More on the One Idea Approach
Monday May 2, 2005 / 14 CommentsAfter attending Edward Tufte’s course recently, I had a realization with regard to one idea being better than three. The success of the “one ideaâ€? approach was not due to the fact that we only presented one idea, but rather due to the overwhelming evidence that led to the idea.
The Importance of Evidence and Research
The hidden benefit to presenting one idea is that it puts you in a position to more thoroughly validate your idea, and, if it holds up, provide the appropriate evidence to support that idea. If you aren’t going to do this extra legwork and expose your reasoning to your client, then one idea will not hold up to scrutiny.
It’s About Responsibility
This approach is rooted in the idea that as consultants, it is our responsibility to make certain decisions for our clients. It is not a matter of doing less work or making more money. It is purely a matter of fulfilling an obligation to the client that will help them achieve the best results. They are paying for you to understand their business and make the correct decisions. Forcing them to make the more difficult decisions between several choices is not fulfilling that obligation.
Nothing is Absolute
Naturally, some clients will want the choices. You can’t avoid those situations unless you choose not to work with those clients, and that is a whole other discussion. The idea behind all of this is that it really is our responsibility to make informed decisions and help guide clients rather than just throw out half-baked ideas and make clients carry those ideas across the finish line.
This approach should be another tool in your arsenal rather than the perfect solution to the problem. Discuss the concept with your clients, help them see the benefits. If they don’t buy into it, the rest is up to you.
Understanding and Insight
This approach is impossible if you do not have a good solid grasp of your client’s goals and business. Clients do not always afford enough time to help you gain the right level of familiarity with their business, and I recognize that. However, without that understanding, you are going to have a very difficult time no matter what approach you take. In fact, a lack of commitment on the part of the client is one of the only reasons that I would suggest turning down their business.
Without a deep understanding of your client, their goals, and their business, you can never guide them to a decision, and this approach will never work. Without that knowledge, you can only throw options at them and wait to see which ones stick. In that case, you aren’t guiding them, you are just offering some half-baked solutions and making them do all of the legwork and critical thinking to arrive at the final solution. If you have the right knowledge and understanding, you should be in a position to do that legwork for them.
Survival of the Fittest
In our situation, we were going into these meetings with several weak ideas in place of one strong one. Some of you might say, “Everybody at our company produces really great work, so that doesn’t apply to us. We don’t produce weak ideas.” That may be the case. Nonetheless, I guarantee you they could be stronger. If you have three ideas with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, why not take the extra step and pull them together internally? Show your client one idea that has it all rather than three ideas that have bits and pieces. Which would you honestly rather present if you had the choice?
An Analogy
Offering multiple choices is like playing baseball blindfolded. You might still get three swings, but you won’t be spending much time on base. You might even get a hit, but it won’t be a homerun. Guiding, on the other hand, frees you of the blindfold and lets you plan and wait for that perfect idea. Then, when you’re ready and it’s a good pitch, you can take your swing knowing it’s going to be a homerun. Personally, I prefer homeruns.
The Unfortunately Necessary Disclaimer (and Summary)
This won’t work in every situation. Some clients just won’t buy it. In this situation, it’s usually a matter of control or subjective issues, and in my ever so humble opinion, that’s a problem with the client, not the approach.
Also, as with any other part of a project, if you don’t have a deep understanding of your client’s needs and goals, this won’t work. Often, your client just won’t provide you with the time you need to gain this knowledge. Regardless though, You can’t solve problems that you don’t understand. In that situation, it’s probably best that you just take a few stabs at it and offer those up for the client to do the rest.
Research and evidence are prerequisites. If you can’t backup your one idea with the steps and information that got you there, it won’t work. It takes a lot of effort to gather all of that information.
You should still create multiple ideas. Just don’t present all of them to the client. Refine them internally, and then present your best candidate. Think of it as detailed brainstorming and collaboration.
The whole idea is to help your clients get the best possible results. Frankly, as long as that is your goal, it probably doesn’t matter what approach you take. Consider all of this as one more suggestion to that end.
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Once again, Garrett, tons of sound and experienced advice there — you’ve obviously been at the coal face for long enough to know what works and to give it extended consideration.
As I indicated in a previous response, I still am not convinced that the one-is-better-than-three approach is the right one in most cases. But this is probably a matter of preference rather than a fundamental disagreement with your proposition.
At the heart of your approach, it seems to me, is the assumption that there is only one ‘right’ approach for a given problem. I’m not sure that’s often the case.
You use the baseball analogy to good effect. How about this one: you’re having your home built. Let’s assume you’ve chosen your architect carefully and briefed her well. Would you like her to come back to you with a single functionally and esthetically correct solution? Or would you like to look at a couple or three sketches of your future home, all of which meet the brief, but which explore the overall solution space in slightly (or majorly!) different ways?
