Making Design a Strategic Weapon: THE PIMS CONTRIBUTION

IN TERMS OF QUANTIFYING the impact of design, Phil Thompson's admonition is straightforward: ask the customer! His measures of value are perception-based and, using comparisons within clearly defined product categories, they permit companies to identify the design attributes that matter the most to sell the most. The significance of this methodology is that it offers design-management insights which, in addition to facilitating internal judgments, also help companies refine their competitive strategies.