Role of design & approach… Thought-provoking piece on the design process and the role of design for two American corporate giants — Apple and Google. As most of the world knows, major decisions at Apple are all made or blessed by Steve Jobs, vs. Google which relies on more of a typical consensus-building corporate approach, involving many stakeholders and the use of substantial customer/user data. Apple and the strong “auteur” approach obviously wins on the design front, but the larger question is what role should design play in a particular company’s business and corporate culture. It is all about defining a company’s or a project’s mission or goal and building a structure that will be best equipped to deliver on all fronts. Certainly, from our POV, we vote for an enlarged role for design and bold decision making, but realistically, we know that every company needs to find their own way. But, a big thanks to Apple and the visionary Mr. Jobs for showing the world what a difference design can make.