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Dan's Biz Bookshelf: Design Is How It Works

Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products Into Icons

I don’t know about you, but I am an absolute sucker for books that talk about how things are designed and made, which is why I love this book by Jay Greene.

Greene visits with eight of the most iconic companies in the world to discuss and describe how they handle design and innovation, which includes how they handle their product designers.

These iconic companies are Porsche, Nike, Lego (my personal favorite), OXO, REI, Clif Bar, Ace Hotels, and Virgin Atlantic.

Some of the values and qualities that are common throughout all these companies is a love for their product, a passion for what they do, and a deep commitment to connecting with their customers. In the end all of them strive to have happy and delighted customers.

But as is always the case with companies like these, they are unique in the way they are run, the way they develop their products, and the way they focus on their customers. Here are three examples:

When Lego almost went out of business in the ‘70s, they opened up their design department to “civilians,” inviting outsiders into their hallowed hall and share their ideas that would better connect to the customer base—children. They soon found out that kids did not like stylized models, like a fire engine with an out-of-scale cab and a tiny rear. Get this, the kids wanted a fire engine that looked like a fire engine! Not to pick on the poor designers but sometimes they can’t see the forest for the trees.

Porsche loves fast cars; everyone who works at Porsche does, and every one of their customers does. So why would they take a risk and introduce an SUV? And why, in the end, was it such a huge success, outselling all their other models, and putting them back on the map? By the way, every single car reviewer in the world hated the Cayenne at first site. One pundit said it had the “sex appeal of a camel with gingivitis.” Ouch! In the end, it was successful because it met their customers’ expectations; it also converted more female buyers to Porsche. They loved the car. And by the way it is without a doubt, in the Porsche tradition, the best designed and best handling SUV in the world.

Richard Branson absolutely hated flying commercial and, seeing as he’s Richard Branson, I am sure he was not flying coach. One time, while waiting for his flight only to learn it was cancelled, he chartered a private jet and then went around the terminal with hat in hand, asking other passengers if they would like to join him. Enough did and he made money on the deal. At that instant he realized he could start his own airline, one that would be much more pleasing to the more discerning customers; hence, Virgin Atlantic got its start. His goal was to make the flying experience from beginning to end so delightful that people would look forward to flying his airline; and he did it.

One of the more important lessons I picked up from this book is that although design is developing a product, great design is all about a developing a product that delivers great customer experience.

This book is delightful read. You’ll have a ball reading it. Enjoy.

P.S. Since I am a bona fide AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego), I needed to say this about the company: To grow its business, the company put out a line of more complicated architectural kits so that adults like me would get addicted to these great kits and spend hundreds of dollars on each of them—like $300 on a 3,000+ parts model of Westminster Abbey.

Targeting adults has paid off for them to the extent that a child’s Lego kit averages about 10 cents a brick while the adult set averages about 40 cents a brick. Now that’s an example of giving them what they want.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group. 

Design Is How It Works: How the Smartest Companies Turn Products Into Icons

Author: Jay Greene

Copyright: 2010 By the Penguin Group

Pages: 206 with Index

Price: Kindle $7.99/ Hardcover $17.99