Designing transcendent products

There is increasing demand for products which transcend fundamental trade-offs such as quality versus economy. However, existing design methods are of limited usefulness when it comes to developing these transcendent products. Transcendent products are those combinations of goods and services which transcend fundamental attribute trade-offs such as: sophistication versus price; personalisation versus delivery time; and quality versus availability. Transcendent products are usually retained by one person, one household or one organisation. In contrast, public transcendent products are always available to all. In the future, the design of private transcendent products will be a major factor in determining the standard of living experienced within nations, and the design of public transcendent products will be a major factor in determining quality of life. The emphasis of the design process for public transcendent products may often be different to that for private transcendent products. Both address physical design and organisational design but not necessarily in the same order. A proven way of bringing a structured approach to product design is the use of methodologies. These are based on fundamental design principles, which are realised through the application of methodology rules and strategies. Design principles for transcendent products are clarity, unity and flexibility. There is evidence of a lack of clarity, unity and flexibility in the design of Britain´s public transport, public health care etc. A methodological approach is required to overcome these underlying problems because they stem from deeply rooted cultural values.