Cisco Dubs Designers “Simplification Wizards”
One-click. One-button. Plug-n-play. When engineers make technology simpler, they give the consumers the power to join in on their revolution. From computers to cameras and from retail to relationships, when “things” are designed to be intuitive for the users, businesses can create new markets or expand existing ones.
Thursday, The New York Times ran a story on Cisco’s Valet with the headline “Hot Spot Shortcut, In The Weeds.” The article went on to explain that twenty-five percent of wireless routers get returned to the store, mainly due to the complex nature of installation.
What if consumers could create a hot-spot in an instant? Simply push a button and it’s up and running (prediction number one…less returns). To do this, Cisco bought the company that makes Flip camcorders, Pure Digital, just to get their “Simplification Wizards” to simplify the wireless router. Cisco paid $590 million for a company that “gets” innovation…understands design.
Designers make the complex simple. They synthesize everything thereby making it easier for people to make a connection. Look around. In every industry – food, consumer products, marketing, health care, consumer products, etc. — each design-driven company illustrates the power and potential of innovative ideas and creative execution.
Meaningful design transcends aesthetics and is more about the reinvention and transformation of companies, cities and, the way we live. By giving form to great ideas, designers and innovators can generate the impetus for all kinds of initiatives—from the development of new instruments and tools or services to the birth of social movements.
All around us designers give form to ideas that can change the world. Looking back —Cisco’s Valet, Sunchip’s compostable packaging, Apple’s ipad—gives me strength. Looking ahead, I’m inspired.
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