How Data Will Drive The Next Big Design Trends

Summary

This video explores the growing trend of data-driven design in product development. Highlighting Microsoft's HoloLens 2 as a case study, it demonstrates how analyzing millions of data points can lead to innovative, comfortable, and competitive products. The video also discusses the ethical considerations of data collection, emphasizing the importance of transparency and customer benefit. It concludes by stressing the need for a balance between leveraging data for innovation and respecting privacy.

Takeaways

• 📊 Data-driven design is becoming increasingly important in the 2020s and will likely continue to be a significant trend in product design.
• 🧠 Data refers to facts and statistics collected for analysis, and its use in product design is not new, but the scale and impact of big data are transforming the field.
• 🎯 Microsoft's HoloLens 2 is an example of how data was used to create a one-size-fits-most design, accommodating the diverse shapes and sizes of human heads.
• 🔥 The use of a digital twin in the design process of HoloLens 2 allowed for thousands of trials and tests to manage heat dissipation efficiently, leading to a more comfortable product.
• 🛠️ Data can provide a competitive advantage in product design, but it's essential to use it smartly and understand when diminishing returns set in.
• 🏥 Insight Surgical uses computer vision and data to improve patient safety in the operating room, demonstrating the life-saving potential of accurate data collection.
• 🤖 The difficulty in obtaining certain types of data, like medical records, can create a barrier to entry for competitors, thus enhancing the value of the data collected.
• 🏎️ Companies like Zinger use data to optimize their products, such as the strength-to-weight ratio in their hypercars, through computer simulations.
• 👟 Nike leverages data to customize athletic gear, like outsoles for shoes, to enhance performance, which contributed to their athletes' success in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
• 👗 Shein, a fashion brand, exemplifies how data from social media and trending searches can rapidly inform product decisions and disrupt the fast fashion market.
• 🤔 Ethical considerations around data collection are crucial; companies must balance the benefits of data-driven design with the privacy and consent of their users.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The video script focuses on the importance of data-driven design in product development, its impact on innovation, and the ethical considerations around data collection.

Why is data-driven design considered a significant trend for the 2020s and beyond?

Data-driven design is significant because it allows for the collection and analysis of vast amounts of data, informing product decisions and enabling innovations that were previously impossible.

What was Microsoft's approach to designing the HoloLens 2 headset?

Microsoft scanned thousands of people's heads to gather data on head shapes and sizes, which helped them create a 'one size fits most' design for the HoloLens 2 headset.

How did Microsoft address the issue of heat management in the HoloLens 2 design?

Microsoft used a digital twin, a computer simulation of the physical device, to conduct thousands of trials and tests, ultimately finding a solution to effectively diffuse heat away from the user's face.

What is a digital twin and how was it utilized in the design of HoloLens?

A digital twin is a digital clone of a physical product. In the case of HoloLens, it was used to simulate the product's performance, allowing for rapid iteration and testing of design solutions.

How does data-driven design provide a competitive advantage?

Data-driven design provides a competitive advantage by enabling companies to make more informed decisions, create more effective and personalized products, and stay ahead of competitors through continuous improvement.

What ethical considerations are mentioned in the script regarding data collection?

The script discusses the importance of collecting data in an ethical way, such as ensuring anonymity and transparency with users about what data is collected and how it's used.

Can you provide an example of a company using data to improve product design in the medical field?

Insight Surgical is an example of a company using computer vision and data to identify tools in the operating room, aiming to prevent accidents like leaving a gauze pad inside a patient.

How does data influence the design and what to design in the context of the fashion industry?

In the fashion industry, companies like Shein use data from social media and trending search terms to quickly produce and test new garments, responding to trends faster than traditional fast fashion brands.

What are the potential downsides of data-driven design mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that while data-driven design can lead to innovation, it can also lead to ethical concerns around privacy, potential misuse of data, and the risk of companies collecting more data than necessary.

How can companies ensure they are collecting data ethically and beneficially for their customers?

