The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products by Austin, Robert

The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products

What makes the Apple iPhone cool? Bang & Olufsen and Samsung's televisions beautiful? Any of a wide...
$90.15 SGD
$90.15 SGD
SKU: 9780804757201
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 309 left in stock
Author: Robert Austin
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $90.15
10 customers are viewing this product
The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products by Austin, Robert

The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products

$90.15

The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products

$90.15
Author: Robert Austin
Format: Hardcover
Language: English

What makes the Apple iPhone cool? Bang & Olufsen and Samsung's televisions beautiful? Any of a wide variety of products and services special? The answer is not simply functionality or technology, for competitors' products are often as good.

The Soul of Design explores the uncanny power of some products to grab and hold attention-to create desire. To understand what sets a product apart in this way, authors Lee Devin and Robert Austin push past personal taste and individual response to adopt a more conceptual approach. They carefully explore the hypothesis that there is something within a "special" product that makes it-well, special. They argue that this je ne sais quoi arises from "plot"-the shape that emerges as a product or service arouses and then fulfills expectations. Marketing a special product is, then, a matter of helping its audience perceive its plot and comprehend its qualities.

Devin and Austin provide keys to understanding why some products and services stand out in a crowd and how the companies that make them create these hits. Part One of the book introduces the authors' definition of plot in this context; Part Two breaks down the components needed to build a plot; Part Three describes what makes a plot coherent; Part Four takes on the challenges of making coherent products and services attractive to consumers. Part Four also presents detailed casework, which shows how innovators and makers have successfully brought special products to market.

Readers will come away with a sensible and clear approach to conceiving of artful products and services. This book will help managers and designers think about engaging with plot, taking aesthetic factors into account to provide consumers with more special things.



Author: Robert Austin, Lee Devin
Publisher: Stanford Business Books
Published: 09/05/2012
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780804757201

About the Author
Lee Devin is a Dramaturg at People's Light, an Emeritus professor of Theatre and Senior Research Scholar at Swarthmore College, a member of Actors' Equity, a Certified Scrum Master, and a Consultant for the Cutter Consortium Innovation Practice. With Rob Austin, he is the author of Artful Making; What Managers Need to Know about How Artists Work (2003). Robert D. Austin is Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, former professor of Management of Creativity and Innovation at Copenhagen Business School, and former Professor of Technology and Operations at Harvard Business School. His book, The Adventures of an IT Leader (2009), has won accolades for its "novel" approach. Formerly a manager at Ford and Novell, he is a frequent advisor to multinational firms.


This title is not returnable

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Related Products

Recently Viewed Products