Great design solves the right problem and it’s critical to start off on the right track. Identifying the ‘right problem’ is often only achievable if the design process is engaged early enough with business development to matter. Design’s role is to ask questions, engage the key stakeholders and collect relevant data. It’s only then that design is empowered to create great solutions.
I recently found myself in a new and uncertain situation. For over a year I have been leading the design efforts for several new client and consumer interactive tools all under one parent brand. That position will end in a couple weeks, due to the parent brand deciding that design in not pertinent. Deep breath. I have unexpectedly been pushed from one set of “knowns” to a new set of “unknowns”. I immediately begin to reflect on a great talk I attended by Paul Saffo about effective forecasting and how to understand the cone of uncertainty.
