“Design thinking is a Human-Centred approach to innovation that draws from the designer's toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.”Tim Brown, chair of IDEO
We utilize a Design Thinking approach to innovation that provides organizations with a proven methodology to generate and test new ideas quickly and cheaply.
According to IBM’s Forrester Total Economic Impact Study (2018), Design Thinking can enable companies deliver new products or services to the market twice as fast as companies without a formalized approach to innovation.
Design Value Index (DVI), based on a portfolio of 16 publicly traded stocks from companies considered to be “design-centric”, shows a 211% return over the S&P 500.
It is easy to find compelling evidence to support Design Thinking for Innovation from global brands. But how might we make world-class innovation accessible to smaller organizations?
The process of innovation needs to be woven into an organization’s DNA if they are to thrive. We’ve developed an integrated approach to innovation that brings together the perspectives that matter, to solve the problems that matter.
Innovation can be messy and time-consuming. One way to bring urgency and focus is to time-box each stage of the innovation cycle. By doing so, we are better able to manage risk & control cost.
Insights are gained by engaging and empathizing with real users. A user panel that includes typical users, lead users, and extreme users can reveal unseen opportunities and provide vital feedback on potential solutions.
Innovative solutions emerge when creative horsepower is harnessed by an efficient process. We recruit innovation collaborators with the expertise to complement the internal innovation team and achieve cycle goals.
We work to ensure that our cycles integrate with our client- partners’ project management or continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean or Agile.
We maintain an extensive network of subject matter experts and specialists who are called upon to address knowledge gaps.
Innovation is a team sport, with different players suited to different roles. When roles are filled with the right people, the team becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Here are two ways we work to assemble winning teams:
The perspectives needed to produce innovation are found inside and outside of the organization. It is important that internal knowledge and experience, be complemented with external knowledge and experience, to create an innovation team that is able to think outside of the box.
We look for individuals who possess deep domain knowledge and a proven ability to contribute to a variety of projects. We balance teams by bringing together what we call the 4 Core Perspectives, the entrepreneur, the designer, the engineer, and the accountant.