Driven by a combination of consumer needs and desires, modular design is taking off.
Trend description
Modular design is being introduced to a range of new product categories, helping businesses cash in on a number of larger trends. These include lifestyles that are more flexible and unpredictable, creating demand for products that can meet a range of needs over time. As this extends the lifespan of the product, the increasing desire for greener products is met. Modular design is also a way of satisfying the growing demand for affordable yet bespoke products.
Cases
Bug
Bug’s modular cellphone enables users to choose exactly which components to include, preventing them from spending excessively or overcomplicating their lives with unnecessary features.
A La Carte
A La Carte is an attractive, flexible kitchen system from that can be easily assembled and dismantled without tools. It’s ideal for those who move from place to place more often, perhaps due to renting accommodation, or running a ‘pop-up’ restaurant.
Radiator by Anna Gotha
Part art piece, part functional heating device, this modular radiator is ideal for any home that’s tight on space. It can be installed in any configuration to suit any room layout or aesthetic taste, and saves valuable floor space with its wall mountable design.
Trend Impact
This trend may affect even more product categories, such as fashion, domestic appliances and architecture. Business models could change as revenue streams shift from one-off sales to smaller, more regular sales of updates and add-ons.
Specialist manufacturing expertise could thrive once more – with modular design, it may be enough to produce fantastic camera lenses that plug into other companies’ devices rather than developing an entire device from scratch.
Links
Bug
A La Carte
Anna Gotha