In a previous interview and discussion, Brian and I explored strategic design and its important role in a firm’s management, including innovation roadmaps and brand development. While at recent conference in Singapore, Brian gave this presentation that further elaborates on the subject.
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As design has taken up an increasingly important role in organizations, there are some key points to keep in mind. First, “Design” is both a process (verb) and an outcome (noun). Its presence is everywhere within an organization from logistics to finance.
Second, skilled industrial designers are the most knowledgeable on manufacturing capabilities, product design trends, and human factors. The more one utilizes their strengths across an organization, the more they’ll learn about the organization and have the ability to meaningfully contribute ideas and processes that will improve quality, customer satisfaction, financial performance, and brand initiatives aligned with business goals.
Third, because product development is a very costly process and competition is strong (home and abroad), the presence of design strategists in executive management allows for much greater qualitative input on portfolio management and innovation, in a timely fashion that reduces cycle times.
For more information, see Brian’s blog at: DesignSojourn.com
