Learn to design, build, and scale products consumers can’t get enough ofHow do today’s most successful tech companies―Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla―design, develop, and deploy the products that have earned the love of literally billions of people around the world? Perhaps surprisingly, they do it very differently than most tech companies. In INSPIRED, technology product management thought leader Marty Cagan provides readers with a master class in how to structure and staff a vibrant and successful product organization, and how to discover and deliver technology products that your customers will love―and that will work for your business.With sections on assembling the right people and skillsets, discovering the right product, embracing an effective yet lightweight process, and creating a strong product culture, readers can take the information they learn and immediately leverage it within their own organizations―dramatically improving their own product efforts.Whether you’re an early-stage startup working to get to product/market fit, or a growth-stage company working to scale your product organization, or a large, long-established company trying to regain your ability to consistently deliver new value for your customers, INSPIRED will take you and your product organization to a new level of customer engagement, consistent innovation, and business success.Filled with the author’s own personal stories―and profiles of some of today’s most-successful product managers and technology-powered product companies, including Adobe, Apple, BBC, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix―INSPIRED will show you how to turn up the dial of your own product efforts, creating technology products your customers love.The first edition of INSPIRED, published ten years ago, established itself as the primary reference for technology product managers, and can be found on the shelves of nearly every successful technology product company worldwide. This thoroughly updated second edition shares the same objective of being the most valuable resource for technology product managers, yet it is completely new―sharing the latest practices and techniques of today’s most-successful tech product companies, and the men and women behind every great product. Read more

Help transform your business and innovate like the world's top tech companies!In INSPIRED, product thought leader Marty Cagan revealed the best practices and techniques used by the top product teams operating in the product model. Next, EMPOWERED shared the best practices and techniques used by the top product leaders to provide their teams with the kind of environment they need to thrive in the product model.Yet, the most common question after reading INSPIRED and EMPOWERED has been: "Yes, we want to work this way, but the way we work today is so different, and so deeply ingrained, is it even possible for a company like ours to transform to the product model?"TRANSFORMED was written to bridge the gap between where most companies are right now and where they need to be. The leaders of these companies know they must transform to compete in an era of rapidly changing enabling technology, but most of them have never operated this way before. TRANSFORMED has three big goals:First, the book will educate you with a deep understanding of the product operating model, and what it means to work that way.Second, the book will convince you with detailed case studies of successful transformations, that while difficult, it is absolutely possible for you to transform your company to the product operating model.Third, the book will inspire you with truly impressive case studies of product innovation, showing what you too will be capable of doing once you successfully transform. TRANSFORMED is written for those driving change, including the senior company leaders—starting with the CEO—as well as the senior executives and stakeholders who need to collaborate with the product teams, the product leaders, the members of the product teams, and all those who either support or depend on these product teams.Written by best-selling author Marty Cagan and his partners at the Silicon Valley Product Group, TRANSFORMED is filled with real-world examples and proven, practical advice from their decades of experience helping companies move to the product operating model. Read more

There are many ways in which a product can be manufactured but most designers know only a handful of techniques. Both informative and incredibly easy to use, this bestselling book explains over 100 production methods in detail. With specially commissioned diagrams, case studies and step-by-step photographs of the manufacturing process, Making It uses contemporary design as a vehicle to describe production processes. It lists their pros and cons, suitable production volumes, costs involved, speed of production, relevant materials and typical applications. The new edition of this inspirational book also evaluates each process in terms of sustainability and its effects on the environment.Making It appeals not only to product designers but also to interior designers, furniture and graphic designers who need access to a range of production methods, as well as to all students of design. The expanded edition includes nine new processes and an all-new section of 40 finishing techniques. Read more

