Jon Simmons’ Post

Unlock the true potential of your design by avoiding these common pitfalls—ensure your work delivers real business value, not just aesthetics Avoid These Mistakes That Can Get You in Trouble Driving Business Value Beyond Aesthetics in Design: 1. Thinking Design Is Just About Looks: Great design leaders know it's not just about making things pretty; it's about solving real problems. When we focus only on aesthetics, we miss the larger purpose. 2. Neglecting the User: Not understanding the end-user can derail any project. Successful design is centered around user needs and wants. 3. Ignoring Collaboration: Design is a team effort. Neglecting to collaborate with other departments can limit a design's impact on the business. 4. Undervaluing Data: Making decisions based solely on instinct instead of backing them with data can lead to missed opportunities. Data informs better design decisions. 5. Not Aligning with Business Goals: Design must align with the overarching business objectives to truly add value. If it's off course, it won't deliver the desired results. If you want long-term success as a design leader...Don't make these mistakes. Consider the broader business perspective and watch as your design work shines with real, multifaceted value #DesignLeadership #UserCenteredDesign #CollaborativeDesign #DataDrivenDesign #BusinessAlignment

🚀 Exciting News! Explore the dynamic synergy between Design and Strategic Thinking in my latest article: "How Design Contributes to Strategic Thinking" 🌟 👉 Read the full article here: https://buff.ly/3R7PGHh In today's fast-paced business landscape, strategic thinking is the compass that guides organizations toward success. And guess what? Design plays a pivotal role in this journey! 🌐🎨 In this insightful article, I delve into: 1️⃣ The symbiotic relationship between design and strategy. 2️⃣ How design thinking can enhance strategic decision-making. 3️⃣ Real-world examples of companies leveraging design for strategic advantage. 4️⃣ Practical tips for integrating design into your strategic process. Whether you're a business leader, a designer, or simply intrigued by the world of strategy, this article is your ticket to unlocking new dimensions of innovation. 💡📈 #DesignThinking #StrategicThinking #Innovation #DesignStrategy #BusinessStrategy #DesignInBusiness #DesignAndStrategy #Designorate #CreativeLeadership #StrategicDesign #DesignImpact #BusinessInnovation #DesignIntegration

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮? I often get asked this question. Design Maturity refers to how deeply an organization 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 into its way of working.  It is not, just making things look good or function perfectly. But using design to solve problems, improve products and services, and 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀, for customers, clients, patients, suppliers and employees.   👤 At the heart of Design Maturity, It’s about 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 that puts the user at the center of every decision. This leading to more innovative solutions and better business outcomes. 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮? 🪴 Take small steps first, to create a cultural shift and building a strong foundation🌳. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗹𝗲𝘁’s 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 💬

Design Brilliance Unlocked: Why Direct Feedback from Decision Makers Matters? 🔍 Ever wondered why direct feedback from decision makers is crucial for designers? Let's delve into the heart of design innovation with this thought-provoking question: What if your next design breakthrough hinges on direct insights from the decision maker? 🎨 Picture this: You've poured hours of creativity and expertise into crafting a design masterpiece. Yet, without the direct guidance and perspective of the decision maker, how can you ensure your design aligns seamlessly with their vision and objectives? 💡 Here's the kicker: Feedback from intermediaries might dilute the essence of your design brilliance. It's like playing a game of telephone—important nuances can get lost in translation. But what if you could cut through the noise and tap into the decision maker's insights firsthand? 🚀 Direct feedback isn't just about tweaking colors or adjusting layouts. It's about gaining invaluable clarity on the overarching goals, preferences, and expectations driving the project forward. It's about transforming a good design into an extraordinary one. 🌟 Imagine the possibilities: By engaging directly with decision makers, you not only refine your design but also foster a deeper sense of collaboration and trust. It's a recipe for innovation where every stroke of your creativity resonates with purpose and impact. 💬 So, let's spark a conversation: How can we empower designers to access direct feedback from decision makers more effectively? How might this symbiotic relationship between creativity and leadership shape the future of design excellence? #DesignInnovation #CreativeCollaboration #DecisionMakerInsights #FutureOfExcellence

