[IxDA Discuss] Great design = success

[Yury Frolov|Studio Asterisk*]

On Jan 12, 2007, at 12:24 PM, Robert Barlow-Busch wrote:
>
> Would be curious to know if this company faces competition from  
> anyone who *is* in fact producing great design. If not, well,  
> perhaps they're missing out on some opportunities. But even if they  
> are, and if they continue to be a force in the market, it would  
> serve to underscore my point that great design *contributes* to  
> great success, but is not necessarily going to lead to success.  
> (Honestly can't believe I'm typing this; my right-brain is  
> rebelling so loudly it hurts!)

No, the competition is not producing great design either - i suspect  
that's partially where this attitude is coming from. BTW - it's one  
of those cases when it is cheaper to create extensive training  
organization to teach users workarounds rather than change actual SW/ 
HW design/implementation (or so it seems)... The excuses are  
numerous: one is i already mentioned (we are not consumer-oriented),  
another - "... we understand it's bad but if you could only  
demonstrate that if we invest $X in design the revenue return will be  
$20-30-100X... " etc.

>
> These executives may have nailed something else that's helping them  
> to succeed. Supply-chain innovations, perhaps. Who knows.
>
> I'm talking specifically about great interaction/industrial design  
> here. Josh pointed out earlier that "great design" encompasses more  
> than this, to which I agree. I'm limiting the perspective here  
> because I've seen other fields get burned by believing that THEIR  
> field of practice is the one that's necessary for success. And  
> although I *love* design and *breathe* design every moment, I must  
> remind myself that product success comes from getting more than  
> just one thing right.
>

Agreed - I am far from " all-you-need-is-great-design" type of  
mentality but I am also looking for very specific ways to address  
these "resistance" points with clients...
've been pushed back quite a few times in the past for "Great design  
= success" type of propaganda :)

--------------------------------
Yury Frolov
Creative Director
Studio Asterisk* Inc.
UX | UI | ID

v 415 374 7478
f 702 446 7840

http://www.studioasterisk.com