We have exhorted the use
of simple sketches and mock-ups to help clients and users better imagine and
comprehend complex systems or new ideas of which they do not have a common
ground in which to relate. We uncovered an article from the June 2005 issue of Fast Company magazine that discusses how “design”
in the broadest sense, helps form and communicate business strategy.
“People need to have a visceral
understanding -- an image in their minds -- of why you've chosen a certain
strategy and what you're attempting to create with it. Design is ideally suited
to this endeavor. It can't help but create tangible, real outcomes.”
In other words, people need concrete examples to grasp the
meaning and import of the strategy being pursued, whether that is the
advantages of a virtual server room, or a new way to provide service
internally. It clears any confusion over competing interpretations of however
you explained the strategy in words. With that grasp, people not only can get
behind the strategy, but also are better prepared to participate and advocate
on its behalf. And it is a process—essentially a prototyping process—that
unlocks ideas and suggestions in your people who otherwise would be unable to
give feedback.
“Once you spot a promising idea,
you build it. The prototype is typically a drawing, model, or film that
describes a product, system, or service. We build these models very quickly;
they're rough, ready, and not at all elegant, but they work. The goal isn't to
create a close approximation of the finished product or process; the goal is to
elicit feedback that helps us work through the problem we're trying to solve.
In a sense, we build to think.”
The next time you find yourself proposing a new strategy to
a client or internal group, a simple diagram or mock-up may be the difference
between your plans being understood and supported, or withering away in
obscurity.