Key issues that design management solves. Design management as a new reality for business

Design management

Design management is a market- and end-customer-oriented business tool that helps organizations make decisions on design issues, both externally and internally to the business process.

This is a conscious activity at all levels of creating a competitive advantage, from the moment of complete uncertainty before the start of the project until the execution of specific design decisions.

Design management acts as an interface between management and design, and serves as a link between design thinking, design, technology, corporate governance, brand management and marketing management at the internal and external levels of the company's activities.

Broad definition

Design management is not limited to just the design discipline.

In his book Classification of Design (), Peter Gorb divided design into three disciplinary areas. Each of them has its own place for design management:

Product design (for example, industrial, or packaging design)
Information design (e.g. graphic design, branding, media design, web design)
Environmental design (e.g. interior design, exhibition design)

Design management depends on organizational processes and product features, and therefore performs three key functions as an interface between design, organization and market:

Aligns design strategy with business and brand strategy
Manages the quality and consistency of design output across all disciplinary areas
Improves user experience and enhances competitiveness

Design management provides support for managing design in terms of its structure and design process (“doing things right”), as well as in terms of the effectiveness of the design outcome (“doing the right things”).

Depending on a variety of factors (such as industry, company size, market conditions, and the role of design in the company), a design manager has a wide range of duties and corporate titles, roles, responsibilities and responsibilities.

The term "design management" contains semantic contradiction and can be interpreted in two different ways:

design manager
design management.

This understanding comes from the positioning of design management at the operational level, as well as the relatively new approach of introducing design thinking into the business environment (for example, introducing design thinking at the board level or innovation management).

History of design management in the world and in Russia

1951- Chicago manufacturer Walter Paepcke organized the first design conference in Aspen, Colorado. The Aspen conference raised the issue of interaction between business and design; the topic “Design as a function of management” was discussed.

1965- The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) introduces the term “design management” at its meeting.

1966- RSA organizes and hosts the first Design Management Awards ceremony.

1966- Michael Farr's book on design management is published.

1966- IBM President Thomas Watson Jr., in a lecture at Whatron Business School, states that “good design means good business.”

1970- Mark Oakley organizes the Managing Design Initiative by Mark Oakley.

1972- The Royal Society of Arts creates a scientific department for research in the field of design.

1972- the publication of Victor Papanek’s book “Design for the Real World” turns the idea of design as a commercial tool upside down: “The designer is responsible to society to a greater extent than to the Client’s brief.”

1973- Knit Yran presents the first corporate style guide for Philips.

1975- a non-profit partnership on design management issues, the Design Management Institute (DMI), was founded. The organization was created within the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.

1976- the first annual DMI Design Conference was held.

1979- Peter Gorb, former director of the design management center at London Business School, publishes the book Design and Its Applications to Management.

1980-1991- Philips is developing an enterprise design management system that integrates design, production and marketing into one structure.

1984- The British Design Council, together with the Department of Trade and Industry, is sponsoring a report with recommendations for businesses to use design effectively.

1984- the Apple Mac personal computer appeared, which made the first interface focused on user understanding and intuition.

1986- The Design and Business Association was founded in the UK.

1990- published Design Management: a Handbook of Issues and Methods (ed. by Mark Oakley) and Design Management: Papers From the London Business School (ed. by Peter Gorb).

1994- publication of the British Standards system for managing service design British Standard BS 7000 Part 3: Guide to Managing Service Design.

1997- DMI opens the first European conference on design management.

1997- a standard for design management at a manufacturing enterprise BS 7000-Part 4: Guide to managing the design of manufactured products has appeared.

2001-2005- The British Design Council implements a program to support the development of design in small and medium-sized businesses “Design for Business”.

2004- at the initiative of the New Zealand National Economic Development Agency, the Better byDesign project was launched, aimed at developing the competitiveness of New Zealand enterprises through design.

2005 year- Sir George Cox, chairman of the British Design Council, is organizing a UK-wide research project to explore the role of creativity in business - the Cox Review of Creativity in Business.

2006- President of the Design Management Institute Earl Powell visited the St. Petersburg State Academy of Arts and Industry named after A.L. Stieglitz with a speech on design management.

