Amuneal Book

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

MASTERS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CASE SERIES Vol.01

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

MASTERS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CASE SERIES Vol.01

U.S. employee workplace statistics

not in their dream job

do not think their job is fun

satisfied with their job

feel they can do a better job than their boss

call in sick when they were not

84% 80% 50% 24% 32%

U.S. employee statistics

CASE STUDY Vol.01AMUNEAL

This volume logs the first semester of a collaboration between the Master of Industrial Design (MID) department at the University of The Arts (UArts) and Amuneal Manufacturing, a metal fabrication company in North Philadelphia.

The UArts MID curriculum is founded on the principle that industrial design has potential beyond the typical scope of objects, aesthetics and function. We see design as a collaborative discipline with the potential to address policies, social initiatives and entire systems. Design thinking allows us to approach complex challenges that engage in the social, spatial, technological and environmental issues of our time. By using the tools of design: observation and analysis, prototyping and presenting, dialogue and feedback, MID@UArts hopes to go beyond linear approaches to problem solving.

In order to survive the current economic crisis, many companies and organizations are pressed to rethink their business models. Design can play a critical role in organizing and facilitating such changes. In order to secure longevity and sustainable growth, Amuneal entered into a partnership with MID@UArts to help the company become more transparent and productive.

This project was initiated in the Fall of 2008 and is being led by a team of five students with previous training in design, engineering, sociology, marketing and science. Using design thinking methods and practices as a new management tool, the MID@UArts team uses a multi-disciplinary, collaborative model of design which is explored through application on business organization.

MID methods for redesigning industry

Facilitating Collaboration Understanding People Ethnographing Action Research Prototyping Designing Information Mapping Story Telling Scenario Building

Fig.5.5: Increasing American Imports 1982-2006 Total Imports over 12months ($bn)

2000 1750 1500 1250 1000

USA

750 500 China

250 0 1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Fig.5.4: Increasing Chinese Exports 1982-2006 Total Exports over 12months ($bn)

1500 1250 1000 USA

750 500 250

China

0 1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

State Unemployment Rates September 2008 4.1%

6.3% 4.8%

6% 5.3%

5.1%

3.3% 3.3%

Fig.9.1: China’s GDP 1961-2003

8.2%

6.1%

5.7%

4.4%

7.3%

4.9%

4.3%

5.6%

6.5%

1.2

4.7%

8%

5.4%

0.8

5.6%

7%

0.6 0.4 7%

0.2 1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

6% 5.4% 5

4.4%

1.0 7%

7%

5.5%

6.5%

7.3%

6.4%

6.8%

7.2%

9.3%

5.8% 1.4

Per Capita GDP (thousands US$)

3.5%

9.3%

4.4%

3.6%

7.6%

5.5%

5.7%

5%

0

Great Depression

7.3%

Embargo Act of 1807

5.7%

5.2%

3.4%

0.0 -0.2

-1.0

-2.0

-3.0

-4.0 -0.8

3.2

0.0 0.4

-0.3

-1.4 -0.2

-1.0 -1.3 -1.9

Manufacturing

0.8

Financial Activities

1.0

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities

0.7

Information

0.6

Other Services

1.7

Leisure and Hospitality

1.0

Government

2.0

Professional and Business Services

Educational and Health Services

3.0

Recession

Percentage Change

Employment by selected industry supersector, August 2008

4.0 United States

Philadelphia Metro Area

1.5

0.1

-2.4

-3.0

1958

Philadelphia, Pa

2008

Philadelphia, Pa

2008

Philadelphia, Pa

opportunities

UArts MID Department designers with the skills and knowledge to help direct new business strategies for the modern global econo m y.

Amuneal Manufactoring Corp. an expanding small business experiencing the uncertainties of succeeding in the global market.

Diverse Backgrounds Collaboration by our group, which is composed of 5 people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, allows for a rich investigation of a problem. We each approach working through an issue from a different perspective, providing the bennefit of a more holistic understanding of the issues and opportunities at hand. We see design as a mindset, rather than just a type of formal training.

Fraser

Science

Anne-Marie Sociology

Gareth

Engineering

Rachael

Merchandising

The University of The Arts

Justin

Design

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Project Timeline

Visits to Amuneal Amuneal Employee Visits to MID Studio Action Research

Presentations Thoughts Ideas

Amuneal

UArts MID & Amuneal Building a Foundation

Unloading Thoughts

Framing Observations

UArts MID No Idea

Early Formation of Ideas

First Impressions

Active Observation

Brain Dump

Venn Diagram

Spark the Dialogue Interviews

Identifying Areas of 9 Opportunity

Empathic Research

6

Interview Formation

Interview

Analysis of Interview Data

Interviews

Documenting Process

Analyzing Data

Forum for Conversation

Ideation

Concept Communication

Framing of Interview Data

Intervention Development

Intervention Planning

Intervention Presentation

Intervention Refin

Visits to Amuneal Amuneal Employee Visits to MID Studio Presentations Thoughts Ideas Staff Presentation & Changing the Dynamic

nement

Intervention Implementation

Observing Meetings

Amuneal Workshop

Analysis of Recordings

Present Recordings Back

Table of Contents Research

Building a Foundation

Tour

Action Research

Brain Dump

Unloading Thoughts Framing Observations

Interviewing

Spark the Dialogue Empathic Research

Interviews Indentifying Areas of Opportunity

Intervention Planning

Ideation Concept Communication

Intervention Presentation

Forum for Conversation

Presentation Refinement

Staff Presentation Alternative Settings

Intervention Implementation

Changing the Dynamic Intervention Refinement

Future Directions

Work in Progress

4 20 28 29 38 40 41 57 66 67 87 100 103 107 109 113

Research

Research is an important activity within the context of design, but it’s important to understand that the value is in application, in answering “so what?”

Jane Fulton Suri, Chief Creative Officer IDEO

3

Building a Foundation When a new project begins, the initial research stage is critical to gaining an understanding of the client. Thorough research prior to the initial interaction with the company improves the dialogue with

the staff. With proper research, future ideas and interactions will be fully developed and well informed.

Since none of our team had prior knowledge of the metal fabrication industry, we approached our case study investigation with Amuneal from a privileged “outsider� perspective. We had questions regarding Amuneal products, customers and market niche.

In order to begin a working relationship with Amuneal, we needed

to answer these questions accurately. Using business publications,

design spreads, magazine articles and Amuneal marketing pieces,

we researched history, technology, competitors, people and the brand.

This initial research generated much confusion about the identity of Amuneal. We therefore needed to initiate deeper investigation into who Amuneal is by researching in the field.

