PURPOSEFUL DISORDER:
THE CONCEPT OF RANDOMNESS IN PRODUCT DESIGN

Product design is most often about building order and predictable functions into everyday products. There exists however a class of product that is purposefully disordered and unpredictable, and which embraces the concept of randomness. Randomness can be exhibited in products in a variety of ways, and often the presence of such randomness defines the essence, the main purpose and hence the desirability of these products. Examples include the iPod Shuffle (random audio playback), lava lamps (random light and physical movement) and Cadbury Revels® chocolate (random food flavours, tastes and textures).

This paper discusses the concept of randomness in product design. It addresses the question: what can we learn about the characteristics of products exhibiting randomness, in order to define a framework for creating desirable ‘random dimensions’ in products generally? The basic characteristics of randomness, including rates of change, dynamism and unpredictability are outlined. The concepts of instantaneous, continual-active and continual-passive randomness are presented. Randomness in utility and randomness in appearance and other aesthetic properties are contrasted.

A common feature identified amongst many types of products exhibiting randomness is an element of continual surprise afforded to the user, in contrast to an initial surprise followed by acquaintance and then familiarity. The continual surprise can play to any combination of sight, sound, touch (tactile, force), taste, smell and kinaesthetic senses. As such, it is strongly linked to emotional responses from products, such as a sense of fun, a sense of being pleasantly out of control, induced changes in mood and remedies for boredom.

The paper concludes that randomness is clearly not desirable in many circumstances, and could lead to built-in chaos in an unconstructive and frustrating way. Contexts are identified as crucial to the appropriateness of a random factor in products: those that are predominantly utilitarian (for performing tasks and jobs) are less suited to randomness, whereas in those that are predominantly hedonic (for leisure, fun and entertainment) randomness is more easily embraced and used to advantage. For example, randomly functioning washing machines and randomly dispensing cash machines are of limited use, but random image projections and coloured lighting arrangements do have clear uses. The challenge for product designers is to know how to integrate randomness constructively within a product to add value, evoke desirability and, ultimately, gain competitive advantage. The paper concludes with an outline of the next phase of research for this project, to empirically evaluate the effectiveness and desirability of product randomness from users’ perspectives.