Rare Bird Blog

Need a problem solved? Think like a designer.

Monday, March 15, 2010

In a recent article (and accompanying video), award-winning author Warren Berger suggests that designers have just the right toolset to answer a whole range of questions; many of which fall outside the traditional role of 'design'.

"Don't think about design just as your logo or the visual aspect of your business; think of it as a process you can use to tackle problems in your business," says Mr. Berger. "Design is really just creative problem solving." He proposes that design can help answer fundamental questions like ‘What are we going to make? How can we make it better? And how can we satisfy our customers?'

The key is in the way that designers approach problems. "Designers are very good at asking what I call stupid questions," Mr. Berger says. "Why do we do things the way we do? Is this the best way to do it or could we do it differently? Small companies especially need to do that because they can get into a pattern of doing things a certain way for a long time."

This has certainly been my experience working with designers and other creatives for more than twenty years. The process can be challenging and difficult, but the results are nearly always rewarding and often surprising. It's this fundamental ability to look at things from alternate perspectives that makes the difference. Berger refers to it as 'lateral thinking', which seems appropriate. But it's often just as simple as breaking a problem and the possible solutions down into the smallest possible parts and re-thinking each step:
  • Is this really necessary?
  • How could changing this function affect the result?
  • How could this part of the process be improved?
The article offers the example of the OXO Good Grips measuring cup, which allows you to see how full it is from above. “If you had asked people about their measuring cup, they'd say it was fine, but when you watched them, you could see that there was something that could be improved,” Mr. Berger says. The innovation came from actually watching people in their kitchens as they crouched down to get a better look at things.

Interesting stuff, and great food for thought for anyone facing a particularly thorny issue.

[Watch the video]
[Read the article]
-Jim Cota

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Why Nobody Cares About 'Billions'

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Here's a great idea about how you should present your business data to investors, prospects, or even just Mom: forget the billions. In a recent article, author and business plan expert Tim Berry explains that these numbers and this top-down approach just don't mean anything to anyone.

"As an investor, as a business plan contest judge, or as a teacher, I don’t really care how many billions of dollars are spent on this or that or the next thing when I’m reading a business plan. That number is too big. It tells me nothing."

He explains that what really matters, and what most of us can easily get our arms (and brains) around are the simple numbers; the granularity. For a web-based business, figure out what it will cost to get a single visitor to the site and how you'll do it. If you're a restaurant, tell me how you'll fill those seats on opening night and what you'll make from each customer. If you're the government trying to sell me a new healthcare plan, put it in terms of cost per doctor's visit or an average monthly premium. Then you can build forecasts from these details up into the larger numbers.

Especially for those companies in the business-plan-writing stages, this can be invaluable. Berry says, "I know that I’m in the majority, among people who read business plans, in really disliking the top-down, billions and billions kind of forecasts. When they start talking about getting only a very small percentage of an enormous market, they lose me. Those huge markets don’t split down into millions of pieces."

[Read the entire article]

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-Jim Cota

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You Think Your Family is Awkward?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

This is an article I didn't want to write, for two reasons: First, I know several people regularly to read these articles and depend on me (to some degree) to keep them informed about 'what's happening' online. Second, sharing this guilty pleasure makes me feel a little... well, grimy. Especially in light of the first reason. But it seems to me that we've reached a point in our lives, with this economy, the unemployment rate, and tax day right around the corner, where we could use a good laugh. So I've decided it's time to tell you about Awkward Family Photos.

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-Jim Cota

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