Part II Conclusion
“I called my latest album 26 Letters, 12 Notes,” musician Dave Mason explained, “because that’s all we’re ever going to have—those 26 letters in the alphabet and 12 musical notes—at least in the Western world. But no one is suggesting that there aren’t great books waiting to be written and great songs yet to be played.” The process of design and innovation, too, is about capturing the imagination of your audience, many times using the same building blocks as other players.
Crafting a design strategy doesn’t mean that the road ahead will be easy. Chances are, the competition sees the same gaps in the market and is eyeing the same prize. Furthermore, the need for a “win” rarely coincides with large budgets, generous timelines, and an all-star executive team. More often, it begins with anxiety—either because companies sense they are losing ground or because they are unsure of how to capitalize on a potentially big idea. In both cases, design can help companies bridge the gap between what they know and what people want. Turning a design strategy into a business success depends on keeping the emotional insight about consumers and a robust collaborative process alive during the implementation phase. Maximizing the investment in Psycho-Aesthetics® requires the following:
• Test and update against the maps. The learning that takes place about products and personas during the design phase needs to be incorporated into the maps over the life of the project. Depending on the length of the development process in your industry, the changes may be significant. As concepts are developed based on the Opportunity Zone, they should be placed back on the maps for evaluation and testing. This allows teams to get a clear idea of the implications of various choices, reducing the threat of diluting new concepts. The focus on the consumer should guide trade-offs.
Where possible, those responsible for executing the design should participate in the research. Too many handoffs can create disconnects in the design discipline as much as any other.
• Create a connection with the story at each stage. Today, the story has a role in every step of the innovation process. For executive teams, a clear understanding of why the problem they are working on matters serves as inspiration. Consumers today, faced with an abundance of choices, are buying into a narrative as much as they are purchasing actual products, services, and experiences.
As teams test different solutions, a connection to the Hero’s Journey and story needs to take place. Some of the best-intentioned and designed concepts failed simply because they were not clearly understood. Whether a given approach can deliver the desired emotional payoff is a question that needs to enter into every decision that is made about aesthetics, channels, and other touch points.
• Understand the execution challenges. Whether you’re part of a large organization or an entrepreneur, the demands of the market require you to produce at a rate of “fast and steady.” Great design still has to be delivered with reliable quality and speed (often through multiple channels); otherwise, emotional connections are a moot point. These are also the reasons that simplicity and looking at emotional response are such powerful tools.
• Design for the future. Even the best companies miss some big opportunities. Consumers are constantly learning and evolving, however, and design must remain focused on the future.
Today, companies are competing and designing through collaboration. Cole Haan shoes employ Nike Air technology in their walking shoes. Disney is working with Apple to transform its stores. Even discounters like Walmart have embraced organic produce, sustainable store design and trimmed their offerings to provide a more pleasant shopping experience. The challenges of strategy, innovation and design are being addressed in an integrated fashion—often working with firms across industry boundaries.
We can already see the design profession and consumers migrating from products to services and experiences. Businesses and private citizens are turning their attention to new challenges of the planet and society—the so-called “wicked problems” of poverty and sustainability in particular. As we grapple with new questions, the principles of Psycho-Aesthetics become more valuable. Creating meaningful change is not just a matter of the right resources and intentions, but also the right tools.
Helping people to address these issues requires insight into the needs and metaphors that matter to them. Understanding how these pieces fit together requires visualization to make sense of the complexity. It can open our minds to what is possible. But as Mark Twain noted, “You can’t trust your eyes if your imagination is out of focus.” These tools are not an end in itself but a way of exploring new ideas efficiently. They cannot substitute for the skill and passion of the craftsman.
As we apply our efforts to larger challenges, the tough judgment of when we are done has also become more complex. We are no longer done when we have made something that works or produced profits. Psycho-Aesthetics demands that and more. It provides a new litmus test to judge the success of our efforts. We have succeeded when we can answer different questions. Are we empowering people? Are they telling our story with us? Although we’ve outlined a process, we know from experience that success is a matter of courage as much as methodology. But we do hope that seeing a way to get from insight to empowerment—in effect, having a map—can encourage more people to make the trip.