The founders were pouring over the data of their new company which after a promising start was flatlining. ‘Go to where your users are’ was the advice that turned Airbnb from a failing start-up 10 years ago to the $31 billion behemoth it is today. A decade on ‘user experience’ is an often over-used buzz phrase, but the underlying idea – that there is power in empathy – has never been more profound. The meaning of design is up for debate.
Our market has never been more complex and good design can bring a coherence to that. Globalisation and digitisation are removing the traditional barriers to entry. Large firms can no longer rely on great manufacturing capacity, a superior supply chain or established distribution networks to fend off challengers. Big data and AI will make it easier for Davids to go after Goliaths.
Design can be the crucial differentiator and designers are increasingly moving into the frontline. Designers fall into three broad categories: physical objects, commercial (how people interact with those products and services) and computational designers who use programming skills and empirical data to satisfy millions of users instantly. Of course there are inter-disciplinary rivalries, with some inevitably taking an entrenched position, but the companies which can harness all three skills will be well set for the future. You need look no further than this years’ Optician Awards. The unexpected winner in the Lens Product of the Year category is one example of how this works in our market.
The triumph of everyday design is that luxury used to be better. Better than the alternatives. I spent some time at a ‘luxury hotel’ recently. The light switches were complicated and did not work properly. The door handle was awkward. The fancy taps sprayed water on whoever was standing in front of the sink. All expensive, none of it very well-designed. Expensive is not the relevant metric, utility is.
