Failure is not Fatal
I am sure we have all come across this quote at some point: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
That said, it’s definitely possible to learn more from an incisive study of failure. They show us where our assumptions have gone wrong. Drawing inspiration from the Museum of Failure, which talks about over 99+ failures in business and design, today’s case study is the Segway scooter.
Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter invented by Dean Kamen and brought to market in 2001. My first encounter with a Segway scooter was in 2018 when I visited Prague with my family, and we went on a tour of the City Highlights.
When Segway initially started out, there were a lot of companies that experimented with Segways. But none of these led to major sales. Segway became relegated to uses that were niche (like urban sightseeing) or absurd (like Segway polo.)
The reason why I think Segway failed, was because it came out with too many products, for a market that did not exactly exist. Nobody inherently needed a Segway. Everyone was getting around by foot, bicycle, motorcycle and car just fine. Segway failed because it did not focus on any one application, and develop that market as it enhanced and improved the product. It was also quite bulky, heavy and not designed in an accessible way.
As of June 2020, Ninebot, the owner of the Segway brand, announced that it would no longer make the namesake two-wheeled, self-balancing product. Launched nearly two decades ago, the company will stop manufacturing the Segway PT, as it shifts focus to other units such as its shared scooter business
But what can failure teach us? Failure spawns creativity, motivation and tenacity. The more often you navigate failure successfully, the stronger and more resilient you become. All of these lessons eventually build your level of confidence and self-esteem.
