decision will eventually be embodied in the product design. Product design not only to meet the possible use of products, products want to convey to the user what kind of information, it will have an impact. The historical source and cultural background are also the factors to be considered in product design. Source: http://mxwu.does-exist.info/blog/?p=252