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

Company success depends less and less on how well the company's product works. Customers expect a product to function properly; this is simply the price of entry to the industry or the marketplace. What is much more important to the user is the experience he or she has when using the product or service. Design is an extremely effective resource that can be used to shape these customer experiences. This means design directly affects company reputation and business profitability. Managing design, therefore, is a commercial imperative. The real issue is how well it is done and how effectively it focuses on realizing identifiable business objectives.

This reminds me of an experience I had when joining BAA-an experience that is burned indelibly into my mind. It was the first one-to-one meeting I had with my new chief executive. I had been recruited to be BANs design director; my job was to help the business get the most from its investment in design, so I was keen to find out from the chief executive what his strategy was for the business. Knowing this would enable me to direct design work in the most appropriate way.

My way into the discussion was to ask him what he wanted to be remembered for when he left the company. His answer was dismissive. He told me I should know that his role was well described by the mission statement of the business, which was to become the most successful airport company in the world. This did not help much, since I had taken it for granted that we would be successful, as I took it for granted that my car would start in the morning. My problem was that although the mission was clear, it gave no clue to how we were to attain, and then maintain, the high ground that was implicit in that statement. So I tried asking the question again. After some reflection, my boss said that there was one thing he did want to be remembered for. He wanted to be thought of as the man that brought the fun back into travel.

That was more like it.

We discussed this issue many times, together and with senior managers. Eventually, a vision emerged that would become the springboard by which we would realize our mission. That vision would involve a change of culture at BAA, because it centered on becoming a different sort of business. We wanted to concentrate less on the task of "people-moving" and more on the job of "experience management"-- and design would be an important tool in managing the interface between this strategic positioning and how those experiences were delivered. But that is another story for another day. The important point to make is that it was a commercial imperative for BAA to reinvent itself, and design was a key tool in that process; it was working at the interface of that change.

Design is a business tool that makes strategy visible

Design is one of the key business resources that provide a clear and practical link between the strategic discussions of the boardroom and the day-to-day activities of the shop floor. As such, design can make strategy visible.