QUARTERLY OF THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA SUMMER 2013 Design as Strategy QUIET n D-SHIP n UGLY QUARTERLY OF THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA SUMMER 2013 ® Unsung Resources, see page 30. Publisher Executive Editor Managing Editor Advertising Annual Subscriptions Roxann Henze Mark Dziersk, FIDSA & Designer Karen Berube Within the US $60 IDSA Managing Director Karen Berube K.Designs Canada & Mexico $75 555 Grove Street, Suite 200 LUNAR | Chicago K.Designs 3511 Broadrun Dr. International $110 Herndon, VA 20170 [email protected] 3511 Broadrun Dr. Fairfax, VA 22033 P: 703.707.6000 x102 Fairfax, VA 22033 P: 703.860.4411 Single Copies F: 703.787.8501 Advisory Council P: 703.860.4411 [email protected] Fall/Yearbook $35+ S&H [email protected] Gregg Davis, IDSA [email protected] [email protected] All others $17+ S&H www.innovationjournal.org Alistair Hamilton, IDSA Contributing Editor Jennifer Evans Yankopolus ® The quarterly publication of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Innovation provides in-depth coverage of design issues and long-term trends while communicating the value of design to business and society at large. PATRONS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN EXCELLENCE DESIGN AS STRATEGY INVESTOR IDEO, Palo Alto, CA; Shanghai, China; 26 Introduction FEATURES Cambridge, MA; London, UK; San Francisco; by Mark Capper, IDSA, Guest Editor Munich, Germany; Chicago; New York 16 San Jose State University’s Newell Rubbermaid, Atlanta, GA 28 Using Culture & Trend Design Entrepreneurship Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH Research to Develop Class: D-SHIP PTI Design, Macomb, MI Design Strategies for by Gerard Furbershaw, IDSA and Global Markets: Scot Herbst, IDSA Webb deVlam Chicago, Chicago, IL Unsung Resources 22 Industrial Designers in by Michael Trump CULTIVATOR the 21st Century: Cesaroni Design Associates Inc., Glenview, IL 32 Expanding Design Research Masters of the Experience Continuum, Boston; Los Angeles; Milan, Italy; Beyond Ethnography: by Fernd van Engelen Seoul, South Korea; Shanghai, China Teaching Strategic Design 53 Defining and Measuring by Frank M. Grunwald, L/IDSA Crown Equipment, New Bremen, OH Creativity in Product Design: Dell, Round Rock, TX 36 How Much Does Your Searching for a Yardstick Design Concepts, Madison, WI Organization Weigh? by Susan Besemer and Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, TN by John R. Latham Philip Thompson Jerome Caruso Design Inc., Lake Forest, IL 40 Problem Finding or Lunar Design Inc., Palo Alto, CA IN EVERY ISSUE Problem Framing? Metaphase Design Group Inc., St. Louis, MO by Katherine Bennett, IDSA 4 From the Editor Nokia Design, Calabasas, CA 43 Strategies for Bridging by Mark Dziersk, FIDSA Smart Design, New York; San Francisco; Business and Design 6 Design Defined Barcelona, Spain by Søren Petersen by Richard Beien Stanley Black & Decker, New Britain, CT 7 Book Review Teague, Seattle, WA 46 The Collaboration of by Scott Stropkay, IDSA Tupperware Design and Research: , Worldwide 8 Business Concepts Blue-Ocean Innovation Charter Patrons indicated by color. by Mark Capper, IDSA by Michael Westcott, IDSA 10 A Look Back For more information about becoming a 50 What’s Your Design by Carroll Gantz, FIDSA Strategy? It’s Your Story. Patron and supporting IDSA’s communication and education outreach, please contact by Paul Earle 14 Beautility by Tucker Viemeister, FIDSA Katie Fleger at 703.707.6000 x104. 58 Showcase 64 Signposts by Alistair Hamilton, IDSA Iain Crockart QUARTERLY OF THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS SOCIETY OF AMERICA SUMMER 2013 Cover photo: © TongRo Images/Corbis Advertisers’ Index INNOVATION Innovation is the quarterly journal of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the professional organization serving the needs of US industrial designers. Reproduction in c3 2013 IDSA International Conference D E Design as Strategy SI G whole or in part—in any form—without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. n n Fiberlok 1 N QUIET D-SHIP UGLY AS ST The opinions expressed in the bylined articles are those of the writers and not necessarily R AT c4 Lunar EGY those of IDSA. IDSA reserves the right to decline any advertisement that is contrary to the S UMMER 2013 mission, goals and guiding principles of the Society. The appearance of an ad does not 15 MIT Press constitute an endorsement by IDSA. All design and photo credits are listed as provided by c2 Samsung the submitter. Innovation is printed on FSC-certified paper with agricultural-based inks. The 9 Stratasys use of IDSA and FIDSA after a name is a registered collective membership mark. Innovation (ISSN No. 0731-2334 and USPS No. 0016-067) is published quarterly by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)/Innovation, 555 Grove Street, Suite 200, Herndon, VA 20170. Periodical postage at Sterling, VA 20164 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to IDSA/Innovation, 555 Grove