We go beyond beauty and DFM (see Colonial Rule #7) when we design top of bed displays; we always consider product longevity.
This rule will answer questions such as:
It's not just a memorable line from a Star Trek movie, it's another important aspect of the product designer's job, to keep the expected longevity of the product in mind. There's little point in designing a display product with a life expectancy of one year if it needs to last two, three, or even four years in use. It probably goes without saying, likewise there's little point in designing a product from materials that are built to last 20 years or more, if the product they're to be used on has the same two, three, or four year lifespan. The materials chosen, and the engineering that goes into any product, must be carefully balanced with the longevity required and the cost of the material selected.
While on the surface, it might make sense to over-engineer a product, at the end of its useful life cycle, the extra costs involved might be wasted as the "Next Generation" of products appears. If the product design balances its main design goals, such as brand visibility, differentiation, and value positioning, with engineering to match it's useful product life, resources that might otherwise be wasted can be redirected into other areas of the product launch, ensuring that more mattresses can be sold and everyone can prosper from the well balanced life of the design. With mattresses, it's very common for floor samples to remain on display for a two to three-year period. That's their life expectancy before the next generation of products will typically get launched. Hence, a top of bed display should be engineered to maximize cost and value by protecting the sample for longer than its life expectancy, but not too long.