Companies can ensure ethical data collection by asking if the data benefits the customer, being transparent about what data is collected and how it's used, and seeking customer consent in a clear and straightforward manner.

Outlines

00:00

📊 Data-Driven Design: The Future of Product Innovation

The video script discusses the growing importance of data in product design, emphasizing its role as a key trend for the 2020s and beyond. It highlights how data collection, especially at a massive scale, is transforming the way products are designed. The script uses Microsoft's HoloLens 2 as a case study, illustrating how data on head shapes and sizes was crucial in creating a comfortable, one-size-fits-most headset. It also touches on the use of digital twins for heat management in the device, showcasing the competitive advantage gained through data-driven design. The summary underscores the impact of emerging technologies like cloud computing and machine learning in making data analysis more accessible and powerful for product innovation.

05:01

🔍 Ethical Considerations and Competitive Advantage in Data Usage

This paragraph delves into the ethical controversies and competitive advantages associated with data collection and usage. It contrasts the accessible yet easily replicable data of Microsoft's headscans with the more exclusive and difficult-to-obtain medical data used by Insight Surgical, which has a significant impact on patient safety. The script also discusses the challenges of obtaining medical data due to strict regulations and the importance of collecting data ethically. It further explores how data can be quickly copied by competitors, diminishing its long-term value, and provides examples of other companies like Zinger and Nike using data for product optimization and performance enhancement. The summary also addresses the ethical implications of data collection, privacy issues, and the importance of transparency with users regarding data usage.

10:03

📈 Data's Role in Shaping Business Strategies and Consumer Experiences

The final paragraph examines how data is not only informing the design process but also driving what products are created. It presents Shein, a fashion brand leveraging social media data for rapid market response, as an example of a company using data to understand and capitalize on trends quickly. The script critiques fast fashion's questionable ethics, including copying designs and environmental concerns, while acknowledging Shein's successful data-driven strategy. It also discusses the broader implications of data collection for businesses, including the potential negative impact on consumer trust and the importance of collecting data that benefits the customer. The summary concludes with a call for companies to be mindful of the balance between business advantage and customer benefit in their data strategies.

Keywords

💡Data-Driven Design

Data-Driven Design refers to the approach where decisions in the design process are informed by the collection and analysis of data. In the context of the video, it is identified as a significant trend in the 2020s and beyond, influencing how products are designed. The video emphasizes its importance through examples like Microsoft's HoloLens 2, which used data to create a comfortable, one-size-fits-most headset.

💡Data Collection

Data Collection is the process of gathering facts and statistics for reference or analysis. The video discusses the ethical controversies around data collection, highlighting the importance of doing it in a way that benefits the end customer. It also mentions the challenges of collecting certain types of data, such as medical records, which are heavily regulated.

💡Digital Twin

A Digital Twin is a virtual model or simulation of a physical object or system. The video explains how Microsoft used a digital twin to test and refine the design of the HoloLens 2, allowing for thousands of trials and tests in a computer simulation before finalizing the physical product design.

💡Heat Diffusion

Heat Diffusion is the process by which heat is spread out or transferred away from a source. In the video, it is mentioned as a critical factor in the design of the HoloLens 2, where the team used data and a digital twin to develop a design that effectively dissipates heat away from the user's face.

💡Competitive Advantage

Competitive Advantage is the attribute that enables an entity to outperform its competitors. The video illustrates this with the HoloLens team's use of data to create a comfortable headset, giving them a distinct edge in the market. It also discusses how data can be used to create a competitive advantage in product design, but only if done smartly and ethically.

💡Computer Vision

Computer Vision is a field of artificial intelligence that trains computers to interpret and analyze visual information from the world. The video cites Insight Surgical as an example of using computer vision to improve patient safety in the operating room, making it a critical tool for data collection and analysis in the medical field.

💡Customizability and Personalization

Customizability and Personalization refer to the ability to tailor products or services to individual preferences or needs. The video mentions Nike's use of data to create customized outsoles for athletes, enhancing performance and demonstrating how data can drive personalization in product design.

