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SOLUTIONS

Personalized Product Designand Manufacturing: Best Practices for Best Value

Jonathan WebbVice President, Marketing, KILon SeidlManager, Tailored Products, KI

PERSONALIZED

Personalized Solutions: Best Practices for Best Value

ExEcUTIVE SUMMary

Within the commercial furniture industry, the term “best value” is often used to describe a prescriptive combination of cookie-cutter elements. The result is landscapes of white-collar offices littered with so-called value solutions, which provide questionable or unmea-sured returns on those investments. In today’s ROI era, what exactly should best value mean and how should it be measured?

This paper examines the authentic value that can be generated when today’s organizations go beyond commonplace products to instead pursue solutions tailored to their workplaces and business objectives. It also explores the challenges and benefits of doing so and outlines best practices for achieving “best value.”

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INTrODUcTION

We live in an era where maximum productivity is a fundamental business goal. Companies strive to achieve the competitive advantages gained from enhancing workplace productivity and ensuring a positive return on investment (ROI) for each employee.

To do so, companies must invest in workplace performance tools that allow them to achieve their business goals. Such tools include commercial furniture solutions that can support productivity and deliver ROI.

Those involved in programming interior spaces often use workplace survey tools to determine how employees prefer to work, thereby designing spaces that will encourage maximum productivity. These surveys do a brilliant job of aligning the physical and meta-physical attributes within a workplace. They speak to employee preferences regarding issues of privacy, natural light, heating/cooling levels, and overall space utilization.

The problems arise in the aftermath of such surveys. Despite the unique information culled from their discovery processes, organizations are still confined to the standard products offered by manufacturers. This raises the question: What good is a custom workplace survey if an organization is still restricted in its choice of solutions?

Indeed, it is nearly impossible for companies to leverage workplace design to instill a sense of culture, brand awareness, and promote productivity when prescribed solutions are all that is available. The answer then is to look “outside the brochure.”

BEyOND ThE BrOchUrE

Office furniture planning is seldom an easy task, even for industry professionals. Design firms often reference the importance of design freedom when planning, yet limitations to that freedom exist within the pages of manufacturers’ brochures and on product websites. That can make an already challenging planning process even more difficult.

But what would happen if design freedom meant supporting the needs of the customer with unique solutions that deliver a positive bottom-line impact?

Personalized product solutions are the answer. Providing personalized solutions that meet very specific user needs can demonstrate a true, “best value,” not often realized in the commercial furniture industry. Solutions designed for one unit or one thousand units, delivered on time and at an acceptable cost, can give customers the value they want and the ROI they need.

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STagES aND gaTES fOr crEaTINg PErSONaLIZED SOLUTIONS

Whether the tailored product is complex or simple, good processes will ensure that the product meets both the customers’ expectations and the manufacturer’s business objectives. Flexibility within the process is paramount. Some product solutions are simpler than others, and the process needs to be scalable so that stages can be condensed as needed.

The first stage in successfully developing a personalized product solution is the discovery phase. Because every customer is unique and ideates differently, every engagement can constitute an entirely different set of actions and decisions—the true meaning behind “personalized” solutions development.

Throughout these initial interactions, it is critical to discuss a full range of information; from the most basic, such as the timing and quantity, to more detailed topics such as work styles, churn rates, technology considerations, and even exploring architectural nuances and visual aesthetics that can influence material selections. Look to the workplace survey tools as well as observational data to develop baseline information. A solid working document, the personalized product brief, ensures that all of the right questions have been asked.

The next stage, the ideation phase, is the heart of the design process. This step should include brainstorming sessions aimed at generating concepts that meet the needs uncovered in the previous listening sessions. Concept renderings and preliminary mockups are a common output of this step.

All concepts should be thoroughly vetted through a feasibility study. A feasibility study is an important part of a best practice stage-and-gate product development cycle and helps ensure that the concept can be produced in a manner that will meet customer expectations of quality, price, and timeliness.

In a healthy design engagement, these first two steps are often iterated. Initial pricing is determined for the design and shared with the client. Renderings and physical mockup reviews often occur, although each project is different as to the quantity of reviews required. Prototypes should command only as much time, effort and investment as needed to generate useful feedback and evolve an idea.

After any design alterations are completed, the customer signs off on the final design, completing the next stage, the freeze, typically through a purchase order or letter of intent. With the client’s thorough review (often supported by a final mockup and end-user evaluation), the product specification is now final.

Validation, the next stage, includes creation of final prototypes for testing. The purpose of this is to ensure that newly-created products pass all ANSI/BIFMA testing, as well as any other relevant tests and/or codes. The manufacturer will also attend to final details of documentation, completing a manufacturing plan, and so on.

