The Value of Good Design

"We can’t justify spending that much developing our new product!  We need to do this on a much smaller budget and we need it in production by Friday!”

I bet you’ve heard that before or maybe it’s even you who’s been saying it!

So you want to develop a new product but you're just not sure how to go about it or how much to invest.  If you engage with a design consultancy, how will you manage the process and will you get value for money?

Let’s try to understand the value that good design can bring to your company so that you can confidently move forward with your next development.

Let’s first talk about good design versus bad design.  Good design comes from having a clear brief with realistic time schedules and a creative design team working to an adequate budget. The creative team work collaboratively with key staff to create intuitive, cost effective products that meet the needs of the company and their customers.

Bad design comes from having an unprepared and unclear brief with an unrealistic time schedule and an inadequate budget! The lack of direction from an unclear brief coupled with unrealistic goals and timescales results in poorly designed products!  Companies often try to engage creative teams far too late in the process, believing they can partially design the product themselves and use a design team to fix the problems at the end.  This simply doesn't work.

Good design can be measured by looking at how its correct implementation has positively affected other companies.  We all know and understand the benefits of good design when we think about Apple products yet we often dismiss the positive effect that good design can have when we think about less complex products.  Just think about how good your new product could be if you approach it in the same manner as companies like Apple!

Here’s some interesting facts from a study carried out by the Design Council.

• Every £100 a design aware business spends on design increases their turnover by £225.
• In businesses where design is integral to operations, over three quarters say they’ve increased their competitiveness and turnover.
• Businesses that see design as integral don’t need to compete on price as much as others.
• Almost half of all UK businesses believe that, over the past decade, design has become more important in helping them maintain a competitive edge.
• Turnover growth is more likely for businesses that increase their investment in design.
• Two thirds of UK businesses believe that design is integral to future economic performance.
• Over two thirds of manufacturers believe it’s worth investing in design in their sector.
• On average, design aware businesses increase their market share by around 6% through using design.

Numerous other studies have been conducted that show companies that are design-driven (using design as a key strategic advantage) were founded to be stronger on all financial measures.  Businesses recognise that good design can have a powerful impact on competitive advantage and profitability. It can differentiate products and services and enhance their value – while poor design can threaten the survival of an organisation. Good design enhances brand value and helps to reduce complexity and cost.

So it’s clear that engaging with good design can be beneficial to your company.  You should be considering adopting design as a core element within your business and looking at good design as a sound investment in your company’s future.  Now go and think about that next product and do it right.  www.cube3productdesign.co.uk