4

Abstract Frameworks

Design Methods Imperatives

(insights)

(ideas)

Analysis

Synthesis

Observations

Solutions

(Contexts)

(Experiences)

Concepts

Abstract

a description of our process

Frameworks Imperatives The design process is grounded in concrete analytical research done in observation. Such research must be guided by the Problem Solving with customers understanding developed through direct interaction and users.Developing empathy for those you research is crucial.

Problem With the data generated from observation and research, the Synthesis Problem Analysis Solving Solvingsense of the data that was design process begins to make collected, framing and reframing that data to extract nuggets, identify patterns, and ultimately develop a focus on what is most important to the user.

Solution Selection

Observations Solutions The design process moves to synthesizing a set of imperatives.

These are defined as a description of the tangible benefits users will derive from design concepts/interventions.

Concepts The design process then moves into generation of concepts which are tested with users. The design team can come up with alternative solutions and a variety of mechanisms for soliciting feedback from potential users. adapted from Innovation as a Learning Process: Embedding Design Thinking by Sara L. Beckman Michael Barry California Management Review

An Insight into Amuneal Amuneal Manufacturing Corp., a second generation familyowned business, was established in North Philadelphia in 1965

by Seymour Kamens. Although it was founded to provide magnetic shielding products to the military, an encounter with Barneys New

York at a trade show in 2000 presented Amuneal with the opportunity

to explore high-end custom fabrication. Under current CEO Adam Kamens, Amuneal now produces a wide range of unique fabrications

in metal, wood, plastic and glass. These can be found in retail stores, hospitality businesses and private residences. A team of 80+ employees at Amuneal has experience designing and fabricating multi-store fixtures, merchandise displays, architectural elements, railings and signage

for customers including Anthropologie, Martin + Osa, Nintendo World Store, Soho House New York and Trump Entertainment.

Amuneal History 1965 - Now

1965 Amuneal is founded in North Philadelphia to provide magnetic shielding products to industrial and Military Sector

1966-1980 Amuneal continues with magnetic shielding, expanding to a 3 facility, 100 employee corporation

1965

1975

1999-2008 Amuneal continues to develop the Architectural and Design department in conjunction with the Magnetic Shielding department. Although the Metalforms Furniture line ultimately fails, the introduction of a laser cutter increases the capacity for A&D consultancy, which steadily increases over the decade

100

1999 Amuneal extends their A&D department and begins partnership with Barneys in New York

1998 Amuneal launch their own line of furniture under the Metalforms Furniture line. The Architectural and Design department is also formed

60

40 1995-1998 With the magnetic shielding industry changing, Amuneal explores new shielding markets, including numerous international installations

1985

20

1995

years

2005 2009

workforce (people)

80

The Boss

Amuneal case study #12474 - A refrigerated perfume bar for Barneys New York

Amuneal collaborated with their long term client Barney’s to create this impressive feature for their Dallas, TX flagship store.

The unique metal clad, blackened steel perfume bar is also refrigerated so that fragrance is stored at its optimal temperature.

Amuneal case study #1587 - Glass art boxes for the Park Hyatt in Washington DC.

Amuneal partnered with Beletz Glass to engineer, fabricate and install these dynamic 12’ tall glass installations for the renovation of Washington DC’s Park Hyatt Hotel. This project was also a joint collaboration with Tonychi and Associates Design and Amanda Weil Glass studio.

Amuneal case study #12477 - Community Table

Collaborating with Rockwell Group designers, Amuneal fabricated this 20’ long cherry wood table featuring an map of Toronto for Starwood Hotels

Amuneal case study #12468 - Martin + Osa

Amuneal collaborated with the client and their design team to develop a unique branded look for this new retail concept.

15

Today our team logged our impressions, questions and ideas of Amuneal. Once we go on the tour in a few days, we will never again have the same point of view as we do right now, that of a complete outsider. We think it will be interesting to compare our impressions of Amuneal before and after the visit. Since our team has very little knowledge of fabrication companies, our team’s collective expectations are probably what one thinks of a traditional fabrication company.

09.11.08 When I first think of a metal fabrication factory, images of steel workers, oil, grease, sparks, noise, shouting, metal shards, welding, hammers, heat and fires all come to mind. Will Amuneal be like this?

I’m excited for the tour of Amuneal to finally be able to put images of the place to the name. I’m also interested to meet some of the people and see them at work. Since all of our knowledge of Amuneal up until this point has been based on books, internet sources, business journals and Amuneal marketing materials, the tour will be our first design research practice. One item our group has discussed is that while we are touring, we should note our observations of the sights, noises and even smells. Our observations may provide helpful insight later on.

Tour

19

Action Research After traditional research comes the action research phase. In contrast

with traditional literature review, much of action research takes place

in the field. Where else can you gain real knowledge, real perspectives and real empathy? By immersing ourselves in the environment under investigation, we gather data from the primary source.

In order to observe Amuneal in action, we asked for a tour of the company. The office, floor, engineers, designers, shippers and the fabricators were all working on their everyday tasks. While on a tour, narrated by our guide, we were conscious to not ask too

many questions so that we could understand how the company presents itself.

No book or internet source can provide the designer with information

more rich than a tour. Experiencing the sights, sounds and smells is crucial to getting into the proper frame of mind and understanding the minutiae of the company. We now had a substantial amount of data that we needed to process.

20

design/engineer Connell Carruthers showing us a hydraulic table Amuneal was constructing

21

People should think things out fresh and not just accept conventional terms and the conventional way of doing things. 足R. Buckminster Fuller

22

scenes from Amuneal that caused us to rethink our initial impressions of a metal fabrication company

23

The trip to Amuneal today was a real eye opener. The company is located in a very poor area of North Philadelphia which I had long tried to avoid, and the barbed-wire cyclone fence surrounding the premises didn’t enhance my opinion of the area. However, the inside of the company strongly contrasted with the neighborhood. Amuneal was nothing like I had imagined. The production floor wasn’t busy or dirty and the offices didn’t consist of bland walls filled with cubicles.

09.16.08 It’s funny how pre-conceptions can be so wrong. The office was bright, open and relaxed. On the floor, there weren’t any sparks or shards of metal flying around.

Our official tour was led by Connell Carruthers, who first took us around the office area. It was immediately apparent that the open office design contributed to a significant noise level. As we walked through the space, we were introduced to a few members of the staff. It was interesting to see how they worked. For the most part, their desks were covered with papers and drawings. After visiting the loft, an area where some of the engineers and planners work, the tour concluded with a brief run-down of the company by the marketing specialist, Lisa Kranynk. We left with lots of data to discuss!

Brain Dump

If we can design our way into difficulty, we can design our way out.