In the world and influence of design leaders, understanding your customers is only the first chapter in a much larger story. I’ve seen it so many times…with great care, amazing intentions and a big heart 💛 you invest time, resources, and expertise in unraveling the intricacies of your customers needs and desires, gathering insights that serve as the foundation for “innovation”. But, as you embark on the journey of bringing these customer-centred concepts for a new (or improving the existing) service and product, you come up against a familiar a challenge…. The transition from insights to action is marked by uncertainty – a journey full of complexities and obstacles that threaten to make the path forward more difficult than it needs to be. You realize you are spending more time explaining, proving, justifying, or making business cases in order to bridge the gap between understanding our customers and bringing your vision to life…your vision that is built on a foundation made of the investment of time, costs and so much care for your customers! (you know, human-centred design!). And you’re not alone in this challenge! I’ve seen it so many times before... But here's the thing – we have the opportunity to re-design this narrative and actually transform insights into impactful strategies that drive real-world outcomes. I'm starting to see a sliver of change! I am really beginning to love exploring how we can bridge the gap between insights and implementation, because I’m seeing it happen. I’ve had the privilege of seeing our thorough, actionable and deeply human insights get translated into frameworks, and ultimately into services that are REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN! Feels like such a fresh breath of air…and then I can’t help but to think it shouldn’t be that fresh… My wish is that what I’m starting to experience was more of the work. And I’m working hard to create a future where customer-centricity isn't just a buzzword – it's a guiding principle that shapes every decision we make. More to follow! Reach out if you want to chat about it, I love this stuff! As always….a gif for a smile! Happy week to you all, Heather

There is no platonic ideal of experience design, product or otherwise. I've said this for years but it's been coming up recently as I'm pushing for workshops and co-creation. There are, however, too many good designs, even great ones, not enacted for all the wrong reasons: overly feature focused or problem space not fully comprehended. Hence the workshops. To get stakeholders, especially decision makers, to recognize a good design solution when it's staring them in the face. Or looking ahead for what would indicate success. Not to mention alignment by revealing multiple stakeholder perspectives that take a while to suss out in traditional design processes (i.e, unicorn owned and operated).

🤔 Why are businesses, more than ever before are closing down their #design functions? I've been speaking to design and non-design leaders (both client and consulting) about this... and here are their top 3 reasons 👉🏾 Not sure why we need so many design disciplines? We need product designers and designers to research and test, but not sure why we need #servicedesign in addition to all of this? We need designers who can see a whole process through not just do bits of work throughout discovery and delivery phases. 👉🏾 Design has relied heavily only on the user point of view and resisted the business perspective to help link design to economic decisions - it is hence vey hard to qualify the value of Design. 👉🏾 We understand that Design is strategic but, Designers and Product teams are always at opposing ends- the design process, design thinking doesn't fit into the way business, product and technical teams work. 📣 Thoughts?

How Top Design-Driven Companies Double Revenue Growth and Shareholder Returns: 📊 Analytical Leadership: Treat design metrics with the same importance as revenue and cost metrics to drive performance. 🌟 Cross-Functional Talent: Embed user-centric design into every role, making it a company-wide responsibility, not just a siloed function. 🔄 Continuous Iteration: Mitigate development risks by constantly listening to, testing with, and iterating based on end-user feedback. 🔗 Unified User Experience: Integrate physical, digital, and service design for a seamless user experience, breaking down internal silos. Unlock the potential of design in your organization and watch as it transforms your business outcomes!

📉 MINUS ONE CXO EVERY DAY For all design leaders, this article is worth a read. 💡 In my recent post, I've discussed how the relevance of design changes. Design hype has created a seat for Chief Experience Officers on the board, but once the hype fades away, CXO positions are being deprecated. In a long read, Robert Fabricant of Fast Company follows this trend and analyzes what's happening. Here are my key takeaways: ➡️ Design does not have clear accountability in P&L, thus fails to have descriptive value for the company. It talks about strategy and the future, but that's not tied to results right here, right now. ➡️ Design is powerful in times of change and when companies need to innovate. Once that's over, it becomes a utility for companies to deliver more value to customers. ➡️ Designers across the board have trouble talking business. It's not the NPS companies care about; it's about the sales results. How do you tie customer satisfaction to your sales results?

Design thinking is more than you know. When Executive Management gets it right, it’s gold. Done right, design thinking is completely transformative for an organization. Properly integrated, design thinking is the only way to change your brand into a force that transforms your culture, your connection to the community and your creation of new revenue opportunities. #designthinking #culturechange #businesstransformation #corporatebranding #organizationalchange