Me, I’d love to see alternatives (as long as they were in the right ballpark — to borrow your metaphor!) and would consider the presence of relevant, good-fit alternatives at the presentation to be a positive rather than a negative. How about you? Bruce
Bruce – I definitely don’t think there is one ‘right’ solution. However, knowing that in the end you will have to choose just one, I do believe there is a ‘best’ solution.
As for the house analogy, it’s a little difficult because there isn’t really an underlying business strategy that is essential to success of the end result.
Still though, I can say though that I would rather have those discussions about the direction during the exploration. Then, provided I chose them based on having seen their past work, I would prefer they narrow that exploration down to one direction that they were fully committed to and believed was the right answer. After all, I would be paying them for their professional opinion and experience; not mine. If I didn’t trust or respect their work enough to do that, then I probably chose the wrong architect.
I should also note that sometimes your one idea may be way off. And to that I would offer that foul balls are alright as long as you’re swinging for the fences every time. Garrett
The key here is understanding the client, their needs, and being able to come up with a viable solution that meets their level of expectations. As for your analogy Bruce: I would rather have one solid, well-researched solution, than a cluster of ideas that may/may not work with my overall idea of what I want for a house.
I completely agree with you Garrett, and at times have found this approach to be a more delightful one. I have found that a client tends to appreciate this approach as long as you can provide them with well formed ideas. Of course, this approach does have its drawbacks, but the positive tends to outweigh the negative. Abel Rios
I hear you, guys, and I don’t think we’re miles apart… we’re all agreed on the need for good briefs, good analysis, good work.
I’ve played the presentation strategy both ways, many times, and seen both approaches fail and succeed depending on prevailing circumstances (read: clients ;) I guess there’s no one rule, like you say, Garrett. And certainly my personal preference would be for the kind of client/agency relationship where a single-shot approach works — it’s a lot more efficient. Bruce
A client actually once said to me,
I’m not paying you to tell me what’s wrong; I’m paying you to tell me what’s right. You’re the designer.
I concluded: presenting three decidedly distinct choices means two of them are wrong, even if that’s made so only by the client’s choosing. Joseph Wain
Ah, to relive the old days when designers in capes unfurled their masterworks upon the great unwashed masses!
As it did then, this approach only works if:
1. You were hired as a designer-artist to specifically put your signature style on the project, pumping up desireability over usefulness or usability. (Think Michael Graves at Target.)
2. You’ve walked the single-path road together with your client. Together you navigated ever design decision along the road, reaching “the one” destination. This is commonly referred to as “Integrated” New Product Development. Mature in the product design world, less so in the software/web design world.
3. You’re competing for business, and were asked specifically for one concept, and you’ve agreed to take the risk.
Otherwise it’s just irresponsible to take this approach. Design is about minimizing risk, not creating it (nothing prevents someone from building a product or website without design!)
Even within a corporation there are constant either/or decisions to be made on a daily basis. You hedge your bets. You balance the “agressiveness” of your product portfolio. And you do it in four dimensions, with constantly shifting needs, opportunities, trends and capabilities. Chris Gielow
These are all solid points here Chris, but we’re not exactly baking cupcakes here.
1. Isn’t this why you were hired to begin with? A client just doesn’t approach you and ask you to build a website without knowing what they are getting.
2. This is exactly what we are talking about…to get to walking this path. Aren’t we?
3. Specifically asked or not, I think that a broader range of ideas tend to lose the message you are trying to convey with each solution, and aren’t as strong as one complete one.
I don’t think that this approach will work all of the time, but it is a more effective approach. I can’t see in what way this approach would be irresponsible though. Please explain. Abel Rios
sorry… cross posted from the first discussion. didn’t see that there was a follow up here:
i would agree that you should never present the client with three ‘final’ solutions but that has never been my approach to the three design paradigm.
to me the multiple concept presentation is about understanding a client’s goals and, equally as important, their limits. as such, none of the concepts should be designed or presented as a push to the final answer but, rather, each should be designed to promote a discussion about how to approach the resolution of the design problem.
the three concepts should be radically different. not one good idea and two watered down versions of the same idea. it is a part of an exploration that you are bring the client in on.
good research is essential but it won’t lead you to one ‘perfect’ answer as research ultimately gets filtered through the eyes of the designer. it your job to see how your client filters the same information and one tool for this is the three concept formula.
simple discussions with clients do not always pull forward what they are thinking… sometimes you have to put something in front of them and say, “if if put this out into the world with your name on it today what would you think/feel.”