John Thackara, Author In the Bubble

17

Unloading Thoughts Recording data once it’s collected is just as important as collecting

it in the first place. This is a unique stage in the process of beginning

to explore common observations, themes and patterns. Thorough recording of data leads to more effective framing of observations for eventual imperatives.

With Amuneal, we started the collection of observations by using the brain dump strategy. This involved all members of the group recording

their personal observations, questions and ideas within a fifteen minute period. The process allowed us to reflect on all the information we

had soaked in without any self or group editing. Although note-

taking and conversations are useful communication tools, they tend to build on previous thoughts. In contrast, our brain dump

was dynamic. After our thoughts were down on paper, they could then be organized.

We now needed to make sense of our

observations, which sparked the idea to frame our observations into important categories within the business.

28

Framing Observations Sorting observations into categories allows identification of common themes and closer analysis of areas of interest. Design tools, such as concept maps and Venn diagrams, are helpful when defining categories. If an existing tool can not be applied to the collected data, we design our own to best filter and organize the information.

When filtering our thoughts from the tour of Amuneal, we explored

the IDEO Venn diagram because the three larger categories (people, business and technology) parallel the three larger components

of Amuneal as a business. We found that the interlocking

areas of the IDEO Venn diagram were designed for product development, not business development; therefore, a redesign of the tool was necessary. The resulting Venn diagram is shown

on the opposite page. We transferred our observations and questions from the “brain dump� onto post-it notes, so they could be placed in zones of our Venn diagram relating to the client’s needs. We found

our observations to be mostly concentrated in two zones, emotional innovation and process innovation. Organizing our ideas helped us form our questions for future interviewing.

29

18

ARE THERE OVERTIME INCENTIVES?

ACTIONABLE KNOWLEDGE (GRAPHS?)

DO STAFF GET TRAINED? the UArts MID Process Venn diagram v.1

“The viability of design depends on its stakeholders’ conceptions, commitments and resources, which can be studied in order to inform design decisions.”

Klaus Krippendorf, Professor of Communication University of Pennsylvania

32

UArts MID Process Venn Diagram

People

(Ability / Skills)

Functional Innovation

Emotional Innovation Process Innovation

Technology (Feasibility)

33 UArts MID Design Tool #1

Experience Innovation

Business (Viability)

UArts MID Process Venn Diagram People

Issues and Observations relating to employees or people in general

Technology

Issues and Observations relating to Equipment, Machinery, Software and Hardware

Business

Issues and Observations relating to the Business as an entity, the boss or Financial concerns

Emotional Innovation

Issues and Observations encompassing both people and business concerns

Experience Innovation

Issues and Observations encompassing both Business and Technology concerns

Functional Innovation

Issues and Observations encompassing both People and Technology concerns

Process Innovation

Issues and Observations encompassing all three zones of the Venn Diagram

Focal Points

Innovation

Emotional Innovation is the area of opportunity linking people with business.

By targeting this area we intend to vastly improve employee satisfaction, enhance inter-office communication, build trust between management and staff and empower employees with greater role responsibility.

Process

Process Innovation is the zone of opportunity encompassing all major areas of investigation; People, Business and Technology. By targeting this area we intend to develop and enhance the processes by which Amuneal conduct their work.

Emotional

Innovation

34

Interviewing

37

Spark the Dialogue In business, employees possess a wealth of knowledge. Therefore,

it is imperative to form a trusting relationship with the staff. We are mindful of the impression we leave our client with, so we take the

time to introduce ourselves and are conscious about the tone we set through all interactions.

We were about to embark on interviews and possibly ask some sensitive questions. Therefore, we felt it was important to introduce

ourselves to the Amuneal team. The introduction was an opportune time to begin to build trust with the employees.

The tone of our presentation to Amuneal was critical. They had had previous failures with business consultants, so we had to highlight our difference: we do not solve a problem with a solution, but rather, with

a variety of concepts which are informed and adjusted by feedback.

We decided being informal, yet professional, was the best way

to make the staff feel comfortable. To translate this in our presentation, we made the decision to show Amuneal photographs of our work space while introducing ourselves in a conversational manner.

38

There are many organizations which have no idea what a “designer� offers, and have never used one; but for whom design thinking is looming as a coming dawn.

Tony Golsby-Smith, CEO 2nd Road

39

Empathic Research Interviews are a fantastic opportunity to engage staff members and

get primary-source data. In order to get the most valuable insight, we are considerate of our audience when formulating and conducting interviews. We consider the tone of questions, the location of the

interview and the level of formality, all of which may have an effect on

the responses we receive. It is important to develop empathy while remaining objective throughout the research phase.

When planning the interviews, we decided a more casual approach would be appropriate to encourage the staff to be candid in

their responses. Therefore, our interview strategy consisted of asking mostly passive questions by investigating their workdays

and interactions with other staff. We hoped that a conversation

would develop and the staff would feel comfortable to divulge more personal issues. We divided the questions into three tiers: personal

and

background,

and project-based.

communication

and

movement,

40

Interviewing Interviews are one of the most important tools when investigating

a business; no amount of knowledge acquired through book research can substitute for the valuable information that can be gained during

a simple interview. Engaging the employees allows an internal

perspective into the workings of the company; they are a rich source of knowledge about the daily processes within the business.

In an effort to gain further insight into Amuneal, we visited for two days to interview the Customer Delivery Teams and the Shared Resources

staff. The customer delivery teams included the primary design staff, while specialized engineering and support staff made up the shared

resources. We conducted the interviews in pairs. One person led the

conversation while the other documented the interview and offered

support. The following pages show the staff we interviewed, the interview process and staff roles/responsibilities.

41

Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design.

Charles Eames, Industrial Designer

Amuneal Break-Room

Heather F Lisa K

Connell C Alex F Greg G

Marc C Chris G Adam C

Dave B Owen McC

Jory F

Courtney H

Jenn B

Amuneal Front Office

E1

Adam C

Chris G

Heather F

Marc C

Connell C

Dave B

Carl H-P

Jenn B

Courtney H

Lisa K

Justin and Anne-Marie

Alex F

Greg G

Fraser and Anne-Marie

Justin and Gareth

Rob A

Day 1 Inter views

Jory F

Day 2 Inter views

Fraser and Rachael

Interview Locations and Participants

JEN

CARL CHRIS

photographs of CD team staff and their workplaces taken during the interviews

HEATHER LISA

DAVE

JORY

GREG

DAVE CONNELL

Amuneal Customer Delivery Team Staff and Responsibilities Adam K

Curt

Lisa

Jen

Courtney

Jory

Marc

Chris

Adam C

Lead CDT1 Lead CDT2 Marketing Support Sales

Project Managing Engineering Customer Visits

Sales Project Managing Design Customer Visits

Sample Organization

Branding

Reports

CDT 1

Estimating Project Managing Engineering Rendering Customer Visits

Estimating Project Managing Design Rendering Customer Visits

Estimating Project Managing Engineering Design Customer Visits

Estimating Project Managing Engineering

Heather

Owen

Greg

Dave

Connell

Alex

Carl

Shared Resources

CDT 2

Estimating Project Managing Design Customer Visits

Estimating Project Managing Design Rendering Customer Visits

Estimating Project Managing Engineering Customer Visits

Rob

Estimating Engineering Design

Estimating Project Managing

Engineering

Estimating Project Managing Design

Engineering

The Floor

Interviews

a completed interview document from day 1 of the interview process

These were the first interviews I had ever performed. I was astonished by the total exhaustion I felt after performing three 45-minute interviews. The concentration required to maintain a two-way planned conservation really tired me out. I wanted to collapse on Monday night, and I did, until I woke up on Tuesday morning to do more interviews.

