Why the local Post Office?
If David Cameron knows in his gut that losing the local Post Office would be a mistake then he needs to speak to us designers in forming his argument.
We deal in the holistic value of things day in day out.
Practical steps to in-house design strategy 2
Map the consumer and develop a ‘worldview’ of cultural context.
This means telling stories about people and their lives in a way that helps make internal decisions such as what products to do, who to target… It could be personas, or mindsets, or matrices, or journeys etc.
Having a broad view helps to build a worldview on a cultural level to understand motivations and behaviour, helping you make better decisions. Going broad brings more clarity and conviction rather than less, knowing who you aren’t targeting and what behaviours you’re not facilitating brings focus.
Practical steps to in-house design strategy 1
Find a way of developing, communicating and agreeing the design direction of a product without referencing a design itself.
This has been very important for us.
If you want understanding/discussion/agreement on a broad basis (brand, consumer, trend etc) that needs to be done before designs are viewed and judged, if you’ve got to a concept presentation it’s already too late.
Coming in early with design direction keeps the thinking on the level you need, and gives you a chance to inform the choice of design by building a mental library in people, important business types, so when they see the design they’re already on board. It also gives them a chance to voice their intuitive understanding and thoughts before being asked to respond to a static design, something they’re normally not used to doing.
It’s about taking people on a journey, bringing them in on the process.
