Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality

Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality PDF Author: James Adams
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071782419
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
What is the secret behind every successful product? Why are people willing to pay more for a BMW than a Chevrolet? How could Apple iPhones represent only 4% of the world’s cell phone market in 2011 but take in 50% of the profits? The answer is quality. In this provocative new book, bestselling author James L. Adams provides a brilliant, in-depth look at the powerful but elusive qualities that can make or break a product’s success. A must-read for managers, designers, manufacturers, and marketers, this groundbreaking approach will change the way you think about your product—and show you why it’s more important than ever to deliver the highest quality possible. In Good Products, Bad Products, you’ll learn how to: : Maximize your product’s performance—and minimize the cost Appeal to your customer’s emotions—with elegance and sophistication Make sure your product is a perfect fit—that’s human, cultural, and global With competition growing stronger and fiercer every year, product quality has become the number-one factor in a company’s success. Adams points out that there will always be a stable demand for a high-quality product. By addressing every aspect of product quality—from the technical to the practical to the aesthetic—you can develop a product that your company will be proud of and your customers will love. Along the way, you’ll hear fascinating case studies of famous brands that became victims of their own success—like Kodak, IBM, Zenith, and GM—and struggled to recover lost ground. You’ll see how some countries like Japan surged ahead by offering better products than anyone on the globe. You’ll learn how some U.S. manufacturers remained successful in spite of the foreign market’s lower wages. And you’ll discover the top industry secrets for prioritizing quality throughout the company, delivering products that are the best in their class. Now more than ever, quality matters. Good Products, Bad Products gives you the edge—so you can give your customers the best product possible. James L. Adams is professor emeritus at Stanford University, where he chaired several programs, taught courses on design and creativity, and participated in many executive programs. Trained as an engineer and artist, he has conducted corporate workshops around the world and has written the bestselling guide to creativity and innovation, Conceptual Blockbusting.

Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality

Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality PDF Author: James Adams
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071782419
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book Here

Book Description
What is the secret behind every successful product? Why are people willing to pay more for a BMW than a Chevrolet? How could Apple iPhones represent only 4% of the world’s cell phone market in 2011 but take in 50% of the profits? The answer is quality. In this provocative new book, bestselling author James L. Adams provides a brilliant, in-depth look at the powerful but elusive qualities that can make or break a product’s success. A must-read for managers, designers, manufacturers, and marketers, this groundbreaking approach will change the way you think about your product—and show you why it’s more important than ever to deliver the highest quality possible. In Good Products, Bad Products, you’ll learn how to: : Maximize your product’s performance—and minimize the cost Appeal to your customer’s emotions—with elegance and sophistication Make sure your product is a perfect fit—that’s human, cultural, and global With competition growing stronger and fiercer every year, product quality has become the number-one factor in a company’s success. Adams points out that there will always be a stable demand for a high-quality product. By addressing every aspect of product quality—from the technical to the practical to the aesthetic—you can develop a product that your company will be proud of and your customers will love. Along the way, you’ll hear fascinating case studies of famous brands that became victims of their own success—like Kodak, IBM, Zenith, and GM—and struggled to recover lost ground. You’ll see how some countries like Japan surged ahead by offering better products than anyone on the globe. You’ll learn how some U.S. manufacturers remained successful in spite of the foreign market’s lower wages. And you’ll discover the top industry secrets for prioritizing quality throughout the company, delivering products that are the best in their class. Now more than ever, quality matters. Good Products, Bad Products gives you the edge—so you can give your customers the best product possible. James L. Adams is professor emeritus at Stanford University, where he chaired several programs, taught courses on design and creativity, and participated in many executive programs. Trained as an engineer and artist, he has conducted corporate workshops around the world and has written the bestselling guide to creativity and innovation, Conceptual Blockbusting.

Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality

Good Products, Bad Products: Essential Elements to Achieving Superior Quality PDF Author: James Adams
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071782400
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
“This book is the most comprehensive discussion of all the elements that go into producing superior products that I have read. I have thought a lot about quality over many years, yet the thinking reflected throughout [this] discussion is a real eye-opener for me. For anyone seriously interested in quality, this is a must read.” —Donald E. Petersen, retired President and Chairman, Ford Motor Company “This is a book only a legend like Jim Adams could write. Based on a very popular course Jim taught at Stanford for many years, it should be required reading for every engineering student interested in designing great products. Great products lead to great companies that change the world. Every aspiring engineer wants to have an impact and this book will absolutely help. Read it!” —James D. Plummer, Dean, School of Engineering, Stanford University “Drawing on fifty years of engineering experience, ranging from car design to rocket science, Stanford professor Jim Adams takes us on an engaging and eclectic journey through the evolution of what makes good products tick. With the same irrepressible curiosity Adams displayed in Conceptual Blockbusting, he shares insights into the underlying characteristics that separate products into the good, the bad, and the ugly.” —Tom Kelley, General Manager, IDEO, and author of The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation “Adams has a high-level and holistic view of the design of everyday things and the issues confronting those who develop them. If you design things, you will enjoy this book and benefit from Jim’s wisdom and experience.” —Bill Moggridge, Director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and author of Designing Interactions and Designing Media “Jim Adams is a gift. He understands the true essence of quality, blending ‘what works’ with ‘what’s beautiful.’ Here this master teacher shares his special wisdom: how to create that magical experience of a product we love, one that evokes ‘Wow, this is really cool!’ His timeless, inspired message could not be more timely.” —Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and coauthor of Built to Last and Great by Choice About the Book: What is the secret behind every successful product? Why are people willing to pay more for a BMW than a Chevrolet? How could Apple iPhones represent only 4% of the world’s cell phone market in 2010 but take in 50% of the profits? The answer is QUALITY. In this provocative new book, bestselling author James L. Adams provides a brilliant, in-depth look at the powerful but elusive qualities that can make or break a product’s success. A must-read for managers, designers, manufacturers, engineers, and marketers, this groundbreaking approach will change the way you think about your product—and show you why it’s more important than ever to deliver the highest quality possible. In Good Products, Bad Products, you’ll learn how to: Maximize your product’s performance—and minimize the cost Appeal to your customer’s emotions—with elegance and sophistication Make sure your product is a perfect fit—that’s human, cultural, and global With competition growing stronger and fiercer every year, product quality has become the number-one factor in a company’s success. Adams points out that there will always be a stable demand for a high-quality product. By addressing every aspect of product quality—from the technical to the practical to the aesthetic—you can develop a product that your company will be proud of and your customers will love. Along the way, you’ll hear fascinating case studies of famous brands that became victims of their own success—like Kodak, IBM, Zenith, and GM—and struggled to recover lost ground. You’ll see how some countries like Japan surged ahead by offering better products than anyone on the globe. You’ll learn how some U.S. manufacturers remained successful in spite of the foreign market’s lower wages. And you’ll also discover the top industry secrets for prioritizing quality throughout the company, delivering products that are the best in their class. Now more than ever, quality matters. Good Products, Bad Products gives you the edge, so you can give your customers the best product possible.

Effective UI

Effective UI PDF Author: Jonathan Anderson
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 1449388728
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
People expect effortless, engaging interaction with desktop and web applications, but producing software that generates enjoyable user experiences is much harder than many companies anticipate. With Effective UI, you'll learn proven user-experience strategies that will satisfy your clients and customers, drive business value, and increase brand strength. This book shows you how to capture the collaborative and cooperative spirit among designers, engineers, and management required for building engaging software. You'll also learn valuable methods for maintaining focus throughout the process -- whether you're a product manager who needs a clear roadmap, a developer or designer looking for guidance and advocacy, or a businessperson who wants to understand and manage user-experience software initiatives. Learn how to build software that will: Generate engaging and interactive experiences between consumers and businesses, or between businesspeople and their information systems Account for how people work with, think about, and consume information Establish a richer means of collaboration and communication Reduce frustration by streamlining complex tasks and creating processes that are more intuitive Distinguish products, services, and brands to create a competitive advantage Create scalable systems that adapt to changing user needs and behaviors

Product Management Essentials

Product Management Essentials PDF Author: Aswin Pranam
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1484233034
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Gain all of the techniques, teachings, tools, and methodologies required to be an effective first-time product manager. The overarching goal of this book is to help you understand the product manager role, give you concrete examples of what a product manager does, and build the foundational skill-set that will gear you towards a career in product management. To be an effective PM in the tech industry, you need to have a basic understanding of technology. In this book you’ll get your feet wet by exploring the skills a PM needs in their toolset and cover enough ground to make you feel comfortable in a technical discussion. A PM is not expected to have the same level of depth or knowledge as a software engineer, but knowing enough to continue the conversation can be a benefit in your career in product management. A complete product manager will have a 360-degree understanding of user experience and how to craft beautiful products that are easy-to-use, with the end user in mind. You’ll continue your journey with a walk through basic UX principles and even go through the process of building a simple set of UI frames for a mock app. Aside from the technical and design expertise, a PM needs to master the social aspects of the role. Acting as a bridge between engineering, marketing, and other teams can be difficult, and this book will dive into the business and soft skills of product management. After reading Product Management Essentials you will be one of a select few technically-capable PMs who can interface with management, stakeholders, customers, and the engineering team. What You Will Learn Gain the traits of a successful PM from industry PMs, VCs, and other professionals See the day-to-day responsibilities of a PM and how the role differs across tech companies Absorb the technical knowledge necessary to interface with engineers and estimate timelines Design basic mocks, high-fidelity wireframes, and fully polished user interfaces Create core documents and handle business interactions Who This Book Is For Individuals who are eyeing a transition into a PM role or have just entered a PM role at a new organization for the first time. They currently hold positions as a software engineer, marketing manager, UX designer, or data analyst and want to move away from a feature-focused view to a high-level strategic view of the product vision.

