IDEO Overview

With more than 100 design awards under its belt -- and 44 of them from BusinessWeek -- IDEO is an Industrial design firm that enjoys high esteem in both artistic and commercial circles. Tom Peters, described as "the father of the... [more]

With more than 100 design awards under its belt -- and 44 of them from BusinessWeek -- IDEO is an Industrial design firm that enjoys high esteem in both artistic and commercial circles. Tom Peters, described as "the father of the postmodern corporation," has cited IDEO in books and lectures for years as the epitome of the design strategic partner: "I don't know of anyone else as focused on transferring their own product design knowledge and processes to another organization. And I don't know of any organization that couldn't benefit from IDEO-ing itself. IDEO is in the right place at the right time." This exceptional firm was founded in 1978 by David Kelley, just one year after he graduated from Stanford with his Master's degree. (That year he also began teaching at his alma mater.) Over the next decade, Kelley honed his skills and, more importantly, his design methodology. The underlying principles of his "user-centered" approach can be stated as five basic, mantra-like keywords: Understand, Observe, Visualize, Evaluate/Refine, and Implement. With these commandments as their guide, the designers and engineers of IDEO move quickly, working as a team to analyze and address the issues specific to each individual client. It is not that IDEO enlists "experts" in design, Kelley says; rather IDEO employs "experts at the process of designing stuff." The firm's perceptive process is its biggest asset -- IDEO knows how to pick out what a client really needs. With flagship offices in Palo Alto and an expanding network of affiliates in Europe and Asia as well as the U.S., IDEO has its finger on the pulse of the latest technological, creative, and industrial developments around the world. Many of the firm's innovative designs have become embedded in the cultural fabric, instantly recognizable the world over, even though IDEO doesn't get credit in the minds of most consumers. How about the Palm V? Two and a half years in the making, this hand-held, multifunction device involved IDEO's collaboration on "industrial design, mechanical engineering, and rechargeable battery development." The styling of the product evolved from the original plastic casing to an exterior of anodized aluminum with sleek curves and a lighter weight. Or take the Apple Color StyleWriter Pro printer, which won the "Best of Category" in 1994 in the I.D. Magazine Annual Design Review. Described as "solidly simple," the printer has just two visible controls -- the power switch and paper load lever. Both of these items illustrate the IDEO aesthetic, which merges advanced technology with ergonomic simplicity. That is, in fact, the beauty of IDEO's work -- the products are innovative and unique, and at the same time so obvious that they give rise to the comment "of course." Among the 4,000 projects the firm has infiltrated into daily use are the Qualcomm "Q-Phone," the Smith "Violator" goggles, Steelcase's "Leap Chair," and Nike's "V-12" sports sunglasses. IDEO has also worked on countless "concept" projects, from ultrafast trains for Amtrak to disposable "to-go" beverage cups. IDEO's influence has already been far-reaching and seems destined to expand, as new materials and new technologies present themselves for design. The firm has, for all practical purposes, established what high technology is "supposed" to look like, whether the object at hand is a global positioning device or the latest eyewear. Undoubtedly, Kelly's five commandments will permit IDEO to absorb and shape new inventions as fast as the laboratories can churn them out, bringing understanding to every project before applying the age-old principles of design aesthetics -- form and utility. [show less]