English patient: Recovery through design in the medical sector, The

Design Management Review, Spring 2004 by Smart, Kirsty, Phillips, Mark, Press, Mike

Lessons learned

From this case, a number of key lessons have been learned and have been applied in more than 100 similar projects conducted by the Advanced Product Development Centre.

1. Understand company culture.

For the lead designer, Mark Phillips, who had formerly worked with large blue-chip companies, the culture of small manufacturers in South Yorkshire was very distinctive and required a particular approach to sell the benefits of design.

As he explains: "Mediplan was somewhat different from many local companies in that it saw the need for design to get into new markets. In many firms we work with, the predominant view is that design is something you use only to cut costs. This is understandable, and design can certainly be applied to reduce costs, but it's vital to ensure that the concept of value is not overlooked. So we've worked hard to ensure that adding value is right up there at the top of the design agenda."

2. User-centered design gives value for money.

As a company with limited access to investment, every penny spent on design had to count, and had to give a good return into the long term. A design methodology that was centered on the needs of all the key stakeholders and caused them to participate fully in the early part of the project enabled ideas to be exchanged, modifications to be made, and other problems to be ironed out well before the cost-intensive prototyping and manufacturing phases of the project were begun.

According to the lead designer: "I suppose a quick styling job may have been a cheap solution, but we agreed early on that getting close to users would be key to getting the solution right, and also getting customers on board with a system that would meet their needs over the long term. That strategy worked and has been applied successfully in the company's more recent products."

3. Exploit the advantages of a small business.

A successful design strategy must eclipse the disadvantages of a small business (such as limited access to investment) with their advantages (such as the ability to respond quickly to change), and exploit the latter to the fullest.

Working in a small business often means being involved in all levels of production and sales. This characteristic was turned to the advantage of the project: The sales director's involvement in the design process enabled him to offer his experience with purchasers, ranging from intelligence about buyers' decision-making processes to how the product might be misused or damaged. The design team made full use of the intimate knowledge that company staff had built up about the product sector and their customers. This is not to say that the design team did not question assumptions; it is important that long-standing beliefs are challenged where necessary. This was a vital resource that fed into critical stages of the project.

4. There is a future for post-industrial manufacturers.

Overall, this project is a powerful demonstration that there is a viable future for small manufacturers in so-called post-industrial economies. One strategy for them is to exploit the knowledge base in local universities to revitalize their design and new product development. As this case demonstrates, it can result in efficient, nimble, design-led companies that use design as the prime means of getting close to customers and building a new vision for their enterprise.