2006- the first Russian study “The Role of Design in Business: Effective Design” was conducted

year 2009- the Russian network resource for design management www.design-management.ru started working

year 2009- Russia’s first educational program in design management opens at the British Higher School of Design (Moscow), in the same year, on the initiative of students, Design Manager Day was established on December 19

Design management in companies

Hierarchy of design management

The extent and manner in which design management is integrated into a company depends on the degree of importance of the role that design plays in the company, as well as on the specifics of the industry, the size of the company, and the competitive position.

Research from the Danish Design Center (DDC), which created the Danish Design Ladder, shows how companies integrate design into business:

No design: companies that do not use design (15% in 2007)
Design as styling: companies that use design to create stylistic solutions (17% in 2007)
Design as a process: companies that integrate design into the development process (45% in 2007)
Design as Innovation: Companies that view design as a key element of strategy (21% in 2007)

Research has shown that companies that considered design at the highest rung of the ladder grew continuously. Also, the Danish Design Center published a report in 2006, “Measuring the Importance of Design,” with results showing that many companies view design as an inspiration for innovation (71%), as a necessity for company growth (79%), and as which helps make the product more convenient for the buyer (71%). With the growing importance of design in a company, the importance of design management also increases.

Levels of design management

Design management operates at three levels:

Operational Design Management
Tactical Design Management
Strategic design management

Operational Design Management

What it is? Operational design management is concerned with managing individual projects and design teams.

For what purpose? The goal of operational design management is to achieve the objectives set at the level of strategic management. Effective management is achieved by measuring the quality of operational design management results.

What does it include? It includes the selection and management of design execution by suppliers, control of documentation, evaluation of design processes and results.

What are the results? Operational management is carried out to achieve specific design goals. It can help build a brand by consistently creating and implementing high-quality design solutions that best fit the brand.

What positions? Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: operational design manager, art director.

Tactical Control

What it is? Tactical management addresses the organization of design resources and design production processes.

For what purpose? The goal is to create a design structure within the company. In reducing the gap between the goals set at the strategic management level and their implementation at the operational level.

What does it include? Includes coordination of various design projects and activities within the central business process. Defines how design is organized within a company. Creation of events, design skills and competencies, distribution of roles and responsibilities, development of innovative products and service concepts, as well as the formation of experience of new opportunities.

What are the results? Summing up the results of tactical management related to the formation of the design structure in the company, building internal resources and competencies for project implementation.

What positions? Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: tactical design manager, design director, design and innovation manager, brand manager, new product development manager.

Strategic management

What it is? Strategic management involves creating a strategic, long-term plan for design and defining its role in the company.

For what purpose? The goal is to support and strengthen the corporate vision, creating a link between design and business strategy. What does it include? Includes the creation of design, brand and product strategy, with design management becoming a central element in the process of creating a company's business strategy. Strategic design management is responsible for developing and implementing a corporate design strategy that influences the vision, mission and positioning of design within the company. This helps design interface with corporate governance needs and places emphasis on the long-term capabilities of design.

What are the results? In areas where strategic management is applied, the competitive advantages and distinctiveness of the product/company are enhanced.

What positions? Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: strategic design manager, design director, vice president of design and innovation, creative director.

Functions of design management

Design management is not a standard model that can work in any enterprise. Design management does not have clear instructions and special methods that would a priori guarantee success. Design managers are people with a variety of responsibilities and backgrounds, working in diverse industries, businesses of varying sizes, and serving a variety of target audiences and markets. Design management is as multifaceted as the areas of its application, as well as the points of view on “what design management is.”

The function of design management in an organization depends on its typical tasks, authority and existing experience.

Design management tasks can be combined into several groups to describe the work profile of a design manager. Cooper and Press (2005) in their management model identified five different categories that cover design. Design managers face challenges at the strategic, tactical and operational level that integrate it with:

vision/mission
strategy/definition of company policy
goals/objectives/results
planning / resource allocation
activities/control/evaluation

The authority and place of the design manager in the company directly affects what the design manager does in his daily work. Kootstra (2006) distinguishes types of design management according to their organizational functions:

Design management as a line function

The linear function of design management is directly related to the implementation of “primary” tasks in the organizational process and can be applied at all levels of the design management hierarchy. The main feature of the linear function of a design manager is broad direct responsibility for the result.

