Tom Inns

I interviewed Prof Tom Inns, Chair in Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, within the University of Dundee to find out his opinions on the design process and how he explained this to clients.

We first talked about what a designer’s role is during a design process with an external client. Tom explained that the designer has to utilise their skill set in two different ways, they must first use the skills they have to help towards the end output of the process. Second, a designer needs to apply their design skills and communication to explain to the client (probably a non designer) what they are doing.

Tom also made another important point by saying “Most companies don’t think in a process orientated way.” The processes of ordering or planning inside a company are more of a physical process that people understand because they have had experience with it. Thinking about designing solutions to problems is not seen as a process, but most design occurs in the strategic process method.

“It is difficult to talk about the process [design] before it has happened. Clients understand afterwards, once they’ve been taken through it.” Tom Inns

As I explained to Tom more about my project and our discussion progressed we both agreed that creating a generic model of the design process was impossible. The strength of the design process is that you can start with a generic idea and then adapt it to the situation and it becomes unique. The process and design must have this flexibility because two projects are never the same, problems, new methods and a wide variety of other factors mean it is essential for the process to be adaptable.

When the interview was drawing to a close, Tom explained the exact problem that I wanted to investigate and try to solve with my application. The paradox of design and the design process is that the more work you do upfront the better the solution will be. The problem is that the upfront work doesn’t always show anything tangible so the Client can begin to question if the Designer is actually performing the work they have been contracted to do. The challenge for the Designer is to convince the Client that time spent on the upfront work will produce a better solution to the problem.,

Key thoughts after Interview:

• A generic design process is almost impossible, as the process will always be customised to each individual project. (Focus on a web design process).
• The application should try and explain the initial stages of the process and how valuable they are to the overall success once the process is completed.
• Concentrate on the key stages in the process, particularly the requirements gathering, deliverables and the payment plan.
• The application should be dynamic, showing the iterative nature of the process and change as the users progress and more information is added. (Key challenge is how the users start off from nothing and then how will the system create the individual, project specific process).
• As both Client and Designer interact with the application, the project status is constantly updated. Preventing frustration due to lack of communication.

Graham Pullin

Graham Pullin is a Senior Lecturer on the Interactive Media Design course at Dundee University and also a former employee of IDEO, the internationally renowned design consultancy. Graham introduced me to the term “Anxiety Gap” that I have researched and I wanted to hear about how Graham and IDEO kept the client informed during design projects.

The first important point that Graham explained to me was that at IDEO the Client rarely wrote a brief because the problems that the Client asked for the company’s help with were simply not well defined enough. Traditionally the Client would write a brief and send it to the Design Company. The Design company would then construct a proposal in response to this brief and send it back to the client, who would then initiate the project if the proposal was accepted.

On some projects, instead of writing briefs, it was better to actually start off by having meetings with the Client and then produce a design proposal based on these discussions. Graham explained that Design companies are often ‘stuck in the middle’ as different divisions within the Client Company would require different, often conflicting, project outcomes - “Proposals will uncover deep disagreements and values held within the client organisation.”

The structure of the proposal is one of the most important parts of the project as it allows the Designers to list the activities that they expect to perform during the project. It also details the deliverables of the project and the time that they will occur. Clients can differ in their approach to contracting designers, some are very results focused, not caring about the process as long as the outcomes are as defined in the proposal. Other Clients pay for the process, where they will accept whatever outcome is produced as long as the right method has been followed.

We then discussed the Anxiety Gap concept, where pressure is growing within the Client organisation and nerves are increasing as although the project is 50% complete in the timescale the process is still diverging. It is best to communicate this knowledge at the beginning so at least the Client can expect it and reduce the volume of nerves. The Designer must have an appreciation of this problem, they may not empathise as they have been performing the process a huge amount of times but for the Client this may be the first time. (I have covered the Anxiety Gap in more detail in the Research section of the site).

Graham finished by explaining that for some Clients that hadn’t been through the process before, it can be beneficial to change the process to ease the anxiety, for example by beginning rough prototypes earlier. However it is important for the client to understand that these prototypes are illustrative and not definitive solutions to the problems.

Key thoughts after Interview:

• Convey the importance of upfront design and planning in my application for more successful solutions.
• Ensure that the client understands that my application is a reference tool to increase their knowledge of the design process and promote good practice. It is not a definitive design process that the client should expect the designer to perform, as every project is different.
• Communicate information about the Anxiety Gap and how to recognise when it is occurring in the project.
• In my application, ensure at the Proposal stage there is as much information about the problem and solution specifications as possible to aid the Design team.