Everyone, including me, wants to make iconic products, but actually understanding why something becomes iconic in the first place requires a lot of work, research, consumption, and getting hands dirty.

That’s where deconstruction comes in.

We do it all the time. I think this is one of the best ways to learn. Once you learn, how it's applied in context is completely upto you.

Recently, for a range of new products we're working on, some of these books (and of course, 10s of different devices' actual deconstruction) are helping us build better understanding and get inspiration!

This is actually a different lens of what I wrote earlier in It's not what you see, it's what you don't!

• The folks at Nespresso deconstructed the experience of making espresso — grinding beans, measuring, tamping — and packed it into a tiny pod. They converted all of these into one button press, making high-quality espresso at home accessible. Accessible!
  I always thought of getting one but I belong to the kind where I'm happy with a Rs.2 Nescafe to a Davidoff… as long as it's coffee!

• James Dyson was fed up with vacuum bags that clogged and reduced suction. He deconstructed the vacuum cleaner, took inspiration from industrial cyclones used in sawmills. Dyson then reimagined it with bagless, continuous suction.
  He didn’t just create a vacuum; he redefined what a vacuum could be.

• Tim Ferriss looked at the standard work week (the typical 9-to-5 work culture) and asked, “Why the hell are we doing this?” He deconstructed how people spent their time and realised most of it was wasted on unnecessary tasks.
  In his book, Tim focused on automation, outsourcing, and time management and created a blueprint for doing more by working less.

Sharing just the three sources I browsed in the last 24 hours:

• DesignCourse: Breaks down popular app interfaces, covers broadly why specific patterns, flows are effective and shows small tweaks for improvements. This along with suggested videos are my usual to go for keeping up with software design.

• Growth Design case studies: They deconstruct various flows from user's point-of-view and score them basis experience, simplicity of design, and psychology. One of my favourites.

• Fictiv teardowns: They teardown anything from a heads-up display, smart earphones to fitness bands. It's an excellent resource to learn what went behind putting these pieces of hardware together. In detail.

Daily observations help too!

• In my hunt for a good messenger bag over a year, I used to keep a lookout for folks carrying work bags (backpack and messenger) during my commute to work or travel. I realised there are no good backpacks designed keeping working women in mind.

• Building a Lego Technic earlier this year inspired a concept we're prototyping at work.

• Studying the history of car designs of different brands taught me what properties of shape make some "ageless" vs. some "trendy".

• Visiting enough hotels, properties, houses and how much time you naturally spend in a space tells you if the home design is made for comfort, coziness or something else.

• Using WeChat and Baidu Maps in China conditioned me more to build features in context than studying any local/global apps.

• … and the list goes on.

Pick up your interest, career or project at hand, broaden the perspective.

E.g. if you're building an app for blue-collar workers, read local newspapers for copy inspiration, install the casual-gaming apps they play for engagement features and patterns. If you're creating a bag, observe people walking to and from office.

This isn’t about imitation; it’s about taking things apart so you can put them back together in a way that’s uniquely yours.