On a cold, blustery day at 1 p.m., your supply chain and operations managers call a meeting to discuss outsourcing the manufacturing of a best-selling item to China. While facts and figures for cost savings and lead-time reductions are bandied about the room, you notice something crucial missing…
Continue reading "Home Sweet Home: Businesses Bringing Production Back to the U.S.A."Posts Tagged ‘design’
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
3 Rules for Rule-Breaking Products
There are some products that upon first glance by consumers are just “not for me,” such as communication headsets, wheeled luggage, bicycle helmets, and minimalist shoes. And if you’ve ever been responsible for “that product,” you know how hard it is to shake the perception that your…
Continue reading "3 Rules for Rule-Breaking Products"Thursday, May 13, 2010
Customer Experience: Health Care by Design
As health care insurance premiums rise year over year and out-of-pocket expenses rise in tandem, patients are beginning to realize that they no longer must accept 1960s-style doctor offices and plastic plants in the hospital lobby. In fact, in response to consumer-driven trends, some health…
Continue reading "Customer Experience: Health Care by Design"Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Reusable Bags: Fashion Statement?
Many grocery stores offer consumers reusable shopping bags these days at .99 a pop, on average, and some retailers have even given them away to do their part to cut down on plastic bag waste.
Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, estimates using just one …
Continue reading "Reusable Bags: Fashion Statement?"Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Innovation Doesn’t Have to Be Invention
When it comes to innovation we often get hung-up on creating something completely new. While this approach is usually the most exciting, it isn’t the only way to launch an incredibly successful product or brand. In other words, innovation doesn’t have to come from invention. It can also come from…
Continue reading "Innovation Doesn’t Have to Be Invention"Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Anything That Can Be Turned into a Commodity, Will Be
The concept of outsourcing is not a new one. While it may have existed under different names, for as long as industry and services have been around, decision makers have relied on those outside of their realm to contribute to the ecosystem of bringing products to life.
Historically we haven’t paid…
Continue reading "Anything That Can Be Turned into a Commodity, Will Be"Monday, June 23, 2008
Writers, Bloggers, and Creative Types: Stop What You’re Doing and Watch This!
What is it with the British? They have a monopoly on great humor. This must-see video clip is for all you creative types out there – the writers, producers, bloggers, artists, designers, etc. Trust me; you’ll get a kick out of this one.
One of my company designers sent this to me. Thank you, Miche…
Continue reading "Writers, Bloggers, and Creative Types: Stop What You’re Doing and Watch This!"Monday, February 18, 2008
The Difference Between Success and Failure
One of the most difficult things to do when you know something is remember what it was like to not know it. This is of particular importance when you are building websites for for someone other than you. This was brought into clearer focus when I finished reading The Design of Everyday Things, which…
Continue reading "The Difference Between Success and Failure"Thursday, July 5, 2007
Web Sites: Designed by Dogs, Managed by Cats
A key danger in Web site design is over-ambition. We need to design a Web site we can professionally manage.
Here’s what I mean: I travel a lot. And when you travel a lot you discover a lot of important things. You learn the answers to crucial questions such as: Why is a dog a man’s best friend? B…
Continue reading "Web Sites: Designed by Dogs, Managed by Cats"Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Liddle Explores a New Market for Plastic Waste
Briton Richard Liddle is taking on the huge problem of plastic waste in his country, and the impact of his efforts is creating a ripple effect –not only in Britain, but around the world. In a terrific Business Week article entitled Richard Liddle’s War on Plastic, the sustainable designer explains…
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