Why do you need a designer?

Design is playing an increasing roll in making companies competitively successful. A McKinsey report found design-driven companies “increase their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of industry counter parts”.(1)

Design tells the story (company and product) through form and function.

Startups can’t afford to miss opportunities to develop the right solution in a timely manner. Design adds value to the process and end result.

What kind of design?

Is it a logo? A user interface? A shape? A package? An unboxing? An boarding?

Yes to all of these, but it’s much more, it’s an approach to solving problems, to creating solutions for people.

Startups need a multi-disciplinary design partner: experienced in all aspects of design from user experience, to human factors, to design for manufacturing, to digital screen based interactions, to making emotional connections. A multi-disciplinary designer is a bit of a generalist, not focused on one vertical discipline, but experienced in the process and creating tangible solutions.

Four overlapping areas of design(2) for start ups:

When to bring in design?

Simply said, early. Design helps companies learn about their users and markets through observations and empathy. Start with design at the formation, use design to help visualize the story of the usability flow. It’s just like the movies, you wouldn’t start filming without a script of what you are going to make.

Startups have clear milestones to meet in order to advance to the next stage of funding and development. Established companies are not much different, budgets and timelines have to be met.

Who is the right designer?

Four common things to look for in a design partner:

Interest
Design partners are interested in working closely with you to achieve successful results. You should be looking for a partner not a vendor.

Who’s doing the work
Independent Design Studios; experienced partners who do the design.
Large Design Studios; Project directors who manage client relationships.
What’s the focus of their business… design? engineering with design on the side? user research? multi or single disciplinary?

Emotional Connection
Do you connect with the work they have done? Can you see them creating solutions for you?

Flexibility
Find a designer who is flexible to jump in and out of the “startup”development process. This is especially true in medical products where long periods of time lapse between testing, verification, and regulatory.

How to integrate a designer?

The product development process requires each discipline, marketing, engineering, regulatory, founders, investors, etc., to collaborate towards an end goal. Design synthesizes all these requirements plus user needs into tangible solutions.

Design is strategic, the early decisions have long term implications for any company. A design partner for startups should be embraced at the ‘C’ level.

Startups can utilize design to unify the product and user experience with a clear message.

Where do you start?

Three basic paths for incorporating design in start-ups:

1 The Road Show Kit: think of it like a concept car at an auto show, grounded in reality but not engineered for production. Just enough “proof of concept’ to raise interest and capital.

2 Looks Like / Works Like: Typically two paths. One is a refined looks like of how it might appear in a production version. Second is a separate works like a bench top proof of concept prototype. Separate paths let the engineering team ramp up while design focuses on user and marketing needs.

3 Design for Production: Depending on the complexity of the product some startups are ready to design for manufacturing, distribution, and sales.

Start a conversation.
Ask around, network with other startups who have hired design early on. LinkedIn can be helpful.

Allocate time to find the right designer. Prepare a short list of what you are building, what your development goals are, and a timeline. This will help the conversation. Designers are used to talking high level with minimal information.

A few startups we’ve been helping since 2002

Ardian (acquired by Medtronic)
Bigfoot Biomedical (acquired by Abbott)
Ciel Medical (acquired by Vyaire Medical)
Cirle (Licensed to Bausch & Lomb)
Claret Medical (acquired by Boston Scientific)
Connected Data
Dimatix (acquired by Fujifilm)
Drobo
IanTECh (acquired by Carl Zeiss MedTec)
Livescribe
Luna Diabetes
MedicalCue
Millipede (acquired by Boston Scientific)
Naturemill
ReLIA Diagnostics
ReCor Medical (acquired by Otsuka Medical Devices)
Reconstructive Technologies

Many of our Healthcare/Medical projects include interaction, graphic, & product design in an integrated one-stop design shop.

Design for startups:
Find one that listens well, has experience, and will challenge you to do the right thing!

(1) McKinsey report
(2) Design definition Wikipedia
(3) Industrial design definition IDSA.org
(4) Graphic Design Wikipedia
(5) Interaction Design Wikipedia
(6) User Experience - Don Norman