Yesterday Seth Godin blogged about Return on Design (ROD) and got me thinking that he is right - again. ROD is too often overlooked or an ill-considered factor when companies are measuring their investments.
Sure there are a few companies with well manicured and articulated brands. Companies like Porsche, Bose, and Target that go to great lengths to insure that design is incorporated into everything they do.
However, there are too many companies that talk a great story yet leave their “investment” in design to chance. The risk is significant - whether it’s a user interface, the look and feel of their offerings, or just the way they present themselves. The user experience is part of the design and should be measured.
How to measure ROD?
How can companies insure they are maximizing their Return on Design? This is where a good set of ECM, CRM, and SMM tools can come in handy. By asking customers, or potential customers, questions about how the design hits their five senses these tools can be used to collect information across many aspects of the design criteria.
 | ROD Tools ECM = Enterprise Content Management CRM = Customer Relationship Management SMM = Social Media Measurement |
More than likely these tools are being used today to manage the business, but they are often used separately and typically not in the measurement of design elements. When combined and used together they can form a powerful combination to gather, analyze, and make better decisions. Decisions that will help measure the Return on Design. Decisions that support and help to make the brand pervasive.
Beware: If you Spare the ROD you will Spoil the Brand.
Image Credit: Maynard Frank Wolfe
 | About The Author: I have spent the better part of the last 16 years working in various aspects of the ECM space. I spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and most recently Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text in Nov 2008). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company. Follow me on Twitter, check my blog, send email or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn. |
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