10.30.08 The exhaustion I felt after the interviews was well worth it. A few questions in particular provided our team with an extensive amount of data. I was expecting it to be more difficult to get the workers to open up.

The interview process went more smoothly than expected. Our estimation of the time required to complete the interview was right on target. Everyone at Amuneal was receptive to us being there, and the workers provided us with candid accounts of their experiences at Amuneal. As we progressed through the interviews, we noticed that some of our questions became redundant, so we edited them out. Some interviewees actually commented on the cathartic experience of the interview process. I feel positive that the workers are excited to see us there, and the more I interact with them, the more I feel a responsible for making a difference.

Analysis of Data

Identifying Areas of Opportunity Interviewing staff members creates a wealth of information that must be thoroughly analyzed. As previously described, a design methodology

for analyzing data involves extracting common themes, patterns and

opportunities. Once we identified these, we began framing them in the

correct context to be reported back to the staff. Frequently, themes identified are common within similar businesses, so referencing published studies helps alleviate a clients potential anxiety.

Our interviews with Amuneal showed that certain themes were almost unanimous amongst Amuneal employees. To allow for time

efficiency, we split investigating these themes into sections. The areas we investigated were: Research on Growing Businesses,

Analysis of Income from the two CDT’s (because the project distributions were very uneven), and Flows of Communication. Our

reflections had to be based on the facts, so we needed to carefully

and thoroughly analyze this new data. We used this information to frame our next steps with Amuneal.

57

Analyzing Data 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

chat organize brain dump individually brain dump as a group talk over each others’ ideas find common issues highlight patterns circle themes argue listen argue get more opinions organize prioritize issues and themes map common issues map flows of information talk about ideas reorganize present

18

Visual map of common issues expressed by CD teams and shared resources from interviews at Amuneal Quoting Process 3 Communication Gaps 3 Pin-up Space 3

Bottlenecks 4

Communication Gaps 1

Quoting Process 2

Guidelines 2

Specialization 2

Responsibility 3

Creative Outlets 2

Training 2

CDT 1

Constant Interruptions 2

Constant Interruptions 2 Company Direction 2

Branding 3

Bottlenecks 3

Bottlenecks 3

Constant Organization Interruptions 3 3

Company Direction 4

Communication Gaps 1

Quoting Process 1

Branding 1

Branding 2

Specialization 1

Specialization 1

Responsibility 3

Upward Mobility 2

CDT 2

Organization 2

Creative Outlets 1

Responsibility 3

Training 2 Upward Mobility 2

Training 1

Shared Resources

This map depicts some of the main issues that arose from our interviews. It was clear that CD team 1

voiced more concern about problems with communication and company direction than did CD team 2.

Mapping communication through Amuneal The interview process provided us with insight into how projects progress through

the company. The staff often spoke of issues concerning breakdown of communication through the floor as projects moved from quoting to designing to producing.

quoting

Map of quoting: Many answers from our interviews led to an appreciation that problems arising during the quoting process often could be contributed to breakdowns in communication.

Staff complained that fellow colleagues would not pass on relevant information and held information close to their chest.

This resulted in bottle-necking and interruptions of work tasks.

61

designing

Map of designing: In the design development process there was a common theme that members of both CD teams did not know their role and expectations from the rest of the team in the process. Staff commented that this often contributed to projects failing to meet customer specifications, which resulted in delays in production.

producing

Map of production: At this stage in our project we have not begun to interview staff members working on the floor. However, from interviewing members of the CD teams it was clear that certain staff members did not take enough responsibility and initiative to follow a project as it passed through the floor to production. This resulted in frequent misunderstandings between designers and fabricators.

62

Intervention Planning

Design Intervention

An interaction, based on highlighting core needs through observation of actions, behavior and emotional experience, aimed at inspiring a new dynamic and better solutions.

65

Ideation After analyzing data and identifying areas of opportunity, our

team moves into synthesizing design intervention concepts.

Sometimes the wildest ideas result in the most innovative

solutions, so we believe all ideas are worth consideration.

Brainstorming promotes even extreme concepts, so a thought is not discarded before its potential can be realized.

Our interviews and observations prompted many conversations

about possible interventions. Five categories of potential emerged

through group discussion of the previously identified themes:

communication, spatial, organization, business structure, and skills and training. We brainstormed each category for 10 minutes

by exploring observations and possible interventions. Within the 5 categories, 58 initial concepts were created. We discussed the possibilities of each idea and agreed on 15 refined interventions to present to Amuneal.

66

Concept Communication Effective communication of ideas to our clients is crucial. When ideas are presented in a clear and intuitive manner, understanding

and dialogue will logically follow. After grouping and collating central themes, visual cues, such as a color coded bar, help to organize the

information. Ultimately, we want to spark a dialogue. A well structured format helps us achieve this.

The presentation to the CEO of Amuneal had to clearly convey our reasoning for targeting certain areas. While brainstorming, we

realized that some categories, such as communication, required more attention, and therefore more interventions, than others. Also,

many interventions applied to more than one category. We used a color coding system to help communicate emphasis on categories and applications of interventions. It quickly became apparent which areas

of the business had the most potential for improvement. We then framed each intervention with its instigating observations and potential

benefits. Finally, we visualized these proposals through imagery and mapping.

67

One of the unique aspects of design behavior is the constant generation of new task goals and redefinition of task constraints.

