Importance and challenges of generating a Design Culture within organizations.
Design Culture may have more than one meaning for each one of us since it is a recent topic and involves several aspects but mainly it is about that everyone within the organization understands the value of design and the impact of generating a culture around it.
Within a good Design Culture:
Members of a team (not only designers) understand the importance of integrating design into all stages of product creation.
The user experience is prioritized and the problems are solved through research, empathy and collaboration, the human side of the business is understood.
Nothing is left to chance because it is understood that every detail can have a great impact.
In a company with a good Design Culture, designers spend more time in constructive tasks rather than fixing problems.
A Design Culture must be applied not only in the products but also in the workplace. Include means of expression, places of conversation, entertainment and inspiration, beautiful and inspiring objects in order to generate a welcoming and decontracting place.
Our responsibility as designers
As designers we have the responsibility to make people understand why design is so important and how it can deliver value to organizations, educate people about processes and methods and how to integrate them into the methodology already used.
It is very important to understand that design does not only depend on the designer. Being all part of the design process, you get better and faster results.
As designers we can integrate methodologies such as Design thinking and Design sprint to the company’s methodologies in a gradual way since not everyone knows them, first there is an education process and then it is implemented.
Challenges depending on the type of methodology used in the company.
In Waterfall methodologies, the difficulty of rigidity or lack of flexibility in terms of roles in a team is presented. Changes are not encouraged since the timeline of a project is usually unique and long-term. The designer in this frame usually has participation only in the design stage, already has all the functionalities defined in advance and is a link in the chain.
Here is a great challenge to implement a Design Culture, the process may be slower and people may be more reluctant to adopt a change.
In Agile methodologies changes are welcome and there is a more collaborative and interactive approach. The client participates in the whole process which makes it easier to validate ideas constantly.
The products are delivered in stages, which means that the designer has more participation.
Although Agile is an appropriate framework, it is created mostly for development environments, which is why it is still a challenge for the designer to implement a Design Culture in this context as well.
At a global level, design is considered a strategic value that fosters innovation and adds value, so much so that companies that understand this stand out from their competitors.
Incorporating design is a cultural change for organizations and often does not occur naturally. This is where we must act as responsible designers and work to generate a Design Culture that helps to value our role and convey the importance and impact of design in the generation of value.
