International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day, and with the product design industry being heavily male dominated, we wanted to gain a women’s perspective into what it is like working in a design consultancy. With only having one female employee in the company, Louise Murphy our Sales and Marketing Executive, our Managing Director, Gethin Roberts, interviewed Louise and asked her a series of questions about her job role and what it involves , her understanding of product design and engineering, the marketing techniques she uses, and what she believes universities, employers or the industry as a whole could be doing to make product design more attractive for women as a potential career path?
We want to gain your perspective of what it is like working in a design consultancy. Can you explain a bit about what your role involves here at the company?
It’s a combination of both sales and marketing. The sales aspect includes communicating with clients either through meetings, when they come on site, or over zoom. Following these meetings, I usually write project proposals to offer the client a full scope of what it is we will be doing throughout the project and highlight the various stages the design team go through when creating their product. I will also speak with clients over the phone, to get an idea of what it is they need from us and whether it’s a project we will be interested in working on or have the capability of working on. And also creating justification for Welsh Government, that will be a part of the sales aspect as well. The marketing part involves trying to reflect our brand identity through various social media platforms and trying to create this ‘medical’ ‘purpose-driven’ feel throughout our content, visually and through written pieces of work such as blog post and articles.
The company you are working in are designing new products and are working in this medical, purpose-driven sector, this must mean you must get to see lots of products before they do actually get to market, do you find that exciting to have this insight into things that will be shaping the future?
Yeah definitely! It’s really interesting to see how clients have taken something that they have realised is an issue within their sector and have recognised a need that has not yet been met and then transforms this need into an opportunity. It is great to see how they develop an original idea that has come from this realisation to then create something that can benefit other professional within their sector and society in general.
Do you think they are successfully identifying problems people have day to day?
I think so, there are some problems identified that are more obvious than others. Then there’s problems identified in sectors that I may not necessarily be familiar with, but I am able to understand that there is a problem there and an opportunity available. It helps when clients have really thought about how they can solve the problem identified. It’s exciting to be a part of that and see how the product can evolve and almost generate a domino effect for the evolution of new products within that sector.
I think that everyone has become more aware of global warming and the implications of that, and I think that product designers are in a really strong position to help influence against this disposable society that has emerged. Is the environmental aspect of product design something you think about at all?
Yeah of course! You notice it a lot with the clients who are coming in, that the environmental impact of the products they are creating is definitely considered, whereas I can imagine in the past these impacts weren’t necessarily thought about as much. As an example, clients considering plastic alternative materials and really taking responsibility for the products they are creating, and the processes used to get to that end point. The clients that are drawn to us now really think about the effects the products they are creating have on society and the environment. The ethics of the projects are heavily considered, and clients want to create something that is both economically and ecologically viable. This is essential as ethical issues in the product design sector include the creation of products that don’t really serve a purpose, so this movement towards purpose-driven product design is really encouraging to see and be a part of. You can definitely see a shift in people agendas and priorities.
The clients that are drawn to us now really think about the effects the products they are creating have on society and the environment. The ethics of the projects are heavily considered, and clients want to create something that is both economically and ecologically viable.
The process of developing products must in some cases take some time, and it must be quite a complex process to go through, to take an idea that has come from someone’s head and transform that into a profitable, marketable product. Is there a particular part of the process that you find the most intriguing?
Yes definitely! So, I think the concept phase is the phase I find the most intriguing. Due to coming from a creative background, I am attracted to the more fluid approach taken in that stage of process, where ideas are explored a bit more and the more imaginative aspect of design is used. I enjoy watching the clients ideas being explored and stretched as far as they possibly can to then create a hybrid concept that has considered a variety of different perspectives, this then leads to the creation of something completely new and unique. I also love seeing an initial idea develop into a physical product in the prototyping stage. I find it really exciting going from a meeting where a few ideas are thrown onto the table to then see it become a physical thing.
So, you mentioned this idea of creating lots of different design concepts, and really expanding possibilities, does this method of coming up with lots of ideas apply to the approach you take in your role?
I think so, yes. I am always someone who will create a variety of different version of things and then take elements from each version and develop a hybrid design, that is definitely a way I work. I also see a lot of benefits from collaborating with my colleagues, I like getting different opinions and perspectives and from listening to these different perspectives and then applying them to my work, it helps elevate my work to that next level. So, I would definitely say how the concept phase is developed, is something I can relate to with how I work.
Throughout your job role, you have in a lot of different projects from a variety of different sectors, not just the medical sector. Does this variety pose challenges to you in your role?