Omer Akin, Professer of Architecture Carnegie Mellon 68

58 INITIAL CONCEPTS 15 CHOSEN

communication

organization

skills & training

Public Calender Ban Inter-office E-Mail Standardize Document Headers Flags On-Off Communication Timer Encouragement Posters Central Server Overhaul Boss takes an employee to every meeting Establish a Middle Management Communication Log Book Increase frequency of Meetings Group Dynamics Workshop Report Cards Set times for meetings with the boss Communication Cut-Off Hours Info Booth

Job Log System Scavanger Hunt in Office Play Book Rotation of Leadership Water Cooler in Team Space Map of Office Equipment / Materials Vantage Workshop (Software system) Re-Structure Meetings Remove Boss from Design Team Quoting Workshop Eliminate Cross-Training Implement Code of Responsibilities Communication Station Project Tracking Board Location Signage Implement Formal Project Meetings Designated Area for Samples Vendor Call Sing-Up Sheet

Employees Bid on Jobs Signs above desks highlighting skills Employees define their own roles Buddy System Job Description Cards Go-To Person Implemented Switch Job Titles Job Fair

spatial

business organization

Partitions Pin-Up Space Background Noise (Bird Chirps) Standing Height Desks Hot Desks Private Work Rooms Ear-Plugs / Headphones Mirrors throughout Office Client Delivery Teams Isolated in private area Flags / Signs

Make Amuneal a Solutions Service Organization Amuneal as a Product of Service System Amuneal establishes their own line of Products On-Line Questionaire for Customers / Clients Promote Sustainability

INITIAL INTERVENTION CONCEPTS

Complexity and Overlap A complex map of overlapping connections became clear when we examined the linkages between interview observations, interventions and targets. However, since the interviews were specifically aimed at the “people” and the “business” all of the intervention targets would effect the emotional innovation component of Amuneal. work station Pin-up Space

tickets Upward Mobility

leadership skills & training

Bottlenecks

Specialization

Constant Interruptions

pin-up space signage playbook

spatial

signaling Communication Gaps

role playing

communication

Emotional Innovation

Branding

mentor Guidelines

teamwork organization Company Direction

backcasting

Creative Outlets

partition

Training

mapping

Quoting Process

business organization

collaboration process

Major Observations

Interventions

Targets

Intent

Ideas about possible new offerings are informed and inspired by in-depth understanding of people’s attitudes, behaviors, emotions, perceptions and motivations within evolving social, cultural, and technology context.

Jane Fulton Suri, Chief Creative Officer IDEO

72

Intervention concept: Overview and explanations The following pages describe the final intervention concepts we proposed to Amuneal staff. Although 15 invention concepts were initially presented to the CEO, these were refined to 9 concepts which were thought to have the most potential and feasibility. These concepts are described in terms of implicated observations, the business categories the intervention can potentially effect and the overall intent of each intervention. Importantly, as previously described, the emotional innovation intent of these interventions is the area which we believe will help Amuneal develop in the most effective direction to guarantee future success.

interview observations

intervention concept

business categories

emotional innovation intent

intent: people

These effects positively influence personal growth, confidence, motivation and investment in company success.

intent: business

These effects are directly down stream of staff empowerment. By empowering the staff, company development, success, and future innovation will be guaranteed.

Intervention concept: Roleplaying

intent: people n communication gaps

By encouraging participation during meetings and group events, these cards will promote staff involvement and investment in decision making and problem solving

skills and training

roleplaying guidelines

intent: business

This will help in knowledge sharing and problem solving. Promotes greater staff involvement in company issues, which increases the innovative potential of the business.

communication

Observations:

• Staff raised issues with the structure of meetings • Some staff members did not participate in meetings

Devil advo ’s cate

• No general meeting structure was observed

Scenario

• roleplaying cards such as Devil’s Advocate, Timekeeper and “5 Why’s” can be distributed to encourage staff participation in meetings and group events.

Opportunities:

• Teach role responsibility • Increase meeting participation • Structure meetings more efficiently • Encourage communication and collaboration • Promote leadershipp and allow workers the opportunity to voice their opinions

5 ’s y wh

Intervention concept: Leadership upward mobility

intent: people

communication bottlenecks

specialization

By empowering the staff as “leaders”, the hope is that they will feel a greater level of personal growth and drive to help themselves and the company succeed.

n

leadership

organization

intent: business communication gaps

This will help spread the knowledge base and capability throughout the company. Staff will feel more invested in the company’s future and will strive to continue that success.

business organization

training

Observations:

CDT Leader

• Interviews highlighted a bottleneck of information from upper management

CDT Captain

• Staff indicated a longing for responsibility • A leadership discontinuity was evident between upper management and staff

Scenarios:

• Staff are given a leadership role indicated by an item, such as a captain’s arm-band. This role comes with certain responsibilites. The role can be rotated.

rotation

Opportunities:

• Alleviate internal pressure off upper management • Promote proactive work practices • Encourage staff investment in their work and overall company successs • Full utilization of staff skills and talents

AMUNEAL CDT CAPTAIN

AMUNEAL CDT CAPTAIN

Team Members

Intervention concept: Mapping

intent: people

bottlenecks

Visualizing workflows and processes allows a dialogue to be initiated, whereby staff can be involved in restructuring company processes in the most effective way.

n constant interruptions

mapping

communication

intent: business

guidelines

Staff knowledge will be key to determining the most effective work process for success. Visualization of this will allow company processes to be understood by everyone.

quoting process

Observations:

• An overall confusion on how projects are run from start to finish was evident

Project Start

• Staff did not know the milestones for completing projects, nor where important project-related information and documents were located

quote

scheduling

• Breakdown of workflows into work fragments

Scenarios:

job

design

vendor

customer check

quality control

engineering

• Mapping of processes in the office will be created and fed back to the staff to start a dialogue for restructuring.

• Maps of information such as project processes, communication flows and work schedule can be created

fabrication

Opportunities:

• Encourages a conversation of who knows what and allows this information to be fed back to the staff • Allows all staff to view the reality of daily workflow compared to scheduled workflow, permitting circumvention of issues and roadblocks

shipping

quality control

review

job completed

installation

Project Finish

Intervention concept: Signage

spatial bottlenecks

constant interruptions

Knowing processes and the location of revelant information will foster selfsufficiency and will encourage staff to use their own intitiative. This will aid personal growth within the company.

n

signage

intent: people

communication

intent: business communication gaps

organization

Observations:

• General level of disorganization • Interviews revealed a lack of shared knowledge of location of materials and documents

Scenarios:

• Physical location of documents and/or objects are highlighted around the office • Public display of processes around the office to create a percepion of “how things are done”

Opportunities:

• Offers clarity and organization • Reduces interruptions due to sharing of process-related information • Brings a new feeling into the office, breaking the monotony

Encouraging staff to responsibly take their own initiative creates pride and positive examples in the workplace.

Staff will feel empowered and more invested in the company’s success.

