Invest more in the customer experience, and revenue increases as well.
Artefact Design Director Ken Fry discusses how Microsoft's Hardware Division relies on user-experience design and research to drive successful business strategy. Courtesy of the Design Management Review (Vol. 18, No. 4, Fall 2007) a publication of the Design Management Institute. Individual copies of this and other DMI Review articles are available for purchase at www.dmi.org/publications.

Article abstract:
Over its 25-year history, the hardware division of Microsoft Corp. has delivered innovative products that delight customers and contribute revenue to the company. Andy Cargile and Ken Fry describe how a growing emphasis on the user experience and the application of several key business principles have helped their division create compelling designs that simultaneously respond to advances in technology, the demands of the marketplace, and the human spirit.