3. “Intriguing… explain!”
• Several reasons, but our focus:
– Ineffective design fails to comprehend and/or
reflect key traits in a product’s personality
• Product’s ‘Personality’
– At the root of its conception
– Beliefs, values, and goals that drove the idea
before the product became ‘the product’
– When these key principles are unearthed and built
around it permits focused, effective design
5. Where we stumble…
• Seems obvious and simple, but so few
individuals/groups successfully execute
• Why? Because it’s so incredibly difficult to:
a. Dig deep enough to firmly identify the traits that
define our offering (standing in the way: time,
lack of commitment, etc)
b. Remain consistent to those traits throughout the
product’s experience, particularly as deadlines
near and shortcuts abound to afford more time
8. Example: ThreeFortyNine
• Define the product/service
– Office space rental + like-minded collaboration
• With that definition in our pocket, we create:
– Logo
– Messaging
– Colour scheme
– etc…
• Each item listed above is predicated on the one
before it – all designed to highlight the root
definition arrived at earlier
9. Example: ThreeFortyNine
• But what if that definition changes?
– Dig deeper beyond the basic product/service and
into its motivation
• Example:
– Office space rental + like-minded collaboration
• Work for yourself, not by yourself
– I want to create a community that helps others build relevant
creations with assistance from those around them
» People aren’t as productive in isolation and create more
interesting things when surrounded by others to
challenge + support them
10. Example: ThreeFortyNine
• Great design is what effectively weaves that
definition into the product and beyond
– Dramatically increases resonance of messaging
• Lends a personality to your product that
immediately creates differentiation vs.
competitors
– They can copy your offer, but significantly harder to
mimic your personality and do so consistently
– e.g. Can buy a new suit, car, etc, but you’re still you
• Completely changes the list of byproducts we
reviewed prior (logo, messaging, etc)
