The New Designer: Business research… Understanding the client (part 5 of 8)
Author of this post: Dave Holston | About Blog Authors »Note: This is part 5 in an 8 part series by design instructor and NoD author Dave Holston. To view Dave’s previous entries please click here.
Strategy guru Michael Porter states that the underlying idea behind strategy is alignment, that is, getting employees to make good choices based on a common value proposition. The reinforcement of the proposition is critical, and must be expressed through every aspect of the organizations culture, in particular the design of its communications, products and services.
For designers, the client’s business strategy is an essential ingredient in making design decisions. Through business research designers answer the question, “how do we articulate the client’s strategy through design?” Design’s role in supporting strategy takes on many forms, including bringing efficiencies to the design process and the development of products, services and communications; through its ability to create awareness and desire with target audiences; and through brand differentiation.
By understanding what the client hopes to achieve, their strengths and weaknesses, who they are competing against and the environment in which they are conducting their business, designers can begin to develop meaningful solution. This can be a challenge, as getting clients to express their need is often difficult. Clients are sometimes “too close” to their work to be objective, and designers often end up getting partial or misdirected information from them. But through questioning, designers can help clients discover design solutions that are aligned with their business goals.
Business research centers on three key areas: mission, competition, and the business environment. There are any number of basic business analysis tools that can be adopted by designers to gather valuable insight into these areas. These tools provide a common language as well as a means to frame discussions with clients.
Mission and vision statements
Understanding the mission and vision of the business is the first step. The mission and vision statement of the client expresses the reason for the businesses existence, who they serve and where they want to go in the future. Mission and vision statements have gotten a bad rap over the years for their use of meaningless jargon and vagueness. But when well crafted, these statements can act as a compass for design decisions. Mission questions include; why are we in business, what do we do and how do we do it? Vision questions include; where do we want to grow, what objectives will we pursue, and what do we need to do to get there?
Goal development and SWOT analysis
The goals of the organization are based on the mission and vision. As part of defining the organizational goals, an internal audit can be conducted. SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis is a simple tool that can be used to create a picture of the organization, identifying where it can grow, where it needs to build, and what it should watch out for. The SWOT ensures that goals make sense in the context of the mission and vision, the organization’s competencies and the business environment.
Goal prioritization
Often there are a number of goals that vie for resources. An important function of strategy is pairing down goals to those that are most important and feasible. Organizations that try to be all things to all people are generally spread too thin to be strong in anyone area, making them vulnerable to competitors. To prioritize the client’s goals designers can take their clients through a simple exercise of listing organizational goals, rating each goal based on feasibility and importance, then mapped the results onto a matrix. Goals that are both high in importance and easily achievable should be tackled first. This exercise reinforces the idea that strategic differentiation is based on being able to say “no.”
Core competencies and differentiation analysis
Once the most important goals have been identified, it is then time to define a competitive strategy. Differentiation strategy, in which a business promotes a unique value that they can provide customers, is the basis of all competitive strategy and is often expressed through the design of products, services and brand. A common tool for conducting differentiation analysis is USP (Unique Selling Proposition) analysis, in which the needs of target audiences are listed, then assigned a number rating based on how well the organization and its competitors meet each need. Once plotted, areas of differentiation can be identified and built upon.
Business environment analysis
The environment in which the organization is competing is also critical to design decision-making. For designers, cultural mores, trends, the political atmosphere, environmental and sustainability issues and technological trends should all be considered when developing design solutions. PEST (Political, Environmental, Social and Technological) analysis is a simple and accessible tool designers can use to consider these outside influences.
Through the use of business research designers can achieve several things. From a client/designer relationship perspective, questioning provides opportunities for designers to position themselves as strategists who are not solely focused on aesthetics, but see their work as an integral part of moving the organization’s strategy forward. By doing this they build respect and trust in the relationship by providing a rationale for their design decisions. Ultimately research ensures that designers are providing design solutions that are aligned with the organization’s overall strategy. It’s important to remember that designers are not expected to be business analysts, but that by asking the right questions they proved an added level of value to their clients and ensure that their work is targeted to meet specific business needs.
Once the business objectives and strategy are understood, then the next step is to look at the audience.
Business is competitive. Organizations that are able to out maneuver their peers through a combination of cost, focus or differentiation strategies, and are skilled at negotiating with suppliers and customers for an advantage, generally win.
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