Increased focus on statistics and measurability of design opens up a new arena for opportunities and discussion, and with this, complex problems regarding what is actually measured. The fact that we have figures that demonstrate that investment in design actually pays off is a fantastic achievement for the design community, but design has an emotional aspect that is difficult to put specific numbers on. In a world where most things are zeros and ones – what happens when we measure the value of design?

In a world where everything is measured

We have come to a time where everything can be measured, counted and analysed. The number of steps you have taken during the course of a day, how many seconds a potential customer spends on your website, what goods you put in your shopping basket and actually purchase. In October 2018, McKinsey published the report The Business Value of Design in which they have also measured the business value of design. This is nothing new; for a number of years the Design Council has presented data that shows that good strategic design provides increased revenue and return to shareholders. This is, amongst others, evident in their report from 2014,Leading Business by Design . In 2017, the communication company, Big Duck, which works exclusively with charitable organisations, published the report, The Rebrand Effect . It shows that the organisations that have made a change to their strategy and appearance increase their effectiveness of producing material by 42%.

However, as one of the world’s biggest consultancy companies, McKinsey has great power and an important voice that people have confidence in. Their report presents convincing data that says that design-driven companies "increase their revenues and total returns to shareholders (TRS) substantially faster than their industry counterparts did over a five-year period—32 percentage points higher revenue growth and 56 percentage points higher TRS growth for the period as a whole.”

From left: Leading Business by Design (2014) by Design Council, The Business Value of Design (2018) by McKinsey Design, The Rebrand Effect (2017) by Big Duck.

How do we measure the value of design?

There are a number of methods for measuring the value of design. McKinsey has taken ownership of their report by using the name MDI – McKinsey Design Index – in its method. MDI looks at various factors, such as focus on user friendliness and using the competence of designers outside their own department. The Design Council looks at the role design plays in the different companies and how design methodology and thinking are integrated with other functions. Big Duck sees how an overhaul of and improvement in communication strategy affects the employees’ performance.

“The companies that succeed are those where top management shows genuine interest in the value of design and, as a result, design becomes part of the company’s DNA”
From Leading Business by Design, Design Council

But perhaps the most important factor, which all reports have in common, is the focus on design amongst top management in the company. They highlight analytical leadership and that passion and prioritisation of design must come from the top. Design driven decisions must permeate the company and be a guiding principal in decisions – not just aesthetic, but strategic ones too. Leading Business by Design states that the companies that succeed are those where top management shows genuine interest in the value of design and, as a result, design becomes part of the company’s DNA. It is thereby important for managers to be watchful and to remain up-to-date on design. It also shows that management must have confidence in the designers and the job they do

Increased recognition and acceptance

When the report was launched, the designers cheered. Substantiating to customers that the job we do will be profitable is a challenge, and also often a struggle. The reports are evidence that the hours we put in will help the customer both aesthetically and financially. This is an important victory for us and something we can use as support in budget meetings. Measurability gives us something more tangible to refer to. Even though more and more people understand the importance of design, the job of a graphic designer is a relatively new occupation and many people still struggle to understand what we actually do. Now we can refer to statistics – figures and terms by far most people understand.

This is also liberating for the client. For those who do not implicitly understand the importance of design, there is a high threshold for approving budgets before the work commences. They can find it difficult to see why they should invest in something if they do not see an immediate profit. Based on reports like these, where the figures are sufficiently clear, they can feel more calm that the designers’ job will benefit them in the long run.

Mission works with leaders in a number of different sectors. Their competence range from IT solutions to convenience store activities to banking services; interest areas that vary greatly – but what they all have in common is the interest in profitability in their own company. Reports like these are something everyone can understand, since the evidence is so strong.

The reports can also be used as guidelines for managers who are struggling with dwindling figures or a lack of purpose . If a manager sees that the company is struggling and that they lack focus on design, the reports can be a good reminder of what steps can be taken to get the company back on the right track. Changing the way in which a company communicates can, if done correctly, lead to a 50% increase in income if we are to believe The Rebrand Effect.

Design prize to The Daily Mail

However, every cloud has a silver lining. In 2013 British tabloid The Daily Mail won a design prize based on its total revenue and increase in number of visitors. The design industry stared open-mouthed. The Daily Mail’s website is packed with miles of text, images, advertising content, illustrations, everything heaped together in organised chaos. It is not exactly aesthetic. How could they possibly win a design prize? What does this say about the rest of the industry.

If all design is based only on numbers, the designer is in danger of being diluted and turned into a by-product of the analyses.

This case is not based on aesthetics. It is based on figures and statistics that showed how effectively the site worked. And it certainly does. The Daily Mail has managed to create a system where the reader is fed tons of information in an extremely small space. They have not used design in its traditional form, but used design methodology and thinking to make something as effective as possible in the smallest space possible (and arguably at no great cost). Despite everything, design is a business tool and so it must be measured against strategic and market-oriented objectives.

However, this case has also created some confusion regarding the use of statistics and measurability in design. If all design is based only on figures, the designer will be at risk of being watered down and converted to a bi-product of the analyses. If we decide to design using circles because 40% of people wanted it, but 33% wanted rectangles and only 27% wanted ellipses, this will hold back innovation and remove the emotional, surprising aspect of design. The aspect that humans help providing. If we leave too much to Google with regards to which words are preferable in each heading or article, text authors will end up simply working to satisfy a machine and their calculations. The human element of design will disappear and 'creative thinking' will end up becoming an extinct concept.

The Daily Mail's homepage, 21 January 2019

When asked how to measure the value of design , Tom Actman, the co-founder of the design studio, Mat Dolphin, answered as follows: “The real joy for me is seeing design connect with people’s emotions”. You can’t put numbers on everything. Feelings are loose, they hang like unidentifiable threads in the air. The only way to understand them is to feel them. A number cannot give you that.

What now?

Numbers and results are important parameters for designers to defend our role and our work. It is also very useful for managers in companies to understand how to beat competitors, in a modern world where the focus on design is growing. As a designer, I am happy that good design has been proven profitable, and that these reports create increased recognition for the work I do. But it is only with the human approach that really good design is created. It is through emotions, surprises, mistakes, testing and trials that innovation happens. Measuring the effect of design is mainly positive because it gives design increased importance - and then it is up to us designers to further prove why we deserve that recognition.