Distributed design management function

In this case, the design manager’s functionality can be carried out by one of the company’s employees and act as a consultant for other departments or employees on design management issues.

Design management support function

When the design process is defined as a “secondary” organizational process, design management performs a supporting function. A design manager is defined as a creative specialist in production management, brand management, marketing, PR and communications.

Education in design management

Design management was first taught in business schools, starting with training for design managers at London Business School in 1976. The first Design Management program in a design school opened in the 1980s at the Royal College of Art, DeMontfort, Middlesex, Staffordshire universities. Although in the UK many of the courses were unviable, for example the RSA Westminster MBA course was closed, other courses opened and continued to operate, such as Brunel, Salford, and Lancaster. Today, design management is less common in business universities and is taught more in design schools. BusinessWeek publishes every year a list of the best programs that combine design thinking and business thinking (Design thinking and Business thinking, D-schools 2009 and D-school programs to watch 2009).

Design Management vs Design Leadership

In their daily practice, design managers often work in the area of design leadership. However, design management and design leadership are not interchangeable, but interdependent. Like management and leadership, they differ in their goals, methods of achieving goals and results. Design leadership is proactive: it takes us from creating an initial vision to change, innovation, and implementing creative solutions.

Design leadership stimulates communication and collaboration through motivation and enthusiasm, sets the level of ambition and provides future direction to achieve long-term goals. In contrast, design management is reactive in its approach and responds to a specific business situation using specific skills, tools and techniques. Design management and design leadership are interdependent: Design management needs leadership to know where to go, and design leadership needs design management to know how to get there.

Links

Livejournal of the Design Management course at the British Higher School of Design

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Design Management” is in other dictionaries:

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Design management is a market- and end-customer-oriented business tool that helps organizations make decisions on design issues, both externally and within the business process.

Design management is management of the design process in a company at the level of strategy, functions and tactics. As well as building business models and organizations based on a design-oriented approach. Apple is often cited as an example of a design-oriented business.

Design management is not limited to just the design discipline.

In his book Classification of Design (1976), Peter Gorb divided design into three disciplinary areas. Each of them has its own place for design management:

Product design (for example, industrial, or packaging design)
Information design (e.g. graphic design, branding, media design, web design)
Environmental design (e.g. club interior design, stadium design, exhibition design)

Design management depends on organizational processes and product features, and therefore performs three key functions as an interface between design, organization and market:

Aligns design strategy with business and brand strategy
Manages the quality and consistency of design output across all disciplinary areas
Improves user experience and enhances competitiveness

The term "design management" contains semantic contradiction and can be interpreted in two different ways:

design manager
design management.

Design management operates at three levels:

1. Operational design management. Operational design management is concerned with managing individual projects and design teams.

The goal of operational design management is to achieve the objectives set at the level of strategic management. Effective management is achieved by measuring the quality of operational design management results.

It includes the selection and management of design execution by suppliers, control of documentation, evaluation of design processes and results.

Operational management is carried out to achieve specific design goals. It can help build a brand by consistently creating and implementing high-quality design solutions that best fit the brand.

Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: operational design manager, art director.

2. Tactical control. Tactical management addresses the organization of design resources and design production processes.

The goal is to create a design structure within the company. In reducing the gap between the goals set at the strategic management level and their implementation at the operational level.

Includes coordination of various design projects and activities within the central business process. Defines how design is organized within the company. Creation of events, design skills and competencies, distribution of roles and responsibilities, development of innovative products and service concepts, as well as the formation of experience of new opportunities.

Summing up the results of tactical management related to the formation of the design structure in the company, building internal resources and competencies for project implementation.

Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: tactical design manager, design director, design and innovation manager, brand manager, new product development manager.

3. Strategic management. Strategic management involves creating a strategic, long-term plan for design and defining its role in the company.

The goal is to support and strengthen the corporate vision, creating a link between design and business strategy. What does it include? Includes the creation of design, brand and product strategy, with design management becoming a central element in the process of creating a company's business strategy. Strategic design management is responsible for developing and implementing a corporate design strategy that influences the vision, mission and positioning of design within the company. This helps design interface with corporate governance needs and places emphasis on the long-term capabilities of design.

In areas where strategic management is applied, the competitive advantages and distinctiveness of the product/company are enhanced.

