Hasta La Ideas

Since the dawn of time, inventors have searched for ways to build the proverbial better mousetrap. Engineers envision a society where everything is (to steal from Kanye West Daft Punk) “harder, better, faster, stronger.” Our cold relief medicines don’t just treat a runny nose, they treat “sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever” ailments. Bring on the bells! Bring on the whistles!

A counterculture has gained prominence, however, in the technological community that is focusing their efforts on simplification instead of pure optimization. Case in point, the new Vscan from GE:

The pocket-size ultrasound imaging device is straightforward, bare-bones diagnostic equipment. It’s the ultrasound equivalent of a stethoscope and it costs under $8,000. It doesn’t do the things a six-figure, mini-fridge size, full-blown feature ultrasound machine can do, but that isn’t its purpose. Medics can carry it into crash sites and on the battle field, rural doctors can bring it directly to their patients, and primary care physicians can do preliminary scans in their offices before sending patients to specialists.

The Economist calls new products like the Vscan “frugal innovations” in their April special report on emerging markets. The article “First break all the rules” looks specifically at India and China and how manufacturers are “working backwards” to make simpler products:

Instead of adding ever more bells and whistles, they strip the products down to their bare essentials … Frugal innovation is not just about redesigning products; it involves rethinking entire production processes and business models.

The rise of simplification trends in product designs means that more people can get what they want without extraneous features, and usually at a reasonable price. Obviously, I’m a fan of this trend and I look forward to learning about what comes into the market. Be sure to check out the full article to learn about more products like the Vscan that reflect this simplification trend.