The strategic value of design

We often have the feeling that most companies are still stuck to that way of thinking that sees digital design, or internet in general, as the poor child of marketing or a necessary evil.

This observation especially applies to those companies which were born without a digital identity and whose core business is not related to the digital world.

This symptom often arises since the first encounter with a company. Typically we get in touch with Business Units or professional roles that found themselves with a problem to solve: the implementation of an internal digital strategy as part of a more general business strategy.

It is necessary to help companies understand that design, both digital and service related, is not just an integration to the business strategy, but it’s often the main tangible expression of the company itself, as it becomes the first touchpoint with its potential customers and users.

As we discussed in the previous article of this series, most companies tend to shape and set up their own processes and then stick to that model once it’s been defined. This is the reason why companies whose core business is not digital struggle to adapt to something completely new to them.

Furthermore, it is important to consider that the digital world evolves much faster than any other business component. An effort is needed in order to adapt to something that wasn’t part of the company from the beginning, but on the other hand, all the history, experience and know-how that distinguishes and positions it in the real world is already there. Design simply adds value to value.

In other words, design is a business opportunity and as such it must be part of the global strategy of the company. More than that: design must evolve in the same way as the company strategy does. It must be part of one single entity and perform vital functions just like the other elements that make it live and prosper.

Our first contact with the client is aimed at understanding his business objectives. Only then we can start the analysis of a design strategy which allows the achievement of those objectives. The strategic analysis of the client’s business is our starting point, the strategy is the foundation and design is the tool we use to implement the strategy.

If this doesn’t occur, it means we are not following the steps and actions derived from a consistent strategy, but we are merely implementing empty tactics. In other words, we are “just making an attractive website”.

Companies that properly invest in design find themselves ahead of the game as opposed to those who didn’t follow the same path or who undertake it without a defined strategy.

There is a large number of case studies supporting our last statement, Apple first of all, but we’d like to invite you to read this article from Harvard Business Review: “Design can drive exceptional returns for shareholders”.

The title itself implies a paradigm shift that we totally embrace and that has been our guiding principle since the beginnings of our activity. Design is not an end in itself anymore, and it’s not perceived as a necessary evil either. Instead design, both digital and service related, becomes the keystone for the company evolution and the driving force for change.

Clearly, this paradigm shift implies a change for the companies in the way they face the problems related to their business. Experience in their own specific field is not a necessary and sufficient condition for success anymore, but it has become only a necessary condition over time.

It is also important to consider digital design as something which is constantly changing and transforming, just like all the other internal processes of a company.

This is the reason why our design methodology EVO, Evolutive Experience Design, was born: the need of implementing a digital strategy which evolves hand in hand with the users’ experience and their variability over time.

Leonardo da Vinci wrote: “Constancy: not he who begins, but he who perseveres”.

Everything inside a company must be in constant motion and evolution. Digital design, as well as service design, becomes one of the channels through which the company strategy is transmitted, and it often represents one of the main touchpoints for its customers. It’s not something that can be improvised, nor can it be considered a matter of minor relevance inside the company. Not at all.

Once again, we’d like to quote Leonardo da Vinci: “Seek advice from he who corrects himself”.

We decided not to talk about Business Development with our clients anymore; instead, we will start speaking of Business Strategy related to digital and service design. We believe this is the best way to let our clients understand the importance of what we can do for them.

This is the third post in the series “The value of design in the experience economy”. In the same series:

• The value of design in the experience economy
• Facing the turbulence. The value od Business Design
• The value of User Research (to be published)