What is Good Design? - A Research Driven Investigation
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The document explores the complexity of 'good design' through a study of industrial designers, identifying seven key categories. It highlights that while aesthetics and function are important, a significant portion of good design also encompasses customer experience, emotional connection, and business performance. The findings suggest a need for shared definitions of good design within teams to enhance collaboration and conflict resolution.
What is Good Design? - A Research Driven Investigation
- 1. What is good design? Matt Fletcher Atomic Object A research driven investigation
- 3. What Is “Good Design”?: An Investigation of the Complexity and Structure of Design Julie H. Hertenstein Marjorie B. Platt Robert W. Veryzer
- 5. WHY DOES GOOD DESIGN MATTER? Firms are having a harder & harder time differentiating on a number of traditional factors. Even a slice of the good design picture is incredibly beneficial.
- 6. The study • 109 industrial designers at a DMI conference • Corporate and consultant designers Please tell us your definition and criteria for ‘good design’ (please be as specific as possible in listing aspects/elements of ‘good design’ in your view).
- 7. 7 CATEGORIES The breakdown 418 THOUGHTS 14 customer experience 10 business 24 THEMES
- 8. Category Themes Customer perspective • Customer awareness / empathy • Quality • Makes life better / simpler Brand and brand history / evolution • Brand • Enduring design • Consistency of product design & representation Emotions and feelings • Emotional bond • Positive impact • Desirable Business performance • Business profits / results • Appropriate for market / culture • Good design process
- 10. Three tiers: 1. Aesthetic & functional 2. Customer experience, emotional bond, innovative / creative 3. Everything else Percent Theme 13 Aesthetic 11 Functional 9 Customer experience 8 Emotional bond Innovative / creative 7 Ease of use 4 Brand Business profits / results Provides value 3 Form-function relationship Communicates effectively 2 Enduring design Quality Positive impact Appropriate environmentally 1 Reflects period Ergonomic Desirable Makes life better Consistency of product design Evolving history of design Appropriate for market Appropriate to product Good design process Aesthetics & function may dominate, but capture only 24% of good design. The other three quarters is spread amongst the other attributes.
- 11. “The complexity of good design is suggested by the variety and diversity of themes that were identified, ranging from aesthetics to sustainability to emotional bond to business results.” Hertenstein, Platt, and Veryzer
- 12. “The potential conflict among some of the themes is further evidence of good design’s complexity.” Hertenstein, Platt, and Veryzer
- 14. Corporate vs. consultant General alignment - 19 of 24 themes were within 2% of each other. Consultant designers prefer : • Business profits / results • Reflects period Corporate designers prefer : • Customer experience • Ease of use • Quality That said,
- 15. “…the corporate respondents generally have the higher percentage for the customer-related themes…whereas the consultants have the higher percentage for the business profits/ results…where they differ, each group appears to place a higher emphasis on its direct customer. Hertenstein, Platt, and Veryzer
- 16. Implications and future research
- 18. Further research (continued) • Understand how people process good design • Brand-emotion linkage • Design assessment & aligning team objectives
- 19. “Having a shared understanding or definition of good design can be essential to the success of a design team and helpful in resolving conflicts between interdisciplinary design team members.” Hertenstein, Platt, and Veryzer
- 20. Limitations • The three authors sorted and categorized the thought units. Others, especially other types of designers, will likely categorize differently. • Credit where credit is due : the authors have not necessarily uncovered anything that craftsman internalized hundreds of years ago.
- 23. Are these results something you feel you can use and apply, or are they too abstract?
- 24. Thank you! Title slide logo created by Jonathan D’Mello from the Noun Project