Design business strategy
In the world of design and user experience, there’s a realisation that while design inspires, it’s ultimately behaviour change that delivers meaningful results.
Clients default to discussing design aesthetics because they have no other basis for judgement. They need a design effectiveness culture.
We think that about half of all design-using businesses say they would like to make more use of design, but cost prevents them.
When times are tough and profits are low, raising your hourly rate is not the way to earn more. Instead, concentrate on selling your knowledge and expertise.
Our industry has come a long way in the past decade. We saw client service directors embedded in design agencies. This led to a discussion about strategy and we moved on from planning an output to strategies for outcomes.
as AI advances, clients will expect designers to reduce the hours spent on design. This will further undermine the financial viability of the time-and-materials business model.
Design impact can be measured as part of the discovery process and a post mortem
The Australian design industry is not known for introspection. We talk to clients about \’discovery\’ and \’insights\’ but don\’t do it for our industry
Incentives for creative teams start before employment with task descriptions, job descriptions and workflow
R&D exists in every business; some ad hoc and some structured. Putting design in R&D
In my perfect world everyone would share expertise with those who can least afford it. I know our world is less than ideal, but working pro bono for the right clients can be as valuable to you as to them.
Great design rarely comes from light bulb moments — designers usually follow some kind of process. Same goes for management problems — don’t just expect to know the answers.