Friday 2 February 2018

Culture Means Consistency Means Meems in Successful Products

A chair is a chair is a chair. A computer is a computer is a computer. Yet, some products become icons and some are produced and then re-designed over and over until an inflection point occurs. Some firms see this as the capacity to easily apply marketing and consistent brand building, others see the effects of R&D and Design development to influence necessary cultural queues, meems, etc, that create an icon. When this happens a firm and a product transcend the mere function of what it is that they create. 



In Cultural Features in Modern Product Design - Cross-cultural Product Design we see the basis for how this can happen in an exact form and process and although the efforts to connect design to extended heritages and traditional values the increased sense of spiritual
essence and connection in human life is only but one aspect of the value of design. Design is not only the engineering and manufacturing production capabilities of manifesting but creates a construct of the future to be experienced. Design is not only a connection to the past but a link to the future yet to become. 





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Thursday 4 January 2018

You Want Real Innovation - R&D Is Where Real ROI Happens. Creativity Is The Key…

When Tang, Shang, Naumann and von Zedtwitz stated that "R&D is the single most dedicated corporate function to combine customer needs with new industrial practices and technology potentials to create new products, processes and technologies." this was not a lax statement. R&D ---> Creativity ---> Innovation is the process for which all new product development breakthroughs, marketing opportunities, and the future is created. Timing of these and the needs and desires of the marketplace is also a factor, it is the fundamental effort to focus on and leverage creativity that makes it all happen. 




During the legendary days and early years of the Xerox PARC labs, creativity was at the core of all activities as was symbols ( logos ) traditions ( roller skating parties in the labs), myths (stories of legendary lab experiments gone bust), metaphors ( jokes), rituals ( practical jokes), physical settings (off site adventures), etc., all aligned to the increased creativity of the labs efforts of pursing years of dedicated work into the real world. It is this focused creativity that pushes innovations to their natural progression - real world births. 



  

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Monday 4 December 2017

Smooth Design Blending Can Lead to Increased ROI for Any Design Effort

The capability of design thinking often means addressing the elusive capability of creativity. Models have flooded the internet to explain how creativity can be harnessed and even squeezed like blood from a stone however none has been more clearly articulated than the Conceptual Blending Framework


Detailed in "A Case Study on Design with Conceptual Blending"  we see the vocabulary, literally, underlining how exact nomenclature of specific physical attributes and functional capabilities can increase the likely hood of design specific elements can directly contribute to the adoption and success of specific design efforts. 





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Friday 3 November 2017

Breaking Rules Means Breaking Perceptions

Defining creativity is hotly debated and yet it can serve a purpose or it can waste valuable time. Time being the dependent variable for the arrival at a destination defined is the factor used to determine success of endeavors. Normally all of this comes within the context of reward not only for the team, but in a real world environment, this means increased value to shareholders. Without this, no firm can be self sustaining and if there were no sustainability issues, eg. government projects of unlimited budget, the issue remains of arriving at a destination. These are the fundamental principles of design success. 



In the context of creativity, via "A study of university design tutors' perceptions of creativity"  we see the capability of ‘challenging conventions’ and ‘freedom from hegemony’ and ‘striving for coherent solutions’ and ‘solving real world problems.’ all of which are measurable tools for effort based success targets. In combination with tools for experienced designers and frameworks for design processes, there are specific mechanisms to make sure that efforts make to arrive a specific destinations can be done so with creativity when measured against increased value to shareholders as well as non-specific environmental factors such as empathy, safety and security all of which do not directly, but indirectly support the efficacy of organizations and their growth. 



  

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Wednesday 4 October 2017

New Tools Mean New Innovations - Design Means Experimentation

When it comes to determining innovation pathways, the issue is not why to beign the process or not begin the process, the question is how to keep the process flowing. Often the mechanisms by which non design team members are able to push the boundaries of design innovations is only limited by the capabilities of how far they are able to see the environment around them. With this gentle and not so gentle nudges can assist to make things happen



In "A case study of idea generation in a professional engineering team"  we see the basis that can be used in any arena from the boardroom to the basement - and ways to make the flow continue. Firm that do this solve problems. Firms that solve problems, Innovate




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Saturday 9 September 2017

The Right Research Methods Mean Successful Design Efforts

Often the issue with design is not the designing but a method for evaluating the results. There is collaborative design, divergent design, business analysis, empathetic design, but in the end the reality is, is what is designed used or not and for how long. Facebook, Google, Apple, Snapchat, etc., are notorious for constantly reviewing design efforts on a click by click basis to determine IF an new piece of functionality is used, how much, how often, or at all, and in that, should the teams that are involved in the efforts be given the capability to continue. Effective? Yes, but only for continued production of new functionalities. 


All of this is only possible when specific research methods are even considered and in "research methods in visual communication design"  we see designers should not be overwhelmed with different research approaches, either traditional or alternative methods.as “the main problem with developing a research culture .... is not to do with the angst of creativity, but with the structure of research” which is often missing all together. Creation for the sake of content is the mechanism of the business of quantity over quality but not so within the context of new product development - clients expect functionality AND beauty and only with a correct research measurement system can this be achieved. Simplicity is the key - no PhD required - but a measured approach is. 




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