Design Matters

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Originally uploaded by IC Pod.

I found this illustration the other day. It is a pre-digital Kodak photograph of Tom Peters and myself in November 2001, taken at a design workshop at the Design Museum, London.
Looking through the slideset Tom presented a many slides with quotable quotes....a few hit me as I looked through today:

“A pattern emphasized in the case studies in this book is the degree to which powerful competitors not only resist innovative threats, but actually resist all efforts to understand them, preferring to further their positions in older products. This results in a surge of productivity and performance that may take the old technology to unheard of heights. But in most cases this is a sign of impending death.”
Jim Utterback, Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation

“These days, you can’t succeed as a company if you’re consumer led – because in a world so full of so much constant change, consumers can’t anticipate the next big thing. Companies should be idea-led and consumer-informed.”
Doug Atkin, partner, Merkley Newman Harty

Design: The No.1 Source of Passionate Attachment!
(Or undying despair)

Design is a Great Story!

“Car designers need to create a story. Every car provides an opportunity to create an adventure. … “The Prowler makes you smile. Why? Because it’s focused. It has a plot, a reason for being, a passion.”
Freeman Thomas, co-designer VW Beetle; designer Audi TT

Suppliers: There is an ominous downside to strategic supplier relationships. An SSR supplier is not likely to function as any more than a mirror to your organization. Fringe suppliers that offer innovative business practices need not apply.”
Wayne Burkan, Wide Angle Vision: Beat the Competition by Focusing on Fringe Competitors, Lost Customers, and Rogue Employees

1st Law Mktg Physics:
OVERT BENEFIT (Focus: 1 or 2 > 3 or 4/“One Great Thing.”
(Source #1: Personal Passion)
2nd Law:
REAL REASON TO BELIEVE (Stand & Deliver!)
3RD Law: DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE
(Execs Don’t Get It: See the next slide.)
reference: Jump Start Your Business Brain, Doug Hall

2 Questions
“How likely are you to purchase this new product or service?”
(95% to 100% weighting by execs)
“How unique is this new product or service?”
(0% to 5%*)
*No exceptions in 20 years
reference– Doug Hall, Jump Start Your Business Brain
The answers to the two questions are also an indicator of how executive feel about exposure to risk.

We had a discussion about the golf club effect. When executives meet at the golf club they need to have a quick reply to the person who says "I've shut 2 factories this week, reduced overheads by 3% and seen a quarterly figures improve, despite losing 8% market share; Oh! and share price is up."
Suppose all you can say is " Well today I committed funds to a really exciting but risky venture. I won't know whether it will pay-off for a couple of years and we might need to refurbish that redundant factory to get it the quality of the product right... apart from that it was fairly quiet."
Each visit to the 19th green will provoke "How's that crazy idea of yours going... what was the share price like again?"

Message: Designers – appropriately considered – are the script writers for The Compelling Story called Our Company Matters Because …

Comments

[John O'Leary]

Great stuff, Jim. I love the range of your influences. Thanks for your contributions to the Tom Peters website. BTW, I worked with Peter Senge earlier in my career - whom you reference in an earlier post. Peter and Tom are the giants, in my humble opinion.