Industrial Design Isn’t Just About Looks — It’s About Line Strategy

Tim Coomer • January 8, 2026

Industrial Design Importance

When people hear industrial design, they often think aesthetics. Color. Shape. Style. That’s a mistake.

Industrial design is one of the most powerful strategic tools you have when creating or updating products within an existing line. When done well, it doesn’t just make products look better—it makes the entire portfolio work better.

I’ve seen firsthand that the most successful product lines aren’t the ones with the most features. They’re the ones that feel intentional, cohesive, and clearly tiered.

Design Is How Customers Understand a Product Line

Most customers don’t read spec sheets. They scan shelves, scroll listings, and make decisions in seconds. Industrial design does the heavy lifting by:

Signaling good / better / best without a single word
Creating visual consistency that builds brand trust
Helping customers instantly understand where a product fits in the lineup

If every SKU looks different, customers hesitate. If everything looks the same, they trade down. Design is what prevents both.

Line Updates Are Where Design Matters Most

Updating a product inside an established line is harder than launching something new. You’re not just solving a functional problem—you’re navigating:

Backward compatibility
Existing customer expectations
Channel price fences
Internal SKU complexity

This is where industrial design becomes a constraint solver, not a styling exercise.

Smart design updates can:
Introduce cost reduction without signaling “cheap”
Modernize a product without orphaning older models
Differentiate SKUs using form, materials, and proportions—not just features

Poorly executed updates, on the other hand, create confusion, cannibalization, and brand erosion.

Design Drives Operational Efficiency

This part doesn’t get talked about enough. Thoughtful industrial design can enable:

Shared components across models
Family certifications instead of one-off approvals
Simplified packaging and logistics
Faster development cycles for future line extensions

In other words, design decisions upstream directly impact cost, speed, and scalability downstream.

Industrial Design Is a Business Discipline

The best industrial designers I’ve worked with understand margins, tooling, certifications, and manufacturing realities. They don’t just ask, “What should this look like?” They ask, “How does this product need to behave within the line?” That mindset is what separates cosmetic refreshes from strategic line evolution.

Design is how products speak. Design is how lines stay coherent. Design is how brands scale without breaking. And when you’re updating or extending a product line, industrial design isn’t optional—it’s foundational.

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Why Category Management Matters — And Why Planned Obsolescence Isn’t a Dirty Word

By Tim Coomer • December 6, 2025
One of the biggest lessons I've learned in product leadership is this: healthy categories don’t manage themselves. If you’re not actively shaping the lineup, the market will shape it for you. Category management isn’t about maintaining the biggest catalog—it’s about maintaining the smartest one. Every SKU should have a purpose, a role, and a plan. Not Every Product Deserves to Live Forever Hard truth: some products outlive their usefulness. They get outdated, lose competitiveness, or create more noise than value. Holding onto them isn’t loyalty—it’s indecision. A strong category has clarity, not clutter. Planned Obsolescence = Planned Evolution “Planned obsolescence” gets a bad reputation, but in modern product strategy it simply means: we understand the lifecycle of every product we make. We know when it should launch, how long it should be competitive, when a replacement is needed, and what the next version must improve. It’s about staying proactive instead of scrambling to fix outdated products. Intentional lifecycles keep your category moving forward. End-of-Life (EOL) Is Part of a Healthy Category EOL isn’t failure—it’s strategy. A clean, disciplined EOL process: Prevents catalog bloat Reduces operational drag Protects margin Improves customer clarity Makes room for innovation The categories that win are the ones that know when a product’s job is done A Healthy Lineup Is Obvious to Everyone. When a category is managed well, you see it instantly: Clear Good/Better/Best tiers Modern, refreshed offerings Obsolete items removed promptly A lineup that makes sense to customers, sales, and retail partners It’s the difference between a crisp portfolio and a cluttered garage. Category Management Is Leadership Category management requires tough calls and forward thinking. But when you embrace product lifecycles, planned obsolescence, and EOL as strategic tools, you end up with a category that’s: Stronger More profitable Easier to sell Fully aligned with customer expectations A category without an obsolescence plan doesn’t have a plan at all.
Person designing a mobile app, using a phone, paper mockups, and color swatches.

The Power of a Simple UI: When Great Products Don’t Need a Manual

By Tim Coomer • December 6, 2025
One of the most overlooked competitive advantages in product development isn’t a new feature, a breakthrough material, or even a lower price point—it’s simplicity. A truly great product doesn’t need a manual. Not because documentation isn’t valuable, but because the product itself communicates how to use it. Whether you’re developing a consumer electronics product or a toy for children: clear, intuitive UI design directly impacts product adoption, customer satisfaction, and long-term loyalty. The moment a customer must pause, Google instructions, or watch a YouTube video just to “get started,” we’ve already introduced friction. And friction kills momentum. Simplicity Isn’t Basic—It’s Strategic Designing a simple UI is not taking the easy way out. It’s the opposite. It requires discipline: Eliminating unnecessary steps Prioritizing what the customer needs Making the product feel familiar the first time it’s touched Ensuring every button, icon, and interaction has a clear purpose If the interface is confusing, it doesn’t matter how powerful the hardware is or how clever engineering might be. Complexity becomes an anchor that weighs down the entire product experience. There are plenty of case studies on this, including BMW’s iDrive, which was almost impossible to use when driving – something that should have been prioritized. “I Should Just Know How to Use This” That’s the standard I push for in every product review. If I hand a prototype to someone who has never used it, and they can complete the top three tasks without a single question, that’s when I know the UI is heading in the right direction. When the interface teaches itself, the product becomes accessible, empowering, and more likely to be recommended. In a world where everyone is overwhelmed with apps, screens, and notifications, simplicity becomes a form of respect. Apple is the master of this. Simple UI Drives Sales and Reduces Support Costs This isn’t just good design philosophy, it’s good business. Fewer returns Fewer customer support calls Higher satisfaction Faster retail adoption Better reviews Stronger brand reputation Customers reward products that remove friction and make their lives easier. The Best UI Is Often the Quietest The products people fall in love with don’t shout for attention, they simply work. They anticipate rather than confuse. And they guide the user without forcing them to overthink. As product leaders, we don’t just design interfaces—we design confidence. And confidence is built when a customer says: “I didn’t need the manual. I just got it.”