Wise counsel: A trinity of perspectives on the business value of design

Design Management Journal, Winter 2002 by Gierke, Martin, Hansen, James G, Turner, Raymond

Martin Gierke, James G. Hansen, and Raymond Turner are voices of experience, with distinctive backgrounds and insights. On the other hand, three similar themes can be found in the message each offers: design is a thoughtful, rational process; design should be integral to an organization's business strategy; and, in shaping positive perceptions and building customer loyalty, design contributes to the bottom line.

Product design:

Design as strategic exclamation

I'm surrounded by objects; like mass-market snow, They demand my attention wherever Igo. A blizzard of products, each unlike the rest-- Each wants to be special; each wants to be best.

Pardon the metaphor, but product design often feels like snowflake design. It's one thing to make them all different when they leave the factory, but by the time they hit the ground, it's really quite impossible to tell them apart. If they don't melt on contact, others soon bury them. Given the time, I suppose you could isolate one or two and take a closer look. Maybe even marvel at the intricate detail and symmetry. At best, you will have only a moment to enjoy the experience. Your attention will soon be diverted when you find you must get rid of all that stuff. It's often way too much of a good thing.

For product designers and the companies that support them, finding ways for new products to be singled out and examined more closely is serious work indeed. It's a delicate combination of timing, communication, and design. Two of these three-timing and communication-get you in the game. Someone has to decide which blizzard to be in, and someone else has to figure out how to tell the world that you're in there. The third thing-design-is ultimately what will ensure that you are singled out and examined more closely.

I cannot begin to develop a formula that combines these three ingredients in the proper measure to guarantee success. But I will go so far as to suggest that companies that weigh in heavily on the design side of the equation have a good shot at creating products that will be marveled at-if only for a moment. To accomplish that feat requires object obsession throughout every facet of the company: every person, every action, every decision. It must be a collective force that radiates from the very heart of the company. Show me a company that is obsessed with the objects it creates, and I guarantee you will find one with an extraordinary commitment to design.

To be object obsessed is simple. Surround yourself with them. Study them. Talk about them. Take them apart. Drop them. Throw them. Wear them. Destroy them. Listen to them. Smell them. Taste them. Love them. Hate them. Everyone in the company (not just the designers!) should have objects in front of them. On their desks, in their closets, in their cars, in their homes. Carry an object or two into each and every meeting. Not just the product review meetings-every meeting. (How many of you have been in a lengthy meeting and found yourself asking, "Does anyone have a sample of what it is we've been talking about?") Do that, and support for design will grow.

So, okay, now you have the support. Your company is obsessed. Great! Now what? How do you ensure your product design efforts support company strategy? Well-don't you think that those who create the objects that reflect strategy should be thoroughly obsessed with it themselves? Sounds simple enough. Yet many companies today have strategic plans that are elusive and vague. The designer's role here is critical: to assist with the development and communication of strategy through a highly participative series of activities. This is the time to allow designers to interpret strategic words and turn them into strategic visions. A designer should dissect the strategic plan the way he or she dissects a competitive product-- looking for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Looking for essence.

Once found, essence provides the framework for vision. Now is the time to allow the freedom to "objectify" that vision in as many ways as possible and as quickly as possible. You are not looking for beautiful objects at this time-only those that capture strategic meaning in ways that are expressive and direct. It may be difficult to resist the temptation to critique these early visions on aesthetic terms, or to whisk them out to research. But remember, these forms are not useful-not yet-for typical product development activities. These are not tactical objects. Their only purpose is to express vision.

Once these objects have been created, the design community should facilitate a meaningful dialogue with company strategists to discuss refinements. A well-facilitated meeting at this point will take the pressure to "throw in my two cents" off everyone. This is not about the best design-it's about the best reflection of strategic vision. Believe it or not, you can shift minds away from "what I like" and toward "where we're going. Again, facilitation by designers is key.

Sounds easy, right? Well-maybe not. How do you know when your design vision truly reflects corporate strategy? And who is in the best position to judge? Beyond the obvious champions that populate the design community-inside or outside the company-someone inside has to own this vision. That someone (or group of someones) should be placed highly enough in the organization to effect the fundamental changes required to move the company forward. They must be equipped to recognize the role of design as it specifically applies to their industry, and be willing to act on a combination of information and instinct.