People-First Design: Design Thinking and Management

The  most  important  thing  about  a  point  of  view  is  to  have  one.  

Design  is  Hot  Enlightened  companies  are  talking  about  design  and  its  benefits  like  never  before.  Product,  brand  and  service  design  are  on  the  agenda  because  they  speak  volumes  about  the  company  that  produced  them,  its  values  and  priori@es.  It  is  also  good  business  as  smart  design  makes  money.    Yet  so  few  do  this  or  do  it  remotely  well.  One  cannot  aDend  a  design  or  marke@ng  conference  without  Apple  being  lauded  as  the  pinnacle  of  design  thinking.  In  December,  2013  I  was  a  Keynote  speaker  at  the  Tsinghua  Interna@onal   Design  Management   Symposium   in   Shenzhen,   China   and   joked   with   fellow   presenters   about  who  would  be  first  to  men@on  Apple.  The  joke  is  actually  a  biDer  one  because  there  are  few  other  companies  to  cite.                                          There  are  many  reasons  for  this  drought.  Design  and   its  prac@ce  have  been  made  overly  complex.  We  have  assigned  words,  processes  and  tools  to  design  that  confuse  more  than  enlighten.  Now  “design”  is  analogous  to  “strategy”.  It  is  a  word  that  has  come  to  mean  so  much  that  it  means  almost  nothing  when  we  hear  it.    The  second  reason   is  puUng  design  at   the  heart  of  an  organiza@on   is   tough  stuff.  Business   is  complex  with  many  compe@ng  priori@es  and  focuses.  Too  oXen  design  is  viewed  as  a  suppor@ng  player.  Where  design  is  at  in  business  today  holds  eerie  parallels  to  where  branding  was  ten  years  ago.  Design  advocates  are  aDemp@ng  to  convince  the  C-­‐Suite  that  a  Chief  Design  Officer  should  be  at  the  ‘big-­‐boys’  table.      I  sat  on  a  panel   in  Shenzhen  and  one  of  my  fellow  panelists  stated,  “Design  should  not  be  a  department  or  func@on  within  a  company.  Design  should  be  everything  the  company  does.”  I  cannot  tell  you  how  many  @mes  I   heard  exactly   the   same   thing  at  branding  and  marke@ng   conferences   in   reference   to  brand  over   the  past  twenty  years.  I  intend  to  circle  back  on  this  observa@on  at  the  close  of  the  paper  but  first  it  is  important  to  set  the  stage.  

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Shenzhen  

Level  SeUng  The  Design  Management  Ins@tute  has  done  the  industry  a  favor  by  penning  a  smart  defini@on:    

“Simply  put,  design  management  is  the  business  side  of  design.  Design  management  encompasses  the  ongoing  processes,  business  decisions,  and  strategies  that  enable  innova@on  and  create  effec@vely-­‐designed  products,  services,  communica@ons,  environments,  and  brands  that  enhance  our  quality  of  life  and  provide  organiza@onal  success.”  

 Design  management   is  about  good  business  because   it   solves   real  problems  by   improving  people’s   lives.  What  this   means   to   me   is,   design   can   do   good   and   make   money.   I   also   believe   it   is   a   noble   pursuit   because   it   is  extremely  difficult.  

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A   significant   part   of  what  makes  design   so   challenging   is  how  we  all  subjec@vely  judge  it.  Design  is  hugely  personal.  Yet,   in  business   it  can  be  evaluated  based  on  commercial  success.  That   is  because  great  design  must  sa@sfy  a  need  or  a  want  or  ideally  both.  It  must  compel  people  to  engage  with  it.  Even  beDer  is  when  people  share  it  with  others.    Design   management   started   with   product   design.  Businesses   learned   that   they   could   differen@ate  by   using  consistent  and  dis@nc@ve  design.  This  gave  way   to  brand  design   and   now   companies   are   challenged   with   service  design  which  is  incredibly  complex.    Today   we   see   such   elegance   in   the   design   of   every   day  products  and  their  packaging.  

needs  &  wants  

Through   products   and   packaging,   companies   learned   that   design   could   be   a   strategic   asset   in   brand   equity,  differen@a@on,  and  product  quality.  This  gave  rise  to  brand  design  management.  It  helps  align  products  within  the  product  range  and  establishes  a  clear  design  language.  It  promotes  a  company’s  brand  by  communica@ng  a  clear  set  of  values.  This  is  an  area  I  have  spent  a  great  deal  of  my  career.  