Depending on the type of company and the industry in which it operates, there may be: strategic design manager, design director, vice president of design and innovation, creative director.

Functions of design management

vision/mission
strategy/definition of company policy
goals/objectives/results
planning / resource allocation
activities/control/evaluation

Design management as a line function

Distributed design management function

In this case, the design manager’s functionality can be carried out by one of the company’s employees and act as a consultant for other departments or employees on design management issues.

Design management support function

Design management is not a standard model that can work in any enterprise (club, organization). Design management does not have clear instructions and special methods that would a priori guarantee success. Design managers are people with a variety of responsibilities and backgrounds, working in diverse industries, businesses of varying sizes, and serving a variety of target audiences and markets. Design management is as multifaceted as the areas of its application, as well as the points of view on “what design management is.”

In general, fingers like a fan, snot like a bubble :)

Design consulting is a clearer activity. It is necessary to regularly monitor trends in design, from the design of the stadium to the release of souvenirs, visualization of information on websites and printed materials, booklets, magazines, leaflets.

Everything should be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing!
Let me paraphrase the statement of one famous athlete - A champion must be beautiful!

Design management is a consumer-focused approach that helps organizations make design decisions both externally and internally to the business process. It streamlines activities at all levels of creating a competitive advantage, from the moment of complete uncertainty before the start of a project until the execution of specific design decisions.

Design management acts as a link between design thinking, design, technology, brand management, marketing and corporate management at the internal and external levels of the company.

It is always dependent on organizational processes and product features, and therefore performs three key functions as an interface between the design process, the organization and the market:

Aligns design strategy with business and brand strategy
Manages the quality and consistency of design results
Improves consumer experience (user experience) and is responsible for strengthening competitiveness.

Design management provides support for managing design in terms of its structure and process ("doing things right"), as well as in terms of the effectiveness of the outcome ("doing the right things").

Levels of design management

Design management operates at three levels:

Operational management
Tactical Control
Strategic management

Operational management

Operations management is concerned with individual projects and teams in the design field. Its goal is to achieve the objectives set at the level of strategic management. Effective management is achieved by measuring the quality of operational design management results. At this level, it includes the selection and management of design service providers, control of documentation, evaluation of design processes and results. Operational management is carried out to achieve specific design goals and can help build a brand by consistently creating and implementing high quality design solutions that best fit the brand.

Tactical Control

Tactical management is aimed at organizing design resources and production processes for ready-made solutions. Its goal is to create a design structure in the company and to reduce the gap between the goals set at the strategic management level and their implementation at the operational level. Includes coordination of various design projects and activities within the central business process. Defines how design is organized within the company. Responsible for the development of activities aimed at developing design skills and competencies, distribution of roles and responsibilities, development of innovative products and service concepts. The results of tactical management are related to the formation of a design structure in the company, and the building of internal resources and competencies for project implementation.

Strategic management

Strategic management involves creating a long-term plan for design within a company and defining its role. The goal of strategic management is to strengthen the corporate vision, creating connections between design and business strategy. Includes design creation, brand development and product strategy. Strategic design management is responsible for developing and implementing the corporate design strategy, which in turn influences the vision, mission and positioning of design within the company. This helps design interface with corporate governance needs and places emphasis on the long-term capabilities of design. As a result, the competitive advantages and distinctive features of the product/company are enhanced in the areas of application of strategic management.

Design management tasks

Design management tasks can be combined into several groups to describe the work profile of employees. Rachel Cooper and Mike Press (2005) in their management model identified five different categories that cover design and define its objectives at the strategic, tactical and operational levels:

vision/mission
strategy/definition of company policy
goals / objectives / results
planning / resource allocation
activity / control / evaluation

The authority and place of the design manager in the company directly affects what the design manager does in his daily work. Gert Kootstra (2006) distinguishes types of design management according to their organizational functions:

Design management as a line function

Distributed design management function

In this case, the design manager’s functionality can be carried out by one of the company’s employees and at the same time play the role of a consultant for other departments or employees on design management issues.

Design management support function

Hierarchy of design management

The extent and manner in which design management is integrated into a company depends on the degree of importance of the role that design plays in the company, as well as on its size, competitive position and industry specifics.

