Designing with the end in mind

One of my favorite questions is “What would need to be true.” When developing a brand, creating a product and/or designing a solution, this question can unlock everything.

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Some context:

With clients’ brands, and also with Habelo, I start with the end in mind.

Working with clients, we define the Vision for their brand or product. The Vision should be a simple expression of what the brand is building towards. An expression of a desired future state that’s clear, well-defined, and aligned. From the Vision, we work backwards… viewing the current situation and each immediate challenge + decision as a step on the road toward that future.

The Vision must be “go big or go home.” It should motivate and help create focus. It keeps everyone centered on the same idea of what would make us really, really, really proud, and the impact that the brand can have.

(The Vision is not about aiming for a Single for your brand, but a Grand Slam.)

The help get to that articulation, I find it helpful to think about the following:

• I think about the impact and role that the brand can have on people and the Greater Good.

• I think about the badges or recognitions that would make us most proud and indicate our collective success and impact.

• I think about “the company (i.e. other brands) that our brand would keep” with the target audience.

• I think about the headlines the brand would want and the media outlets that might cover our story.

From there, with the end in mind, I pose the question: “What would need to be true.” And that’s where creative solutions and breakthrough ideas begin flowing.

So, for a skincare brand (just for example):

If you wanted to launch category-creating brand and product that solves a real problem, with (1) unparalleled clinical efficacy and powerful results, and (2) generates buzz, attention, and a groundswell of demand, and (3) inspires brand LOVE and loyalty because the brand is trustworthy, with a product so good it’s worth talking about… I start with that Vision.

I use that Vision to fuel creative ideation around “what would need to be true” with the partners and experts (biotech and cosmetic chemists) that I work with, the ingredients that I choose, and how I go to market.

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This question “what would need to be true” to get to an ideal end state is worth trying. It’s easy to find places and ways to ask this question to yourself and with colleagues and partners. You’ll be amazed at the creativity and breakthroughs that emerge.

Good luck 🙂