What is worth designing?
In a world driven by over-production and hyper convenience, how does a brand cut through and design something of value? How do we even define value? Maybe the work we do, goes beyond offering the customer better product performance. What if we design products with greater purpose? What impact would that have? How do we define this idea within design?
Seth Godin during an interview with Chase Jarvis stated that ‘we want to do work that matters for people who care.’ This comment is referring to marketing, but it is applicable to design and creative work.
“We all want to do work that matters for people who care. But we trip ourselves up thinking we need to become an evil marketer and spam the world. Fortunately, the best way to achieve your marketing goals is to help others become who they want to be.”
So what if product design is here to help us to have well thought out, approachable, loveable objects that help our customers become who they want to be? Products that are functional, so we can stay focussed on the things that matter. Products that reflect what we believe, that signal to the world our own values. This is the key to long lasting value.
There are rational, emotional and cultural elements to purposeful design. We can say that value is created when these 3 components are carefully balanced in a design and in accordance with what matters to the customer. Though the equation seems simple, finding the right balance between these elements can be difficult to achieve.
The ‘jobs to be done’ framework from Anthony W. Ulwick can solve this issue of balance. By applying the ‘Jobs to be done framework’ to product design, we shift from a product oriented mindset which sounds something like “I need an ipod to listen to music; to a job oriented mindset which sounds something like, “ When I go running, I want to motivate myself and set my pace with some music”. The difference between the two mindsets leads us closer to the customers needs. It stimulates our empathy and allows more room for creative work.
In our running example, the user wants motivation but in fact he or she wants to run better, longer, faster or with more enjoyment. They want to be the best athlete they can be. We can apply the jobs to be done formula that states:
‘Customer wants to solve a problem in this circumstance’
ie. Runner wants to listen to music in order to motivate themselves and improve their performance whilst running.
By using this mind shift principle from the jobs to be done framework we stretch our thinking and our designs in return have greater value.
A product designed with purpose can change people’s lives and work. It expresses who we are and what we believe in, it creates connections and community. It helps us become who we want to be. This is the key to a product with long lasting value, this is worth designing.