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Industrial Arts  Volume 1   Issue: 4  Winter 1936  Page: 253
 
 Designing for Mass Acceptance By Donald R. Dohner
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Dohner, Donald R. [1897-1943. USA. Industrial Designer]
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DESIGNING FOR MASS ACCEPTANCE

DONALD R. DOHNER
 
The consumer is not concerned with either production or merchandising problems as such. He wants fine appearance, and, even more important, design and style that conform to current standards of fashion. At all times we find certain products meeting with mass acceptance while others with the same qualities present, except appeal, meet with rebuff on the line of final sale.

Busy executives have neither time, training, nor talent to solve product design from the standpoint o f mass acceptance.


I SHALL COME RIGHT OUT WITH IT”, WE ARE GOING TO face several salient facts — obvious, yet insufficiently understood or underestimated.

(1) Goods are produced to sell — at a profit.

(2) Producing goods in quantity is one thing; selling them in quantity is quite another.

(3) Factors making possible mass acceptance or consumption have been either insufficiently studied, under-estimated or attacked by methods suitable only to production.

The first of these facts is obvious; the second should be, but evidently isn’t, if we are to judge by the numerous concerns that fail to gear their selling ability to their capacity to produce. For the past two decades, vast sums have been spent on production techniques, equipment, and plant efficiency. We have made very little study of market analysis, mass distribution and selling problems. We are strong in mass production; weak in mass selling. No industry can hope to survive and grow if a cut-throat competition, based solely on costs of raw materials, labour and production, is long continued. These are tangible factors; what one manufacturer can do, his competitor can quickly duplicate. They present, positively, very definite limitations. It is to the less tangible factors that industry must turn if it is intelligently to face the problem of mass acceptance of its products. To such intangibles as ingenuity, resourcefulness, design talent, alertness to ever-changing consumer wants, and style trends — and this brings me to the third point.

As stated a moment ago, our larger industries have the equipment, have mastered manufacturing techniques, they know all about production, and here is the rub — they know very little else; they have failed to realize that anything else matters. They have become production- minded, organization-minded, and, within the organization, in many instances, political-minded.

It is reasonably apparent that our modem industries do know how to design for mass production. But they miss the equally important essential of designing for mass acceptance. Why? Simply because they fail to see the complete picture. Before a product can profitably achieve the widest mass acceptance, it must possess that delicate balance made up of three separate viewpoints — the manufacturer’s, the retailer’s and the consumer’s.

The manufacturer thinks mainly in terms of materials, of factory set-up involving available equipment, of factory costs, commercial costs, standardization, ease of manufacture, finishing problems, freedom from rejects, field troubles, dealer relations and such matters. Let us not for a moment be so un-realistic in our understanding of the manufacturer’s problems as to give any impression that these things are unimportant. They are vitally important — but this does not lessen the fact that they are not all-important, or that there are not other, and equally important factors with which the manufacturer reckons hardly at all, and which in many cases he ignores completely.

These production problems do not trouble the retailer much, if at all. His only direct concern with the manufacturer’s cost problems lies in the matter of mark-up, of his own margin of profit as between two competitive manufacturers, that is, of which manufacturer, due to volume production, economical factory methods or
Industrial Arts  Volume 1   Issue: 4  Winter 1936  Page: 254
 
 Designing for Mass Acceptance By Donald R. Dohner
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what not, can offer him the best net profit. And even here, he is more interested in this ultimate net than he is in whatever manufacturing genius has achieved it. While the retailer has plenty of problems inherent in the business of running any kind of a merchandising establishment, his whole problem so far as any product is concerned may be tersely summed up in the question: Can I move the merchandise? In other words: is its appearance, its style, together with its price, such that my customers will buy it? No other question can possibly be so important to the retailer — and the question turns us directly face to face with the consumer, that inclusive term which commerce has given to the buying public.

The consumer, while he is affected by the factors basically involved in manufacture, is not concerned with either production or merchandising problems as such. Quality, usefulness, cost — these are of definite interest to him — yet his actual buying response is stimulated by the very factors which too many manufacturers consider so unimportant and even whimsical that they overlook them, or trust to chance for the mass acceptance of their products.

