Michael Sater

Bridging the conversation between sustainable business strategies and corporate communications 
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April 9, 2010
 

Cisco Dubs Designers “Simplification Wizards”

Easy

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.

Filed under  //   apple ipad   cisco valet   design   innovation   sunchips   thinking  

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April 7, 2010
 

Q: How did ipad redefine "the game?" A: Design Thinking

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Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a designer, always have been. And I spend a large amount of my week thinking about organizations. I think about whom they really are, what they say and how they want to be perceived. I think about their values and strategies for effectively communicating those values.

So, when thinking about design today, I thought of the value designers obtain from watching, listening and thinking. Design thinking is not a desire for a superficial look and feel, rather it is the art and science of reinvention and smart recombination. (E.G. the apple ipad)

Whether you believe that design is “moving from an existing condition to a preferred one” (Milton Glaser),  “a plan for action” (Charles Eames) or, “the human capacity to plan or produce desired outcomes” (Bruce Mau), design is, at its core about looking at things sideways.

See, I’m a huge advocate of reframing, rearranging, experimenting and refining. Each and every conversation is another opportunity for me to smartly ask stupid questions.

Critical formula for corporate clients: Design + Thinking = Transformation

Communicating your company’s value to the market is not as simple as “make it look like this.” It’s about designing the way the company behaves, communicates and interacts – doing this well and recognizing what will happen if we don’t. Effective design is about going deep and figuring out what people need before they know they need it. And realizing what a brand or business is all about – then bringing it to life through designed experiences.

There are too many companies reacting to the business of sustainability and simply slapping an “It’s green” label on their product or service. They may be scared of the change, looking at Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and asking “why should we even be bothered with this?” To that, ask “why not?”

Design thinking should be applied to the challenges of business, including corproate responsibility. After all, design is the act of questioning basic assumptions (E.G. my business doesn't need to address CSR and sustainability). And now, more than ever, design can be the first step toward reinvention and meaningful change.

Filed under  //   design   thinking   transformation  

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