Can Design Methodology Predict Project Outcome?
“Wait a minute, Doc. Are you telling me that you built a time machine.. out of a DeLorean?” — Marty McFly in Back to the Future
Envision yourself in Marty McFly’s battered leather white and red Nike’s, traveling to the future in a plutonium powered Delorean time machine. Marty’s ability to travel in time enables him to see into the future, and then go back to present time to correct his mistakes.
A likely scenario? Hardly. Admittedly though, as a Designer, there are times when I wonder if I could look into a crystal ball, travel in a Delorean, or any other method, to ensure that I follow the correct path to see a project excel in its entirety. I want to make sure that all the design methods, long tough nights, and carefully-laid processes have been effective. This certainly isn’t reality, BUT there is a proven way to increase the success probability of a project, without having to procure a radioactive substance.
At IBM, we follow a methodology endearingly called Design Thinking. This methodology is successful because it focuses on real users of products.
Design isn’t just about pretty, colorful images. The core of design includes typography, color, hierarchy, and layout, but that’s only on the surface. The thought behind those elements is what makes the arrangement meaningful, impactful, and in essence, profitable.
It’s all about disruption
Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, 2 founders of Warby Parker, an online phenomenon that allows customers to try eyeglasses on in the comfort of their own home, knew that customers were key to the success of their product.
“We’re obsessive when it comes to experiences, and we believe that the best designers design experiences.”
In the Forbes article “What’s Behind Warby Parker’s Success”, Al Ries, author of the classic book Positioning is quoted on the reason behind Warby Parker’s rise to fame.
“What dethrones a leader, of course, is change. To play the game successfully, you must make decisions on what your company will be doing not next month or next year but in 5 years, 10 years.”
Make User Feedback an Indispensable Part of the Process
When you’re working like a roadrunner, moving forward at breakneck speed, do you really have time to follow the Design process? The answer is an emphatic “Absolutely”! User feedback is an indispensable part of the process, validating the designs so that real, actual users are represented and heard.
There can be a trust issue when project teams are required to go through the design process, in that the process will take too much time, negatively impacting the project timeline. As Designers, we need to stand firm and trust the process and its results. Failing early or reworking goals at the beginning of a project is much more desirable than failing at the end, when there are no resources and no time for a redo.
Being a Designer is Being a Pioneer
One part of the process we follow in IBM Design is engaging the project team in a workshop. Being a Designer can be really tough, and I often feel like a pioneer, guiding the team towards uncharted (and mostly virtual) territories. Hard conversations need to happen, and as Lead Designer on a project, I have to remain steadfast and believe in the process.
So, the answer to the original question “Will design methodology predict the future?” is no. But don’t fret, there is a simple solution in trusting the design process. You can be confident that this human-centric method lays the groundwork for success. At least this way drives a sure path towards a win, without needing to find 1.21 gigawatts of electricity for a Delorean time machine.
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