[Sigia-l] Is pricing design?

[Jonathan Baker-Bates]

> So is pricing part of design? Should it be? Is it better left 
> to business?

This is probably because I've been working in the marketing/comms fields
for so long, but that's just a basic consideration with all my clients.
It goes without saying that reactions to price, extras, "hidden" prices,
the building of trust, understanding and perceived value are not only
subjects of the design process, they are often the *only*  subject of
the design. 

You could call it manipulation, or "spin" or something, but much of my
work is judged on how well it makes price (and its related concepts)
"work" for both people and the business. Prices can be high, low,
unexpected or simply unnoticed in any given user context, and the
business imperative is always in the background... barking like a dog in
my ear.

I'm reminded to quote the Veen Diagram here:

http://www.jjg.net/ia/files/other/veen_diagram.jpg

Jonathan




> -----Original Message-----
> From: sigia-l-bounces at asis.org 
> [mailto:sigia-l-bounces at asis.org] On Behalf Of Ziya Oz
> Sent: 27 June 2007 08:12
> To: SIGIA-L
> Subject: [Sigia-l] Is pricing design?
> 
> So it was a muggy day in NYC but I found myself behind two 
> analysts from Goldman Sachs running in front of me along the 
> riverfront during my daily run. For nearly two miles till 
> they took a different route than mine (hey, they were in 
> their twenties and I had to keep up with their pace; stuff I 
> do for design :-) they kept talking about the just-announced 
> AT&T/iPhone pricing.
> 
> They ran various scenarios of unit sales, demographic 
> segmentation, upgrade paths, etc and how each pricing point 
> would have consequences for 'user experience,' their 
> description and used many times. Various potential pricing 
> schemes in Europe and Asia and user expectations by those 
> most likely to buy it were particularly interesting.
> 
> And they veered off.
> 
> The last two miles I kept thinking that this is very much 
> what I do as well...as a designer. Marketplace positioning of 
> a product and shaping of potential mindshare are very much 
> part of strategic design. And price obviously is one of the 
> primary parameters that anticipate user acceptance > user 
> experience > product definition, etc.
> 
> So is pricing part of design? Should it be? Is it better left 
> to business?
> 
> ----
> Ziya
> 
> Business = Design = Business.
> 
> 
> ------------
> IA Summit 2008: "Experiencing Information" 
> April 10-14, 2008, Miami, Florida
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