Book Review: Do You Matter?

The book Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company by Brunner & Emery has been a great inspiration for and continued affirmation of my approach to design, both of products and websites.

Written by world class designers, including a former Director of Apple's Industrial Design Group (Brunner), the advice is riddled with authority. Pulling examples not only from well known successes such as the iPod but also failures and other industries, the authors illustrate their viewpoint that the customer's satisfaction is key to any venture's success. While this seems an obvious statement, too many companies seem to forget this while trying to meet their bottom line. However, if the customer is not happy, it soon won't matter what the bottom line is, as the business will have gone bust.

It is good to be reminded of this fact, as it is all too easy to become immersed in the details of a design. Especially as a sole proprieter, I must fulfill the roles of artist, engineer, marketer, and reviewer. It is important to take a step back and remember why I am designing this thing. Who is going to use this product? Who will be looking at this site? Is my creation communicating what I intend? Is it fulfilling the user's needs?

The brilliant thing about this book is that its message is not contained in only one key chapter. It is dispersed throughout the book, on every page, in every paragraph. The designer's mission is to create, to innovate, and to satisfy demands customers didn't even know they had. I can flip to any section, read a few lines, and walk away with my motivation for success renewed and recharged. In fact, I do refer back regularly when the drudgery part of the task at hand is dragging me down. This book reminds me why I do what I do.

I design, therefore I am.