This presentation was developed for a workshop to educate micro businesses with small budgets. It was presented at the Creative Bedfordshire Conference 2015.

1. Making design work for you
Tools to help you
communicate better, faster
and operate as a brand
Copyright Sandra Dartnell trading as Make Design Happen 2015

2. My name is Sandra

3. I always want things to be
_useful
_engaging
_remarkable

4. Setting the scene
_design thinking
_design choices

5. http://www.diytoolkit.org/
I want to
develop a clear plan
by improving upon what I’ve
done before
The learning loop

6. http://www.diytoolkit.org/
I want to
develop a clear plan
by improving upon what I’ve
done before
The thing I did

7. http://www.diytoolkit.org/
I want to
develop a clear plan
by improving upon what I’ve
done before
The thing I did…again
ITERATE

8. Collect stories
and insights (3 minutes)

9. Prioritise feedback
and solutions (5 minutes)

10. At least one action
to track how your solutions
are panning out (2 minutes)

11. Pin and photograph
(5 minutes)

12. Rapid prototyping

13. Time boxing

14. Photographic documentation

15. Walk the wall (table)

16. Nothing is too small to apply
_design thinking
_continual improvement

17. Just enough to get you to
the next step
in the process

18. You are not aiming for a big launch
then to step away. Your approach
should be
_release
_evaluate
_plan
_repeat

19. I don’t have the time
_what is the point in repeating?
_if you don’t know it’s succeeding, it’s
probably failing
_the point is to find out why

20. I don’t want to be constantly
tinkering
_opposite of tinkering
_getting something out there
_listening, noticing, assessing, iterating,
_trying again to be better (more
engaging, more informative, more
profitable)

21. I just want to do it once, exactly
right
_there is no exactly right
_small wrongs will never do you as
much damage as standing still
_striving for minimal commitment for
maximum gain, both are achieved
though focus not infrequency

22. PART 2

23. Big brands don’t do this
They do, you just don’t notice it
_try things out within a clear
framework
_develop the framework

24. You can
_good night lamp
example

25. I’m not big enough
_use others to help frame you
_customise to create marketing
_customise to create point of sale
_customise to be online

26. Customise

27. I don’t know how to start
_go back to your business
motivation
_go back to your field
_go back to you (your personality)
_go back to you (problem solver)

28. I don’t know how to start
_for everything that lacks
authenticity, create authenticity

29. I don’t know how to start
_don’t think too much about 100%
new or unique. Are you a Curly
Wurly or a Chomp?

30. I don’t know how to start
_field + motivation + personality
where does position you in the
marketplace?

31. I don’t know how to start
_align + compete + standout
How will you frame your business?
_verbal
_visual

32. Visual is partly your surroundings

33. Do start with your customers
_regardless of how you value your
product
Who is your customer? What are they
interested in? What do they need to
know? How does that relate to your
product?

34. Do start with your customers
_business is a search
_a search for the fit between you and
your customers
_the better the fit, the better the
business
_understanding of value = desire to
spend

35. I don’t know how to start
If you believe in your product but don’t
know quite who you are talking to, find
out with minimal investment, then tailor,
and iterate. Act rather than wait.

37. Credits
http://www.diytoolkit.org/

38. The learning loop
_part of the NESTA DIY kit
National Endowment for Science,
Technology and the Arts
Development Impact & You
PRACTICAL TOOLS TO TRIGGER &
SUPPORT SOCIAL INNOVATION
http://www.diytoolkit.org/

39. The learning loop
_inspired by the Learning Plan from
IDEO (2011)
_describes four different stages that
your work might pass through in a cycle
of continual improvement
http://www.diytoolkit.org/