"Houston, we've had a problem here." - Jim Lovell, April 13, 1970.
Apollo 13 overcame many challenges in their journey back to Earth. And in the end, the mission overcame a catastrophic equipment failure and ensured a successful return to Earth.
Fusion Design has over 20 years of experience with end-to-end product design and development. Overcoming challenges and getting your project to market is what we do and why. Here at Fusion, we want to help you overcome your challenges and succeed.
The Apollo 13 mission was launched on April 11, 1970 and was intended to be the third crewed moon landing. Two days into the mission, an oxygen tank in the Service Module exploded, damaging the spacecraft and leaving the astronauts without power or water. The crew was forced to use the limited resources on board to survive and ultimately succeeded in returning to Earth.
Image source: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a13/a13_LIOH_Adapter.html
The mission was a failure in terms of its original goals, but the team was successful in getting Apollo 13 back to Earth. The astronauts' ability to problem-solve and adapt under extreme circumstances made the difference between success and failure.
These seven lessons from Apollo 13 can be applied to product design and highlight the importance of modularity and flexibility.
Focus on the end goal
Work backwards from the end goal
Modular design for reuse and repurposing
Communication and modular design
Work the problem
Planning for an urgent event
Calm and careful consideration in the face of extreme conditions
One of the challenges the crew faced was rising carbon monoxide levels. After the explosion, the crew had evacuated to the lunar module, which was only meant for two people, and now had to support three.
Usually, lithium hydroxide (LiOH) canisters remove CO2 from the air. This wouldn't have been an issue on Odyssey, the command module, as the cargo included spare canisters. But, with an extra person aboard, the canisters were being overwhelmed.
The Odyssey carried square canisters, and the lunar module used round canisters. Fifty-two years later, we know that the ability to reuse and repurpose modular design components are crucial to increasing efficiency and decreasing cost. The crew of the Apollo 13 mission, along with engineers at NASA, spent two days shoving a round peg into a square hole. They used spit, duct tape, dirty socks, and prayers.
Here’s a handy infographic detailing what those steps were and how the Apollo 13 astronauts made that CO2 scrubber work.
Image source: https://spacecenter.org/apollo-13-infographic-how-did-they-make-that-co2-scrubber/
Today, Fusion uses industry-leading design practices and tools that focus on increasing safety and efficiency, decreasing cost, and speeding up time to market. Knowledge is a powerful tool and we believe in constantly improving what we do for our customers.
Focus on the End Goal
Fusion focuses on end-to-end product development. We don't stop at the design and testing phase because product design should focus on the result. What will your customer gain from this product? How will it help make them successful?
This will set your product apart and give you an advantage over your competition.
When designing products or new features, it is essential to understand the business objectives. You should be able to answer these four questions about your product early in the process.
Addressing these questions will help designers understand the user experience.
What problem are we solving?
Who has this problem and why?
What do we want to achieve?
What is the minimum viable product (MVP)?
Once you have answered these questions, it's time to find the solution.
Work Backwards from the End Goal
It sounds counterintuitive but working backwards will add clarity and definition to your project. Working backwards from your target user needs will lead you to the minimum requirements needed to solve that user's problems.
You can use this approach with any product design, but it is most beneficial for new products or even new features for existing products.
With a new product, a great starting point is to draft a press release announcing your product solving your customer's problems. This is not for publication, but outlining the benefits of your new product will help you focus on the key features that will bring the most benefit to the user.
It's the last step of any product development. So, working backward, do it first.
As part of your market research, read this press release to your focus group. Does it excite them? Are they eager for the benefits this product will offer? If not, keep reworking your press release until you've targeted benefits that excite people. You'll know you have a winning design when your focus group can't wait for the product to hit the market.
Modular Design, Design Reuse, and Communication
With modular design, it's not necessary to reinvent the wheel. Fusion believes in maximizing the reuse of proven design components to increase return on investments and minimize risk.
In hindsight, the engineers who worked on the Odyssey and the lunar module probably fervently wished they had reused the ports for the lithium hydroxide canisters.
Another example of this was the guidance system. Even though both sets of computers on the mission were similar, they used different software. Many hours and days were consumed as vital components were jury-rigged and reprogrammed to give the crew the best chance at survival.
The 5 Major Advantages of Modular Design Practices
Faster time to market
Reduced costs
Safety benefits
Fewer resource requirements
Higher quality assembly, fabrication and greater reliability
The reuse of independent components makes it possible to combine pre-existing elements in a new configuration, making it possible to support your changing business needs and to re-tool as needed.
The essential step is asking, "What else can I do?" This is precisely the mindset of the mission controllers as they worked to bring the crew home alive.
Work the Problem
Assessing and managing risk is just as crucial for your business as it was for NASA in April of 1970.
On that eventful day, Gene Kranz, flight director at NASA, coined the phrase "work the problem." It means to descend the decision tree one level at a time until you've solved the problem or died trying. This is still used at NASA today.
In FastCompany’s article “Problem Solving Lessons From NASA”, University of Virginia Professor Thomas S. Bateman laid out "working the problem" in these eight steps:
Define the problem
Determine goals/objectives
Generate an array of alternative solutions
Evaluate the possible consequences of each solution
Use this analysis to choose one or more courses of action
Plan the implementation
Implement with full commitment
Adapt as needed based on incoming data
Planning for an Urgent Event
NASA spent years, even decades, planning for emergency scenarios. Using the principles of design modularity allows Fusion to help you prepare for an emergency by accessing the components in your equipment.
Gene Kranz credits the MacGyver level success of the Apollo 13 mission to the scientist and engineers who had access to an exact duplicate of the shuttle and all its cargo. Those engineers used these principles and creative problem-solving by working with the same resources as the crew.
Kranz ensured that resources were at the ready and had a communication plan to activate them if needed.
Fusion has a broad supplier network and close relationships with other companies that give customers access to specific expertise that helps them get to the heart of the problem and find an appropriate solution quickly. Our partner resources are your resources.
Calm and Careful Consideration in the Face of Extreme Conditions
Even though Apollo 13 did not achieve the original mission goal of landing on the moon, the team recovered from a potentially catastrophic failure to ensure a successful return of the crew to Earth.
“When bad things happened, we just calmly laid out all the options, and failure was not one of them. We never panicked, and we never gave up on finding a solution."
Jerry Bostick Flight Dynamics Officer for Apollo 13
Much like the space mission, companies can achieve success in the face of a crisis. While initial concept feedback might not be attainable, teams can remain agile and innovate different ways to reach new results. This process will make them much better equipped with the tools needed to stay accountable when disruption hits and propels them forward. Existing tools can always be used in new ways, so exercising this skill is at the core of adaptability.
Fusion remains calm and methodical in the face of critical challenges. They provide outside the box innovations and ideas that often lead to breakthrough solutions and have turned roadblocks into a source of competitive advantage.
