Design in the Boardroom? Yes, and Here's How

Today an interesting article became available regarding design and the boardroom. From the perspective of "newness" it is the design team the defines this. Some have also argued that it comes from the marketing team, and the sales team and yes it does. However the larger question, and most often overlooked is for what TIME FRAME do these two departments have influence over product offerings and to what level of effectiveness do these teams contribute to the longevity of a firms position in the market. 

The simple argument, the COO is responsible as CMO and CTO functions reporting into the COO are effectively combined with design to form the basis for timely development. HOWEVER shifts have begun to emerge in many firms where positions such as the Head of Global Product Development are being offered seats at the board for the simple purpose of expanding the often limited scope of the 6mo, 1yr, and 2yr strategic plans typical when COO, CTO and CMO discussions are had at the board level. This ISDA article on Design in the Boardroom sets a good indication of how this is happening.

                              

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What Makes a Design Leader: Social Intelligence + Creative Performance

But that’s not all. It’s the synergy that glues it all togerher. The challenge however is in fact empathy. In measuring almost 300 people, in multiple disciplines and verticals the challenges and criteria’s became simple.

When looking at know how an individual is feeling; what an individual is thinking; understand the moods of people; understand people’s feelings transmitted through nonverbal messages; know when people disguise their true feelings, design takes on a whole other form. In What Makes a Design Leader – Social Intelligence + Creative Performance an entire criteria is extablished and rigerouly measured against 

                              

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Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth: Roles in Inter-Organizational Innovation

Size, Shape, and Attitude Define Success. But what is the optimal number of inter organizational members when it comes to breaking the mold and pushing innovation. Surprisingly the number is 4.

In Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth: Roles in Inter-Organizational Innovation a substantial sample size and effective team size matrix was created to cross reference and integrate the key players in innovation success: Power promoter; Expert promoter; Process promoter; Technological gatekeeper; Relationship promoter. An excellent assessment of personalities necessary.

                              

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But What of Service Engineers – How Does Design Effect Success?

The factors overlooked are not complicated and here we breakdown the outcomes of 14 case studies for success in service engineering for design success

 

Industries such as entertainment, traveling and hospitality, personal care, information, and communications in Assessing Creativity Of Design Projects: Criteria For The Service Engineering Field all share a basic tenant which is that measuring the quanitative factors for service engineering design success is a factor of perceived customer acceptance of pre-determined solutions and social conformity. Baring the rocket engine efficiency situations, Deisgn for Service Engineering  success is client driven. What the client says, goes.

                              

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What 4 Factors Drive the Entire Innovation Process? Limiters. Here’s How To Break Them.

Designers focus on creativity but there is more. Limiting factors and risk are what stop good ideas from becoming great ideas. But there are ways to overcome barriers. 

Barriers can be self imposed, they can be governmental and often regulatory but often it is the human factors that can impact design and innovation more than any other factor. In Perspectives On Design Creativity And Innovation Research a full breakdown of human factors, technological factors, economic factors and relagatory factors are compared so as to see their interactions and the ways these interactions can assist or defeat the capabilities of design and new product initiatives.

                              

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Look where Innovation Would Disappear: That’s Where They Can Live

Looking for breakthroughs is often the place where you are sure that they can’t be any slower or glacier. The US Navy. But that was before, before a radical group was not only given the chance to try new things but also forced the establishment to let them.

In How to Build A Culture of Originality, we see the underpinnings of not only the personality of innovators at the US Navy but also an organization that previously might shun such behaviors, opening possibilities for small groups to try new things. These Innovation Cells written extensively by Burkard Wördenweber, and Uwe Weissflog has even permeated the Navy who has created their own Innovation Cell program. These cells, operating at a highly, seemingly disconnected manner, are able through periodic coordination with engineering, R&D, design and operations to not only create rapidly morphing problem solving. In thinking that where innovations go to die might be a place to avoid, the mathematical law of absolute value might be the place where the most benefit can occur.

                              

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Demand Pull and Technology Push For Innovations

When Does Design Demand Overtake Technology Push? Simplistic Ubiquity

 Users are often reluctant and naturally it is the vanguards that try thus inspiring others to join in thus creating further inclusion to group dynamics. In particular, and fully defined in Demand Pull and Technology Push -  Perspectives in Technology-Based Innovations for the Points of Sale we see the underpinnings of the need to have  technology-based innovations needing the support of an adoption network for enhancing their diffusion and meeting consumers' needs before they are made viabale

                              

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The Aesthetics of Efficiency - Here's How

Efficient Aesthetics Is Not Just Slim Design It’s Design Effect

How can designs be perceived and appreciated while at the same time understood to have an impact on users lives as well as social norms? The Efficient Artifact Model is the culmination of the focus of individual perceptions of value as connected to the appreciation of the outcome of the object. With such a shift designers can have further impact in their connections with functional underpinnings as well as the emotional content of users needs. 

                              

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Material Driven Design Necessity

Sometimes Breakthroughs Start at the Atomic Levels: Materials. Here’s How.

Material Driven Design is an approach and toolset for designing products focusing on the production capabilities of the base material consisting of three experiential components: Aesthetic (sensorial) experience; Experience of meaning; and Emotional experience. The designer takes a journey from materialproperties   and   experiential   qualities   to   materials   experience vision, then from materials experience vision to experiential qualities and  finally to material  properties,  then finally  to  product. 

                              

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