What is the fundamental job of design? This question is worth reconsidering now that design, under the rubric of user experience (UX), has been embraced by organizations of all shapes and sizes. The answer will shape how we think about design, and its role, anywhere that design is needed. To answer the question we must first acknowledge how the design world has changed.
Design has undergone a big transformation. A dozen years ago, just a handful of organisations hired designers. Now everyone is asking for UX talent and assembling design teams with broad capabilities. A 2013 study by the Design Management Institute (DMI) found that design-led companies outperformed the S&P 500 by 211%. The rise of UX is everywhere, not just in business. There are UX teams working in nonprofits, universities, museums, and government. No longer an outsider, design has become an accepted branch of the org chart, and in all kinds of organizations. Given this new reality, we can identify the 3 fundamental jobs of design.
# Job 1 : integration
Organisations have embraced design because it can serve their overall mission and purpose. But good design doesn’t stand alone. It must be integrated into how the organisation works and aligned with what the organization seeks to accomplish. It’s role is to connect and consolidate. In a similar way, design plays many roles, and contributes to the overall health and success of the organisation. Thus, the first fundamental job of design is integration.
# Job 2 : transformation
The second job of design is to transform the organisation as it adapts to new opportunities, markets, and technologies. Design provides a distinct way of knowing. Design is different. Design helps us know the possible; the world as it might be. It’s a mechanism for exploring, evaluating, and shaping the future. Design integration, the first job, is about serving the organization today. Design transformation, on the other hand, is about preparing the organization for tomorrow. The second fundamental job of design: transforming the organisation so it can thrive in a world of constant change.
# Job 3 : evolution
People burn out if they don’t direct energy to their own health and well-being. In a similar way, design needs to direct energy to its own development and maturation. This leads to the third fundamental job of design: evolving design practice. It’s taken for granted that design includes capabilities such as usability, interaction design, user research, and information architecture. It hasn’t always been this way. The profession has advanced because of many efforts to evolve the field. Design must discover new ways of knowing, connect to new technologies, incubate new methods, and merge the most advantageous elements into everyday design practice. This is precisely why external designnnovation and studios (like the argonauts) remain valuable: as an external driver for advancing design.
Summary
Design has become essential to organisations and this shift means there are three fundamental jobs or challenges of design: integration, transformation, and evolution. The real job of design is changing organisations, and charting a path to the future.
Sources : Ratsnest.io,