Right now we are fighting the virus and believe me we will come out stronger. Compared to 1918 (Spanish Flu), we are far better equipped as a human race. With enhanced technology, with faster communication channels we will be able to fight this situation for sure. I am confident we will come out of this. But when we come out of this, our world will be a very different place. Are we ready for that is the only question you must answer.
Recession is confirmed. Depression may be if things go out of hand. Are you ready to handle what is upcoming is the question we must be asking ourselves. I am a pragmatic optimist. I don't believe that when we think positive, things will be positive. We must do things in such a way that it turns out to be positive. Let us talk on those lines.
If you are a problem solver you will be most needed in the times ahead. At the same time, subjective sciences like design, product management will be the most hit by recession as every one will feel, I shall add a little more common sense to this and call it done. Every engineer will become a designer and a product manager in the times to come. That is the only way we can establish cost cutting. I am not saying this out of the blue. I have seen 2001, 2008 and 2018 slow down. As management thinks about layoff they eye on the frills(atleast they think that way) that does not add any direct value to the bottom line. I have been a part of some of the discussions with senior leadership. All cost centres will be affected badly. The spend will go down. Customers will easily switch to low cost solutions in a recession time. I am not saying we are doomed. All i am saying is let us empathise with upcoming recession.
Here are a few ways you can be ready:
Optimise value for your customer and make it easy for them to go through the tough times. Tailor your offerings accordingly. We have started talking to our long term clients and started telling them where to spend and where not to spend. Yes, this is a proactive initiative.
Upskill yourself so that you can quickly put together a solution. You will not have the luxury of team collaborations and long meetings. The ticking clock will be louder during the recession times. Become more sensible and think in context. If something takes USD 20000, try and solve it in USD 20. Low code and no code could be one way. A quick prototyping could be another. Remote testing and remote sprints could be another way of handling the situation. As designers and product managers, get to the heart of the problem quickly. Don't wait for the entire room to come to consensus. Have an urgency to solve the problem as the situation will demand it. Get set with your mindset for this.
Have a big say on how your org spends. Even better, try and propose a plan for cost cutting. As designers we are trained to optimize. There is no better person who will be able to propose a beautiful solution like us. Go and innovate for this time. Introduce new streams of business. Make your business recession proof. More than ever your customer's need and wants must be understood deeply as the problem space will shift.
Remote working is the way forward. Show the savings in the P&L and take it from there. Know how to sell. Make a case for your customer to consider you as the best alternative in such tough times. When the tough times end, they will still come to you as you are sensible. See if you can cut cost in every corner and optimize spends for your customer. That is your job.
Put down a design system and routines for your teams so that you can go ahead and get the same amount of work done with less number of people. More than ever you need systems thinking in you. Get ready for that.
I don't know about you. I am super excited about the upcoming opportunities for a sensible problem solver. This is the time we must be together. This is the time to show the world what design can do in terms of adding value. Go get ready. Don't worry about Covid. This too shall pass and we have bigger things coming up.
Use this time to skill up! Don't spend time on Netflix and social media. Make your PQSD (preventive quarantine and Social distancing) count. This is the time to be faster, better and cheaper. Yes, it is an AND.
An AND is a hard strategy compared to an OR. So it is time to skill up, tune up and level up. The survival of the smartest is what will be most needed in these times. Bash on, regardless!