Intervention concept: Signalling

intent: people n bottlenecks

Prevents daily frustration and annoyance of being constantly interrupted and pulled off task. Allows workers to focus and control their working enviroment more effectively.

spatial

signalling constant interruptions

intent: business

When all staff are aware of office working environments, work flows will be created that result in effcient completion of tasks, collaboration and effective intra-office relations.

communication

Observations:

• An open floor plan seemed to encourage a noisy working environment with many distractions • Staff voiced concerns that these distractions prevented them from getting their work done • There were too social distractions in the office

Scenarios: •

An open work space can be used as a communication environment when proper visual tools are used. Colored shapes (or flags, balloons, badges, hats etc) can be used to signal work, talk or client modes. This establishes a visual language of tasks and prevents interruptions when modes are observed.

Opportunities:

• Permits staff to metaphorically close the door • Controls the communication throught the office • Staff can control their workspace environment and focus on the task at hand

do not disturb open for discussion

client call

Intervention concept: Collaboration

skills and training n communication gaps

collaboration

intent: business

organization

• Staff were frustrated by loss of information as it passed from one person to the next • Staff expressed aggravation when inefficient tools and documents prevented them from fulfilling their responsibilities on a project • Gaps in information resulted in more interruptions • While the staff felt projects were modern, the underlying office and business processes were outdated

Scenarios: •

Designers will facilitate a collaborative workshop where they will initiate a dialogue to determine present issues and a collective strategy for problem solving and restructuring.

Opportunities:

• Bringing staff members together to create new tools and documents will generate an effective end result • Encourages intra-office communication and collaboration

If staff feel their suggestions are taken seriously when restructuring company processes and tools, they will feel more empowered and encouraged to voice future concerns.

communication

quoting process

Observations:

intent: people

Empowering staff to solve their own problems encourages a quicker and more effective response to company issues. Thus, Amuneal will be able to address and to respond to market changes more successfully.

Intervention concept: Teamwork

intent: people n bottlenecks

organization

teamwork communication gaps

Observations:

• Staff highlighted, general confusion about their and their work-mates roles and responsibilities • Interviews revealed a need for more visible leadership as some staff required more direction than others

Scenario:

•

A psychologist with experience in coaching groups and equipping leaders will run a group dynamics workshop.

Staff will learn about the underlying dynamics that govern team behavior, relationships, and performance.

Opportunities:

• Staff empowerment • Staff will have a better grasp on team roles and responsibilities • Staff will gain a better sense of their own contributions to their team • Staff will be more aware of thieir impact on group tasks • Improvement of group dynamics

communication

Staff will gain the confidence to play a full participatory role in collaborative team work. Staff will value personal and team-member roles, which will facilitate effective communication.

intent: business

More effective team behaviour and collaboration will encourage sharing of knowledge and ideas. Effective teamwork will help companies secure their future market sucess.

Intervention concept: Backcasting

intent: people specialization

branding

Staff will feel empowered if they feel that the company will provide them with the necessary training, motivation, tools and support to personally succeed in the future.

n

backcasting

company direction

business organization

intent: business

Fostering staff investment will help promote company success.

Tightening brand identity will help Amuneal concentrate on fostering long term business relationships and secure their niche in the market.

Observations:

• Research into Amuneal demonstrated that exponential growth of the company seems to have diluted and fractured the brand message • During interviews, staff were confused about the future for Amuneal • Staff voiced concerns about the speed of Amuneal’s growth over the last few years

Scenarios: •

Designers will run a workshop bringing staff and senior management together to brainstorm where they envision Amuneal being in 10 years time. They then backcast the steps necessary to achieve the end goal in 3-6 month increments.

Opportunities:

• Makes Amuneal more unified from the inside and outisde viewpoints • Provides solidarity and clarity on mission objectives • Allows staff to verbalize their views, hopes and dreams for themselves and Amuneal

Examples of potential branding ideas for Amuneal

Intervention concept: Playbook bottlenecks

skills and training communication gaps

guidelines

n

playbook

communication

creative outlets

organization training

Observations:

• Staff complained of poor transmission of information • Staff highlighted that significant gaps in project information were holding back project progress • Issues with bottle necking of information were raised • Staff indicated that a lack of role responsibility and guidelines prevented project success

Scenario: •

Using mapping and data from charettes a document containing information such as staff roster with skill sets, project plays and guidelines and communication flows can be created.

Opportunities:

• Takes the uncertainty and guess work out of project management • Empowers staff to make their own decisions based on agreed and proven strategies • Implementation of company policies • Reference guide for new employees.

intent: people

Staff will be encouraged to make their own decisions, thus preventing aggrevation from communication gaps. Staff will develop the confidence and initiative to manage projects successfully

intent: business

When all staff know their roles, responsibilities and project options, projects will run successfully. Staff confidence will encourage more innovative processes allowing Amuneal to evolve successfully.

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Saving money by investing in people An example of how design research into the working habits and motivations of employees can save money for businesses. At Amuneal, employees’ days were often broken into work fragments

by interruptions stemming from communication breakdown, process confusion and bottle-necking. Design interventions

have the potential to increase worker motivation, training, skills

and communication and thus change work fragments into work flows. These interventions will have a high return of investment for companies and help secure their future.

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Intervention Presentation

Forum for Conversation At its most fundamental level, the presentation creates a forum for determining the potential of concepts and ideas. However

the true value of the presentation comes from generating conversation and discussion, which actively invites the client into the design process.

Due to the sensitivity of some of the concepts, we felt it was prudent

to preview the interventions to the CEO prior to a staff presentation.

Following a lengthy discussion, we agreed on a selection of

interventions that we mutually felt had the most potental. We then prepared a revised presentation for the Amuneal staff.

87

Intervention Presentation

There is an emphasis on the role of the conjectured solution as a way of gaining understanding of the design problem, and the need to generate a variety of solutions as a means of problem-analysis.

Nigel Cross, Editor Design Studies Journal

problem

solution

concept

scenario

Solutions Vs. Concepts

Interventions are concepts, not solutions. This diagram shows one problem we identified at Amuneal, communication gaps, and the difference between how a solution and a network of concepts work.