Pockets, matches, spectacles, postage stamps. Whether it's the stitches that hold our clothes together or the syringes that deliver life-saving vaccines, small things really do make a big difference. Yet these modest but essential components of everyday life are often overlooked.Science and comedy writer Helen Pilcher shares the unexpected stories of 50 humble innovations – from the accidental soldering of two bits of metal that created the pacemaker, to the eighteenth-century sea captain whose ingenious invention paved the way for the filming of Star Wars – and celebrates the joy of the small yet mighty. Read more

Does your manufacturing facility experience an undesirable frequency of costly product losses? Are recurring operational issues impacting productivity and morale? Do people believe the causes of these production issues are ‘human error’?If your answer to any of these questions is yes, it is time for you to Do Quality Differently.Do Quality Differently will show you:How to take a systems-based risk management approach to create more operational success.Practical examples to guide improvement in your operations.Ways to apply comprehensive approaches that reveal and address the combination of factors that influence performance outcomes.The lessons in this book were gathered while integrating human and organizational performance principles and practices at multiple biopharmaceutical companies and manufacturing sites—real-time experiences with frontline workers, support staff, and leaders. Do Quality Differently offers practical guidance for biopharmaceutical manufacturing plants and beyond—anywhere managing risk is paramount. Create positive change in your operation’s performance. Do Quality Differently will show you the way. Read more

Epicyclic trains, oblique rollers, trip hammers, and lazy-tongs are among the ingenious mechanisms defined and illustrated in this intriguing collection. Spanning the first century of the Industrial Revolution, this 1868 compilation features simplified, concise illustrations of the mechanisms used in hydraulics, steam engines, pneumatics, presses, horologes, and scores of other machines.The movements of each of the 507 mechanisms are depicted in drawings on the left-hand page, and the facing page presents a brief description of the item's use and operation. Ranging from simple to intricately complex, the mechanisms offer a fascinating view of the variety of small components that constitute complex machinery. A detailed index provides easy reference to specific mechanisms.Inventors, tinkerers, and anyone with an interest in the history of invention and technology will find this volume a treasury of information and inspiration. Read more

Ten laws of simplicity for business, technology, and design that teach us how to need less but get more.Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design—guidelines for needing less and actually getting more.Maeda—a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer—explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on.Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: Accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products—how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful." Read more

Learn how to use Autodesk Fusion 360 to digitally model your own original projects for a 3D printer or a CNC device. Read more

An intimate look at the legendary British designer behind Apple's most iconic products - including the Apple WatchWith the death of Steve Jobs in 2011, JONY IVE has become the most important person at Apple. Some would argue he always was.Steve Jobs discovered Ive in 1997, when he found the scruffy British designer toiling away in a studio surrounded by hundreds of sketches and prototypes. Jobs instantly realised he had found a talent who could reverse Apple's decline, and become his 'spiritual partner'.Their collaboration produced iconic products including the iMac, iPod, iPad and iPhone. Designs that overturned entire industries and created the world's most powerful brand.Little has been known about this shy, softly-spoken designer. Until now. This riveting book tells the story of a creative genius, from his early interest in industrial design to his meteoric rise, as well as the principles and practices that led Ive to become the designer of his generation.'Sheds new light on technology's most-watched design team' Observer'A real pleasure' GQLeander Kahney has covered Apple for more than a dozen years and has written three popular books about Apple and the culture of its followers, including Inside Steve's Brain and Cult of Mac. The former news editor for Wired.com, he is currently the editor and publisher of CultofMac.com. He lives in San Francisco. Read more

Autodesk Fusion 360 Exercises - Learn by Practicing (2023-24) book is designed to help engineers and designers interested in learning Autodesk Fusion 360 by practicing 100 real-world mechanical models. This book does not provide step-by-step instructions to design 3D models, instead, it is a practice book that challenges users to first analyze the drawings and then create the models using the powerful toolset of Autodesk Fusion 360. This approach helps users to enhance their design skills and take them to the next level.Note: To successfully complete the exercises provided in this book, it is essential to possess a solid knowledge of Autodesk Fusion 360. To gain a comprehensive, step-by-step understanding of Autodesk Fusion 360, refer to the 'Autodesk Fusion 360: A Power Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Users (6th Edition)' textbook published by CADArtifex. Read more

