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Why are Businesses so Interested in Design Thinking and the Design Process
2009-07-03 15:00:00
I have been watching ?Design Thinking ? very closely for a long time now, often amused on how it is unfolding in both the design and non-design industries. At this time I?m curious it is evolving, and having strong suspicions on how it can be an element to bridge the "language gap" between Design and the Business. Interestingly, since I started watching this topic in 2006, everyone who is anyone (including yours truly) jumped with their $0.02 cents worth in trying to figure out just what this is all about. However many posts never seem to get the idea of Design Thinking right, and the definition and objectives for Design Thinking never clearly expressed.
More About: Process , Businesses

Reinventing the Coffee and Tea Cup
2009-07-03 06:42:00
c8- h10- n4- o2 by Gilad Davidi Beautiful work by the students from The Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Ramat Gan. They were tasked by their lecturers to re-invent the Coffee (and Espresso) or Tea Cup by "deep diving" into our coffee culture and understanding the coffee drinking rituals involved.

What I figured out after Meditating in the Mountains!
2009-06-29 17:48:00
Sorry friends. It has been a while since I made contact with anyone via this blog. It was partly due to the fact that I got pretty sick and sadly I still am. It?s one ailment after another in never ending vicious cycle. I cannot seem to shake it off completely. I must be a germ magnet! Fortunately during my sick leave, I had the opportunity to do some serious thinking and reflection. In particular, what I wanted to do with this blog and it?s role in my life. Early in January this year, I announced the launch of Design Sojourn Version 4.0. It was a good revamp of the site and as well as refocusing its content. Particularly important was that I shared a new blog description and focus which was ?How to master the business of strategic industrial design?. However at the back of my mind I still could not decide what I wanted to get out of this blog. As it is now 6 months since the last update, I thought it might be a good time to share with you how I see my blog going forward.
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Which Design Student are You?
2009-06-18 09:26:00
Chuck Dillion, a lecturer at The Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia, has sketched a cartoon of the different Design students he has encountered in his 10 year teaching career. Great Stuff! Here are my favorites:
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Did you have your Sustainability Discussion Today?
2009-06-10 06:26:00
Image by: tamachanhaazarashi. Design ers these days face a lot of pressure to not only do good design, but also to do the right thing. Indeed the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly products cannot and should not be underestimated. However, while Designers are central to the creation of these products, it takes a lot more than just having the "Will" to do it.
More About: Today , Sustainability , Discussion

So the Inductees to the Designer Mentoring Program are?
2009-06-02 17:56:00
Image from AllMoviePhoto Wow! The response to the Designer Mentoring Program has been an overwhelming success. Over 30 designers of all levels have expressed interest in taking part. It was a really tough decision and I spent a lot of time agonizing over the decisions. At the end of the day the following designers were selected based on a few simple criteria:

IDEO on Design Thinking at The Harvard Business Review
2009-05-27 19:05:00
IDEO's Tim Brown has written a great article on Design Thinking for The Harvard Business Review . This one sure did the rounds in the studio! Recently, I discovered that there is a pdf version available right on their IDEO website. Do Enjoy!
More About: Creativity

A Controlled Democratic Design Process Gets Every Cubical Involved
2009-05-26 19:46:00
I recently read a really insightful interview with the members of the Griffin product development group on how they go about creating their wonderful accessories for the iPhone and iPod. One comment, in particular, struck a chord: How does the process begin? TC: Regardless of where the idea originates, the front end of the process is wide open; any one at Griffin can pitch a new product idea by writing up a one-page concept summary and presenting it to the team in a weekly product development meeting. That group bats it around, beats it up and decides whether it has enough potential to warrant further exploration. TC: A great product idea can come from anywhere. We all use and love the technologies that we build products to support, so sometimes we're just creating solutions that let us use our iPods and iPhones to do the things that we want to do. We also interact constantly with our customers to learn about their needs and pain points. Other times, we find an exciting techn...
More About: Design , Democratic , Process , Business Management