Concepts are not final and offer alternatives, whereas a solution is a singular, final answer to a problem.

communication gaps

increased meetings

map the process

map communication

map time

group dynamic specialist

slide board

mapping

process

teamwork

additional responsibilities

elect rotating leader

communication gaps

leadership

travel companion

mentor

assign leader roleplaying

signage

meeting based

playbook

process signs

daily based

location of resources

weekly based playbook

welcome package

digital

INTERVENTION PRESENTATION

As mentioned previously, we first presented our interventions to the CEO of Amuneal before the rest of the staff. We presented 15 interventions, which we later refined to 9. One of the most important pieces of both presentations was to describe that these

were concepts, not solutions. They are not precious or infinite. They are meant to change the group dynamic, either for the better or the worse, so we can learn why. Concepts guide better solutions.

common issue diagram and categories

introduction summarizing our research and process

the interventions

the interventions

the interventions

summary

Issues can be grouped into 2 areas: the DNA of the business and new employees Role Play: To use at every meeting Mapping & Signage: Identifies key processes, signage based on mapping Pin-Up Space, Partitions & Work Stations: Would like an area away from workspace to privately review and discuss work Signaling: Shows employees what to do at a designated time Leadership, Tickets & Process: Like “dressing the part,” let everyone know who is responsible Teamwork & Mentor: Let training we just finished settle in before we try something else Backcasting: Senior management should do this & present to CDT’s Collaboration: An offshoot of playbook Playbook Summarizes all of the other interventions

In a society of flows, the need is above all for road maps and these are not discovered but created Ole Bouman, Netherland Architecture Institute

96

Presentation Refinement

There has been a change of plans since our presentation with Adam. Originally, we were going to refine our presentation to present to the leadership team, but we just found out that the Amuneal team has been reduced significantly. Adam has asked that we now present to the remaining CDT members to help give the staff a boost after the turmoil of last week. Talk about pressure!

11.24.08 25 people were laid off at Amuneal due to the effects of the current economic crisis. This brought mixed feelings to our collaboration with Amuneal. While we felt some of the deflation the Amuneal team must have experienced, we also hope that after some time, the remaining workers will be able find motivation in the new direction of Amuneal.

The news meant we had some important decisions to make about how to approach our presentation. We decided to tweak it to remove of references to staff members that had moved on and also to avoid mentioning the firings at this stage. Questions came to mind, such as: Will there still be two CDT’s or will they be condensed to one? Was there a new team structure? If so, what was it? Do the remaining members have a new set of responsibilities? Would the change affect the course of our interventions?

Needless to say, there was a lot for our team to further investigate.

Staff Presentation The goal of design inventions is to alter the dynamics of human interaction. Thus, designing for people cannot be done in a vacuum;

client feedback is an essential step in the process. Since staff input is directly involved in concept generation, it is important to share potential ideas, test their accuracy and encourage futher development.

Due to the current economic climate the company downsized and

reshuffled its client delivery teams. In an attempt to boost staff morale, the CEO asked us to present our interventions to serve as hopeful

“shot in the arm�. To illustrate our intervention concepts we presented them within a visual context to provide the staff with tangible scenarios of implementation.

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You bring a ‘user experience’ to life by designing with people, not for them. Users create knowledge, but only if we let them.

– John Thackara, Author In the Bubble

Giving the presentation to the CDTs was a whole different experience from presenting to Adam. It wasn’t in our studio space so we didn’t have the advantage of setting up in advance. There were some unexpected inconsistencies between presenting in our studio and at Amuneal. We presented in Amuneal’s break room, which is adjacent to the floor, making it somewhat noisy. In addition, our projector screen is much larger than Amuneal’s so some of the text was difficult for the audience in the back to read.

These are definitely considerations for next time.

11.25.08 The discussion period of our presentation was much shorter than expected. A huge weight was apparent in the room. Team members seemed like they were refraining from commenting. Was this a reaction to the firings?

Since many of our intervention ideas resulted from the interviews, we were anxious to hear the team’s reactions to them. However, we found that the presentation to the team resulted in much less feedback than the initial presentation to Adam. One item that lightened the mood and received interest was the role playing cards we provided, our first implementation of an intervention. Maybe we can receive additional reactions to our intervention ideas from the team at a later point through more private discussion.

Alternative Settings By sitting in on group meetings we gain valuable insight into the esoteric nature of business group dynamics. It highlights group tendencies, personal interactions and power distribution.

After our presentation, we invited the Amuneal staff and management to participate in a group discussion at our studio, rather than their

workplace. We wanted to alter the dynamics of our interactions. Our intent was to show them where we lived and worked, where we came

up with all our ideas and concepts about Amuneal. For over 3 hours we discussed project processes , roles and responsibilities. This was a very productive meeting and helped inform our future directions.

103

The reason I hire designers and artists is because of their ability to problem solve.

Adam Kamens, CEO Amuneal

100

Intervention Implementation

Changing the Dynamic To be thoroughly tested, design interventions must be experienced for an extended period of time. Consequently, changes in behavior

and dynamics should be expected. However, all reactions, both

positive and negative, provide feedback that is used refine existing interventions and inform new directions.

With thorough consideration, we decided that our first intervention

with Amuneal would be role playing cards. The intention of the cards

is to facilitate more productive, collaborative meetings. After the staff lived with these cards for a month, we questioned if the cards satisfied their intened purpose and why they did or did not work?

Each set includes: White Elephant - gives voice to the unpopular, yet important issues Task Master - keeps the meeting on target 5 Why’s - asks why in response to 5 consecutive answers Secretary - states objective and facilitates the meeting Time Keeper - ensures the meeting runs to the time limit Devil’s Advocate - provides the counter argument Simplifier - rewords unclear explanations

107

Being a designer means being an optimist: given the problems, all the problems, even the most difficult, all we can do is to presume there is a possibility of solving them.

Ezio Manzini, Industrial Design Professor Milan Polytech

108

Intervention Refinement An iterative design process allows for experiential learning from

both the client and designer alike. Unforeseen opportunities that arise when the concepts are introduced and interacted with are

acknowledged in early stages of the design cycle. Instead of ending the design cycle with the first implementation, more informed prototypes and better solutions help save time and money.

With the first iteration of the role-playing card intervention in place

at Amuneal, we began monitoring their use to see how they effected

the dynamics within a meeting setting. The responses to these cards were mixed, with some sections of the company fully embracing

them, and others seemingly ignoring them in favor of traditional meeting customs.

Digging deeper, we found that when used, these cards seemed

to have a very positive effect in meetings and encouraged staff

to participate in the dialog. Some cards were more powerful than others, and thus we formulated a new iteration better suited the

needs of the company. We removed less valuable roles ,such as the time keeper and task master, and introduced ‘participation cards’ that ackowledged a contribution or disengagement in the discussion. The use of these cards has recently been initiated and not yet examined.

