The Role of Design-11 (1)

8/7/2019 The Role of Design-11 (1)

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The Role of Design

Neil Alderman

University of Newcastle uponTyne Business School


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Outline

The nature of design and designers

Design and consumer culture

Design in industry and commerce Design factors in competitiveness

Design for innovation

Design case studies

Conclusions


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What is design?

A value-driven activity Types of design

Engineering design Industrial design Process design Graphic design

Architecture Interior design Ergonomics


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Design concerns

Function /performance

Form

Styling Useability Materials++++++++++++++++++++++ Things Places

Fashion Image Awareness

Communication

++++++++++++++++++++

Messages


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The design toolbox

Colours Shapes

Materials Movement

Odours SpaceTexture Imagery

Design involves the combination and

interaction of these elements in theenvironment of contact with theconsumer, user or other stakeholder


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What constitutes good design?

Sustainable

Accessible

Functional

W

ell made Emotionally resonant

Enduring

Socially beneficial

Beautiful

Ergonomic

Affordable

Metropolis Magazines design principles for the 21st Century


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What is a designer? Designer as maker

Concern with material things

Designer as knowledge worker

Designer as meaning signifier Providing for human experience Designer as cultural intermediary Designer as entrepreneur

Opportunistic, defining themselves Designer as active citizen / social

responsibility Contribution to quality of life

(Press and Cooper, 2003)


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Designing for experience

Implies putting people first

Design as the deep art of the useful

Designers tend to pursue the possible Implies need to design the experience

not the object

Design needs to understand the processof consumption


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Design and consumer culture (1)

Consumption / consumer culture: the creationof experiences with well-designed artefacts

Consumption moving beyond material well-

being to a concern with status and symbolicmeaning ideas of fashion, style and taste

The emotional relationship between the userand product is determined, to a large extent,

by the symbolic dimension of the product(McDonagh et al, 2002, 231)

Design as a medium of communication ofsymbols and signs


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Symbolic consumption

Material possessions as

symbols of identityOthersSelf

Instrumental meaning

Function

Symbolic meaning

Expression of self

Use related

Makes an activity

possible

Self expressive

Symbolising qualities

and values

Categorical

Symbolising group

membership and

social status

Source: derived from McDonagh et al (2002) after Dittmar (1992)


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Design and consumer culture (2)

People expect different things from the productsthey consume

Possessions can be seen as part of an extended self

(Belk, 1988) Possessions represent an individuals material capital

(Dant, 2006)

Material objects influence the way we relate to and

interact with society social and cultural relations [are] mediated via material objects (Dant, 2006, 290)

Designers need to understand users and createmeaningful forms of consumption for them


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Designing for diversity

Design for factors influencing identity Age groups Social classes

Ethnicity Lifestyle aspirations

E.g. SonyWalkman -> My First Sony Creates a preferred reading of a product

Alternative readings are possible Consumer culture is an active experience

E.g. Scooters


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Design in industry and commerce

The Cinderella subject VIPP model (Trueman and Jobber, 1998)

Value using design to increase product value

Image using design to create brand and productidentity

Process design as the core of the developmentprocess

Production use of design to reduce costs and savetime

Design spans different domains e.g. marketingand R&D


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Government promotion

The effective use of design is fundamental tothe creation of innovative products, processesand services. Good design can significantly

add value to products, lead to growth in salesand enable both the exploitation of newmarkets and the consolidations of existingones. The challenge is to integrate design

into business processes.CompetitivenessWhite Paper (1995)


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Design factors in competitiveness

Price v. non-price factors

Difficult to distinguish the contribution ofdesign

Difficult to identify success and failure

Difficult to measure

Design is integral to processes of creativity

and innovation1. Innovation

2. Identify


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Design in innovation The Dyson DC05 Designed in terms of function,

ergonomics, aesthetics,context/environment and maintenance

Exceed performance of competitors interms of filtration, dust pick-up and airwatts

Smaller and lighter than predecessor

Easy to manoeuvre, sit on stairs

Size, shape proportions, balance and colourin line with Dyson range

Easy to empty and clean

Reliable, robust, durable, tough, shockresistant quality materials

Source: Dyson website


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Design Case Studies B&Q - Power Tools

Challs - International Buster Range

Herman Miller - Aeron Chair

JCB Teletruk

For details see the handout. Source: Design Council

Questions:

What benefits have these organisations received from the

design projects described in the handout? How has design been used to enhance the business?

What aspects of the development of the products describedhere have been addressed through design?


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Design fors

Design for manufacture

Design for assembly

Design for safety Design for maintenance

Design for useability

Design for disability Design for sustainability

Design for recyclability


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Product attractiveness

Attention grabbing and desirable

Prior knowledge attractiveness Maintaining visual similarity for repeat purchasers

Functional attractiveness Looking as though it will perform well

Symbolic attractiveness

Reflection of the customers self-image Inherent attractiveness of visual form

Intrinsic beauty or aesthetic appeal

(Baxter, 1995)


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Product styling

Rules of visual perception Predisposition to identify pattern

Visual simplicity e.g. typewriter design Partly driven by technological change as well as

aesthetic considerations

Cute faces

Style channelling Fin designs on American cars

Customer demand Fords vinyl roofs

Visual themes run out of steam


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Designing identity

Translating the values of the organization intothe corporate identity

Backlash in 1980s from over-hyping of design

Branding: the blending of corporate reality products, services, communications and theinteractions among people, inside and outsidethe organization with designs intended to

convey and symbolize that reality (Walton, 1997,p.5 quoted in Press and Cooper, 2003).

Danger of overlooking the quality of the coreproduct e.g. Planet Hollywood


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Conclusions

Design can be seen as a core skill

Design is a significant contributor tovalue creation

Design is argued to enhancecompetitiveness

Boundaries between design and otheractivities are blurring over time

Ultimately, design and the creation ofmeaning is a negotiated process

Documents

The Role of Design-11 (1)