Design Matters

While working on my new photoblog (where I will soon start to share my fashion and people photos), I found a lot of inspring information, which helps me answer my favorite question: How to deliver good product design?

Ack/nak and Billy Mays: Lessons for Product Managers

Ack/nak wrote the very comprehensive article → billy mays: lessons for product managers about the attention, which the written word will receive. In essence, product managers (and not only them) do not read, but they conversate and they want to become exited. But, what does this imply to my photoblog, and to our daily work as a Product Manager? For me, his blog post implies that everything, which I produce there, should have consumers in mind. In the article, which he discusses (→ The Billy Mays 5-Step Guide to Easy Selling), I found the following additional points, which good products need to consider:

„1. It must solve a problem.

2. It must have mass appeal.

3. It must be unique.

4. It must offer instant gratification.

5. It must be demonstrable. “ – http://www.copyblogger.com

Well, my photoblog will solve a real problem. As ack/nak puts it:

„Why are you asking me to read an article about a recently-deceased pitchman’s approach to selling that doesn’t even have any nice pictures?“ – http://acknak.blogspot.com

And, the list tells me something more: Design matters. Ok, good question: Which mid set do I need to be able to produce  good design?

Presentation Zen’s – 10 steps to think like a designer

The → PresentationZen blog has helped me with 10 tips (1 bonus), of how to think like a designer (see → 10 Tips on how to think like a designer). In particular the following point from this blog post is important to me and my new photoblog:

„6) Become a master storyteller. Often it’s not only the design — i.e., the solution to a problem — that is important, but the story of it. …  What’s the meaning of the solution? Practice illustrating the significance of solutions both verbally and visually. Start with the general, zoom in to the detail, pull out again to remind us of the theme or key concept, then zoom back in to illuminate more of the detail.“ – www.presentationzen.com

Meaning of my New Photoblog

To understand the meaning of my new photoblog, you should understand, how a photoshooting is organized. Basically I have to deal with two topics:

• Nearshooting: To be able to shoot, I need to find models, I need to explain, how a shooting is organized, and I need to present my previous working results (so to say my „handwriting“). Furthermore, I need to provide inspiration and background information, which the new model can use to elaborate her own understanding together with me.
• Long-term-enablement; In the long run, I need to address technology-related topics (i.e. which sort of light arrangement for which result), and I need to show my potential in other photografic disciplines (i.e. streetphotography, architecture, etc), and finally, I need to distribute my work.

First of all, my new photoblog will enable, what I call nearshooting-activities (that is the ultimate reason, why it will start as German version). In the long run, I plan to share there experiences, which I made in related areas.

Gratification and Demonstration

Ok, now as I told you about my approach to make it a good and unique new photoblog, and after I hopefully convinced you that it has a meaning, let’s come to the gratification. Voíla, below, you see preview of my new site.

For an online demonstration (German), → visit it.

Kontakt

Das Original dieses Artikels ist auf →Der Produktmanager erschienen (©Andreas Rudolph). Regelmäßige Artikel gibt es über die (→Mailingliste), oder indem Sie →mir auf Twitter folgen. In der Online Version finden Sie hier die versprochenen weiterführenden Links:

This entry was posted on Mittwoch, August 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm. It is filed under Innovation, Thema des Tages and tagged with Beispiele, Design Thinking, English Content, Messaging, Nutzenversprechen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.