Product-Led Growth

Product-Led Growth PDF Author: Bush Wes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781777119317
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
"Product-Led Growth is about helping your customers experience the ongoing value your product provides. It is a critical step in successful product design and this book shows you how it's done." - Nir Eyal, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of "Hooked"

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements PDF Author: Tom Rath
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1595620400
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Shows the interconnections among the elements of well-being, how they cannot be considered independently, and provides readers with a research-based approach to improving all aspects of their lives.

Drive

Drive PDF Author: Daniel H. Pink
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101524383
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
The New York Times bestseller that gives readers a paradigm-shattering new way to think about motivation from the author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing Most people believe that the best way to motivate is with rewards like money—the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, says Daniel H. Pink (author of To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others). In this provocative and persuasive new book, he asserts that the secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home—is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live.

Start with Why

Start with Why PDF Author: Simon Sinek
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1591846447
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
The inspirational bestseller that ignited a movement and asked us to find our WHY Discover the book that is captivating millions on TikTok and that served as the basis for one of the most popular TED Talks of all time—with more than 56 million views and counting. Over a decade ago, Simon Sinek started a movement that inspired millions to demand purpose at work, to ask what was the WHY of their organization. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, and these ideas remain as relevant and timely as ever. START WITH WHY asks (and answers) the questions: why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over? People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who have had the greatest influence in the world all think, act and communicate the same way—and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Indispensable

Indispensable PDF Author: James M. Kerr
Publisher: Humanix Books
ISBN: 1630061840
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
"Read this book, apply its concepts, and see how your business transforms.” — Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers 50 #1 Executive Coach and #1 Leadership Thinker Outstanding leaders make business indispensable. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "Indispensable" as being absolutely necessary and not subject to being set aside or neglected. INDISPENSABLE: Build and Lead A Company Customers Can’t Live Without provides a framework that you can follow to transform your business and features dozens of examples from industry including those drawn from Amazon, Uber, Facebook and more. Each business example illustrates how the concepts offered in the book are already being used to make businesses indispensable in the marketplace. Keep in mind, though, only your customers can decide if your business is indispensable. We don’t get a vote on that. However, there are steps that we can take to improve our chances. A Leader's pursuit of greatness for his or her company is important, but, it’s not enough, and a business does not become indispensable by accident. Outstanding leadership is essential to bring a company from greatness to indispensability. This is an important distinction because anything less than outstanding leadership will not suffice. Why? Outstanding leaders lead by example. They demonstrate desired qualities and behaviors to their followers through their actions and conduct. By doing so, these leaders put forth a sense that they and their teams share the same goals and aspirations, and, that together, they are going to go about achieving these ambitions as one. Indispensable businesses share a common purpose so they need leaders that can set the example. As you read the book, you will come to recognize how vital TRUE leadership is to helping your business become indispensable. Regardless of your rank or position, you must study, learn, exemplify and LIVE these essential behaviors to be able to provide the people you work with and serve: A Captivating Vision: Outstanding leaders can articulate a vision for the future that every staff member can understand and buy-in to. This vision becomes the stuff of rallying cries and establishes the common goal that leader and team will share. Outstanding leadership is required to articulate the vision of being indispensable and to work to drive it deep into the enterprise. If the troops don’t “get” it, they won’t follow. Active Direction-Setting: Next, a game plan for execution must be built in support of that vision. But, building a plan without engaged direction-setting will not suffice. Outstanding leaders at every level will be fully involved, monitoring progress and charting the course for execution throughout their firm’s journey to indispensability. Enlightened Coaching: Outstanding leaders support their team and understand how to provide the “right” touch at the “right” time – directive when the path to success is unclear and supportive when it’s time to empower – just like any world-class coach does when building a champion. A Collaborative Environment: Outstanding leaders know how to establish a collaborative tenor within their area of responsibility. Selfish and egocentric behavior is stomped out; teamwork is recognized and rewarded. There are many great companies – only a few are indispensable. This book was written to help you build an indispensable business – one that your customers can’t live without.

Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done PDF Author: David Allen
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698161866
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
The book Lifehack calls "The Bible of business and personal productivity." "A completely revised and updated edition of the blockbuster bestseller from 'the personal productivity guru'"—Fast Company Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen’s Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. “GTD” is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots. Allen has rewritten the book from start to finish, tweaking his classic text with important perspectives on the new workplace, and adding material that will make the book fresh and relevant for years to come. This new edition of Getting Things Done will be welcomed not only by its hundreds of thousands of existing fans but also by a whole new generation eager to adopt its proven principles.