The Role of Design in Polaroid's Turnaround
by David Laituri, Principal, Design Continuum, Boston

Part 3: Lessons for design management

Polaroid’s situation is not unique; many companies in recent history have been confronted with similar disruptive challenges to their survival. Computers have replaced typewriters and CD’s have replaced audiotapes just as digital photography currently seems to be challenging the existence of traditional film-based photography. But just as movie theaters, movies viewed via cable TV and movies viewed via DVD peacefully co-exist today, a certain segment of photographic consumers appear to be valuing the various benefits of instant photography and are taking a ‘portfolio’ approach to their photographic needs; in some situations to some customers, an instant photo is still the best option for taking and sharing a spontaneous photo. For a product to survive this type of technological disruption, yet emerge as a viable option in a pluralistic technological environment, having a very clear understanding of target user’s specific needs, attitudes and motivations are essential.

However, having detailed market insight alone would not have lead to a successful business strategy for Polaroid, neither would simply engineering a smaller camera architecture nor designing yet another attractive skin over an old product chassis. It took the full alignment and integration of the efforts of marketing, engineering and design with the objectives of the business to create the success behind Polaroid One.