in essence, it is a process that is, in many ways, designed to fail at getting client approval… which is how the door to the real conversation gets opened.
another reason for presenting more than one idea is that even if the client says they love your ‘final answer’ at the design presentation, if the design goes live and gets a poor, or lukewarm, reaction (and lets face it, it happens) in their mind they will simply blame you and assume you don’t know what you are doing. if you have pushed them to help guide you they are more invested in the design process and will be more willing to see the failure as simply a part of a larger design process that they are engaging in with you.
you have started a very interesting conversation. thanks! greg
Garrett,
Yes, you must be very young, to believe that you could possibly know the client’s business better than they do. Or to be so arrogant to think that YOU have an answer that is the only ONE answer. How sad that you can only come up with one design that’s good. All the talk from you and your responders about showing bad designs means you just don’t have enough good ideas.
I would never advocate presenting something bad. But I come from a firm belief that a designer’s job is to present the client with “possibilities.” That means choices. I have turned in assignments where I have provided the client 37, 29 and in one case 46 possibilities. And you know what? In every case the client chose things that weren’t even in their brief. Things there would be no way to even know they might consider, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT I CONSIDERED IT FOR THEM. That’s what I think my job as a designer is.
And the final solutions were not watered down because of so many choices. They were better because I controlled the variations, from the beginning. When the client asked, “What if it had more color?” I could say, “You mean like number 17?” They would say, “No, no, no, that’s too much. I mean more like number 5.” Dialogue. Thought. Creativity. Things that most of us have presumed clients have little time for.
You can go and live in your world of “One perfect solution” but I prefer to think of the designer’s role as the one who imagines “possibilities” that the client can choose from so that THEY feel they got the perfect solution. Tom
As both a designer and a pastry chef, I can say that formulating a great cupcake recipe is probably harder than formulating a great design. What will please the client in either area is something else entirely, and, sadly, often has little to do with quality. Either way, if you want to keep getting paid, you go with what works, and for some clients, that’s going to be the Grand Unified Design approach and with others it’s going to be the Chinese menu approach.
Yes, you must be very young, to believe that you could possibly know the client’s business better than they do.
I’ve often been astounded by just how poorly clients understand the realities of their own businesses and markets. You’re lucky to work for people who have a firm grasp on these things.
However, that doesn’t really enter into this discussion. We are paid to synthesize our understanding of a client’s business into a message. We ostensibly know more about how to bridge the gap between what a company means and how their market interprets it than the client does—that’s why they pay us and is why we’re designers rather than pre-press production artists. Us knowing more about interfacing them with their markets is the whole point.
A speech writer doesn’t present three versions of a speech. They make as coherent a message as they can, present it, and refine it with the client.
While it’s the status quo, presenting three designs is fundamentally about stroking the client’s ego or covering for the designer, not about achieving the best possible result. What it really says to me is, “I don’t really understand your message or your market”. It’s our job to know what the best design is and to be an advocate for it.
At the end of the day, do what works. When all is said and done, it’s a job, not art. And jobs are about getting paid, and getting paid is about pleasing the client. Nick
Nick – Well said. Sometimes, I really wish I could just have other people write for me. Thanks. Garrett
Note: Apologies for the lengthy post! I value this discussion highly and wanted to provide as much depth as possible in my comments.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
“If one comp is good for one reason, and another for a different reason, then take that and make the perfect comp.” – Garrett
A good description of a multiple-idea approach to design, and a key aspect of its validity for a wide range of projects and clients. The creative process still needs to happen, and I think that this is a key misconception a lot of people have about your approach – that it doesn’t.
My interpretation of your position is that “one idea” is less about short-cutting the creative process or skipping steps, and more about where and how you decide to involve the client in that process – and restricting their input to a single, internally blessed approach. An interesting idea, but one in conflict with its own requirement of involving the client as much as possible…
CLIENT INVOLVEMENT
“The whole concept depends heavily on close client involvement and understanding throughout the whole project. Without that, you’re right, it can’t work.“ – Garrett
“Evidence also plays a big part. I assume that with major clients from the Fortune 500, user research would play a significant role in almost every project. That’s the perfect evidence with which to make informed decisions.“ – Garrett
Note that decisions are still being made. Note that user research is still a necessary part of the process. Now also realize that any good research or test setup will include one or more controls, as well as multiple options and variations tested against each other, to provide more valuable, qualified results. A single idea testing well doesn’t tell a story. That Idea C tested the best across different groups of users, when compared to other results, tells me much more. And if there’s one thing that is amazingly unpredictable, it’s the real-world results of testing with real people.
There are many essential components of problem-solving and the creative process – many of which involve review, iteration and re-testing. Short-cutting this process will only impair success.
