Every person has its own understanding and definition of what design is. Regularly clarifying some basic principles helps me to organize my thinking about what makes a good design and what do I stand for.
A good design makes a product valuable
The product answer user needs, is useful, and thus creates value for both users and the organization.
A good design makes a product easy to use
The product is simple, understandable, and self-explanatory.
A good design makes a product aesthetic
The product reflects an attractive and beautiful identity.
Technology companies
An excellent designer can work on any type of product or service due to the understanding of the philosophy of design-thinking that is part of every great design. However, these past 8 years, I have been mainly working on digital product and services for technology companies.
Depending on the stage of your company, the people you are designing for, and your singular culture, the role of a product designer can vary a lot.
I bring out below three main technology companies stages with their specificities and how a Product Designer can help :
Stage 1
idea validation
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Stage 2
early growth
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Stage 3
scale
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If you are still not convinced to invest into design, below you can read further analysis :
- "If products and companies would live or die by code before, they now live or die by their product design and design literacy" Pieter Levine, general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz - April 2020
- "Design thinking can deliver an ROI of 85% or greater" Ryan Hart, principal analyst at Forrester, published in Forbes - July 2019
- How design thinking transformed Airbnb form failing startup to billion dollar business. A fireside chat between Joe Gebbia of Airbnb and Phin Barnes of First Round Capital - March 2013
Other organizations
The double diamond design process, which is central in my work, is a framework for innovation that helps designers and non-designers to tackle some of the most complex social, economic, and environmental problems. This design process could also support public and third sector organizations to transform the way they develop and deliver services : public services, public enterprises, governmental services, non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, or associations. Design thinking is even more relevant in these organizations because they have to work with more limited resources, navigate complex bureaucracies, and juggle a large range of stakeholder expectations.
I'm convinced that designers have a central role in promoting change, especially regarding the social, technological, and ecological challenges of the 21st century. If you are too, please contact me.
Some examples of design thinking applied in non-profit organizations :
- Climate change adaptation, designing for change
- Using Design Thinking to Tackle Climate Change When ‘What You Know No Longer Works’
- Design thinking as a way to improve patient experience
- Design thinking in the Canadian public sector
- Designing waste out of the food system
- Preparing New Yorkers for future flooding
- Designing everyday activities and living environments for adults with autism