There are some products that upon first glance by consumers are just “not for me,” such as communication headsets, wheeled luggage, bicycle helmets, and minimalist shoes. And if you’ve ever been responsible for “that product,” you know how hard it is to shake the perception that your product “isn’t for me."

Why? You've got the wrong associations. The headset is what the old telephone operators used to wear. “One ringy dingy… two ringy dingy…,” said Lily Tomlin for those of us old enough to remember Laugh In. Wheeled luggage is what stewardesses used, not us burly alpha male road warriors. We lug our garment bags around the world and pay for our chiropractor visits when we return. Today, we don’t look twice when we see these products. We wheel our bags through the airport as we talk on our Bluetooth headsets, and we look just like everybody else.

Both products have made the leap, neither particularly quickly. Both went through considerable design and re-design processes to come up with the right user experience and the right design aesthetics. So how do we short circuit this process today so we can get to acceptance that much faster?

I had this conversation with Peter von Conta, the vice president of design and development at Vibram, the footwear brand that makes the oh-so-polarizing Five Fingers shoe. This product embodies the “barefoot running” movement, dovetailing in nicely with other societal forces, such as local organic food trends, smart consumerism and a general return to basics. But its defining feature is that it has five “fingers” for your toes. It doesn’t look like anything you’ve worn before. And that really scares a lot of people away.

In speaking to Peter about how a designer approaches making an outlandish product more palatable, he pointed to three key steps:

1. Focus on the “how”---not just the “what”---of your defining feature. Peter told me, “We try to maximize the potential of the product using whatever tools are available to us. If life gives you wheat, you make pasta, but you also have to choose the shape, or conversely, you can choose to make bread instead. We also know that in today’s product culture that cool looking is accompanied by great functionality, or you potentially lose your audience.”

Design isn’t just aesthetics. It’s product management, knowing what’s in, and what’s out. It’s user experience. It’s also having the forethought and creativity to take your defining feature into new and unexpected places.

2. Create meaningful associations that we can latch on to. “I believe in quantum leaps, but consumers are sometimes unprepared for the experience,” Peter continued. “My personal approach to design is about transforming the strange into the curious or recognizable, so that the consumer can meet the product through their own perceptions and expectations. Creating multiple perceptive pathways to the product can make it successful in its own right, even if the primary benefit is hidden or ignored at first glance. The goal is to make a great connection with your audience. People love connections, just look at Facebook.”

What are the associations that matter here? To athletes who are serious about cross training, who would be the sort of runners who would gravitate to non-traditional barefoot alternatives and others, creating an outdoors association would resonate. What if your design evoked feelings of SCUBA gear? What if your execution looked like those old sprinter’s spikes looked like back in high school? We’re not talking “toe shoes” anymore, are we?

3. Know when to stop talking and start listening. “You have to be willing to teach what you know, and to change what doesn’t work, so that your product is allowed to be the subject of a shared experience. Products ultimately take on a life of their own, occasionally outside the intention of their inventors, and so dealing with this movement is the real task. For instance, when people use Vibram FiveFingers shoes, they are not necessarily pondering the Vibram designers’ intent, but know inherently and instantly that they are receiving an interesting experience through their feet. It’s all about the connection.”

Your role as teacher and evangelist never stops. But at a certain point, they will start telling you what they see. For Vibram, pouring more barefoot alternative fuel on the fire is their mission. But where people take it is a community effort.

Peter’s thinking should provide hope and guidance to anyone working with a product, technology, or solution of any sort that “isn’t for me” at first glance. He reminds us to focus on how we choose to embody our defining feature and to make conscious choices here. He exhorts us to find the right associations and metaphors that connect us with the right feelings we want to evoke. And he reminds us to get out of the way and let your people tell you what they’re thinking.

Good rules for rule-breaking products!