Research from the Danish Design Center (DDC), which led to the definition of the Danish Design Ladder, shows how companies integrate design into business:

No design: companies that do not use design (15% in 2007)
Design as styling: companies that use design to create stylistic solutions (17% in 2007)
Design as a process: companies that integrate design into the development process (45% in 2007)
Design as Innovation: Companies that view design as a key element of strategy (21% in 2007)

Managing Design by Research: developing a research based design (Rachel Cooper & Mike Press, 2005)

What is Design Management?

The "Design Management" section is located in the control panel of your site (access from the main page of the panel). This section opens the door to the magical land of template sources. Everything that you see on your website in beautiful pictures, colors and animations is all stored in the “Design Management” section in, at first glance, scary system codes, HTML and CSS. I hope that after reading today's post, you can easily understand this section.

What does each template do?

Global blocks

The first thing we see on this page is global blocks. Standard templates have standard global blocks, such as "Site Top ($GLOBAL_AHEADER$)", "Site Footer ($GLOBAL_BFOOTER$)", "First Container ($GLOBAL_CLEFTER$)" and "Second Container ($GLOBAL_DRIGHTER$) ".

Note: The code in parentheses is a standard block code that is inserted into HTML templates and loads the content that you saved in the global block.

This screenshot clearly shows which part of the standard template the standard global blocks are responsible for:

Page editor

This is the first module and the most basic module that allows you to create template pages with a standard design and 20 pages with a personal design.

The Blue Site Pages template is a generic template that applies to pages created in the Page Editor module.

All other templates are pages created in the page editor using the "Use personal template" checkbox. Such pages may not have standard global blocks: site header, footer and containers.

General Templates

This category includes only the CSS stylesheet template. This is where you can change the design of your site: classes of tables, blocks, div elements, form elements and much more.

The tutorial and reference book will help you find out what CSS is and how to work with it.

Module "Users"

In this section, the templates are responsible for the following pages:

1. User login page: /index/1
2. User registration page: /index/3
3. User's personal page: /index/8-1
4. Personal messages: /index/14
5. User data editing page: /index/11
6. Page with a list of users: /index/15-1
7. Page with a list of user comments: /index/34-1
8. Page access denied: any page that is not accessible to guests or any other group.

Other modules

Further on the list, the composition of the templates depends entirely on which modules are activated on your site. Let's look at what each template is responsible for using the example of one of the modules. For example, we will take the "Photo Albums" module, since it has a lot of templates, and there are templates of different categories. Template categories are separated by colors:

1. These are common templates for all module pages. These are section pages (they work if you have sections), category pages, content page with comments, etc.

2. Type of photographs/materials. This is the block that you see for each material when you go to a category or to the main page of the site in the list of materials. For example, type of material.

3. Photo page in a pop-up window/form for adding materials. Templates that consist of any service forms, fields for adding and editing materials are marked in gray.

4. Style sheet. Despite the fact that there is a common style sheet for the entire site, the uCoz system has modules that have their own style sheet. Photo album and online store are some of these modules.

Template editing page: what, where and how?

By going to any template from design management, you are taken to a page with the source code of the template itself, a list of working codes for this template, and many other useful and perhaps not entirely clear things! :) Let's look at this page in detail:

1. Switch between site templates. Creates the convenience of switching between templates without returning to the previous page.

2. Button to restore the standard template. If you suddenly mess up something in the template, you can always restore the standard template, but you need to be very careful here. If you used a unique template for your site and made a lot of changes to the template, save the code before restoring it to avoid losing scripts.

3. Switching the template editing mode. If you wish, you can change the editing mode from simple to syntax highlighting mode. In syntax highlighting mode, the code is more legible and understandable, but it does not work correctly in all browsers.

4. The source code of the template itself. Here are the pages of your site in the form of code. The source code itself contains HTML and system codes, which we will talk about a little later. If you are new to HTML, the HTML tutorial may help.

5. Visual editing mode. We strongly advise against using the built-in visual editor for editing, as it is only suitable for minor changes and only for beginners who are taking their first steps in the world of website building. The visual editing interface resembles the already familiar Microsoft Office Word interface, and visual editing should not be difficult! :)

6. File manager. This is a button for quick access to your site's file storage. If you need to insert a picture into the site code, you can quickly upload it to the site’s file manager by clicking on this button. More information about the file manager can be found in the instructions “File Manager Features”.