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Each   of   these   brand’s   logos   is   filled   with   meaning   that   the   companies   have   taken   great   pains   to   achieve.  Whether  it  be  value,  quality,  or  exclusivity,  each  of  these  values  are  deliberate  strategic  decisions.    That  brings  us  to  the  challenging  prac@ce  of  service  design.  The  aim  is  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  service,  the  interac@on  between   the  service  provider  and   its   customers  and   the  customer's  experience.   It   is  arguably   the  most  complex  form  of  design  management.  There  are  four  reasons  for  this:    

Services  are  intangible.  They  have  no  physical  form  and  they  cannot  be  seen  before  purchase  or  taken  home.    Services  are  unique.  Unlike  tangible  products,  no  two  service  delivery  experiences  are  alike.    Services   are   inseparable.   The   act   of   supplying   a   service   is   inseparable   from   the   customer’s   act   of  consuming  it.    Services  are  perishable.  They  cannot  be  inventoried.    

The  good  new  is  there  is  a  shared  process  to  apply  whether  it  be  product,  brand  or  service  design.  For  me  it  all  starts  with  a  very  simple  ques@on.    

What  Problem  Are  You  Trying  To  Solve?  Design  management  is  the  business  of  design  so  it  must  solve  business  problems.  Its  purpose  is  to  capture   opportunity,   to   innovate   so   we   can  enhance   and   improve   people’s   lives.   This  compels  them  to  buy  what  we  offer.  I  believe  it  is  the  most  beau@ful  form  of  business.      When  Andy  Warhol  said,  “Being  good  in  business  is   the  most   fascina@ng  kind  of  art.”,   I  believe  he  was   referring   to   an   exchange   of   value.   In   its  simplest   form,   a   company   designs   solu@ons   for  its   customers   and   those   customers   compensate  the   company   by   paying,   by   remaining   loyal   and  by  telling  others  about  their  experiences.      Warhol  was   not   referring   to   design   for   design’s  sake.  The  curving  picnic  bench   is  beau@ful  but   it  is  art  because  it   lacks  commercial  sensibility  and  applica@on.   My   colleague,   Simon   Bolton   of  Birmingham   City   University   is   fond   of   saying,  “You  do  not  sell  design,  you  sell  solu@ons.”  

The   process   requires   asking   the   right   ques@ons.   It  begins  with   the   problem  we   are   trying   to   solve   and  when   I   work   with   clients   that   leads   to   three  fundamental  ques@ons.    

What  do  you  have  that  is  unique?  Who  wants  or  needs  it?  How  do  they  like  to  be  engaged?  

 Let’s   see   how   they   apply   to   a   few   different   cases.  Designers   Mike   &   Maaike   asked   a   very   simple  ques@on…can   wallpaper   serve   a   highly   func@onal  purpose?   I   love  what   they  concluded  through  smart,  simple   design   that   serves   a   business   purpose   and  makes  lives  easier.      They   created   Wayfinder   wallpaper.   It   transcends  language,  employs  color  coding  and  just  makes  sense.  It   helps   direct   people   in   a   visually   pleasing   way   to  exits  and  loca@ons.  It  reminds  me  of  Arthur  Koestler’s  quote,   “The   more   original   a   discovery,   the   more  obvious   it   seems   aXerwards.”   This   seems   very  obvious  aXer  viewing.    Apple  design  chief  Sir   Jonathan  Ive  has  his  own  view  on  this  topic,  "So  much  of  what  we  try  to  do  is  get  to  a   point   where   the   solu@on   seems   inevitable:   you  know,  you  think  "of  course  it's  that  way,  why  would  it  be  any  other  way?"  It  looks  so  obvious,  but  that  sense  of   inevitability   in   the   solu@on   is   really   hard   to  achieve."  

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The  next  is  a  great  example  of  aDemp@ng  to  solve  a  problem  is  finding  new  uses  for  old  space.  This  was  the  problem  posed  to  architects  in  The  Netherlands.  Specifically  how  do  you  convert  a  beau@ful  old  church  into  a  bookstore?  How  do  you  retain  its  uniqueness  while  making  it  func@onal  and  relevant  given  its  new  purpose?  