Redesigning The Rock-Paper-Scissors Game
2009-05-25 17:37:00
I really enjoy reading blogs where the author shares his or her musings and anecdotal thoughts. I find that this gives a good insight into how that author thinks. Even better if these thoughts come from a designer. Check out Smart Design's co-founder Tom Dair share his thoughts about redesigning the Rock -Paper -Scissors game. Tom argues that it does not seem logical that Paper trumps Rock, and sets out looking for a new Tri-factor that makes sense. As I was growing up, my mom had a lot of advice, especially when it came to safety. I used to hear "it's better to be a live chicken than a dead duck" a lot. Here's another one: "if there is ever an electrical storm, whatever you do, don't stand under a tree. The safest place during an electrical storm is in a car. The rubber tires protect it from the lightning". One day some teenagers in a fast moving Camaro hit a tree down the street from my house. The car was totaled; fortunately the teenagers survived. Mom, as usual, had a r...
More About: Game , Creativity , The Rock

What Role does Design Play within Your Organization?
2009-05-20 19:24:00
Designers often wonder or whine about how their work is not recognized, accepted or even respected in their organization. What many designers don't realize is how they or their designs are treated has to do with how the discipline of design is viewed within their organization. While most of the time I reference organizations that have in-house design teams, most of the topics of our discussion today can also apply to consultancies looking to service organizations that buy design services. There are many levels of how Design is viewed or integrated within an organization. This is what I like to call ?The Design Functionality Axis? as illustrated above. The Axis stretches from a low level Supplier relationship at the base of the triangle to a Strategic Design Leadership relationship. In the next few paragraphs, I hope to explain in detail what it means for a company to operate at these different Design functional levels, what designers working at these levels can expect and s...
More About: Design , Organization , Play , Role

Who Wants to be Part of a Designer Mentoring Program?
2009-05-13 18:27:00
Image from AllMoviePhoto That is right friends, I like to introduce to you a new activity on Design Sojourn and that is our very own Designer Mentoring Program . But before I go on, you might be wondering why I'm doing this? Let me share the reason with you. I often get a lot of email requests and questions for design advice. However, as I'm often very busy I don't get a chance to respond properly or even not at all. Not only that, I wonder if my advice really works, as I often don't get the full story or context of the problem. Worst still, when I do take the effort to give hearty advice, I don't even get an email reply of thanks! Who are these people? (Boo-hiss!) Because of all these point, I now want a much higher level of interaction and engagement with the people I'm helping. Hence my thoughts of running a Designer Mentoring Program here at Design Sojourn. Now, back to the program details. This program is targeted to designers of all levels looking to better...
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Resonance, A Film about Design Strategy
2009-05-12 08:44:00
Resonance from Continuum on Vimeo. Check out this really slick film about design strategists, the methodology or tools they use, and how they identify the right ideas to go with. I can identify with this, as I always say these days it's not "what can we make?", but "what is the right thing to make?". This film was produced by the global innovation consultancy Continuum to share their strategic design process with the world. Nice work guys and thanks for sharing. Enjoy!
More About: Design , Film , Strategy

A Post-it Pad makes a great Cup Coaster
2009-05-10 17:25:00
I slipped early into a meeting right before it was about to start with a cup of hot tea in my hand. My second for the day, freshly brewed and in a freshly washed cup. Not wanting to create wet rings on the wooden table, I unconsciously did the same thing I usually do, I used a post-it pad as my coaster.
More About: Post , Great

What Can Our World Be In 2050?
2009-05-06 17:40:00
Ok, I might as well spill the beans. One of the big reasons why I have been really busy, is that I am helping organize the next icsid congress 2009 here in Singapore! The congress will run from November 23rd-25th, and if you are interested to go the early bird registration (about 25% off!) is currently open to all ! So back to this discussion. I was invited to be the Chair of the Special Operations Sub-Committee. We were originally meant to sort of be a fast-response, stop-gap group, looking at issues or "dirty jobs" that no one else has the time to do. However the role has since evolved into social media strategy and networking. Strange things I get up to these days, no?
More About: World

