Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the generosity of collaborators who offered their energy, insight, and encouragement. We are grateful for their input and certain that this book has been enriched by their contributions.

Our editors at Pearson, Jeanne Glasser, Steve Kobrin, and Tim Moore, were willing to take on two new authors and guide us patiently through the process of bringing this book to life. We were also able to gain the insights of many people who we have collaborated with when they agreed to be interviewed for this project. Special thanks are due to John Herrington (of Amana, and now LG), Robert Hayman of Discus Dental, Simon Jones of JBL (now of Line6), Eric Barnes and Paul Shustak of KOR Water, Dave Mason from RKS Guitars, Hardy Steinman of Zyliss, Wayne Ludlum of VestaLife, and Simon Fleming-Wood of Pure Digital Technologies for ensuring that the perspective of executives came through in the chapters. We also benefited from our dialogue with Dr. Bob Deutsch, Dr. Chip Wood, Tom Matano, Dale Jensen, and Frank Tyneski for their insights on design and its business relevance.

Every individual at RKS has contributed to this effort at some stage. We cannot adequately thank the team at RKS for their dedication and hard work, on the projects that are featured in this book. All of the RKS team members over the years have built the foundation of the firm and consistently produced award-winning work and generated bottom-line results for our clients. Lance Hussey, Chris Glupker, and Kurt Botsai were early employees of RKS, and almost every project has been touched by them as they have helped to shape and evolve the practice of Psycho-Aesthetics^®. They shared my vision early on and continually pushed themselves to execute and rose to the occasion as we took on more ambitious projects. Over the course of this project, everyone we called on put in efforts that went beyond our requests or the call of duty. Barb Mackintosh and Karen Kelly provided their sharp editorial eyes, keen insights, and well-reasoned critiques to each version of the chapters. Hojin Choi developed early cover concepts and the inspiring final design. Several of the designers, especially Harnish Jani, Leah Thomas, and Eric Lai created the illustrations that help to bring concepts to life throughout the book. The title of Predictable Magic was adapted from our former colleague, Tom White. Our conversations with Lance Hussey, Harnish Jani, and Ingvald Smith-Kielland yielded many of the insights reflected within the chapters.

Design is a multidisciplinary effort, and much of our learning comes from outside our organization—and profession. The foundations of Psycho-Aesthetics were inspired by the work of Abraham Maslow, whose keen understanding of human behavior and motivation has led to many of our most inspired designs. As the design profession has evolved and matured, communication with consumers has grown in importance, and philosopher Joseph Campbell has helped us to discover the stories and narratives that have enabled us to connect in a meaningful way. We have always believed that design is more than an aesthetic challenge, but a business challenge as well. Readers will easily recognize the inspiration from leading thinkers in business strategy including Peter Drucker, C.K. Prahalad, Gary Hamel, Michael Porter, W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne, and Yves Doz.

It is an exciting time to be in the design profession, and the work of other firms and individuals has certainly provided inspiration in pushing the limits of where design can be applied and to refine our methodology. As always, the support and help of the Industrial Designer’s Society of America (IDSA) has been firm as we have tried to stake new ground. The design profession is composed of a diverse lot of talented individuals, and many small firms who have been steadily helping companies and entrepreneurs bring their ideas to market. We draw tremendous inspiration from their work and hope that this book empowers them in their creative endeavors.

We do not speak about the potential for business and design to work effectively together on a theoretical basis. Our collaboration with business schools and our own entrepreneurial efforts inform our recommendations. We are especially grateful to Rajib Adhikary and Elie Ofek who introduced us to Harvard Business School; this resulted in a HBS Case study of RKS Guitars and Psycho-Aesthetics. Harvard and other schools, notably USC, UCLA, and Pepperdine, have regularly invited us to speak about the method in their classes. The team who worked on producing RKS Guitars and my partner Dave Mason also deserve mention. Linda Tischler of Fast Company generously provided us the opportunity to blog and share our stories with a wider business audience.

Of course, our families, friends, and mentors provide the support to venture into new areas and are what really sustain us as we take on new roles. For both of us, the love and encouragement of parents, spouses, siblings, and children have made this effort worthwhile. Both of us have had professional mentors and teachers who helped shape our worldviews.

Deepa Prahalad

My parents (C.K. and Gayatri Prahalad) have always been my biggest inspiration and support. They not only believed in me, but also listened to me prattle on about design and debated with me. My brother and his family (Murali, Punam, and Nithya Prahalad) were steadfast in their support. My in-laws, Anand and Shaila Abhyankar, always offered their encouragement. My extended family all over the globe dutifully checked in throughout the process. However, it was my husband, Ashwin Abhyankar, and son Arjun who indulged me with tremendous patience and good humor, adjusted their lives around deadlines, and made sure I could devote time and attention to work. They were generous with their affection and support, and enabled me to keep plugging away.

While a student at the University of Michigan, I had the benefit of learning about the world from great professors such as Ken Lieberthal, Linda Lim, Jeff Winters, and Pradeep Chhibber. All of them helped me to build an awareness of the many moving parts in every situation and instilled a healthy skepticism of the “obvious” answer. At the Tuck School of Business, I learned from professors such as Vijay Govindarajan, Sidney Finkelstein, and Richard D’Aveni. Professionally, my experience with Cargill in Singapore and with Safe-Med in San Diego provided me with real-world insights that I continue to draw on.

Ravi Sawhney

My wife Amalia supported and encouraged me in this effort; always believing in me. My parents Ved and Lajya, my brother Ramesh, and sister Parmela, shared my excitement. My daughters Nesha and Sita, my son-in-law Ingvald, and stepchildren Ben and Claire lent their enthusiasm.

My mentor Dick Bruton inspired me to forge ahead and become an industrial designer at a time I was about to abandon my major in industrial design. Leroy Petersen’s mastery of ceramics taught me how to combine form and function. The very special, late Hollis Killen who I met as a teacher when I was 12 and stayed friends with for almost 40 years set me on my professional path. Sunil Dhir first encouraged me to start RKS. Both Sunil and Daniel Frank have been trusted friends and advisors through the years.

The example of Alan Kay who changed the world though his work remains a huge inspiration. I was privileged enough to help develop some of his concepts into the first touch-screen interface while part of the team at Xerox. The understandings and insights developed there in the late ‘70s started my investigations and innovations in the psyche and of user interaction reflected in Predictable Magic.

It is from a very privileged position that we can therefore both speak about emotional connections and their value. We understand their importance through our families, friends, and colleagues and know their power to transform organizations and the lives of individuals.

Deepa Prahalad
Ravi Sawhney
Thousand Oaks, CA
December 2009