Design & Innovation

Apparently ordinary fly swatters aren’t doing the trick, so they have decided to electrify them http://www.electricflyswatter.net/?gclid=CLOxwMqv3ZMCFQUjGgodY1KYYw. I’m so mad that I didn’t have one of these when I was growing up. My dad was and still is insane when a fly comes in his house. I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to him, but as soon as he spots one, it automatically turns into a “code red.” Regardless of what any of us were doing, all the lights in the house went off except for one little lamp (or if we were lucky, he would just leave the tv on) and we all had to quietly wait for the “trespasser” to head over to the glowing trap. Of course my dad wasn’t the most skilled fly swatter, so as he wildly swung at the fly, no one was ever sure if he got it (Although he always claimed he did). However, the electric fly swatter leaves no room for questioning. If you swing and that thing sparks, then game over. Watching that swatter light up in my nearly pitch black house would have made my dad’s fly killing rituals so much more entertaining.  Also, imagine how much fun this thing would be outdoors, such as on a camping trips, just running around zapping bugs. Then you have to factor in the fact that I grew up with two brothers. Imagine how much fun we would have had trying to zap each other with these things. I would definitely asked Santa for one for Christmas. He probably wouldn’t get it for me, but it would be worth a shot. Getting back to the product I love how it’s marketed. The whole ad talks about how powerful it is, claiming it uses 1500 volts, stating that this is not your regular weak “AA” battery fly swatter, but this one uses 2 “D” batteries giving off a powerful 1500 bug exploding volts. With a statement like that how couldn’t you buy it?  Then almost right after that it states that the output power is relatively low, constituting no real harm to humans or pets. So wait, are the “D” batteries really that much stronger? Is it even necessary to use them, when it seems like the “AA” batteries were already doing the job? This are little tiny bugs we are talking about and not the giant mutated ones in the movie Starhip Troopers(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120201/) right? Well we do live in America where bigger is better, so I guess in a small way, the “D” batteries do make it a more appealing product.  

I recently came across a well-timed article in the May/June issue of The Penn Stater.  In “Factory Approved,” author Ryan Jones follows a group of Mechanical Engineering (ME) students as they work through ME 440W: Mechanical Systems Design, a capstone course required of all graduating seniors.

The design process followed by these undergraduate Penn State engineering students almost completely mirrors that which we - graduate business students - have been instructed to follow.  Ask questions, listen intently, establish customer needs, prototype early and often, form vs. function (which comes first?)   In the end, the Penn State team came up with a product prototype that pleased the client and their ideas will be used by the company in developing future models.

The prototype that the mechanical engineers ended up with is a tanglible result of the design process, their work, and their progress.  As MBA students in the “new economy,” however, many of us provide a service or knowledge/expertise, not a tangible product.  While it is interesting and fun to read about IDEO’s product innovations and Gehry’s sketches come to life in the form of post-modern architecture, the end results have largely been tanglible, physical objects.

As a marketer/public relations officer in the business of ideas, knowledge, and customer service, how does the design and innovation process apply to me?  What types of intangible deliverables can I offer my current employer and future clients as a result of taking this course?  Does the design process change at all when innovating in a knowledge rather than a manufacturing economy?

Going forward, I’m hoping to learn more about how marketers, public relations staff, editors, etc. use the design process to their advantage when developing messages and communications strategies in the New Economy.