"Jobs To Be Done is key to building successful products, and this book masterfully gives a step–by–step guide on how to put it into practice."—Melissa Perri, author of Escaping the Build TrapThese days, consumers have real power: they can research companies, compare ratings, and find alternatives with a simple tap. Focusing on customer needs isn't a nice–to–have, it's a strategic imperative.The Jobs To Be Done Playbook (JTBD) helps organizations turn market insight into action. This book shows you techniques to make offerings people want, as well as make people want your offering. Read more

Building prototypes and models is an essential component of any design activity. Modern product development is a multi-disciplinary effort that relies on prototyping in order to explore new ideas and test them sufficiently before they become actual products. Prototyping and Modelmaking for Product Designers illustrates how prototypes are used to help designers understand problems better, explore more imaginative solutions, investigate human interaction more fully and test functionality so as to de-risk the design process. Following an introduction on the purpose of prototyping, specific materials, tools and techniques are examined in detail, with step-by-step tutorials and industry examples of real and successful products illustrating how prototypes are used to help solve design problems. Workflow is also discussed, using a mixture of hands-on and digital tools. A comprehensive modern prototyping approach is crucial to making informed design decisions, and forms a strategic part of a successful designer's toolkit. Read more

In April 1956, a refitted oil tanker carried fifty-eight shipping containers from Newark to Houston. From that modest beginning, container shipping developed into a huge industry that made the boom in global trade possible. The Box tells the dramatic story of the container's creation, the decade of struggle before it was widely adopted, and the sweeping economic consequences of the sharp fall in transportation costs that containerization brought about. But the container didn't just happen. Its adoption required huge sums of money, both from private investors and from ports that aspired to be on the leading edge of a new technology. It required years of high-stakes bargaining with two of the titans of organized labor, Harry Bridges and Teddy Gleason, as well as delicate negotiations on standards that made it possible for almost any container to travel on any truck or train or ship. Ultimately, it took McLean's success in supplying U.S. forces in Vietnam to persuade the world of the container's potential. Drawing on previously neglected sources, economist Marc Levinson shows how the container transformed economic geography, devastating traditional ports such as New York and London and fueling the growth of previously obscure ones, such as Oakland. By making shipping so cheap that industry could locate factories far from its customers, the container paved the way for Asia to become the world's workshop and brought consumers a previously unimaginable variety of low-cost products from around the globe. Published in hardcover on the fiftieth anniversary of the first container voyage, this is the first comprehensive history of the shipping container. Now with a new chapter, The Box tells the dramatic story of how the drive and imagination of an iconoclastic entrepreneur turned containerization from an impractical idea into a phenomenon that transformed economic geography, slashed transportation costs, and made the boom in global trade possible. Read more

The authors of the international bestseller Business Model Generation explain how to create value propositions customers can’t resistValue Proposition Design helps you tackle a core challenge of every business — creating compelling products and services customers want to buy. This practical book, paired with its online companion, will teach you the processes and tools you need to succeed.Using the same stunning visual format as the authors’ global bestseller, Business Model Generation, this sequel explains how to use the “Value Proposition Canvas” a practical tool to design, test, create, and manage products and services customers actually want.Value Proposition Design is for anyone who has been frustrated by business meetings based on endless conversations, hunches and intuitions, expensive new product launches that blew up, or simply disappointed by the failure of a good idea. The book will help you understand the patterns of great value propositions, get closer to customers, and avoid wasting time with ideas that won’t work. You’ll learn the simple but comprehensive process of designing and testing value propositions, taking the guesswork out of creating products and services that perfectly match customers’ needs and desires.Practical exercises, illustrations and tools help you immediately improve your product, service, or new business idea. In addition the book gives you exclusive access to an online companion on Strategyzer.com. You will be able to complete interactive exercises, assess your work, learn from peers, and download pdfs, checklists, and more.Value Proposition Design complements and perfectly integrates with the ”Business Model Canvas” from Business Model Generation, a tool embraced by startups and large corporations such as MasterCard, 3M, Coca Cola, GE, Fujitsu, LEGO, Colgate-Palmolive, and many more.Value Proposition Design gives you a proven methodology for success, with value propositions that sell, embedded in profitable business models. Read more