109

Impetus

Card

Method

Result

devil’s advocate

only one side of the argument being presented

user presents the other side of the argument to spawn further dialog

concept is better articulated, and invesitgated from all vantage points

white elephant

the group is avoiding an obvious issue in need of consideration

user identifies the avoided issue without fear of consequence

all issues are considered when forming the concept

five why’s

concepts presented are seemingly superficial and lack detail

user asks the presenter to clarify the concept by asking ‘why?’ 5

concepts are fully thought through

simplifyer

complex concepts are presented that are somewhat ambiguous

user responds by voicing their interpretation of the concept

presenter can confirm whether the concept is understood, of correct misinterpretations

documenter

information is lost from previous meetings, and there is no reference of decisions made

user is responsible for documenting all important issues and decisions for future reference

information from previous meetings is available for review

meetings are often poorly structured, or do not run to schedule

user is charged with the responsibility of keeping the meeting on topic, and on time

meetings run to schedule, reducing time wasted.

non-participating team member is asked politely to return to the conversation

all opinions and perspectives are considered when making key decisions

team member is awarded the ‘gold star’ to commend their hard work

team members gain pride from contributing, and feel appreciated.

navigator you’re invited gold star

a team member is not participating, or is distracting the dialog

a team member is seen to be doing a very good job

why x 5

N

E

W

S

You’re invited!

Dialog Cards

Facilitation Cards

Participation Cards

Future Directions

Work in Progress Our work with Amuneal is ongoing. Research is continually being carried out and many initiatives are currently being investigated.

Research into Amuneal identified patterns in communication

breakdown. These were not only between staff members, but traversed all aspects of business communication, including management to staff and company to client.

We used scenario building to develop new concepts that could thrive

on and further imrprove communication at Amuneal. The 3 main

areas that being examined are: project management communication, process communication and branding communication. The hope is

that these areas will be further investigated, with new prototypes being tested in the near future.

Preliminary concepts are described in the following pages.

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Project Management software concept A possible design concept to address communication is the development of project management software. This has

the potential to make communication between staff more

effective and will have a high return on investment. Project

management software have many different effects, including providing 1.) a communal information hub, 2.) easy location

of documents, 3.) information availability, anywhere, anytime

intent: people

Communication Gaps

Creates a platform where information is readily exchanged and retrievable.

Communication will be more effective and efficient. Staff will feel mo re self-reliant and confident.

boss-staff communication

Project Management

intent: business Bottlenecks

Bill asks where the Jones’s drawings are, Frank doesn’t know

potential scenario

Effective project management communication will reduce communication breakdown. This will convert work fragments into work flows and increase efficiency.

staff-staff

Bill asks everyone in the office - no one knows where they are

If Bill had used the Project Management software

He could of used the searched all the Jone’s project discussions

And easily find and download the drawings he needed

Process Visualization Every gap in the process of a business has a dollar

amount. Every time a step in the process takes longer

than it should, it costs the company money. The larger the gaps, the more money it costs.

To help Amuneal visualize their job process and

understand the effects of adjusting job timelines,

we have begun to develop a tactile dashboard. The

dashboard is a lo-tech project management solution

that relies on the use of simple touchscreen technology, to communicate and adjust project life and deadlines.

Branding concept Branding is much more than a simple graphic design element,

it forms the core belief of Amuneal and is the message directed towards client dialogues. It begins with a core company

philosophy which must permiate all aspects of the business, encompassed in what becomes the promise to clients.

We intend to encourage transparent project management at Amuneal. Our hope is that this will be empitomized by the

Amuneal staff, which will allow transparency to filter into the larger brand message of the company. A brand message of

transparency will help potential clients feel confident that Amuneal

will meet high standards of expectations and production, worthy of a leader in custom metal fabrication.

Employee Contact with Clients

Client Gossip

Employee Gossip

The ‘Real’ Brand Message As much as you would like to control your brand image, the reality is that, for the

most part, it is out of your direct control.

No matter how influential you believe your latest branding campaign is, your public image is more than likely driven by the

gossip in your industry being forwarded

by your employees, your clients and your Vendor Opinions

Customer Blogs

Word of Mouth

‘Brand’ factors beyond your direct control

vendors. Superficial branding exercises can hide some cracks for a time, but to

improve your image in the long-term, the deeper issues need to be addressed.

Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of: Adam Kamens and his Amuneal Staff University of the Arts Industrial Design Faculty: Jonas Milder, Program Director Brett Snyder Project Team Members: Anne-Marie Gutierrez Rachael Harr Gareth Roberts Fraser Marshall Justin Witman

A letter from the C.E.O of Amuneal Manufacturing to MID program director Jonas Milder, I think about you and your students often and thought that I owed you with an update of how we have moved forward, informed by our time together.

If you remember, the interviews that you performed showed that people were overwhelmed by the lack of prioritization and the constant job changes that they were required to perform through the day. We regrouped into functional teams: Pre-sales: Design and Estimating under my direction and Post Sales: Project Management and Engineering, both under Curt’s direction. We reorganized the individuals based on their skill sets and allowed them to focus more deeply on a more narrow set of tasks.

One of your team’s recommendations was to explore the use of tools to help manage the functional areas of the business. By mid-year we were actively using Basecamp as a PM tool, both for internal projects as well as to manage the projects with our Customers. Following the success and comfort using Basecamp, we began using Highrise as a tool for tracking our sales and estimating priorities and to assign time specific tasks to one another within the team. We sometimes stray from the disciplines of the system, but it has made a big impact on our process.

We also redesigned the front office to bring all of our functional teams together in one space. We now have our A+D teams, Shielding Teams, Mfg + Logistics teams and Admin teams all working together in an open and really collaborative environment. This simple measure, supported by the introduction of a central (and open) meeting table has made a tremendous impact by eliminating competition between functional areas and creating an environment where everyone knows their purpose and has the ability to make real contributions each day.

Your team spent time reviewing Amuneal’s brand and the apparent lack of congruency between who we said that we were and how we presented ourselves. We spent several months asking ourselves tough questions and developing an updated language to articulate Amuneal’s identity. You can see the results on our new site.

As part of this exercise, we focused in on Amuneal’s competitive advantages and value-add in the markets that we serve and developed a finish program that has been hugely successful.

Through this thoughtful investigation and knowing that we had scaled our costs down enough that we didn’t have to take every job in order to survive we used 2009 to carve out a better sense of who we are and the type of projects that are appropriate and strategic for us. We have probably turned down more jobs in the last 6 months than in my entire career!

2009 ended up significantly better than anticipated. We exceeded our internal goals and crafted a much healthier and better managed business than we have ever had. As 2010 unfolds, like many people we have seen a tremendous increase in opportunities and we have returned to our traditional levels of performance. As or more importantly, we are a better business, producing a higher quality product with less effort.

It is important to me that you know the impact that your team and the project had on us. Please pass my sincere gratitude and respect to each of the Design Consultants that left such a meaningful imprint on Amuneal.

-Adam Kamens CEO

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

MASTERS OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN CASE SERIES Vol.01