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Project Management

Easier for Who? Decoding the Complexity in ‘Simple’ Requests

‘Quick and Easy’ is a Myth

“Could you do this update if it’s quick and easy?” If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this common request, you might understand the underlying complexities it presents. These words, though seemingly benign, can hide a multitude of uncertainties, trade-offs, and potential future debt. The question we often find ourselves asking in response is, “Easier for who?”

Unraveling the Complexity Knot

Let’s break this down. ‘Quick’ usually means ‘quick for now’, but often accrues debt in the long term. And ‘Easy’ isn’t binary. Are we talking about making it easier for YOU, our client, on a day-to-day basis? Or perhaps for your end customer? Maybe you’re referring to us, the B2B business, implying it should cost you less?

Using Tesler’s law of the conservation of complexity, it becomes clear that simplicity for one party often means increased complexity for another. Any perceived ease or simplicity is merely a transference of complexity, not its elimination.

The Power of Clarity in Complexity

Acknowledging this, it’s critical to identify who you’re optimizing for when saying “if it’s easy”. This clarity not only helps set realistic expectations but also ensures more effective communication and collaboration between all parties involved.

At our firm, we believe in tackling this challenge head-on. We offer a tool specifically designed to help you rank and identify which projects at which stages should optimize for ease. We’re here to help navigate the nuances of ‘quick and easy’, guiding you towards long-term success over short-term expedience.

It’s Time to Decipher ‘Easy’

So, the next time you find yourself asking for something ‘quick and easy’, consider who you’re really asking to bear the complexity. Remember, ‘easy’ is subjective. By clearly identifying who you’re optimizing for, you can achieve more efficient and sustainable results.

Ready to unravel the complexity in ‘quick and easy’? Reach out to us today and let’s begin the journey towards balanced, clear, and sustainable solutions.

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Uncategorized

Design Thinking in Action: A Shift in Perspective

The Transformative Power of Design Thinking

Ever wondered how Design Thinking can be practically applied? We’re about to take this theoretical concept and ground it in a real-life situation, showing you its transformative power and everyday utility.

The Framework of Design Thinking using David Allen’s Wisdom

David Allen’s six horizons of Getting Things Done (GTD™) offer a clear perspective:

  1. Purpose
  2. Vision
  3. Goals & Objectives
  4. Areas of Focus
  5. Projects
  6. Next Actions

Each of these steps influences the subsequent one, paving the way for a cascading effect that pushes progress forward. Let’s illustrate this through a case from our client work.

A Real-life Case Study: Rethinking a Facebook Advertising Campaign

A loyal client, who had relied on us for graphic design work for the past five years, approached us with an internally designed Facebook ad for review. Despite having suggested it before, they had not yet explored targeted Facebook campaigns. This request presented a golden opportunity to put Design Thinking into practice.

We kicked off with identifying the purpose – their aim was to book more corporate business. With the objective not really about “doing graphic design”, our vision then shifted to finding the most efficient way to achieve this goal. For goals and objectives, we needed measurable targets – how many more corporate clients did they want to engage?

Our focus then turned to their areas of focus and projects, which revealed an alternative, potentially more effective approach. Using their CRM, we curated a list of 20 past clients that they could connect with directly, leveraging their existing relationship.

The next actions? No ad campaigns. No graphic designs. Just direct, personal communication with potential clients.

This shift in strategy paid off remarkably – they booked 12 out of the 20 past clients. Everyone saved about five hours of time they would’ve otherwise spent on the ad campaign.

Experience the Magic of Design Thinking in Your Everyday Business Decisions

This real-life example shows that Design Thinking is far from a lofty, abstract concept. It is a practical tool that can streamline decisions, optimise operations, and ultimately drive success. So, the next time you encounter a challenge, remember the five horizons of GTD™, and let Design Thinking lead you to an innovative solution.

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Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1977)

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My extremely powerful coffee shop development EDC

Categories
Visual Communication

5 tips to make your Powerpoint or Keynote presentation design more effective.

These 5 presentation tips will punctuate your point and dazzle your audience.

Your Powerpoint or Keynote may be your first impression. Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer
and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to
ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the
Wordpress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

Knock Knock here. Who’s there?
Hey, I’d love your help redesigning our presenation. It looks ok now, but I think you can
clean it up a little with more graphics.
(Open the presentation, there’s more than 300 words on each slide.) What’s your
target length for the presentation?
15 slides.
How long do you expect it will take to get though the slide content?
We usually have an hour to meet with the potential investors.

You are the script. The slides are scenery.

Your Powerpoint or Keynote may be your first impression. Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer
and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to
ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the
Wordpress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

1. Record and dictate your presentation audio.

This is the selfie of presentation design. Let’s see if you are entertained by your pitch. Chances are, you may gag a little. It’s all good, this is your first round.

2. Edit from outline to point-by-point slide format.

Your Powerpoint or Keynote may be your first impression. Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

3. Include powerful, image-only slides in your pitch deck.

Your Powerpoint or Keynote may be your first impression. Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

Knock Knock Bang is bang-up designer and developer duo in Madison, Wisconsin. We design the WordPress website you didn’t know to ask for, by surprise. You won’t know what hit you.

4. Clean up the design.

Standard Disclaimer: If you aren’t trained for design, or are the design version of tone-deaf, you’ll only get so far with these recommendations. If you are hiring a designer, stop here and let them sweep you off of your feet.

Not so sure you need a designer at this phase?

Consider the value of a positive outcome of your meeting. The greater the potential value, the more I’d encourage you to hire support to help pursuade your audience.

Consider the rarity of this opportunity. If you landed meeting with a high profile exec that you’ll likely only have one shot to win them over, invest in presentation design.

1. Keep the fonts simple.

Stick to one font family with a variety of styles, or two contrasting fonts.

2. Add margins to all of your slides.

Think of your margins as the moat to the castle. Decide what your margin is (I’d recommend the margin with to be approximately 1/8 the width of your slide from all edges. Any text which falls in the margin shall perish. The margins will be closely guarded so no text shall pass.

3. Keep the colors simple.

Pick one primary brand color, one text color, and use white text. Only if adding another color is necessary (like in a pie graph), pick a couple of secondary colors or shades.

4. Show what’s important by scaling text consistently.

So let’s get meta. This page content has hierarchy. Click here to see this page without hierarchy, and experience the difference firsthand.

5. Make sure your slide text has enough contrast.

If your audience can’t read or see the slide content from the back of the room, time to call Houston. It’s actually easy for designers to miss this important fact, if it looks great, but nobody can read it, it’s a design fail. Make sure you’re accounting for your final presentation setting – is the room a conference room, or an auditorium? The bigger the room, the more important legibility is.