Designers4Billions

Professional Designers4Billions have been interviewed to identify the way they work and design. A theory that helps to understand how the Designers4Billions work and design has to do with the decision-making approach of Designers4Billions. As described on this introduction page, 'doing first' is the most popular technique among Designers4Billions.
The four tabs: risk, process, knowledge and context give an overview of the conclusions of the empirical research. They provide insight in the risk factor of Design4Billions, the product development process, the knowledge which is necessary in the work of a Designer4Billions and the most important contextual aspects that influence the way Designers4Billions work.

Knowledge Context Process Risk

Decision Making: it’s not what you think

Sometimes decisions defy purely step-by-step logic. To be effective, companies should also embrace intuitive or action-oriented forms of decision making. Mintzberg (2001) describes 3 approaches in decision making, of which ’doing first’ is the most popular one for Designers4Billions.

’Thinking first’
works best when

the issue is clear
the data is reliable
the context is structured
thoughts can be pinned down, and
discipline can be applied.

as in an established production process

’Seeing first’
works best when

many elements have to be combined into creative solutions
commitment to those solutions is key, and
communication across boundaries is essential.

as in new-product development

’Doing first’
works best when

the situation is novel and confusing
complicated specifications would get in the way, and
a few simple relationship rules can help people move forward.

for example, when companies face a disruptive technology