Street, Suite 200, Herndon, VA 20170, USA. ©2013 Industrial Designers Society of America. Vol. 32, No. 2, 2013; Library of Congress Catalog No. 82-640971; ISSN No. 0731-2334; USPS 0016-067. FROM THE EDITOR HEAD BEFORE HANDS. THAT’s how I defINE STRATEGY. ust in case that’s too simple: Strategy is a plan of reconnected after working together almost a decade ago, I action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall jumped at the chance to work with him again and called an J aim; the art of planning and directing overall opera- audible on the theme and timing for the summer issue. We tions and resource expenditures. at Innovation are very grateful for his contributions; Mark is a Still I always say that when it comes to design, or design terrific combination of design and strategy, which is also the strategy, you can never be too simple. That’s not to say definition for competitive advantage in the future. that strategy isn’t sometimes prescriptive. Here’s part of the Today we live in a world where the previous advantages strategy we use to publish this journal: of a marketing or distribution strategy have been effectively No later than Nov. 1 of each year, develop three themes neutered. The Internet informs and reveals empty prom- for the following year’s spring, summer and winter issues. ises and charlatans. Products can no longer be pushed at (The fall issue is always dedicated to awards.) Themes people. And products that do not consider the user first can should be explored with the input of the Advisory Council no longer be pushed to a shelf or store because addressing (AC), Publisher (PUB) and Managing Editor (ME). Relevant user needs defines success or failure. So in effect the idea topics should be considered that are of current interest to of a marketing or distribution strategy (marketing strategy industrial designers and have not been covered in the past statements, strategic roadmaps, corporate strategies, prod- two years. The Executive Editor (EE) is responsible for writing uct launch strategies, innovation strategies, etc.) is bumping a paragraph on each topic that will be used to solicit authors headlong into the idea of design strategy: strategy that is and interest advertisers, and will be published in the annual simple, sometimes prescriptive but always flexible and which editorial calendar. addresses, foremost, the user need. For as Charles Eames To me strategy is the idea that we center where we are once famously said, “Recognizing the need is the primary now, create the goals and dreams we see in the future and condition for design.” then plan how to get there. That said, strategy also needs From the Harvard Business Review on strategy: to be flexible enough to take advantage of those unforesee- Today’s dynamic markets and technologies have called able opportunities and unpredictable changes in conditions into question the sustainability of competitive advantage. that require, to use a football term, calling an audible. That’s Under pressure to improve productivity, quality, and speed, when a quarterback sees something amiss with the play managers have embraced tools such as TQM, benchmark- that’s phoned into his helmet and in the moment calls a new ing, and reengineering. Dramatic operational improvements play out loud, an audible—responding appropriately to what have resulted, but rarely have these gains translated into the circumstances dictate. sustainable profitability. I never expected that a strategy issue of Innovation It goes on to argue that: would be guest edited by the talented design strategist Mark Gradually, in the last two decades, tools have taken the Capper, IDSA, an accomplished research expert, author place of strategy. As managers push to improve operations and founder and CEO of Kompas Strategy. When he and I on all fronts, they move further away from viable competitive 4 WWW.INNOVATIONJOURNAL.ORG HEAD BEFORE HANDS. THAT’s how I defINE STRATEGY. © 2013 Eames Office, LLC (eamesoffice.com) Charles Eames’ Venn diagram of the design process, made for the exhibition What is Design?, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris 1969. positions. Michael Porter argues that operational effective- executive editor of Innovation serves a two-year term and is ness, although necessary to superior performance, is not appointed by IDSA’s chairman. The chairman may appoint sufficient, because its techniques are easy to imitate. In the executive editor to serve an additional two-year term if contrast, the essence of strategy is choosing a unique and desired by both parties.” valuable position rooted in systems of activities that are It worked out that this is the case, and I am privileged much more difficult to match. to stay on. I am looking forward to two more years of work- Since design can be one of the most difficult tools to ing with Innovation’s exceptional team refining, progressing imitate and quantify, it makes sense that in turn it becomes and following the strategy we have developed for the journal.