Abstract
ABSTRACTThere is an obvious analogy between market space and the ecosystem. In this analogy, products might be regarded as species, market success as natural selection and so on. The market space has its ‘invisible hand’ in the same way as there are natural forces beyond control of humanity and we watch it in awe just as we watch – and try to predict – evolutionary processes. But we are not helpless with regard to the former and design is our best tool to intervene the market forces.From this fertile analogy, this paper proposes to examine killer products, comparing them with the ‘killer weed’, Caulerpa taxifolia, a type of alga, generally used as aquarium ornamentation and accidentally released into the Mediterranean Sea. This seaweed prevents other plants from growing, leading to the nickname ‘killer algae’. Its success may be harmful to the ecosystem as a whole.In this paper, several killer products and technologies are investigated, including the iPod, IBM PC, QWERTY keyboard and digital cameras amongst others. Whether killer species-products are unpredictable and uncontrollable is questioned. In short, the paper tries to summarize what makes a product ‘killer’ and the role of design in this process.
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