Hard and Soft Values
Design is crucial for communication, and good design helps a brand rise above competitors. By understanding how their work creates value for a client, the designer raises their own value and builds a stronger relationship with the client.
Value can be measured in two categories: hard value and soft value. Hard value includes measurable data such as production costs or the number of website visitors. Soft value is less measurable and more subjective. Does the design make users feel good? Does it inspire brand loyalty? When defining the value of a project, O’Grady and O’Grady (2013) recommend using a blended approach to frame the hard and soft values as well as the metrics for measurement. These considerations highlight the designer’s importance and also help guide design decisions. Carlsson (2019) notes that by considering both hard and soft values, the designer gains greater understanding of the market and the target audience.
Hard and soft value not only measures the success of a design, they can also help inform the designer early on in the process and lead to more effective solutions.
Hierarchy of User Needs
In the book Universal Principles of Design, Lidwell, Holden, and Butler (2009) introduce a hierarchy of user needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Regarding Maslow’s hierarchy, Felton (2013) describes how the lowest human physiological needs like hunger must be addressed before moving to higher needs like esteem and self-actualization. Although based on Maslow’s hierarchy, the pyramid model used by Lidwell et al describes user needs in terms of design functions.
Functionality, the lowest level, is a requirement for any design just as physiological needs must be met first. Reliability is the next highest level, equated to safety because of the human need for stability and consistency. Designs that only meet the first two levels are perceived to have low value (Lidwell et al, 2009). Usability of a design is at the same pyramid level as the need for love and belonging. A design that meets Proficiency needs by empowering users is directly related to the human need for esteem. Creativity is the highest level in the hierarchy of user needs, but it cannot be successfully achieved without the foundations established by first meeting the lower needs.
The Design Staircase
The Design Staircase™ model, also called the “design ladder,” was developed by the Danish Design Centre (DDC) to evaluate how businesses use design and directly correlate that information to financial gains (O’Grady & O’Grady, 2013). The framework is divided into four stages.
Stage One: No Design. Design is not used systematically.
Stage Two: Design as Styling. Design is only used as superficial decoration.
Stage Three: Design as Process. Design in an integral part of the innovation process.
Stage Four: Design as Strategy. Design in an integral part of the business strategy.
A 2003 survey concluded that companies that work systematically with design have higher earnings and bigger exports than companies that do not use design (Danish Design Center, 2015). Sharing this information with clients can demonstrate the economic benefits of design as part of their overall business strategy.
References:
Carlsson, F. (2019, December 2). Designing for “what we don’t know”. The tangible impact of design, Pt 1. https://medium.com/a-view-from-above/designing-for-what-we-dont-know-6b0e3ea50aef
Danish Design Centre. (2015, May 6). The Design Ladder: Four steps of design use. https://danskdesigncenter.dk/en/design-ladder-four-steps-design-use
Felton, G. (2013). Advertising: Concept and Copy (Third). W.W. Norton.
Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2009). Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated. Rockport Publishers. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/universal-principles-of/9781592535873/
O’Grady, J. V., & O’Grady, K. V. (2013). Design Currency: Understand, Define, and Promote the Value of your Design Work. New Riders. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/design-currency-understand/9780133052862/
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