- To wrap up our discussion
on why design research matters,
we're gonna revisit the idea
of adding value and credibility to your work.
And we'll discuss value from two perspectives,
how you, the designer, can add value to your work
and how a client perceives the value
you can bring to their organization.
Let's start with the client.
It's difficult to talk about value
without considering how design
has become a commodity
or something easily available
both financially and intellectually.
One of the reasons for this
is that technology is changing.
Our once specialized set of software skills
is no longer specialized.
Inexpensive subscription services
and a host of internet tutorials
have made training and software available
to nearly anyone.
Just think about Photoshop.
There are instances of being taught
as early as elementary grade school.
Crowdsourcing design websites
have also lessened the perceived value of design.
Crowdsourcing is the process of collecting services,
ideas and content, usually online,
from a crowd of people.
Because more people have the technical software skills
to create design and crowdsourcing has lowered the cost
at which they'll do it, companies who don't see
the value of design are able to get services
for a very low cost.
So how do designers compete with this?
We need more than technical skills
and the ability to create.
What we offer must hold more value
than simple aesthetics.
We must embrace increasingly complex problems
by stepping out of the role of maker
and into that of a problem solver.
Design research offers a foundation for this change.
This is the design staircase
created by the Danish Design Center,
or the DDC for short.
It shows how organization values design
in comparison with our profitability.
If we look closer, we can see the various levels
of value an organization has towards design.
No Design, design doesn't play a significant role
in any product or service development.
Design as Styling, design is used
only for aesthetic styling.
Design as Process, design is used as a process
to aide in developing new products and services.
And design as a strategy.
Design is integrated into a company's culture
and align with our business goals.
The DDC found that the more companies invested
in design as a processing strategy,
the more their profitability increases.
So what does that mean?
For one thing, it means that style and aesthetics
can carry a company only so far.
Purchasing inexpensive design
that simply looks good doesn't lead
to long term success.
It also means that a more informed design process,
one that uses research to help align design
with the tangible goals of an organization,
provides a much more valuable product.
Communicating this value is now a key part
of our job as a designer.
Luckily, sources like the DDC and the Design Council
have been gathering and publishing
this kind of data to help illustrate the value.
The more we can measure the success of our own work
and evaluate our process,
the more power we have to educate others
about the value of design.
Now take a look at your own services
and how they relate to today's contemporary user.
This is the hierarchy of user needs
developed by William Lidwell,
Kritina Holden and Jill Butler,
all authors of The Universal Principles of Design.
This chart considers what a user expects
out of a designed artifact.
The first thing is Functionality.
The design must function.
If your work doesn't, it simply has no value.
Next is Reliability.
A design must function in a consistent way.
Next is Usability.
A design must make information easy to understand,
process and retain.
Then Proficiency.
A design must empower the user
to do something better than before.
And finally, Creativity.
A design must present itself in a way
never before seen or imagined.
Contemporary users are becoming
more and more sophisticated.
The first three priorities on this chart
are Functionality, Reliability, and Usability.
Now this is good news for design
and even better news for a research driven design process.
Users are demanding
and they expect far more
than something that simply looks good.
Creating a viable design has a direct relationship
to how well a designer understands the user
and the environment they interact in.
On your next project,
try using the hierarchy of user needs
to evaluate you and your process accordingly.
Are you simply trying to innovate through stylization?
Are you keeping in mind basic functions?
Where are your strengths and weaknesses
in relationship to these needs?
And how can the skills you learn in this course
strengthen the value in your work
and the credibility it displays to your clients?