In a way yes, but then in a way no because the design team are always very good at explaining to me what they are doing and the purpose behind the project. Due to a lot of the projects enrolled at ITERATE being purpose-driven, I think once that purpose is recognised and understood, the rest of it all makes sense. By understanding the initial purpose of the product, the design decisions and directions are justified, and the aim of the final design is understood. It is really interesting to see the different approaches taken by the design team when working on different projects, though the design process has phases to follow, the approach taken in each project is unique and dependent on the type of product that is being created.
By understanding the initial purpose of the product, the design decisions and directions are justified, and the aim of the final design is understood.
With your role being quite customer facing, are there certain attributes someone may have that correlates with the success of a project?
I think being driven is a really big part of it and realising that creating a product is a process that takes time and dedication. Also being really involved in the concept phase and knowing exactly what it is you want to achieve, yet still being open to advise and direction given by the design team. It is also really beneficial for the client to have a clear idea on who their target market is and where their product will be positioned in that market, from this, it is a lot easier to visualise a successful, marketable product. They also really need that determination to give their product that final push to take it from that prototyping phase to market. Having an insight to the target market through the profession a client maybe working in is also beneficial and correlates with the success of a project and getting a product to market, that initial insight is invaluable.
I think being driven is a really big part of it and realising that creating a product is a process that takes time and dedication.
So, flipping it back to marketing, the key things to focus on are being able to connect and communicate with your target customer. What channels and methods do you use to try and reach out to your target market?
There is a different approach for the different platforms we use. LinkedIn, as an example, includes more articles and blogs that offer our audience an insight into what it is we do here at ITERATE and how we do it. The LinkedIn posts also showcase what inspires us and what drives us. We often post content about other businesses, or movements that share our passions and outlooks. This I think works well as its creating a clear message about what it is we want to achieve through the work we produce and what we aspire to achieve as we grow as a company. Platforms like Instagram more so focuses on visual content and trying to reflect our brand identity, ensuring that when our page is viewed or shared, it is instantly associated to us.
So, what types of different activities would you like to do in the future?
I think we could be more involved in social events, as we’ve been restricted in recent years by the pandemic to participate in events, I think it could be really beneficial to start being a part of them again. I want to carry on with the things we have been doing recently that have been successful, but I definitely think we should continue to evolve our content as the company continues to grow, and ensure we reflect that growth through our social media platforms and our website. So, we are planning on doing some website development and improving the performance quality of it by considering things such as loading times and backlinks. This is to ensure we are ranked highly on google so that we are exposed and accessible to potential clients. We also want to focus on ensuring our brand identity is clearly communicated throughout the website and that all the pages follow a theme. The YouTube channel is also something we want to focus our efforts on. By creating useful videos that offer subscriber useful tips and information about product design and topics that orbit around it, we can build up relationships and sense of trust with our audience and become a reference point for people when thinking about product design. We also want to communicate through the various channels how we are here to offer a supportive experience and service. We get a lot of positive feedback from our clients in regard to the support we offer throughout the design process and I think this could be reflected more through the content we produce.
As it is international women’s day, and with the product design and engineering design sector being male dominated, what do you think universities, employers or the industry as a whole could be doing to make it more attractive for women as a potential career path?
Maybe explaining the process of it a bit more. I think the word engineering could maybe put women off slightly, without knowing what product design or engineering is, women may almost think about in a mechanical sense, and of course it is by no means that rigid. I think a general lack of understanding of what it is you can do with the role plays a part in it. I think there are a lot of things women could really contribute to product design, and it would be interesting to see if there is a shift in the type and style of products created if women were more heavily involved. How to actually engage women and get them interested in product design is a hard question to answer as it is so subjective, but I think generating awareness around what it is you can do with a product design or engineering degree would definitely help contradict the stereotype.
I think a general lack of understanding of what it is you can do with the role plays a part in it. I think there are a lot of things women could really contribute to product design, and it would be interesting to see if there is a shift in the type and style of products created if women were more heavily involved.
So, what would you say to someone who is considering a career in either marketing or product design?
I would say do it! It is very rewarding! The marketing aspect of it is fun as every day is different, though you have a set of boundaries that you stick to when creating a brand identity, there’s still so much you can do with it. With product design, through seeing how excited the design team get when they create a product and then receiving great client feedback, I can tell how fulfilled they feel. With us being a purpose-driven design consultancy, the design team are proud of the fact that they have created something that is going to have a positive impact on society. They are also aware that they have help transform someone’s idea into a reality, and when they see a product make it to market and be successful, you can feel the sense of achievement they have.
