Design in a time of change

It goes without saying that we live in a time of unprecedented change. Technology is moving so fast it is hard for any of us to keep up – the techies and nerds included! With so many options and communication tools at our disposal, how does one make a good choice?

Every two months or so, I take part in an informal discussion group called ThinkLab (http://thinklabuk.wordpress.com) The group is made up of business leaders, academics, creatives and technologists, and discussions centre around the effect of new and emerging technologies upon the individual, business , education and government. In short, it aims to evaluate and reflect upon the rapid changes that technology is having upon society in general. I’m sure that I’m not the only one present who feels a bit of a Ludite whilst taking part in these discussions. Change is never easy, it is always challenging and can be de-stabilising for even the most forward-thinking individual.

For the business leader new technology presents a bewildering array of opportunities and possibilities, for many however, I suspect it brings with it threats and c hallenges. To give you an idea, I have been at several meetings recently were the following sorts of questions have been asked:

1. Should I allow my employees to access social media during work time?
2. How do I stop businesses from far afield treading on my patch?
3. In what media and technologies should I invest?
4. Do I have to stop my usual marketing activities and concentrate on new and digital media?

It’s not easy to answer any of these I’m afraid – no one solution will fit well with all business types or sectors. For example, a consultant may use Twitter or LinkedIn most effectively to instantly extract information from a global network of colleagues and associates, whilst a bricklayer wouldn’t be much use if they continually downed tools to check their handheld!
So what can a business leader do faced with these ever-changing dilemmas? Firstly, they can stop thinking in the short term – “where is my next sale/contract coming from?” – reactive thinking will yield sporadic and low level results. Instead one needs to start thinking strategically:

1. Where is my main market and where is it going?
2. How might I best exploit this?
3. What, or who, are the main threats to this market?
4. To what technologies are my potential customers exposed?

Armed with the answers to these questions and others like them, one can begin to develop a strategy for engagement and devise a plan for realising them. Then, and only then, can one decide which technologies and communication tools will best be employed and utilised. It is at this point one needs to speak to a designer...