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With testing complete, the manufacturer can move on to the release-to-production stage, issuing purchase orders for material, completing any required tooling, and fulfilling the production order. Nimble manufacturers are those that can support the personalized product process by adapting existing tooling or quickly creating new tools.

At some point following production and installation, the process requires a performance audit. For the customer, the post-installation audit is an opportunity to assess the project’s success in meeting desired performance objectives. For both the customer and manufacturer, it is an opportunity to consider any lessons learned from the project and bring forward any improvements to future projects.

Good, systematic processes provide a game plan that is customer-driven and embodies quality of execution. The game plan is designed to manage overall risk. The stage reviews (commonly known as ‘gates’ in product development) are timely with clear decision criteria and cross-functional involvement.

For an excellent reference on product development process, see Dr. Robert G. Cooper, author of the Stage-Gate® Idea-to-Launch process. Dr. Cooper is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of product innovation. His ideas have been used to craft many processes in the field of innovation management. ‘Winning at New Products’ is a classic reference. Processes such as these can be applied to the development of personalized furniture solutions.

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PERSONALIZED SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Discovery• Capturesallkeyinsightsrelatedtoprojectgoals

Personalized Product Brief• Documentsallcriticalprojectandproductconsiderations(timing,quantity,workstyles,churnrates, technology, aesthetics, materials, environment, etc.)

Specifications “freeze”• Designalterationsarecomplete;customersignsoffonfinaldesign.Purchaseorderorletterofintentisissued

Prototype Validation• Includescreationoffinalprototypesfortesting.EnsuresproductspassallANSI/BIFMAtesting

release to Production• Manufacturerissuespurchaseordersformaterial;requiredtoolingisdeveloped

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Product Ideation • Includesbrainstormingsessionsthatresultinpreliminaryconceptrenderingsandmockups

Performance audit• Assessproject/productperformanceagainststatedobjectives.Leveragelearningsonsubsequentprojects

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PErSONaLIZED PrODUcT SOLUTIONS: rESPONSIVE aND cOMPLEMENTary, WhaTEVEr ThE archITEcTUrE

The concept of designing interiors to suit the architecture of a given space is, by now, quite fundamental. Mark Wigley, a former director of graduate studies at Princeton’s School of Architecture, once described the concept as “implosive design.”

“Implosive design takes over a space, subjecting every detail, every surface to an overarching vision.”

Personalized products are often the best solutions for meeting the challenging landscapes found within both aged buildings and modern-designed office environments. Designers looking for creative ways to eliminate wasted space due to additional angles, columns and other obstacles inherent to a building’s architecture or unique shape can turn to personalized solutions.

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Implosive design subjects every detail, every surface to an overarching vision. Arketype Inc.

Implosive design, Arketype Inc. advertising agency

aDaPTINg TO rEaL ESTaTE TrENDS USINg PErSONaLIZED SOLUTIONS

Economicfactorscangreatly impact how spaces are designed. From the perspective of corporate real estate, “Real estate over-head and cost reduction has become one of the key drivers of work style innovation.

Today, businesses are more likely to favor short-term lease extensions and are less inclined to own space. Cash is king, and even though “green shoots” stories about the economy are rampant, many organizations believe that the one true indicator of recovery in corporate real estate—job recovery—is not coming back to peak levels for some time. Responding to all these factors has generated a greater need for personalized workplace solutions.

One example of the relationship between corporate real estate trends and a tailored workplace design can be found in Mesirow Financial of Chicago. Its new corporate headquarters project combined occupied space from two separate buildings into a new, single building consisting of 336,000 rentable square feet. A key component of the company’s workplace standards was the use of customizable movable walls that take the place of drywall within the building’s interiors. Movable wall offers flexibility and limitless design options, and its design attributes and functional capabilities provide an aesthetic congruency to any building’s architectural intent.

Movable wall also helps organizations meet specific facility goals such as environmental stewardship and acoustical requirements. It is a personalized product solution that easily reconfigures to deliver a positive return on investment even for companies that deal with the lowest churn rates.

Mesirow Financial chose movable walls for several reasons. Chief among them was the need to aggressively manage real estate costs. In its planning process, the company made the decision to compress its real estate footprint, causing its project team to redefine space usage throughout the building. And yet, the need to accommodate future growth

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Genius Movable Wall, Mesirow Financial

Genius Movable Wall, Mesirow Financial


also remained a key requirement. Moveable wall provided a best value solution for both addressing real estate costs and delivering a means to stay flexible and responsive to growth in the long term.

rEfLEcTINg BraND IDENTITy ThrOUgh PErSONaLIZED PrODUcTS

The buildings in which organizations choose to locate are in themselves instruments that can support business objectives, generate revenue and communicate values. Many organizations are recognizing the value of incorporating workplace standards that also reflect the vibrancy of their corporate cultures.