As illustrated, the creative process is still necessary, and you advocate involving the client heavily and throughout the entire project. How do you both hide the creative process internally and still involve the client in this way? If they’re involved, they’re involved, and they’re going to be privy to your ideas and thinking via ongoing discussions and dialog. Or are you advocating one-way communication up until presentation day?
MANAGING EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS
Doesn’t it make sense to get their informed input on one or more ideas even in earlier stages, enabling you to more actively manage expectations, respond to change both internal and external, start building buy-in and consensus with key stakeholders, and promote true project success and client satisfaction from as early on as possible? Rather than finding yourself in an awkward position of backing one ill-conceived idea at the end of an engagement?
Presenting multiple approaches, involving the client at every level possible and plenty of communication throughout are all tools for managing client expectations, and managing expectations is an important key to the success of any relationship – business or personal.
A PERFECT WORLD
In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a need for multiple designers, and the single designer with the answer for everything wouldn’t even present comps or rough ideas. Based on a single discussion with the client, they would be able to divine the single most appropriate solution for that client’s problem and return to said client with a CD of the completed, coded, functional, tested, fully-rendered, produced, hosted, press-ready ONE solution. They’d be done. No additional meetings, no additional client input.
We know it’s not a perfect world, that we’re designers, not divine beings, and that this scenario just isn’t realistic. So, we’re left with the creative process. Where and how the client is involved in that process is going to depend on a LOT of factors as described above, and partnering with the client throughout the creative process – even the early stages, when things haven’t yet gelled into a single idea on either side of the client/agency divide – only serves to minimize risk and maximize the chances of project success.
OTHER ASSUMPTIONS
The one idea approach assumes trust and complete honesty from the client. It assumes that fact-finding, requirements gathering and understanding the client’s needs and business are static, one-time, one-way, linear tasks, and that project activities are performed in sequence, rather than as dynamic, non-linear, ongoing efforts that can often run in parrallel or tandem with branding, user interface, graphic design and many other business activities.
It assumes no internal conflict within the client’s organization that may change the direction of the project mid-stream. All client stakeholders would be present and accounted for at all stages of the process, and they would all be in complete agreement as to what their problem actually is.
Functional and technical requirements would be set in stone, and the client’s business model and operating environment would not be in a constant state of flux. Executives wouldn’t be fickle or aloof. Marketing managers wouldn’t be petty or indifferent. There would be no collaboration with the client’s own internal marketing, design or engineering teams, and no client partners or vendors with their own agendas, processes, personnel and changing technologies would need to be considered, consulted or involved in any way.
In other words – it assumes a stationary target, and is much less effective at hitting one that moves.
HANDLE WITH CARE
If extreme care is not taken, the one idea approach creates an ideal climate for design in a vacuum, and is capable of creating an extreme amount of risk for both you and your client. This isn’t to say that it can’t be the right approach for certain clients, only that the approach should be handled with care. James
Interesting pair of articles.
So if one is better than three, why say that One Site Isnt’ Enough? (http://www.garrettdimon.com/about/) :)ensen
TOM: iF I’m your client and I’m asking you one corporate design to my office paper, buisness cards and expo-stands, you could came showing 3 different designs to me choose.
Now, we are in the tabel with your porposes and you dislike my t-shirt. So I proceed to give you my opinions of your work (maybe I could say all or maybe only 2)
-I like this one, but I like the lines in this other one.
-Can you repeat this using this other text?
-maybe this is good, but no one of the 3 convinces me really.
-as designer, what do you recommend to me??*
-I like the 3, really, I want the 3 but I got to choose onle one, I’ll decide with my partners and my mother and I’ll tell you soon, it reduces the time but I trust in your skills to develope in one day!! (*hughs).
-I asked you for one design, not 3.———-
One question:
does the client need 3, 10, 20 purposes?
You can design in the process 50 different designs, ok, that’s good but me as a client: Do I need to see all your purposes? I’m asking you only one design! but as an amateur you are you can’t decide or understand what I need, you can’t choose one effective from yours 50 designs. can’t you decide using your criteria, knowledge and skills?? why do I got to confuse my mind with your purposes iF only I want to think in the girl I like?? as designer you say to me : ” I have all this great variety of choices to you!! choose what you like!!!” . Sorry but, aren’t you de designer? aren’t you the professional who will understand what my enterprises need? I thought you weren’t amateur as you are.
—-
Nick
You sound like a teacher .. hahaha I felt comfortable with your words: “We are paid to synthesize our understanding of a client’s business into a message [...]” I’m teacher too, nice to see you.
—-
my previous shout was here
www.garrettdimon.com/archives/one-idea-is-better-than-three Jorge
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