Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing... layout, processes, and procedures.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail - Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Think of the design process as involving first the generation of alternatives and then the testing of these alternatives against a whole array of requirements and restraints.
And just when we were at the end of our design process there was the news that the Italian government and the U.S. government had signed an agreement to fly the first Italian astronaut on that flight.
So that is the design process or the creative process. Start with a problem, forget the problem, the problem reveals itself or the solution reveals itself and then you reevaulate it. This is what you are doing all the time.
A small change at the beginning of the design process defines an entirely different product at the end.
The design process is about designing and prototyping and making. When you separate those, I think the final result suffers.
What I've learned from different designers is that it's key to be true to who you are and your vision. That's always been my line of thinking. Working through the whole design process, I don't want to create something I wouldn't be proud to wear.
I studied to be an architect. And I find tremendous similarities between building a company and the design process. Businesses have to do their planning on the fly in a fashion similar to an architect sketching.
I am extremely involved in the design process of both my brands, Winter Kate and House of Harlow 1960.