WebVisions 2014 PDX - Turtle Design in a Rabbit Age

Turtle Design in a Rabbit Ageby Mel Lim

twitter / @mellimdesign

Fast orFastidious?

Quantity or quality?

Gourmet or Fast-food?

So why is design is happening on a fast track?

CultureDu Jour

Life is like instant coffee?

Chef Mario Batalior Chef Boyardee?

Chateau Margauxor Two Buck Chuck?

If we prefer the better, the

organic, the chef-inspired,

the majestic, the well-thought

out, and the details, then

why do we insist that design

be rapid, cheap, easy, and

just “good enough”?

Feeding On-DemandThinking

“I WANT IT NOW!”

Are we amputating our senses?

“What IS this?”

Is discovery instant noodle?

So…who’s the tool?

“Computer?...computer?”

Technology is a tool to assist us, to improve our lives, but it is NOT the work itself.

Is Rapid Prototypingthe ADHD of design?

Will rapid + good enough

= valuable insights?

= set the right standards?

= increase accountability

IF…the discovery process is done hastily;

(who needs research right?)

AND the design can be done rapidly;

THEN…logically, the final production should be done in

the same manner….

WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION…

What do you think the client can expect in terms of

quality…Mac & Cheese?

• Proof of Concept

• Usability Testing

• Design flaws found at early

developmental stages

• Cost reduction/ effectiveness

• Expectations between users &

designers/producers can be aligned

earlier on

• Increased quality, development

efficiencies

• Stronger team work

THE GOODNESS OF RAPID

PROTOTYPING

• Failure to replicate real product or system given amount of time & budget

• Important touch points maybe omitted to get a quick and cheap working model

• Possible increased costs

• Design by committee

• Decreasing quality due to lack of accountability & resources

• Designers/Producers may be too attached to prototypes

THE NOT-SO GOODNESS

OF RAPID PROTOTYPING

If the users are happy with this

“rough” prototype, why do we

need to spend more money

“beautifying” it?

Just ship it!

“You’ve baked a really

lovely cake, but then

you’ve used dog shit for

frosting.”

“When you’re a carpenter making a

beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not

going to use a piece of plywood on the

back, even though it faces the wall and

nobody will see it. You’ll know it’s there

so you’re going to use a beautiful piece

of wood on the back. For you to sleep

well at night, the aesthetic, the quality,

has to be carried all the way through”

– Steve Jobs

Rapid prototyping is great for

ideation; proof of concept.

But ultimately, execution has to

be well thought out…

How to win The Race

F**cking own it!

“Fail fast, fail often...”

REALLY?

“Failing quickly” might

be a veil to truly

accepting failures…

Failure should be a viable option.

Setting the right culture to accept

failure allows someone to put their

word and reputation on the line. If

failure is NOT an option, then it’s a

liability…

Then nobody will own anything.

Reference: “When did accountability become passe?” by Deb Scoffield 04/07/14

“You got it backwards.

Apple is NOT massively

handicapped by their failures:

failures are a mark of

creativity. No failures mean insufficient creativity.”

– Don Norman, father of UX Design

ScrewPoint A to B…

Can we rediscover…again?

“Temperament, in psychology, is thought to be the part

of people’s personalities that is innate, rather than

learned. This includes traits such as introversion or

extroversion.

Divergent thinking, however, is a process in which you’re

generating ideas by exploring many solutions—using

such tools as freewriting and associative thinking. This is

the opposite of convergent thinking, in which you’re

taking logical steps to arrive at a conclusion.”

The most logical way is to be “illogical”…

“New ideas, perspectives, and the

big value creating opportunities

are in the gray areas between the unusual suspects.”

– Saul Kaplan on Random Collisions with Unusual Suspects, Founder of Business Innovation Factory

RemasteringOur Craft

“So what’s the real value in doing it by hand?”

“Driving a vehicle is a personal thing; you want it to feel

safe and trustworthy, but also like a companion you

wouldn’t mind spending a very intimate 30 minutes with

it every day driving to and from work. And while a

computer-generated rendering might be precise, a

computer model won’t tell you what it’s like to actually

experience a car’s design, standing next to it. People

still buy real cars. They don’t buy digital cars.”

— Moray Callum, Design Director of

Ford Motor’s North American brands

Rules of Mastery• Fall in love with what you do

• Dedicate your life and breath to your craft

• Choose your heroes wisely and be that person that inspires you

• Be accountable; take ownership, without hesitation or thought of saving face, of your mistakes

• Big is not always best

• View each failure as a stepping stone toward constant perfection

• Work hard each groundhog day and deliver the originality born of quality and consistency

Be the Turtle my friend…

“Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work.

You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill.

That’s the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably.”

– Jiro Ono, Sushi Master & Ownerof a Michelin 3-Star restaurant

Be the Master Jiro

Be the Gao Shan Oolong tea…

Be the Daniel Day Lewis

Be the James Cameron

CraftingValue

What’s beyond serving a purpose…

How do you craft “meaning”?

It’s the sticky gooey sweetness…

Let’s WOW again…

Make It Unforgettable

A Dash of Detail

An Element of Surprise

Delight with Craft

Do we still have expertise in hands-on processes should technology ever go dark someday?

Let’s talk!twitter / @mellimdesign

email / mel@mellim.com

web / www.mellim.com