💡Ethical Controversies

Ethical Controversies arise when there are disagreements or concerns about the morality of certain practices. The video discusses the ethical issues related to data collection, particularly in the context of privacy and the potential misuse of personal information by companies.

💡Fast Fashion

Fast Fashion refers to the rapid production of inexpensive clothing following the latest fashion trends. The video uses the example of the company Shein, which leverages data from social media to quickly produce and market new garments, illustrating how data can inform not just the design process but also business strategies in the fashion industry.

💡Data Privacy

Data Privacy is the protection of personal information from unauthorized access or disclosure. The video touches on privacy issues related to data collection, such as companies collecting more data than necessary and the impact of Apple's feature allowing users to control app data tracking, which affected Facebook's revenue and data tracking capabilities.

💡Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is the delivery of computing services, including storage, processing, and software, over the internet. The video mentions new cloud computing and machine learning tools that enable companies to analyze large volumes of data more efficiently, contributing to the rise of data-driven design.

Highlights

Data-driven design is becoming a crucial trend in the 2020s, influencing product design through the use of vast amounts of data.

Microsoft's HoloLens 2 project exemplifies the use of data in product design, overcoming challenges in creating a universally comfortable headset.

Data collection allowed Microsoft to scan thousands of heads to determine the ideal shape for the HoloLens 2, ensuring comfort for a wide range of users.

Heat management in the HoloLens 2 was addressed using a digital twin, a digital replica of the device for simulation and testing.

The digital twin facilitated rapid prototyping and testing, leading to a more effective heat diffusion design in the HoloLens 2.

Data-driven design provides a competitive advantage, as seen with HoloLens being one of the most comfortable headsets on the market.

Data collection must be done smartly to avoid diminishing returns and maintain its value in product design strategy.

Insight Surgical uses computer vision and data to prevent surgical complications, emphasizing the life-saving potential of accurate data.

Ethical data collection, as demonstrated by Insight Surgical, ensures patient benefits without compromising privacy.

Data can be easily copied, as competitors can mimic product designs, but the initial advantage remains with the innovator.

Zinger uses data-driven simulations to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio in their hypercar, showcasing the role of data in innovation.

Nike leverages data to customize outsoles for athletes, contributing to their success in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Data is increasingly guiding not just the design process, but also the decision of what to design, as seen with fashion brand Shein.

Shein's data-heavy strategy allows for rapid response to trends, impacting the fast fashion market significantly.

Data collection raises privacy concerns, with some companies collecting more data than necessary and using it unethically.

Apple's feature allowing users to control app data tracking has impacted companies like Facebook, highlighting the importance of ethical data use.

Companies should assess whether their data collection benefits the customer or solely their business, promoting transparency and ethical practices.

Transcripts

one thing i've been noticing with many

of my clients is a heavy emphasis on

data driven design i think it's going to

be one of the most important design

trends of the 2020s and beyond this

video will give you a better

understanding of why data will be so

important to designing the products we

make the ethical controversies around

data collection and why some types of

data are much more valuable than others

[Music]