Pu8ng  People  First  Each  of  these  examples  shares  the  most  cri@cal  considera@on.  Each  solu@on  puts  people  first.  They  solve  real  problems.  Make  people’s  lives  easier  and  more  enjoyable.  More  importantly,  what  I  call  “People-­‐First  Design  Management”   makes   each   person   believe   it   was   designed   solely   for   them.   This   is   incredibly   difficult   to  accomplish.  You  can  be  the  smartest,  most  talented  and  crea@ve  person  but  may  s@ll  not  be  equipped  to  do  this.  It  takes  a  few  special  quali@es.    We  all  know  that  children  are  extremely  inquisi@ve.  They  love  to  experiment  and  inves@gate.  They  are  seeing  everything  for  the  first  @me  and  are  amazed.  This  prompts  them  to  ask  ques@ons.  In  fact,  a  recent  study  shows  that  children  ask  150  probing  ques@ons  a  day.  They  are  trying  to  figure  things  out.  They  ask  why  things  work  they  way  they  do.  They  wonder  if  things  can  change  for  the  beDer.  And  they  are  not  afraid  to  say  that  they  do  not  understand.    Then  something  changes  when  children  grow  up.  The  same  study  found  that  adults  only  ask  6.  Over  @me  we  seem  to  lose  our  interest.  We  assume  that  the  way  things  are  is  the  way  they  must  stay.  We  have  become  less  curious.  We  have   lost   our   childlike  wonder  with   the  world.   This   is   sad.   This   is   not   good   for  our  world.   This  makes  our  world  a  less  interes@ng  place  because  we  are  not  asking  the  right  ques@ons.  To  develop  the  most  crea@ve  solu@ons  we  must  look  at  problems  in  a  unique  and  fresh  way.    

Curiosity   itself   does   not   guarantee   success   in  business   and   design.   We   must   all   be   objec@ve   and  not   biased   in   our   views,   we   must   possess   an  intui@veness   about   people   and   their   behavior,   we  must  observe  keenly  how  people   interact  with  each  other  and   the  world  around   them,  we  must  be  able  to   discern   what   is   important   and   what   is   not   and  lastly  we  must  be  percep@ve  enough  to  know  that  we  don’t   know  everything.   I   say   that  because  designers  must  be  confident,  yet  humble.      Robert  Weider  said,  “Anyone  can  look  for  fashion  in  a  bou@que  or  history  in  a  museum.  The  crea@ve  person  looks   for   history   in   a   hardware   store   and   fashion   in  an  airport.”    This  means  that   inspira@on  can  come  from  different  places  if  we  are  open  to  being  inspired.  If  we  want  to  make  changes   in   this  world   through  design   than  we  must  be  open  to  change.    Remember   first   that   you   are   all   problem   solvers.  Everything   you   do   begins   with   the   ques@on,   what  problem  are  we  trying  to  solve?    It  is  when  you  are  uncomfortable  that  you  know  you  are   onto   something.   This   means   you   have   pushed  your   own   thinking   and   challenged   conven@on.   Take  this  example  from  M&C  Saatchi  Milano.    Imagine   spoUng   a   submarine   that   had   surfaced   in  the   middle   of   a   city   street.   The   adver@sing   agency  created   this   amazing   installa@on   for   an   insurance  client  to  communicate  that  anything  in  our  world  can  happen.   It   is   best   to   be   prepared.   It   was   an  uncomfortable   campaign   idea   but   executed   so  brilliantly   that   it  brought  about  the  desired  effect  of  people   re-­‐examining   their   insurance   needs.   It  certainly  beat  doing  the  predictable  and  tradi@onal.    Embrace  Complexity  The  world   is   a   complex   place   and  many   companies  and  brands   do   very   complex   things.   So  many  of  my  clients   ask   me   to   simplify   their   stories.   This   I   now  refuse   to  do.   I   tell   them  not   to  be  ashamed  of   their  complexity   but   to   celebrate   it.   This   does   not   mean  they  cannot  cleverly  and  crea@vely  demonstrate  their  complexity.  

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People-­‐First  Design  Management  makes  each  person  believe  whatever  was  designed  was  

designed  solely  for  them.  This  is  not  mass  customiza@on,  it  is  

mass  appeal.  

"I  think  there  is  a  profound  and  enduring  beauty  in  simplicity;  in  clarity,  in  efficiency.  True  simplicity  is  derived  

from  so  much  more  than  just  the  absence  of  cluDer  and  ornamenta@on.  

