Think Big

My latest BusinessWeek Online column is now live. It's titled Think Big, which isn't a reference to the size of my skull (which is rather large), but to the idea of designing market offerings from a larger point of view which includes -- but is not limited to -- the surrounding business context.

I wrote it to accompany a story called On the Real Cutting Edge, which looks at the work of ten leading design thinkers across a variety of domains.

Comments

[Michael]

The New Interaction Design:

I think there's a transformation from the roots of interaction design (on screen interface) to the new school which takes key ideas from ethnography, anthropology, and the broader psychology (all things that marketing has been using since the beginning of time).

In industrial design we're taught to observe users to find their, needs and wants. Strict observation does a good job at finding these items. Yet combine needs and wants with desire and you have a very potent tool.

As you discussed in your business week article - "All airlines do a good job of flying us safely, but what we remember are tortuous gate delays, rude staff, and the roller hockey nature of the boarding process. (you)"

I hear very often, "Oh why does it matter if it takes two seconds less to do ______ operation?" That is EVERYTHING when it comes down to it. Who thought that being able to plug your mp3 player into your computer and have it do all of the work, instead of the user clicking a few extra times, would make for the best selling player on the market?

Being able to understand cultural models is significant, knowing the local habits well enough to deliver your message the right way. What does the expression of your idea look, feel, taste, smell like? These are all things that I believe the new interaction designer considers when they come up with new ideas.

Lastly, a sign of a good interaction designer isn't just that they can come up with good ideas but they can also give good presentations. There's something about knowing your audience well enough that you can deliver your thoughts without being boring.

We sometimes forget that at the very end of a product cycle there's a person ripping the packaging apart.

I guess in a very round about way I'm saying, thank you for thought provoking read.

M