Digital just became a necessity

Web Design
Web Development
User Experience (UX)
User Interface Design (UI)

Fight or flight, pivot or pause - the world’s Magic 8 ball just got kicked into the sky, and who knows what it might say when it lands.

But that’s exciting, right? Old doors shut, but new doors open, customers change, needs adapt, and priorities are turned on their head.

I’ve said this in a previous post; the world has been forced, at pace, further into digital. This time it’s more than just digitising your services or making your business more accessible - because if you could do that, you’ve already done it. 

This is something different. Digital is no longer just efficiency; it’s the rapid development tool to get out in front quickly. Your customers have changed, their journeys have changed, and I’m afraid of sitting it out; amounting debt in government-backed loans isn’t creating a foundation for success; it’s hibernation at best. And hibernating while others are redefining the rules doesn’t make sense.

Admittedly, some industries will be hit harder than others. The CEO of an airline with the entire fleet grounded isn’t thinking about generating revenue from planes on the tarmac. Still, they probably are using the additional bandwidth to focus on innovation, which usually takes a back seat to the business's day-to-day running. Now is the time to capitalise on uninterrupted thinking, focussed minds and unprecedented bandwidth.

One of the biggest issues an agency has to deal with when running a project with a client is that the client still has their day job. The project is usually in addition to what is normally expected of them. Finding that capacity, finding that time and focus, practising real deep work (fantastic book btw) never happens.

So yes, this is a time to pivot, redefine customer wants and needs, minimise impact and innovate out of a crisis, but let’s be pragmatic - that isn’t an option for several industries. But what is not only an option but an absolutely unique opportunity is to maximise that bandwidth - practice Design Thinking, build a strong foundation for the long term growth and expansion, not just short term survival.

There really isn’t a better time to be strategic. Great strategy happens when we can focus, have clear minds and determination in our bellies.