Loyalty Points, What?s the Point?
2009-05-04 17:23:00
I recently had a discussion with my better half on how “Loyalty Point s” are pointless these days. (Please excuse the pun!) I rather have a clutter free wallet than carry my Ikea or local hardware store loyalty card. Why accumulate points and work for delay gratification when I can get immediate ...
More About: Points , Business Management

Which Member of Your Design Team do You Represent?
2009-04-28 19:56:00
Image Source: Michael Roller. Michael Roller has written a great post describing the 4 key members of a design team and the different roles they play. They are a little complicated at first glance, so I have taken the liberty to add to this discussion by translating these roles into the more common design titles we are familiar with (in brackets are my contributions):
More About: Design , Management , Team

Getting Inside Design Strategies with Hartmut Esslinger
2009-04-28 19:03:00
Guy Kawasaki, in his usual 10 point interview format, talks with Hartmut Esslinger founder of frog design and someone BusinessWeek calls "the most influential American industrial designer since the 1930s". In the interview, Hartmut shares his thoughts on Steve Jobs' brain, "Why big companies create crappy products?", and his Top 10 best and worst products of all time. It is a great interview and a primer for Hartmut's new book: A Fine Line: How Design Strategies Are Shaping the Future of Business. (Out in June) I am looking forward to the book and will do a review as soon as I can get my hands on one! Interestingly in question #9 of the interview, we get to hear, from the "horse's mouth", why there was a limited success with the $100 Laptop Project. This pretty much echos my views I have shared in the past. Do check out the full interview transcript here. Via: iPlot
More About: Inside , Business Management

Make Every Bit of a Design?s Experience Count
2009-04-27 18:49:00
Over the weekend we went to a fairly up market restaurant for dinner. It was a nice little quaint setup with enthusiastic waiters and fantastic food. My rack of lamb was particularly delicious. All in all it was a good meal, good company and a good night. However it ...
More About: Design , Experience , Make , Count

Sorry!
2009-04-25 18:17:00
What a crazy few months I had on both my work and home front! As a result of this I have not had the time to blog, and so I like to apologize for the lack of posts or updates. However I have been keeping track of all your comments so do keep ...

Have you Evolved?
2009-04-22 08:09:00
I was very thrilled to be able to visite the Droog store in Amsterdam. Sorry I don’t have any pictures as I was so excited to go in to the store that I forgot! Anyways it is worth a trip there if any of you are next in Amsterdam. What was also ...
More About: Business Management

The Dark Side of Design
2009-04-15 16:03:00
Image by Balakov This is my second article, that I wrote for Yanko Design (YD). As I know some Design Sojourn readers don't really frequent YD, I have decided to republish and keep a record of the article here. Enjoy, and I'm looking forward to your comments if you have not left any before! There is something really nasty about the Design Industry; something many know of but never really spoke of. In our ever-competitive society, we always seem to celebrate the winners, and outcast the losers. We often talk about the one that made it to the top and leave no space for second place.
More About: Dark , The Dark , Side , The Dark Side

Design Business Review
2009-04-10 19:26:00
Designers are in the business of doing business; their clients rely on them to make smart, market-savvy decisions and yet there is no resource to provide the necessary knowledge to make these decisions wisely. DBR is simple, pragmatic advice on the business of creativity. Our readers will gain a strategic advantage in their profession by learning how to get a job, win clients, and survive the recession.
More About: Business , Design , Review , Business Management

Meta Design Links: 10 April 09
2009-04-09 19:20:00
I like to bring back our regular Friday "link love" feature this Good Friday! 1) Design is The Problem : Tim Brown's thoughts on Design Thinking 2) Make something Cool Everyday: Behance Network 3) 10 Industrial Designers worth following on Twitter: Design Droplets 4) Seth Godin: Sliced bread and other marketing delights: Ted Talks 5) Today's Future Designer: Drivers of Change "The role of the designer in the business world is changing. With increased activity at a strategic level and the innate skills that support community and collaboration, the designer has the skill set to play a pivotal role in today's business. In addition, they have the desire to work with new tools and are experienced in making the complex simple. In a world where technological innovation has increased the complexity of both the products and services we consume, achieving elegance has become the hallmark of good design." Do enjoy and have a Happy Egg Hunting Easter friends!
More About: April , Links , Meta

