Do Not Be Frightened Of Design

Here's an insightful interview with Paul Bennett.

He currently leads IDEO’s Consumer Experience Design Practice globally. Clients include Starbucks, Virgin, The Gap, Proctor & Gamble, HP and Pepsi.

What can other companies learn from companies like Starbucks and Apple?

Two things: one, have a very stong conviction about who your consumer really is, and spend as much time as possible out there in the real world engaging with them. I often say to my clients that their world is not the world of their consumer – they live in cublicles and boardrooms and in focus group facilities observing their consumers “behind bars” so to speak, and that is not the way to be inspired or discover new ideas.

When you see an Apple product for example, your first reaction is often “these people really get me.” Secondly, do not be frightened of design – what both Apple and Starbucks share is an innate sense of using design as a tool for really communicating their values at every possible stage of the consumers “journey” through their brand – the stores, the ads, the packaging, the product, are all designed with equal care and attention.

Not to mention the all important and often neglected ambience factor - in terms of sound and smell.

Read it all from the smart folks over at: Design & Emotion

That's Right,

HMK