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Section Editor: Louise Chidgey, SVP, Content - Product Design
Designers need to rethink in the face of growing
consumer expectations and super-fast advances
in technology. New routes to market are being
sought by designers, brands and manufacturers.
Boundaries are becoming blurred, with
conventional views on supply chain and user
involvement now under challenge.
The return of power to the maker and the
growing influence of the consumer are shaking up
business models and ultimately the end product.
Online open-source platforms give consumers the
opportunity to share and be part of the product
development and making process. Design hacking
also allows consumers to be more connected and
part of the process by altering designs to suit their
specific requirements.
At the core of this sense of change is the
emergence of 3D printing, which has the potential
to transform design and put even more power in the
hands of the individual consumer and the maker.
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Introduction
Changing the Rules