Be curious.

Curiosity is the foundation of great design. Without it, we might achieve good, but never great. It’s what helps us uncover insights, challenge assumptions and move beyond the obvious.

How Do We Stay Curious?

We ask lots of questions - every day, all the time. Think of an 8-year-old in the backseat, wonderously quizzing their parents on the way to school. That’s us.

We challenge ourselves and each other, following the philosophy of “strong opinions, lightly held”. We come prepared with insights, but we’re always open to new ideas, unexpected perspectives and left-field ideas.

We encourage our team to explore their passions, chase rabbit holes and bring back what they find to the group, no matter whether it’s a new technology, a podcast, or simply something funny, beautiful, or unusual. The goal? To surprise and delight.

Curiosity in Practice.

When taking a brief on a new project we quiz our clients at length. Initially it’s simple questions like what is your idea? What does your product do? What’s your expected volumes and target cost of goods? More importantly we ask some challenging, probing questions. Why is your product better than competitor X? Who would use your product? Do they really need it? How will you get it to market? What will customers pay for it? What? Why? How? Who?

These design brief sessions usually vary in length and detail depending on the product market, the inherent complexity of project and the maturity of the organisation. They are often seemingly freewheeling conversations but, behind the scenes, we’re working to general plan to distil the key information we need to offer the best support.

Often, particularly for startups or clients that are inexperienced with new product development, we’ll provide a Design Brief Template* that they can fill out as a starting point for these conversations. It’s amazing how actually writing down answers helps clients tighten up their requirements and clarify their thinking. It’s a great way to start our joint product design journey.

*Want a copy? Email us at info@katapultdesign.com.au and we’ll send it to you free of charge.

Stay curious. Create Brilliant.