so first of all data are just facts and

statistics collected for reference or

analysis everyone uses data to make

decisions all the time that's nothing

new but within the context of this video

i'm talking about millions or even

billions of data points collected and

used to inform product decisions this

somewhat recent phenomenon is allowing

us to do things that were impossible

even as recently as a few years ago

pretty much all major innovations in

design are a direct result of emerging

technology and this trend towards big

data and the designs that will result

from it are no exception when designing

the hollow lens 2 microsoft had to

figure out how to make a headset that

would fit on everyone's head comfortably

the hololens 2 weighs about 580 grams

and that's basically the equivalent of

strapping a loaf of bread to the front

of your forehead and wearing it for

several hours i tested it so you don't

have to it's very uncomfortable but this

task gets even more difficult when you

factor in the radically different shapes

and sizes of people's heads it's

basically like trying to make a

one-size-fits-all shoe individuals have

radically different facial features as

well so if you're designing a headset

that's supposed to fit over your eyes

it's not going to be easy if one

person's brow ridge is zero millimeters

and another's is 15 millimeters so

microsoft had to scan thousands upon

thousands of people's heads in order to

determine the ideal shape for their

headset design this gave them the

necessary data to make proper decisions

in making a one size fits most design

without that data microsoft would have

ended up with a far less comfortable

headset for anyone who's worn a vr or ar

headset that's clunky and uncomfortable

you know how much it takes you out of

the experience

the hololens team also had to deal with

heat so when you have a computer

strapped to your face it's not only

important to make sure that it's

comfortable in terms of not hitting any

pressure points but it also needs to

direct the heat away from your head

testing this with physical prototypes

would have taken forever so instead they

created a digital twin and a digital

twin is basically exactly what it sounds

like it's just a digital clone of

whatever you're trying to make in real

life so in the case of hololens they

probably gathered all of the relevant

data about the product material

compositions component arrangement

material distribution thickness and

types and various heat diffusion

features they put all this in a computer

simulation that was a replica of the

physical device and placed that digital

twin through thousands of trials and

tests until the ai was able to come up

with a solution that successfully

diffused the heat that's how they came

up with this component configuration and

it's probably how they came up with the

channels along the top of the hololens

which helped to cool the device by

guiding the heat upward and away from

the person's face

the digital twin didn't give them a

perfect finished product it was just

sort of a model for them but it got them

close enough to the final design so that

they could move more quickly the data

that the hololens team used to create

this design gave them a very distinct

competitive advantage and you're going

to see more of this data-driven design

as these tools become more accessible

for everyone to use new cloud computing

and machine learning tools allow

companies to sift through this data in a

way that used to be difficult or

impossible hololens is one of the most

comfortable headsets on the market right

now and i can't stress enough how hard

it is to make a 580 gram computer

strapped to your head be comfortable and

microsoft did it with the help of data

now data is going to be incredibly

important to creating a competitive

advantage in product design but only if

it's done in a smart way so if we

continue to use hololens as an example

their data on facial scans is hard to

access they can probably continue to

improve it as they collect more data and

therefore improve the actual final

product but eventually it's going to

lead to diminishing returns so if the

designers and engineers manage to make

the headset fit 100 of people and

everyone can wear it with no issues for

18 hours making the headset even more

comfortable after that point is going to

sort of become unnecessary if the data

you're collecting stops being useful

after a certain point it's not as

valuable of course there's nothing wrong

with this necessarily you just need to

think about this as you formulate a

design strategy as it relates to data

you can contrast this with a client that

i've worked with in the medical field

called insight surgical they're using

computer vision to identify all of the

tools in the operating room so that

something like a gauze pad doesn't

accidentally end up inside of the

patient after an operation and yes this

actually does happen if that data

becomes even 0.1 percent more accurate

it could save lives so there's a huge

benefit to collecting more data in this

case it also makes it harder and harder

for other competitors to catch up so if

one solution is 90 effective at

identifying these surgical complications

just because they have more data to rely

on and another competitor comes up and

it's only eighty percent as effective

it's pretty obvious which one you're

going to choose on top of that getting

access to medical data is extremely

difficult because there are all sorts of

regulations around how medical records

and patient data are shared this data

can't be bought and it's very very hard

to obtain so insight surgical doesn't

keep any of the video footage and they

use computer vision to blur out the name

tags and faces of everyone in the

operating room so it's totally anonymous

i think it's important to mention this

because it's a great example of

collecting data in an ethical way that

