Thanks to popular business publications like Harvard Business Review and Fortune, 'design' has become a hot new trend. Along with serious design agency acquisitions by some of the biggest global consultancies and institutions (Accenture + Fjord / McKinsey + Lunar / Capital One + Adaptive Path / etc) design finally has a seat at the table as companies big and small are starting to see the benefits it can bring to their bottom line. While some struggle to integrate newly formed design departments and practitioners into a staid and stoic culture that doesn't truly understand the process of good design, others have realised that it requires understanding, effort and a willingness to commit to change.

1. design as a competitive
advantage for companies
@nictinworth

2. I am a designer
web, interactive, interaction, UX, service, digital, etc...

3. design is a process
(loosely speaking)

9. When I’m being creative
I can get stuck on tangents

10. This is awesome

11. This is awesome
This is tricky

12. This is awesome
This is tricky
THIS IS SHIT

13. This is awesome
This is tricky
THIS IS SHIT
I am shit

14. This is awesome
This is tricky
THIS IS SHIT
I am shit
This might be ok

15. This is awesome
This is tricky
THIS IS SHIT
I am shit
This might be ok
This is awesome

16. I used to be agency
boutique and with a digital focus

17. group art directing was serious business

18. now I’m corporate
halp

19. me, halfway through a four hour meeting

20. why?
agency was my comfort zone
we were just a ‘service provider’
wanted to affect change from inside out
the in-house function and need has grown
experience and design have finally become a priority

21. design isn’t just about
how it works or looks
it’s about how well it solves a problem

22. ilse crawford
“design is not just a visual thing. It’s a thought
process. It’s a skill. Ultimately, design is a tool
to enhance our humanity. It’s a frame for life.”

23. john maeda
“design isn’t just about beauty; it’s about
market relevance and meaningful results.”

24. superficial aesthetics
problem-solving &
experience-shaping

25. design is cool now?
we don’t need to champion our craft anymore!

26. design finally has a
seat at the table!

28. ge moved their hq to boston
and of the 800 employees moving, over 600 were digital,
designers or developers.

29. corporate shifts
engineering driven
design driven
product-centric
customer-centric
marketing focused
UX focused

30. global consultancies are
buying up agencies
and reshaping the agency model as they do it

32. why?

33. ‘design thinking’ enters the conscious of big business

34. design thinking
human-centered approach to innovation that demands empathy

35. empathy
understanding the true customer needs
aligning them with the business needs

36. collaboration
to bring functions and perspectives closer together

37. iteration
to validate, and better understand and embrace the market

38. focus
on people, processes and environments to encourage creativity

39. scaleable culture
invites disruptive innovation over incremental innovation

40. companies fail
because they lack the right innovation cultures

43. innovation =
execution x creativity
rigid processes
risk avoidance
complacency
legacy frameworks
x
x
x
x

44. 1920‘s ford model t
(any colour, as long as it’s black)

45. one standard colour
reduced complexity
sped up assembly line
cost effective

46. gm oakland model
dupont introduce a new automotive paint

47. variety of colours
quick drying & durable
applied to mass production
wider variety of looks and styles

48. 1921
ford had a 60% share of the market
1927
ford had a 10% share of the market

49. model t was scrapped
gm saw that the form of its cars mattered too
x

50. design is a competitive
advantage
capture customer desire
speed up production
fatten margins
reduce costs

51. need proof?

52. the design value
index study shows
10 year returns
yielding 2x that of
the S&P 500 (+220%)

53. corporate design trends

54. UXD dominates growth of
the design profession
the need for usable and meaningful digital interface and
interaction design has put companies head to head
with each other in attracting talented digital designers.

55. “Years ago we would never
have thought that P&G’s
design function would
include interaction designers.
But I can see much more
opportunity to include this
discipline in much of our
future work.”
P.J. Mason, Design Director, Oral B

56. investments in design
transform BAU
the integrative thinking, creative and empathy-based
skills that designers bring are increasingly sought after
for cracking new markets as well as providing a
competitive advantage in customer experience.

57. announced in 2013 they would spend US$100
million over five years to support staffing,
programs and facilities to put design into the
founding vision of a re-imagined IBM.
now has one of the largest global design teams

58. design maturity doesn’t
mean more designers
design transformation doesn’t happen overnight
design maturity, sabine junginger, 2009

59. ‘get design done’
freelancer?
design agency?
comms agency?

60. ‘UX team of one’
maybe sits in marketing
maybe sits in dev
maybe even TWO designers!
collaboration begins...

61. ‘a seat at the table’
design director or CDO position created
design comes from the UX team
+ service designers
+ business designers
HCD is at the core of the business

62. ‘design is BAU’
design has become a completely
integrated part of the operation instead
of just another discipline.

63. design thinking is core
to innovation

65. it’s still a buzzword,
but it’s not a fad

66. it starts with strong
design leadership
there is no more critical role for any company to
develop, large or small, than design leadership.

67. be an agent
of change
be stubborn, stick to your convictions
and don’t be discouraged