The last 10 years have been an amazing start to our company. Dave and I have grown this little startup from a few pennies in our pocket to what it is today. We're unbelievably proud, and sometimes surprised, of what we've been able accomplish in that time.
In that time we've built dozens of websites, ecommerce stores, and marketing products. More than that, we've launched internal corporate applications which have made people more effective at their jobs at some of the worlds largest companies. We've worked with 1-man startups and the Fortune 100. We've built intuitive products for elementary school students, the worlds leading surgeons, and everyone in-between.
All successful people are big dreamers - creative in every aspect of managing their career. However, when in a position of power or management do they use that creativity in changing the trajectory of the company they are employed by? Why take such minimal risks when tasked with "changing the paradigm?" Ideation is a great process that can unlock new views on design, process, product, price, convention, curation, competition and strategy. No – Ideation is not all about working in a creative office space it is a method of success that should be encouraged at all levels of an organization.
There is an old adage, “Design is thinking made visible.” This is an absolute truth in the digital age. As a CEO it is mission critical that you understand the design process and how it affects your business.
At Designing Interactive (D-I), our mission is to make the world intuitive. The following five design truths are at the core of our philosophy. Design is the epicenter that drives the strategies we have used to create user interfaces for millions of people across the globe.
D-I is deeply invested in Cleveland, OH. Our team is all from here and for the last 10 years we’ve been located in the same office in the suburb of Rocky River. We’ve been a long standing member of the community and are passionate about continuing to create jobs here in Cleveland.
Last year I went on a speaking tour across the United States. During that time, I attended many Agile conferences, meetup groups and private company meetings. At these events, I kept hearing the same parable over and over. I heard it so much that I believed it, and since then, I’ve been spreading that story myself. It’s a shame, since I now believe it’s actually more harmful than it is productive.
I’m a morning person. I enjoy rising early to plan my day and anticipate what I’ll accomplish. This routine provides clarity of thought and a hunger to act. It challenges me to be alert, prepared, and persistent toward the day’s priorities. Ultimately, it provides an energy and momentum that nourishes me throughout the day, and that—through my action—helps to nourish my team and the software projects we’re responsible for.
Software exists to create an experience for a user, be it solving a problem or some other business value. Any development process that loses sight of that experience, even for a second, will miss opportunities to create something great.
Agile and Lean practices are crucial to creating products with great experiences. They put the customer at the center of the process and encourage team collaboration.
We presented an idea to the Codemash Conference for a new t-shirt design this year. They decided not to print t-shirts this year, so this design was just for our own enjoyment.
Even though this design doesn't work on the apparel the conference selected, we wanted to share the process we went through to design it.