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DESIGN THINKING - Creative issues and possible ways forward for corporations and manufacturers.

Creative design for manufacture: Looking at design thinking processes in order to drive consistent innovation, customer satisfaction and in-turn returns.

Issues:

1) SEGMENTED OFFERINGS: Corporations and manufacturing often deliver a lack of consideration of the bigger picture or the design concept 'whole' when delivering a mass produced recipe. For example large financial organisations will rollout an ideal retail design in relation to there Brand and fail to consider sub-brand (mortgage lenders, business banking, private banking) relevance. This often leads to design bolt-ons and improvisations, at a latter date, which pollute the design integrity and experience for the end user.

2) DESIGN IN RETROSPECT - Rather than being forward thinking whilst using User Cantered Research companies will often design in retrospect rather than innovate a new concept i.e. electronics companies nearly always re-style and re-design the skin of products (e.g. stereos, PC's and Mobile phones) to accommodate a faster more efficient technology rather than examining the ritual of the end customers to innovate around there lifestyle to examine whether an alternate or new route of innovate would be more suited to the customer.

3) LACK OF CONSISTENCY - This refers to the lack of consistency in Perceived Brand Values for the customer. What the customer experiences as a level of quality & value in TV advertising, Campaign promotion imagery (posters etc), direct mail and above / below the line advertising and physical representation of this on the high street in the guise of shops and product is very rarely consistent in 'feel'. This can have a contradictory effect on the aspirations customer attach to brands as well as just wasting investment unnecessarily in brand promotion at a higher level whilst ignoring the on the ground face to face importance of the brand.

Ideas and possible ways forward:

i/ UCR & D - More focus on User Centred Research and Development in order to create the impression of a unique customer/user experience as opposed to one size fits all e.g. Prada have embraced RFID technologies in order to customise changing room facilities, electronic posters and the store experience in general for each individual customer. This is important to create a customer experience of being treated as an individual as part of a community (as opposed to an account no. or even worse anonymous e.g. electronic queue systems announcing 'cashier no # is now' free).

ii/ Design De-formalisation (Autechre) - It is important for companies, designers and manufacturers to question the underlying point behind there product and the associated customer rituals born from the need which it satisfies rather than base design on issues to do with the product itself i.e. To design rather than re-design. This examining the complete reasoning behind a products use and existence in the first place prior to design, can save money, time and maximise effect and innovation.

iii/ Design Quality Indictors (DQI)- DQI is an online system which aims to gather stakeholder values relating to new or existing buildings/products with a view to improving the product either during or in future design. Criteria covered are Build quality, Functionality and impact and focus is on whether aspects are fundamental, added value or excellent. Companies using this system vary from Small design agencies, Large Architectural practices and global Plcs.

Learn more about this author, John Bowie.
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