Design + Strategy

Solve problems with design; don't just solve design problems. Starting with a look at how design can be used to create iconic experiences; incite passionate following; and redefine the basis of competition; the presentation moves on to contrast design-centric problem-solving with traditional management approaches steeped in science.

References used in the presentation can be found at http://delicious.com/stevebaty/scad-presentation

Live tweet of the actual presentation by @daveIxD can be found at http://search.twitter.com/search?q=docscad

No notes for slide

Thank you to the Industrial Design Department: Dave Malouf (prof. Interaction Design), Tom Gattis (the Dept. Chair) and Victor Ermoli (the Dean of the School of Design)

Alec Issigonis started designing the Mini in 1957. The original Mini was given a make-over by racing enthusiast and engineer John Cooper, giving us the Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S - one of the most fun cars to drive. Ever.

http://www.supercars.net

Mini Cooper S - 1964 Monte Carlo Rally

New Mini released in 2003.
Photo: Chasing Photography.

The new dashboard design places the speedometer - large and center - so that it is visible to all passengers as well as the driver. In this way the design helps to reinforce the sense of fun of driving the car, and shares it around.

http://www.slideshare.net/mmilan/saab-drivers-never-forget-public-presentation

The location of the ignition key in the centre, seat-side console is distinctive and consistent to the brand. For non-Saab drivers - and new Saab owners, this drives them crazy! After a while (a few months) they start to get used to the idea and a steering column-mounted key slot feels odd and discordant. The novelty of this design reinforces a culture of “Saab owner” and generates brand equity in the driver.

It took the iPod 3 years to become an overnight success. It was only with the release of the iTunes Store and the Windows version of iTunes that the iPod became a success.
also: Wii + Wii Fit + games; XBox 360 + Windows Live

Thomas Kuhn was a student of the history of science. He is most famous for his ideas surrounding the major innovations in scientific thought - paradigm shifts. Here we will use his commentary on the linear progression of science and scientific research, following the scientific method and building up knowledge one solid step after another. However, this method does not deliver the really ground-breaking discover or change in thinking.

Generally, experimental science, particularly within universities, encourages researchers to take on only those problems they can expect - in advance - to be able to solve.

Scientists generally adopt a single theory to explain what they see in the observation stage of their work. When new evidence discovered it is interpreted in support of their own theory, and to discredit opposing theories. - “Your child is ugly.”

An artist’s rendition of Homo Floresiensis

Discovery in 2003 of a skeleton dating back 18,000 years. Subsequent finds of partial remains of a further 8 skeletons dating back to 12,000 years.
- competing theories of human evolution; large emotional & intellectual investment in each
- new evidence is interpreted in the theoretical framework of each. Disputes arise over interpretation.

94% of all the matter in the universe is made up of ‘dark matter’. We can’t see it, interact with it, or influence it. But it explains why the orbital velocities of stars distant to the galaxial hub don’t match the accepted, Newtonian version of gravitational law.

Harvard Business Review, Feb, 2009. pg 70 Vol. 87, Number 2.

Harvard Business Review, Feb, 2009. pg 91 Vol. 87, Number 2.

From Bill Buxton’s “Sketching User Experiences”
- explore possibilities; test assumptions; observe people and the context of use; observe the world around you.
“Design is about exploring and comparing the relative merits of alternatives. There is not just one path, and at any given time and for any given question, there may be numerous different alternatives being considered...”

Minimize waste (muda); do not overburden people or equipment (muri); and remove peaks and troughs in production (mura).

In 1950, fighting to get back on their feet after World War II, and in awe of the US manufacturing sector’s ability to retool and produce 10,000’s of fighter planes in the period 1942-1944, Toyota sent a delegation to Detroit to look at the manufacturing processes in use by the big US car manufacturers. They were impressed with the way Detroit’s Big 3 had been able to increase productivity. In 1941, 55,000 individual work hours were needed to turn out a B-17. By 1944, this had dropped to 19,000 hours.

But their tour was disappointing. They observed a great deal of waste, inefficiency, and a range of what they thought of as bad practice. That changed with a visit to a Piggly Wiggly convenience store, where a drinks dispenser sparked an idea that spawned a philosophy that changed manufacturing the world over.

Just-in-time manufacturing; idiot-proof systems design; company-wide quality control; pull inventory systems are all the result of Toyota’s philosophy. This highlights the power of observation in design research; and that inspiration can come from highly unlikely places.

Minimize waste (muda); do not overburden people or equipment (muri); and remove peaks and troughs in production (mura).

http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2009/02/02/designing-on-purpose-an-interview-with-david-butler-vp-of-design-at-coca-cola/

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2008/id20080825_105720.htm

http://www.adaptivepath.com/blog/2009/02/02/designing-on-purpose-an-interview-with-david-butler-vp-of-design-at-coca-cola/

http://www.deus.com.au