7. List of uCoz system codes. These are blanks of uCoz codes containing certain parameters or data. Each page template has its own list of working system codes. I would like to talk in more detail about system codes and conditional operators separately.

uCoz system $codes and conditional statements

This part of our post today is probably the most useful and informative. As described above, system codes are located in the control panel under "Design Management", and each template has its own list of working system codes.

In simple terms, system $codes are shorthand variables that display some dynamic information in templates. All uCoz system codes are enclosed in the $ sign.

There are different types of codes. Let's look at the types of codes and one example for each type:

Example code	Code type	Application
$COUNTER$, $POLL$, etc.	Module code	The code contains certain HTML or JS code. The display of code in modules is configured.
$GROUP_ID$, $USER_GENDER_ID$, etc.	Conditional code (numeric)	The code outputs some number or ID depending on the user/material.
$USER_AGENT$, $USER_AGENT_VER$, etc.	Conditional code (text)	The code outputs some value depending on external factors. For example, determining the user's browser or country.
$USER_LOGGED_IN$, $IS_NEW_PM$	Flag	The code returns 1 if the condition is met and 0 if it is not met.
$REGISTER_LINK$, $LOGIN_LINK$	Link	Link to a page accessible with certain group rights, or authorized/unauthorized.
,	Codes with parameters	Some system code allows you to configure parameters directly in the code itself. The code description under the template always contains descriptions of all parameters.

Module code

Module codes are system codes that display a specific array of data on a website page. They cannot be edited, but you can change the contents in the module settings in the control panel.

Such codes include output codes for informers, surveys, site statistics counters, and so on.

For example, if you have the Polls module enabled and have created several polls, you can insert them into any template using the $POLL$ code. Instead of this code, the site will display a random poll from all the polls you have created:

When you change, add or delete surveys, they will be automatically modified and deleted on the site itself using this code.

Conditional code (numeric)

Numerical conditional codes display certain data in the form of numbers that allow you to distinguish these materials or users by ID.

From this code you can create a condition and display some data on the site only to users with the “Administrators” group, for example:

Hello, you are an administrator! :)Sorry, you are not an administrator! :(

This code will display “Hello, you are an administrator! :)” if the authorized user on the site is a member of the “Administrators” group. Otherwise, it will display the text “Sorry, you are not an administrator! :(”.

Conditional code (text)

This code is practically no different from the one described above. Only instead of numbers, the code displays one or another parameter in the form of Latin letters. For example, if we want to display the message “"Your browser is out of date:(" to Internet Explorer browser users, then we will create the following condition:

Your browser is out of date :(

Flag

System codes of the "Flag" type perform one of the most important roles among all system codes. They allow you to check whether a parameter is true or false. For example, the most popular system code indicating whether the user is authorized or not.

You are logged in as "$USERNAME$". Welcome!You are not logged in

The "Link" type is intended for placing links on the site, taking into account the settings of group rights. These codes not only display a link, but also serve as a flag for recognizing access to following this link. For example, in order to create a link “Add material” in the “Site News” module, which would be seen only by those who are allowed to add news to the site, just write the following small condition:

Add news

Codes with parameters

Codes with parameters allow you to make changes to the display of data directly in the code itself. For example, in the “Forum” module in the “Type of Material” template there is a code that displays the last number of awards the user has. You can withdraw from 1 to 10 rewards. The variable is changed directly in the code:

Note: in our store you can purchase a tutorial on conditional operators and system codes, where all codes are described in more detail with examples of their use. You can also buy the manual cheaper with a set of textbooks using the uCoz system.

How to change the template on a specific module page?

The title of this part of the post is a common question from our users. If there are only 4-5 module templates in design management, this does not mean that you cannot change any page of the site :)

Each site page in the uCoz system has its own unique URI ID. Using this parameter and conditional operators of the system, you can display certain code or text on a unique page on the site.

Let's look at a specific example of our corporate blog: we want to place some information (for example, a banner) on the page.

3. Create a condition for inserting into the template:

4. Go to “Design Management” → “Blog” → “Material Archive Page” and paste the entire condition code into the required part of the template. Save the changes made.

That's all, now the necessary text will be displayed only on the "uCoz" category page.