ultimately benefits the patient and the

hospital staff another thing is that

while the data that microsoft has on

headscans is not especially easy to

access the resulting product that came

out of that data is not hard to copy so

any competing company can just sort of

get a hololens and copy the way the

weight is distributed copy the materials

and padding placement and copy the way

that the heat is diffused a competitor

could get the benefits of all of the

research that the microsoft team did

without having to do any of the work so

while the data does give them an initial

competitive advantage it can quickly be

copied it's still worth it for microsoft

and other companies in the long run

because they're always going to be one

step ahead of the competition but it's

not quite as valuable as the data that

insight surgical has for their computer

vision anyway if you made it this far

into the video you should totally

subscribe it's free it helps me out and

you can always change your mind later on

to the rest of the video

zinger is another company that runs

thousands of simulations in order to

optimize the strength to weight ratio of

various components for their hyper car

this hyper car is built using several

computer generated simulations that rely

heavily on data this allows the

engineers and designers to come up with

shapes that a human probably would never

have thought of nike is another company

that's investing heavily in data to

determine the outsole structure and

pattern for some of their highest

performing shoes data will enable more

customizability and personalization for

each user nike made a customized outsole

for each of their athletes unique foot

shapes and running event and it helped

their team win 45 medals during the 2016

rio olympics it's getting to a point

where data not only informs how to

design something but also what to design

in the first place so xi'an is a great

example of this they're the biggest

fashion brand that you've never heard of

unless you're their target demographic

of teenage girls which pretty much none

of my viewers are the company is

currently valued at about 15 billion

dollars their strategy is super data

heavy and as a result they're

aggressively taking market share from

the big fast fashion players like zara h

m and forever 21. they do this by

analyzing data from social media and

other trending search terms so if a

video goes viral of a girl wearing a

stylish outfit or top sheen will

immediately contact one of their

factories to make a copy of the garment

the factory will do a limited run of 100

units and see how the sales go based on

how fast the first few units sell they

decide whether or not to create more of

them other companies do this too zara is

a big one but to be fair there are a lot

of issues with xi'an's business model

and pretty much any fast fashion brand

they often copy other designers work

without compensating them they have

questionable quality and safety

standards in their factories there's a

massive amount of environmental waste

that comes from these brands the ethics

of xi'an as a company are definitely

questionable don't get me wrong but they

clearly have developed a system that's

really really heavily data driven and i

think it's a great case study on how

data can inform product design decisions

the way that xian collects data is also

very controversial and it's hard to talk

about data without talking about privacy

issues this is usually good for the

business but it's not always good for

the end customer a lot of companies are

taking more data than they need to and

even selling to third parties or using

it to influence your decisions and

purchasing habits in a negative way

without your knowledge or permission

more recently apple created a new

feature on their phones where you can

decide whether it's okay for certain

apps to collect track and sell your

usage habits this totally destroyed

facebook's revenue and data tracking

capabilities because they rely very very

heavily on this information

not only did facebook lose a ton of

money on this but their stock price

plummeted about 26 percent after it was

reported that fewer people are using

facebook now there are a lot of reasons

why fewer people are using facebook but

the issues they've had with data

collection is definitely no small part

of that the same data collection methods

that turn them into one of the biggest

companies in the world is finally

catching up to them the lesson here is

that companies really need to be careful

about how the data they collect affects

their customers so how do you know if

you've taken your data collection too

far as a company well i think a good

starting point would be to ask my users

and myself two questions number one is

the data that i'm collecting benefiting

the customer or is it really only

benefiting my business's bottom line

if it's not explicitly benefiting the

user's experience in some way you

probably shouldn't do it it might work

out in the short term but you run the

risk of having the same issue that

facebook has recently had and number two

just tell your user what kind of data

you're collecting and how you're using

it in a transparent way and ask him if

they're okay with it and i don't mean in

a dense privacy policy that nobody reads

i mean in real human simple terms data

collection can be unethical but it's

just a tool and it's a powerful tool

that's not going away so rather than

trying to demonize it we should instead

focus on how we can collect data that

actually benefits the end customer

anyway thanks for checking out the video

don't forget to subscribe and hit the

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the other youtube cliches that youtubers

say but really all that stuff really

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have a great day

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