It's  about  bringing  order  to  complexity.”  Sir  Jonathan  Ive  

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At   the   Symposium  my   fellow   Keynote   presenter,   Paul   Gardien,   Vice   President,   Head   of   Strategy  &  Design  Innova@on   at   Philips   regaled   the   audience  with   his   company’s   pledge   to   improve   the   lives   of   three  billion  people.  This  number   is  aggressive  and   impressive  but  a  realis@c  figure  that  Philips  has  proved   it  can  reach.  Sobering   was   Paul’s   admission   that   just   4%   of   the   ideas   Philips   explores   ever   makes   it   way   to   market.  Depending  upon  industry  this  is  actually  an  enviable  number.  In  business  ideas  die  quick  or  prolonged  deaths  for  scores  of  reasons.    In  his  presenta@on  Paul  highlighted  the  KiDenScanner.  This  is  an  ini@a@ve  by  Philips  to  remove  the  mystery  and  to  calm  and  empower  kids  undergoing  an  MRI.  Quality  images  are  best  acquired  with  recep@ve,  relaxed  pa@ents.   Yet   a   child’s   fear   of   the   unknown   can   challenge   that   goal.   The   KiDenScanner   reduces   fear   and  playfully  educates  children  about  the  scanning  process.    Philips  examined  both  the  service  and  product  design.  The  insights  were  exceedingly  human.  They  recognized  that   a   hospital   visit   can   be   overwhelming   and   undergoing   an   examina@on  without  Mom  or  Dad   nearby   is  scary.  But  given  an  opportunity   to  understand  what’s  happening,  children  find  the  experience  easier.  Their  naturally  inquisi@ve  minds  are  reassured  when  they  can  “try  it  out”.    Children  are  encouraged  to  explore  the  scanning  concept  by  learning  from  a  small  scale  version  of  a  scanner.  This  generic  looking  model  can  be  used  to  help  describe  both  the  MRI  and  CT  process.  First  the  child  chooses  a  toy  to  scan.  Then  he  or  she  puts  it  on  the  miniature  pa@ent  table  and  pushes  it  through  the  opening.  This  ac@on  triggers  a  flat  panel  display  which  presents  (in  terms  kids  can  understand)  a  short  story  explaining  how  a  scanner  works  and  why  the  exam  is  needed.    The  “insides”  of   the  toy  are  seen  on  the  screen,  clarifying  the  scanner’s  purpose.  As  children  play  with  the  KiDenScanner,   aDen@on   is   focused   on   learning   and   having   fun,   so   they   are   less   likely   to  worry   about   the  upcoming   procedure.   By   reducing   fear,   pediatric   pa@ents   can   more   calmly   undergo   the   exam.   Calmer  pa@ents   tend   to   be   more   compliant,   less   ac@ve.   This   may   translate   into   fewer   retakes   and   improved  throughput.  The  KiDenScanner  makes  a  serious  occasion  less  scary  and  more  effec@ve.    This   ini@a@ve  is  part  of  Philips’   larger  “Ambient  Experience”  offer  which  removes  the  mystery  and  fear  of  a  wide   range  of  healthcare   services.   I  was  pleased   to   learn   they   term   it   “People  Focused  Healthcare”.   It  has  many   of   the   same   tenets   that   appear   in   this   paper   and   that   were   found   in   my   People-­‐First   Design  presenta@on  in  Shenzhen.  

Create  Wonder  Product,   brand   and   service   design   is   not   art   but   that   does   not  mean   you   cannot   create  wonder   and   draw  people  in.  This  stunning  work  for  the  Berlin  Philharmonic  instantly  intrigues  and  pulls  you  in.  At  first  glance,  it  looks  like  a  room  lit  by  stylish  windows  un@l  we  realize  it  is  the  inside  of  a  violin.  There  is  also  an  organ  that  resembles  a  complex  city.  

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Prac@cing   sound   design  management   does   not   mean   it   cannot   be   beau@ful.   The   Design   House   Stockholm  summed   this  best  by   saying,   “Don't  make   something  unless   is   it   both  necessary   and  useful   but   if   it   is   both  necessary  and  useful  don't  hesitate  to  make  it  beau@ful.”    Summing  Up  Design   and   design   management   is   on   the   agenda   of   more   and   more   companies.   It   is   at   the   place   where  branding   was   ten   to   fiXeen   years   ago.   Branding   almost   became   a   buzzword   rather   than   a   legi@mate  management   prac@ce   and   differen@ator.   It   is   s@ll   figh@ng   for   legi@macy   because   it   has   either   been   over  complicated  or  over  simplified  and  in  many  cases  over  promised  and  under  delivered.  The  same  could  happen  to  design.    For  design  and  design  management  to  be  valued  it  has  to  demonstrate  a  clear  return  on  investment.  It  will  do  so  by  solving  business  problems,  by  puUng  people  first  and  by  making  each  person  believe  that  whatever  was  designed  was  designed  solely  for  them.  

Jeff  Swystun  President  and    

Chief  Marke@ng  Officer  416.471.4655