Grant Bissett - Minister of Kerosene

In an accessible tone, Subject to Change articulates what should now be taken for granted in product design: that products designed around real peoples’ needs and desires will win over those engineered to meet theoretical expectations. Using Adaptive Path’s experience as examples (and perhaps emphasising the consultancy’s achievements more often than necessary), the authors make an easily-digestible case for implementing an experience design strategy in favour of blindly over-engineering complex products.

The book suggests that engineering-led product optimization improves but doesn’t innovate. On the other hand, placing real customers at the center of the design process is shown as a shortcut to delivering more relevant, useful and successful products.

Adaptive Path are arguably thought leaders in this space, and the style of writing here shows their desire to advertise the company’s experience. The reader is perhaps reminded too often that the successes in the examples given were due to Adaptive Path’s involvement, and that adopting their processes in particular can help any product designer. This doesn’t add credibility to the case studies, because someone buying an Adaptive Path book is likely to already be satisfied with the authors’ credentials before reading.

Subject to Change will resonate well with designers of all disciplines, but it’s perhaps other departments that would benefit the most by considering the adoption of an experience-led strategy. There may not be a great deal of new thought contained here, but as an easy-to-read introduction to the merits of customer-focussed design, Subject to Change would be a useful addition to an engineer’s or product manager’s bookshelf.