Business Needs Design, Now! (Slides from My 'Design Thinking 2007' Presentation)

Last Friday, I was pleased to be a part of the Design Thinking 2007 conference. While I’ve spoken publicly on information architecture, interaction design, and interface related topics, behind the scenes I spend much more of my time focusing on design as it relates to business. Corner me for more than five minutes and the conversation will inevitably trend toward this larger, more strategic view of Design, a view regularly discussed by folks such as Jess McMullin, Victor Lombardi, Bruce Nussbaum, and DFW’s very own Paula Thornton, the person who arranged this event.

Needless to say, when Paula invited me to speak, I was delighted. Design is certainly getting it’s share of media attention right now. However, I believe there is a much larger design story that needs to be told, one that is much larger than the bright shiny objects that are so exciting. This story is one about design as a process, and why a ‘design mindset’ is critically needed from our business leaders.

I have to credit Andrew Hargadon for many of the ideas. His paper Leading with Vision: The Design of New Ventures is an excellent read that sums up the opportunities—and perils—the design profession faces right now.