Note: You can also use the $PAGE_ID$ and $MODULE_ID$ codes. All uCoz conditional operators work on this principle.

And finally, a banal rule: do not avoid criticism, but seek it. Everything that doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Tags: management

Tags: human behavior, management

Tags: management

Starvation strategy

12.10.2009 18:17

From Alan Cooper's book "Mental Hospital in the Hands of Patients" - regarding Windows 3.0
As you can see, from those times until Windows Vista the principle has not changed

Microsoft's strategy is based on starvation. [...] having a huge numerical advantage, you can simply exchange victims [...] throw a low-quality product onto the market, even if it is a dancing bear, and then listen to the complaints and groans of your customers. Improve what they don't like and release an updated version. After three or four versions, open pockets of user illnesses will go out, and the quality will reach some acceptable minimum, supported by broad functionality, after which it will no longer grow.

The strategy of starvation is not only expensive and time-consuming, it is disgusting because it is inhumane to users of computer technology. Unfortunately, this strategy serves Microsoft well. The company never tires of releasing crude, half-baked, poorly designed and engineered products to the amusement of the industry and the ridicule of observers, both biased and impartial. However, while experts make caustic remarks, Microsoft continues to support its first attempts with second, third, fourth, fifth, and finally eleventh versions. Products such as Windows, ActiveX, Word, Access, Windows NT and many others eventually became giants in their respective market niches.

The strategy of attrition is effective only if used by companies with a reinforced concrete name, a lot of time, the endurance of a poker player and inexhaustible finances. Until now, not a single participant in the computer industry has demonstrated all these qualities at a level corresponding to Microsoft.

Tags: management

Plan not for functionality, but for problem solving

01.07.2009 18:24

Alan Cooper writes that it is wrong to plan a product as a list of features. It is correct to plan it as a list of tasks that its user will solve.

In fact, managers and executives have a hard time understanding this approach. They think that the product (or website) needs to have this, this and this. Many people prefer not to think about the fact that “this” will be of no use to anyone.

How can you change the way of thinking? Cooper gives this example:

To prove this thesis, interaction designer Scott McGregor uses this wonderful test in his classes. He describes a product with a list of features and asks listeners to write down what the product is as soon as they guess it. He lists: 1) internal combustion engine; 2) four wheels with rubber tires; 3) transmission connecting the engine to the drive wheels; 4) the transmission and engine are mounted on the chassis; 5) steering wheel. At this point in time, every listener has already written down that this is a car, but here Scott stops describing the features of the product and instead names a couple of tasks of a potential user: 6) cuts grass quickly and easily; 7) it’s comfortable to sit on. Based on five clue functions, no listener can guess that this is a mini tractor-lawn mower. Obviously, the user's goals are much more visible than the product's feature set.

Tags: management

How to Avoid Endless Client Design Approvals

23.06.2009 17:59

David Cronin from the Cooper design bureau talks about how in their projects they try to avoid the situation of endless design statements and dancing around the color scheme and two icons.

In general, the idea comes down to working closely with the client and involving his representatives in the design process. In this way, they avoid the spiral of rework, irrelevant comments, prejudice, taste preferences and unprofitable compromises.

Suggested practices:

-	Highlighting the role of a design communicator - a person who will explain to others what the meaning of the proposed solutions is.
-	Working with the right people - only those client employees who are really needed are involved at the stages of the process. The general manager should not discuss icons, and the manager should not discuss key business issues.
-	Planning and scheduling - if the client sees how his actions affect the timing and cost, he will think about his behavior.
-	Collaborate early and often - the client should be involved in the design process as early as possible.
-	Organize meetings around specific solutions - it is necessary not just to let the client look at the design, but to present him with a problem and demand its solution.
-	The customer's key people should be interviewed as early as possible.
-	You need to use personas and scenarios - to pose problems and tasks at meetings you need to use personas - collective images of site users, of which there may be several with different parameters. Accordingly, persons must perform certain scenarios. They should also be developed based on observations of real users, and not be completely fictitious.
-	First you need to identify the problem, and then discuss the solution. Often everything happens exactly the opposite, which leads to a “death spiral” of endless discussions.
-	Develop the visual gradually. Cooper has a special style they use to create "blueprints". This style consists of the absence of style so that the client does not get stuck on the design.
-	Be willing to throw away your work. You don't need to defend your solution simply because you came up with it. If it doesn't solve the problem, it should be thrown away.