One such organization is Bungie, a progressive video game development company known for such creations as the Halo video game series for Xbox. Among Bungie's goals was to utilize furniture to express and establish its own identity. To Bungie, not only could a personalized furniture solution reflect its independence and brand identity better than any off-the-shelf solution, but it could also better support its work style.

Bungie has a had a distinct workplace vision. Over time, their vision evolved, moving from a utilitarian workspace to one that required personalized prod-uct solutions. As stated by a company producer, it became important to remain “unfettered in our approach.”

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Mobile furniture solutions add flexibility to the workplace environments

Bungie "offices" featuring KI mobile furniture

Bungie’s driving principle acknowledged the need to fill an open floorplate. Due to the nature of its the company's work, employees need to sit next to one another in groups of 6-8 for unspecified periods of time. Groups shift and change continuously at Bungie, and workplace furnishings needed to match this culture. Personalized products answered the critical need for mobility and flexibility while closely reflecting the company’s brand values.

aDDrESSINg aDDITIONaL ISSUES aND TrENDS

Designing a personalized workplace solution enables companies to align themselves with current trends. As companies strive to improve their workplace standards, custom and tailored products can assist them in achieving the following goals:

• Sustainability Personalized product designs offer a means to specify materials that promote environmental stewardship. Fabrics made of post-consumer waste, bamboo-based worksurfaces, and materials with high recyclable content such as aluminum are just a few examples. OrganizationsstrivingtogainLEEDpointsthroughinterior design may consider custom materials to garner design innovation and other points.

• Technology Integration Evolvingtechnologiessuchaswirelesspower or enhancements in other applied sciences can also necessitate personalized solutions. Integrating leading-edge technology into furniture components or adapting furniture systems to support today’s technology are just two examples.

• Alternative Workplace StrategiesResearch has demonstrated that many organizations (perhaps as high as 68 percent) have adopted some semblance of an alternative workplace strategy. For example, “nomadic” workers typically have different space requirements than those who are asked to spend their entire days within an office. Accommodating different worker types through personalized workstation design allows companies to better manage real estate allocation per employee and fulfill storage and technology requirements to the exact needs of that employee set.

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Above: Personalized product solutions from Microsoft's Workplace Advantage Lab


Microsoft Corporation is among a growing number of companies collaborating with furniture experts to optimize the workplace experience by identifying trends. In cooperation with SKB Architects in Seattle and KI, the company collaborated in the development of a personalized workplace solution for Microsoft’s Workplace Advantage Lab.

WorkplaceAdvantage(WPA)isaMicrosoftRealEstate&Facilitiesprogramdesignedtoidentify and meet the unique needs of Microsoft’s businesses through appropriately designed and equipped work environments. By investing in workplace solutions that match business objectives, Microsoft seeks to support innovation and productivity for employees and their businesses.

NaVIgaTINg ThrOUgh a PErSONaLIZED SOLUTION aPPrOach

The advantages of personalized products are clear, but getting the solution right is critical. Working with manufacturers that follow a proven process will help ensure success.

A good manufacturer will also make it a point to ask specific questions throughout the discovery phase of each and every project engagement. Doing so helps determine whether a custom or tailored product application is truly a good fit for the customer.

The right manufacturer will also establish a reasonable timeline for completion. Due to the extensive process outlined herein, personalized products can take several months to develop. This is especially true if the design intent is for a comprehensive workplace solution.

The costs of developing personalized solutions are often assumed to be a potential risk, and for some manufacturers they are. To effectively manage production costs, look for a manufacturing partner with a longstanding reputation and proven experience in tailored product development. Facilities that are extremely flexible and reconfigurable are most likely to be more efficient and able to accommodate nonstandard order requests in any quantity and nearly any degree of personalization.

By designing the right product with the right manufacturing partner, you can deliver the "best value" solutions to satisfy even the most unique customer demands and needs. More importantly, customers will also realize the promise of maximum productivity and sound ROI.

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rEfErENcES

Dr. Robert G. Cooper, “Stage-Gate® Idea-to-Launch”, 1985

Tim Brown, “Design Thinking,” Harvard Business Review, June 2008.

Mark Wigley, “Whatever Happened to Total Design?” Harvard Design Magazine, Summer 1998.

Mark Dixon, Philip Ross, “Unwired Research: Agility @ Work,” Regus.

“The New Office Building…Anticipating the Needs of the 21st Century Tenant,” Workplace Forum.

Brian Crockford, “Future of the Workplace Survey,” Microsoft Corporation

“Living Worklab,” Microsoft presentation, October 1, 2009.

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