Design should be an Iterative Process not a Linear one
2009-04-08 16:24:00
Anders Ramsay, a UX designer, has done an excellent job in explaining on his blog the advantages of a iterative design process versus a "Waterfall" (or Linear as I call it) design process. He gets a nod from me for explaining that Industrial Design ers have been practicing Iterative Design methodologies for a while. However, I have often noticed that with the pressures of time and budget, Industrial Designers tend to slide back to the more linear processes. This is very dangerous to do, why? Please let me explain.
More About: Process , Business Management

Call them Clients? No, they are Business Partners!
2009-04-02 17:10:00
I recently visited the website of the book "The Art of Client Service" written by veteran advertising Account Manager Robert Solomon. Though I have yet to read the book (I plan to eventually!), the content really resonates with me, as it is a snap shot of the Strategic Design Management role I play daily. One thing that I find a little odd though about the Book?s title was the Book's reference of the "client". This is because I was part of a discussion where we agreed to reclassify "clients" as "business partners". Please let me explain.
More About: Business , Clients , Call , Partners , Business Management

Innovation? What a waste of time!
2009-03-28 14:31:00
Gadi Amit, president of NewDealDesign, writes at The Fast Company Blog that Innovation (or Design Thinking?), as championed by the likes of Bruce Nussbaum (BusinessWeek's Design Blog) and David Kelly (IDEO), is "killing" Industrial Design by forcing an "analytical structure" over something that is more intuitive. Very interesting, it sounds to me that this is very similar to what people often complain as the failure of most MBA programs. Has Design lost its way in the avenues of business plans and ROIs (return of investments)?
More About: Time , Waste , Business Management

20 Tips for Designers to Beat the Recession
2009-03-27 16:36:00
This article was originally published on Yanko Design. As I know some Design Sojourn readers don't really frequent YD, I thought it might be a good idea to republish it here as well. I have also re-edited some of the text to make it more relevant to DS readers. Enjoy! It is all around us, talk of doom, gloom, job cuts, job losses and recession etc. This is not what a young designer, fresh out of school, wants to hear. It is also not what an employed designer wants to hear. However it is not the end of the road, and as long as the Earth keeps turning, there will be a tomorrow. Personally, I like to believe a recession is a time of great opportunity for everyone. Especially for forward looking designers who have the right skills and are well placed to take advantage of a recovering economy.
More About: Tips , Designers , Beat , Recession

Apple?s iPhone Strategy is Now Clear
2009-03-24 14:52:00
I'm sure many of us "poo-pooed" Apple 's first generation iPhone as sorely lacking in the technology department. However, no one can doubt the buzz the impending launch of the iPhone OS version 3.0 has created. On the flip side, if we can look through the marketing, we can see that there is a very clever strategy at work here.
More About: Business , Iphone , Strategy , Clear

Are Concept Products a Lie?
2009-03-19 18:23:00
You can find a boat load of Concept Products everywhere on the Internet these days. Every second news article seems to be a new concept mobile phone, PC or even a car. But are we fooling ourselves with Concept Products and patting our collective backs with a liberal round of “Mental Masturbation”? According to ...

3 Seconds is all You Got for Your Designs to Sell!
2009-03-18 18:22:00
Source: You-Did Tic. Tock. Tic. Tock. Tic. Tock. Three seconds. That's all you've really got to make the sale. Source: The Irresistible Offer: How to Sell Your Product or Service in 3 Seconds or Less (Amazon Link) In a blink of an eye, a potential buyer would have entered a store, quickly scan the different products on the shelf and then make a decision to engage with a particular product. All this happens in just 3-5 seconds! A product?s external housing is one of the first things a customer sees. This means for your designs to be successful, it will only have 3 seconds to capture the buying interests of your target customer. In today?s ultra competitive market landscape represented by information overload, saturated product offerings and competent competitors who can also do good design, ensuring that your design does this job well is no easy task. So then how do you do it? Here is how I think it can be done.
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