Book review – The Design of Business

Okay, so I said I would write a review of Subject to Change, but this book has floored me and I had to write about it. You know this book is good for UX designers if Bill Buxton offered his insights and reviewed the manuscript of it!

Roger Martin has written a much-needed call to arms to fuse analysis and intuition in our design thinking; too many have the tendency to lean towards one or the other, which often leads to either a lack of innovation (as seen when Nokia was knocked from its pedestal) or to impractical design. He writes at length about “abductive logic,” a term coined by Charles Sanders Pierce that essentially states that new ideas can only be validated through the unfolding of future events.

We should always “ask what could be.” (25) It’s the reason behind the success of the likes of Mike Lazaridis of Research In Motion and Guy Laliberté of Cirque du Soleil. Martin outlines the three things a design thinker needs in their arsenal: a personal stance, tools and experiences. It’s essential to follow this order so your design thinking can flourish. Be conscious of how you see the world and your place in it, and then develop a toolkit of sorts based on your stance, using the powers of observation and imagination, among other things. Accumulating experiences will then allow you to hone your sensitivity and skills. Martin likens it to being a chef: sensitivity is what allows a chef to determine if a dish is well-prepared, and skills allow them to determine when it’s not. (155)

Designers tend to run into and work with those who are either reliability-driven analytical thinkers or validity-driven intuitive thinkers. (168) While the personal goal is to have a balance of both, it’s possible to be a good mediator when dealing with both types. Much like learning a language, the best way to learn is to spend time among native speakers using it in native context.