Book excerpt: Smart Design is an international collection of products that stand out for the excellence of their design. In a world where almost every product works as well as any other and technology is omnipotent, it is design that makes the difference. It is the work of designers to make sure the objects we work with, travel on, learn from and play with are easy to use, approachable, enjoyable and satisfying. Smart Design takes 24 examples of the world's best products and looks at the people behind each design, the challenges along the way, and how companies work with designers, whether individuals, global consultancies or corporate design teams, to create smart products. Designing a product is about usability, manufacturing, function and form. It is also about brand, emotion and technology. The role of the product designer is to pull these aspects together and combine individual creative brilliance with teamwork from experts in everything from physiology to electronics to create designs that not only work, but surprise and delight along the way.