Ammunition Founder on Creating a Culture of Great Design

In this podcast, Ammunition Founder Robert Brunner sits down with Willow Innovations Product VP Melissa Pickering. Brunner is a design leader with experience in various industries, and he shares insights from throughout his career. He discusses his work at Lunar Design and his role as the former director of industrial design at Apple. Brunner highlights the importance of design in building emotional connections with customers, drawing from his experience with Beats by Dr. Dre. He co-authored the book “Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company,” exploring how design influences brand perception and customer loyalty. Brunner provides advice for product managers, emphasizing the need to understand the design process, advocate for great products, and foster a culture of great design within organizations.

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Show Notes

1. Robert Brunner has a wealth of experience in design leadership and co-founded Lunar Design.
2. He worked as the former director of industrial design at Apple and played a role in building the design department.
3. Brunner is the founder of Ammunition, a product design and brand development group.
4. He co-authored the book “Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company.”
5. Brunner shares significant moments in his career, including his discovery of industrial design and work with startup Mindset.
6. Furthermore, his involvement with Beats by Dr. Dre highlights the transformative power of design in creating emotional connections with customers.
7. “Do You Matter?” explores the impact of design on brand perception and customer loyalty.
8. Brunner advises product managers to understand the design process, support designers, and advocate for exceptional products.
9. Of course, creating or changing a design culture in an organization can be challenging and time-consuming.
10. Building a new culture requires laying foundations and integrating design throughout the entire process.
11. Leadership is furthermore crucial for fostering a design culture and ensuring design is prioritized at all stages.
12. Apple exemplifies a company where design is consistently discussed throughout the product development process.
13. Design should also be incorporated into everyday life, including communication materials, to establish a design culture.
14. Building a design culture necessitates commitment, faith in the value of design, and investment in its implementation.
15. Prototyping is essential for exploration, validation, and iteration before moving to production.
16. Testing should focus on learning rather than making immediate decisions, understanding pain points and gathering valuable insights.
17. Great products are usable, useful, and desirable, aiming to evoke emotions and form connections with users.
18. Exceptional product managers possess well-rounded skills, a holistic perspective, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and advocate for customers.
19. Product managers should step back to grasp the bigger picture, manage compromises, have faith in design, and learn the language of design.
20. Recommended books for further reading include “Change by Design” by Tim Brown, “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman, and “Designing Experiences” by Jay Robert Rossman and Matthew D. Duerden.