Designing is the process of linking need with desire.
It’s easier (and better) to sell something which is desirable, rather than (un)desirable.
Desirability is value by another name. A more insiring and emotive name.
Would you rather be valuable or desirable?
We’re in the business of creating desirability via innovation.
This insight forces a difficult design process question. How do we make design decisions between solving observable problems vs trying to answer psychological needs? It seems that the most successful, game-changing “innovations” – (ipod, prius, etc) – were successful mostly because they fulfilled a psychological desire. In fact, the competitors, who have really just marketed a comparable utility, are virtually irrelevant (whether they were first to market or a follower).