Here is the full article Early and Often: How to Avoid the Design Revision Death Spiral

early_and_often_avoid_the_design_review_death_spiral.pdf
(size 508.42 KB)

Tags: management

Analysis of simultaneous actions

21.06.2009 18:17

The same commission on combat fighter automation analyzed 280 seconds of an air-to-ground combat mission. The result is this timeline, from which you can understand in which places the pilot is most loaded (and where it is advisable to remove this load from him).

Tags: management

When is automation needed?

20.06.2009 18:16

The Commission to Study Automation of the American Military Single-Seat Fighter recommends automation in the following cases:

That is, automation is not an end in itself. It should be carried out with the following objectives:

1. Reduce pilot load
2. Reduce errors
3. Increase pilot productivity
4. Add new features

Tags: management

Selection of systems for automation of an American fighter

19.06.2009 17:46

This is the method by which the American Air Force Studies Board in 1981 selected combat single-seat fighter systems that were to be automated.

They first identified 16 aircraft systems.

Then the researchers asked the pilots for each stage of the combat mission to assign weights to each of the systems, which would show its importance at this stage, as well as the complexity for the pilot himself in interacting with it.

By adding up the results of these tables for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, the research committee obtained final rankings of the importance and complexity of each system. Next, a table was compiled from this data plus scales with ranks of the number of interactions the pilot had with the system.

The result is four squares:

Finally, the result of improvement and automation was estimated (in this figure for a group of systems responsible for defense, defense awareness).

Tags: management

Designing indicators for a website dashboard

31.05.2009 18:31

In the same book Enterprise Dashboards, Malik writes how to correctly determine KPIs for use in a dashboard.

A programmed indicator consists of a data source, a data handler, a variation (change from a base value) and a grain.

Grain is a component that itself consists of time, geographical location and product, which will be taken into account by the indicator. Here's an example:

Since a dashboard is a constantly functioning software product, it should trigger alerts when indicators reach critical values. For example, if visits have dropped critically, the manager should receive emails with auto alerts. If there has been no news for a long time, the PR specialist should receive stern warnings from the email robot (this way the site manager also saves his time).

The vector of the external environment is laid out along the Y axis. The closer to zero, the more it concerns the internal environment of the enterprise. for example, “Contact Accounting” involves processing information in CRM - the heart of the company’s information architecture. Accordingly, SEO is somewhere in a distant and hostile environment.

Whether this works or not, I don't know yet. (I have no idea if I was original:) Positions on the Y scale may also seem ambiguous. In short, everything is purely experimental.

I called the creation a Project Map. At a minimum, it allows you to navigate the current state of the project and all its main parts.

Suitable for demonstration to superiors and for personal use.

Tags: management

Book How Do You Design. A Guide to 130 Design Process Charts

30.03.2009 18:04

Hugh Dubberly and the people at Dubberly Design Office have done a great job of finding and processing theoretical descriptions of the design process. About 130 models made up the contents of their book How Do You Design. The book was written for educational purposes and is freely available on the authors' website.

In general, this is more of a reference book. In my opinion, all the described models represent in one way or another the disclosed scheme of Koberg and Bagnell, 1972, given at the very beginning of the book.

First, we break down a situation or problem into parts for investigation (Analysis). We then assemble it based on the resulting understanding of improvement (Synthesis).

Of course, there are many interesting models that are not necessarily related to this one. I wrote about two of them earlier. I also liked the simplest mnemonic rule 4D (define, design, develop, deploy). Apple Jokes

Finally, cyclical models, as a natural continuation of everything previously defined.

Brainstorm. An intensive session is held to analyze human observation data and generate ideas. Each assault lasts no more than an hour and has clear rules marked on the wall.

Rapid Prototyping. Fashioning working models will help everyone imagine possible solutions and increase the speed of decision making or innovation.

Cleaning. At this stage, IDEO narrows down the possible solutions to a few possible ones.

Development. The company's engineering, design and social capabilities are put into action at this stage to create the product or service.

Here is the full version of the technique in English:

ideo.pdf
(size 22.52 KB)