This “very absorbing look at technological catastrophes and why they happen”explores systemic breakdowns behind disasters from Chernobyl to the Challenger(Booklist).Inviting Disaster delves into over fifty of history’s worst catastrophes in order to show how increasingly “smart” systems leave us wide open to human tragedy. Weaving a dramatic narrative that explains how breakdowns in these systems result in such disasters as the chain reaction crash of the Air France Concorde and the Bhopal chemical accident that killed thousands. James Chiles vividly demonstrates how the battle between human and machine may be escalating beyond manageable limits—and why we all have a stake in its outcome.Included in this edition is a special introduction providing a behind-the-scenes look at the World Trade Center catastrophe. Combining firsthand accounts of employees’ escapes with an in-depth look at the structural reasons behind the towers’ collapse, Chiles addresses the question: Were the towers “two tall heroes” or structures with a fatal flaw?“Vivid and dramatic stories.” —Harvard Business Review“This is not a Luddite’s call for a return to the days before complicated technology but a careful examination of various disasters . . . and how they might have been prevented.” —Library Journal“A chillingly fascinating book that educates and informs in a highly readable style.” —Dallas Morning News Read more

The co-founder of Baidu explains how AI will transform human livelihood, from our economy and financial systems down to our daily lives.  Written by Baidu cofounder Robin Li and prefaced by award-winning sci-fi writer Cixin Liu (author of The Three-Body Problem), Artificial Intelligence Revolution introduces Baidu’s teams of top scientists and management as pioneers of movement toward AI. The book covers many of the latest AI-related ideas and technological developments, such as: Computational abilityBig data resourcesSetting the basic standards of AI in research and developmentAn introduction to the “super brain”Intelligent manufacturingDeep learningL4 automated vehiclesSmart finance The book describes the emergence of a “smart” society powered by technology and reflects on the challenges humanity is about to face. Li covers the most pressing AI-related ideas and technological developments, including: Will artificial intelligence replace human workers, and in what sectors of the economy? How will it affect healthcare and finance? How will daily human life change? Robin Li’s Artificial Intelligence Revolution addresses these questions and more from the perspective of a pioneer of AI development. It's a must-read for anyone concerned about the emergence of a “smart” society powered by technology and the challenges humanity is about to face. Read more

Henry Petroski’s previous bestsellers have delighted readers with intriguing stories about the engineering marvels around us, from the lowly pencil to the soaring suspension bridge. In this book, Petroski delves deeper into the mystery of invention, to explore what everyday artifacts and sophisticated networks can reveal about the way engineers solve problems.Engineering entails more than knowing the way things work. What do economics and ecology, aesthetics and ethics, have to do with the shape of a paper clip, the tab of a beverage can, the cabin design of a turbojet, or the course of a river? How do the idiosyncrasies of individual engineers, companies, and communities leave their mark on projects from Velcro® to fax machines to waterworks? Invention by Design offers an insider’s look at these political and cultural dimensions of design and development, production and construction.Readers unfamiliar with engineering will find Petroski’s enthusiasm contagious, whether the topic is the genesis of the Ziploc® baggie or the averted collapse of Manhattan’s sleekest skyscraper. And those who inhabit the world of engineering will discover insights to challenge their customary perspective, whether their work involves failure analysis, systems design, or public relations. Written with the flair that readers have come to expect from his books, Invention by Design reaffirms Petroski as the master explicator of the principles and processes that turn thoughts into the many things that define our made world. Read more