The consumer, to be specific, wants products that have all the factory can offer in quality, and in addition to this he wants fine appearance, whether in pattern, form, colour, finish or texture, products that appeal to his senses of sight and touch. And, what is even more important as a buying stimulus — the design and style must have timeliness, must conform to current standards of taste and fashion. These qualities must be present in products for mass acceptance. It matters little whether or not design and appearance come first; without them, quality of materials and workmanship, utility, price, the prestige of the manufacturer, important as they are, will not induce or support mass buying. The most casual survey proves the truth of this statement, for at all times we find certain products meeting with mass acceptance, while others with the same qualities present, except appeal, go through all the agonies and expense of production, distribution and sales promotion, only to meet with rebuff on the line of final sale. Why? The customer simply doesn't like them! That is final!

These products have been designed solely from a manufacturer's viewpoint, that is, from the standpoint of production. A few years ago several leading electric refrigerators were designed, not from the standpoint of appeal and convenience, but from that of tradition, ease of manufacture and possible freedom from field troubles. The simple fact that an electric refrigerator is an improvement over the old icebox should have suggested a slight break with tradition, leading to finer appearance. Or it might have occurred to the manufacturer trying to appeal to the housewife (who opens the refrigerator on an average of fifty times a day,) that he might be more successful if he subordinated good factory-minded designs to designs permitting of greater convenience. These very things have been and are being done. A little keener appreciation of consumer needs and wants, mixed with some talent and ingenuity, has quickened sales — and, if applied earlier, would have saved the tremendous manufacturing waste resulting from trial-and-error method.

I have seen air-conditioning and air-filtering cabinets that, because of cost, could only be sold to people of means. These cabinets would have to associate with other costly articles; yet the finishes were cheap and blatant — specified to promote freedom from disfiguring in the shop. A costly product of quality that said cheapness — a factory-minded design without consumer appeal. The result? Definite sales-resistance, with consequent loss to the manufacturer. I could continue at great length mentioning radios, lighting fixtures, furniture, household appliances, tableware, glassware, and other things. The story is the same; the engineer and the shopman, versus the industrial designer. The aim of all three — ultimate mass sales — is identical, but executive blindness has failed to co-ordinate them.

The question naturally arises: Why haven't we been able to see this and establish a little better balance between consumer and producer, and thereby design for mass acceptance, as well as for mass production? The reasons are not difficult to find nor are they pleasant to contemplate. First we have lacked executive leadership of a nature that could see these things. Executives, administering the affairs of big organizations, are busy with production, corporate and financial problems, distributor, jobber and trade agreements, sales policies, personnel, advertising and all such matters. These men have climbed to their present positions of authority and control by exercising their initiative, energy, vision, courage, and in some cases, not a little political acumen. This has taken time: they are now well beyond middle age. They are ripe in experience, but set; the vision and daring of earlier years are gone — caution creeps in. Dr. William J. Mayo, the eminent physician and surgeon, who for half a century has had the opportunity to observe and study Man, states our case most authoritatively: “…Try as he (the elderly person) will, the experiences of the past are clearer to him than his thought of the future. His knowledge is static.”

Executives of this type fail to realize that the techniques they used so successfully in the past may possibly have
Industrial Arts  Volume 1   Issue: 4  Winter 1936  Page: 255
 
 Designing for Mass Acceptance By Donald R. Dohner
Profiles: click on name to see profile
 
Dohner, Donald R. [1897-1943. USA. Industrial Designer]
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Donald R. Dohner, Industrial Artist
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After six years’ training in three different art schools (John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis; Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago; the Art Institute, Chicago), Dohner devoted two years to work in advertising, and one year in merchandising. This led him, in 1916, to the sales influence of product design. Unlike many artists, Mr. Dohner did not attempt to introduce his ideas to industry on the spot; he put in another three years’ work first in acquiring practical experience of production in woodworking, machine and printing shops.

Then he went to Pittsburgh, one of the world’s greatest industrial centres. But he found the depression of 1919-1922 against him. He accepted the position of Associate Professor of Design at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and started on his campaign to interest American manufacturers in the matter of design.

His practical knowledge secured him a hearing for his ideas, and Westinghouse Electric began to consult him on designs for small motors, switch boards, metres, control panels, etc.

In 1930 he was appointed their Director of Art in the Engineering Department, a position from which he controlled the appearance of all products manufactured in the Company’s twenty-five plants.

The design problems of 3 ,000 engineers came before him, and he spent his days working with tool makers, die makers, shop foremen and superintendents', studying markets, materials and manufacturing operations. He made a point of working in closest possible contact with the engineers in charge, not only on appearance and sales-appeal but on costs, ease of manufacture, convenience and economy of maintenance.

