This article introduces the idea of feature bloat that has been adopted by many manufacturers. Many products that were produced in the past were mostly single minded. This means that devices such as cameras were only intended for taking photographs. However, manufacturers have embarked on the production of complex products that have many features in them. For example, phones today have the capacity to make call, internet connection, mp3 players, and GPS navigation among other features. Rust et al (2006) explain that there are various reasons that have motivated manufacturers to adopt this strategy. First of all, manufacturers aim at remaining competitive in the consumer market. Innovation in the products is one of the ways that manufacturers can remain competitive in the consumer market. Secondly, it is important to understand that it is more cost effective for manufacturers to produce products with a wide functionality in order to address a consumer base that has heterogeneous needs. The cost of producing products with single features is much higher that designing of products that have many features in them. The effect of this wave of feature bloat of products has been the creation of complex products that are sometimes difficult for consumers to use. This assertion holds because it is much difficult to operate a smart phone compared to a traditional phone that had limited features.
Phones and the LG refrigerator are some of the products that I feel have many features that should be taken away. In the case of phones, some of the features that I would take away include camera and GPS navigation. These two features create a lot of competition for single feature cameras and GPS. In this way, the market can have more opportunities for GPS and Camera producers. The TV on the LG refrigerator is unnecessary. I feel that TV sets should not be part of the kitchenware. The presence of TV on the refrigerator makes the product cost-ineffective in terms of the electric power that is needed to maintain the product. The product design team should not have added more features on phones and the LG refrigerator in order to reduce the amount of power that is needed to maintain these products. For example, Android phones drain their batteries much faster compared to traditional phones due to presence of many features on the phone.
