List Envy

Mark speaks down-the-line with product designer, Simon Heap, as the two share their top five world-changing products, and gently collide over what can be construed a “product”.

Simon has dedicated his life to making, as he calls it, “a better mouse trap”, and now specialises in designing products for sport. You might know Simon’s work from Dragons’ Den, or perhaps you’ve bought his potato masher?

Simon once designed a CD player and argued for a sense of jeopardy within the mechanism (in the same way that there is a way to put a record on wrong), and Mark finds another member to join the ranks of those who mourn the passing of the MiniDisc. He also discovers that the Japanese may have the word he’s long searched for, to describe that wonderful sense of joy and satisfaction you get from a mechanical interaction: a good button, a sturdy spring or a crunchy click.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (09:26) - Simon's pick: the wheel
• (11:40) - Mark's pick: wireless radio
• (15:04) - Simon's pick: the match
• (17:58) - Mark's pick: commercial aviation
• (24:02) - Simon's pick: penicillin
• (26:50) - Mark's pick: Nokia 8110
• (32:16) - Simon's pick: World Wide Web
• (36:20) - Mark's pick: Apple Macintosh
• (41:52) - Simon's pick: marine chronometer
• (44:12) - Mark's pick: audio cassette
• (50:38) - Building the final list
• (55:52) - Goodbyes

Follow Simon on Twitter and LinkedIn, check out his latest business, Rugged Interactive, and his consultancy, Design for Sport.

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