“This is a life work in itself” says Mr. Dohner, (and without some knowledge and background in manufacture the finest talent is unprepared to cope economically and with despatch with mass-production design problems”.

He makes a thorough study of this background before approaching any individual problem. He starts, knowing that he is going to prepare a design which can be made and sold at a predetermined price. He works from a rough sketch, almost immediately developed into a three-dimensional model.


become of less value in a fast and ever-changing world. Then too, busy executives have neither the time, training nor talent to solve or direct the solution of product design from the standpoint of mass acceptance. This responsibility, when recognized, is delegated to immediate subordinates who often lack authority, or merely reflect their superior's viewpoint.

This situation leads to a lamentable condition. It produces what I call ‘‘Executive Design” — design dictated by those in administrative positions at the top. It substitutes snap judgment, based on personal prejudices and opinion, for careful market analysis, study and talent. These executives are slowly passing out of the buying zone, yet they insist on dictating the type of design which they, personally, would buy, when the large group in the buying zone, and a new generation just entering, have their own ideas of what they like and want. These large groups, comprising roughly 90 per cent, of the consumers of mass production, are the buyers; not a few executives and producers. And the vitally important thing about this majority consumer taste is that it is constantly changing.

”Executive Design” is present in both large and small industries. I have personally come across quite a few instances in “the line” was designed by the leading executive with “critical” support from his secretary or stenographer. In most instances, his designs were strongly influenced by those of his competitors. And the competitor's designs may well be, and often are, the result of the same level of unenlightenment.

A clear illustration of “executive design” I might cite, occurred about six years ago, when I saw a drastic change coming in household design and presented some new range designs to the leading executive of a large manufacturing company. After a very brief discussion he dismissed me with these words: “I would never buy a range like that”. The answer was, is, and in all probability always will be: “You will never buy any range at all. Your wife will buy the range. You will merely have the privilege of paying for it”. Within two years the new type of range became very popular, and still is. Four years later, this manufacturer redesigned his product, but not until his personal prejudices had caused him considerable loss of business.

I now come to one of the major reasons for such low acceptance of so many of our production-designed products. Manufacturing executive lack of appreciation of the part women play in buying — directly or indirectly — and this in spite of all the magazine and advertising agency statistics amassed to prove it. In the United States, women control 90 per cent, of our
Industrial Arts  Volume 1   Issue: 4  Winter 1936  Page: 256
 
 Designing for Mass Acceptance By Donald R. Dohner
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total spending power. Eleven million women are wage earners. Women own a little over 50 per cent, of the entire nation’s wealth. 80 billion dollars worth of insurance is in their names.

Anyone with something to sell must know or find out what interests women to-day. This is not a treatise on what interests women and why, but suffice it to say here — it is imperative that the first step a manufacturer or selling agency must take, is to find the answer. This appears obvious to any manufacturer who is the least astute or interested in his own well being, or who even pretends to be abreast of the times in which he lives. This can be done; but it cannot be done by “executive design,’’ or by production design which incorporates nothing more than the executive’s or producer’s viewpoint. You can appeal to women through:

(1) Beauty (style, smartness, timeliness)

(2) Convenience (in mechanical things)

(3) Attractive price.

It so happens that these qualities lie close to the hearts of women. Here, then, are qualities to exploit — but not in terms of extravagant and superlative generalities which all competitors immediately copy. “The most beautiful car on wheels.” “The most beautiful refrigerator in the world”, and so forth. Since women are more shrewd, suspicious, and therefore, more cautious buyers than men, you must prove your technical points. You must evidence the beauty of your product, its convenience, its sound value. The product itself must possess inherent qualities that speak louder, more convincingly and more persistently than type or talk. The product must help sell itself!

If it be truly designed for mass acceptance it will sell itself, and without the uncertain aid of advertising and high-pressure salesmanship. These methods, even when they were new and fairly effective, were psychologically unsound and often ethically unsound. The day of the lyric advertisement and the high-pressure salesman has passed. Stephen Leacock’s old definition of advertising has come true: “The art of arresting the human intelligence long enough to sell it something.” But to-day human intelligence is asserting itself. It demands that merchandise shall actually possess the greatest number of desirable qualities that modern manufacturing methods, plus manufacturing and designing intelligence can achieve.