I started this blog to do two things:
- To figure what transformation design means and does in a marketing context.
- Be a champion for transformation design.
Under that directive, my infecting efforts have been puny. My theoretical waxings, with their inconcreteness, leave most people confused. Those who do find something to grasp in the muck of my theories are still unable to replicate these waxings to others or even offer their own ideas to shape TD.
To remedy my poor performance, I’ve started doing a series called “Transformation Design Watch,” which as some of you have noticed, provides examples of transformation design in real life. Doing so offers concrete, visual objects to talk around making the idea of T.D. more specific, memorable and sharable.
I’m hoping the 5 people who read this blog can help me with this “Transformation Design Watch” series. Here’s the assignment:
- I’m interested in what you think are experiences and objects that create sustained changes people. They don’t have to be created by companies (as shown by the Tesqüinada). They could create small degrees of change (like Whole Food’s orange stand) or large degrees of change (like the SnoozNLooz.)
- Write a short little paragraph about why you think it’s an example.
- Send it to me. I’ll post all submissions and credit the sender with the find.
Cool?
6 comments:
It occured to me yesterday that there's another guy out there selling TD to the masses - and doing a damn good job of it.
Obama's presidential campaign is, in essence, an attempt to sell one enormous TD assignment to the country.
Whether or not he'll be (or even could be) successful in delievering on the promise, he seems to have mastered how to talk about transformation design.
You've taken the first step by searching out examples to bring the theory to life, but he goes for the jugular - emotional relevance.
What does transformation mean for me. What world is it a portal to? What glorious creature will I be once on the other side?
Once you've sold me on the destination, who really cares how I get there. In fact, the more hope I have invested in the transformation you have sold me (and I don't think "sell" is a dirty word), the less detail I need about the journey.
Which is also how a good con works, but that's a different discussion.
Very timely comment. I was just writing on the very subject of Obama and design...and just posted it.
And you're absolutely right: emotional relevance is what will make people excited about TD.
But I've purposely avoided leading with the 'emotional relevance' of TD for two reasons:
1. I worried it might make the discipline sound fluffy, too hyped or just a big over promise. I think marketers cynical to these "new-age" ideas. Better to start rationally, I thought, than emotionally.
2. When I started supporting TD, I could tell you why it was important to our industry's future, but it took me 45 minutes. I needed to (and still do) work through the nuts and bolts of the discipline before I started spouting off emotional relevance.
I do, however, feel differently on your point about the journey not mattering. Emotion makes us want to believe, but the details make us believe. You can't have the sizzle, without the steak.
Different minds, same gutter.
Fluffy, new-age and over-hyped. The pull towards "rational" thought within a discipline thats work is, at its best, beyond the scope of verbal dissection has always mystified me. Like taking apart a frog - you can understand how it works, but the magic which gave it life to begin with is lost forever (except in horror movies where the reanimated frog has his revenge).
Why are empathy, intuition and leaps of thought relegated to second class status when our job is to connect with the secret hopes and fantasies within people?
Even Einstein, in his world ruled by laws of the physical world, championed the mysterious leaps the unfettered mind can make.
Anyway: the opposite tact to your master-it-then-espouse-it approach is the Obama / Kennedy version of build a vision and invite everyone to to participate in designing the nuts and bolts of how we get there.
Details: your right, the journey matters big time. Although I think I saw a no sizzle steak cooker on QVC last night around 2:15.
Tou che.
"The opposite tact to your master-it-then-espouse-it approach is the Obama / Kennedy version of build a vision and invite everyone to to participate in designing the nuts and bolts of how we get there."
Well said. You got me on that one.
I learned about the PlayPump on PBS. By connecting two needs, children can play and get clean drinking water at the same time. My favorite transformation designs happen when two needs meet to serve each other. http://www.youtube.com/user/PlayPumps
I also like the idea behind Kiva.org providing micro-loans to third-world countries to allow individuals to build businesses and strengthen their communities. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXk4GUGXNTQ
The World Community Grid is also an interesting idea that uses idle computers to collectively seek answers to problems like cancer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRcbi9HL0os
There are many others that I am less familiar with here: http://www.tacticsofhope.org/social_entrepreneurs
I see some overlap between transformation design and social entrepreneurship.
Thanks for the examples Thomas. I'll post each of them soon.
And yes, TD and Social Entrepreneurism overlap quite a bit. TD also overlaps a lot with Eco-design - especially if you are of the mindset that companies are organisms (which I am).
Those two spaces have influenced my thinking on TD quite a bit.
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