Strategic design
We create customer-driven success stories by identifying the users’ core goals, converting them to radical business opportunities, and designing successful products and services.
Studying the
customers’ core goals
Identifying radical
business opportunities
=
Designing successful
products and services
Success stories of
strategic design
“By identifying the goals that the users are ultimately trying to accomplish, and by approaching problems without sticking to existing solutions, new products and services can be innovated.”
ED Design’s proprietary DESIGN PUZZLETM innovation framework has been developed to discover user-centric innovation opportunities and to develop them into successful products and services. Work starts by studying the intended users and discovering their core goals. Novel opportunities for innovation are discovered by systematical examination of the findings in a co-creative process – without sticking to existing solutions.
Creative user-centric concept solutions are further developed for their business viability and technical feasibility. The triply-verified solution is then known to be based on actual user needs, known to have business potential, and to known to be technically feasible. R&D activities for developing the product and/or service can then be launched with confidence.
From technology-driven to
user-driven business development
Traditional product development is technology-driven. At ED Design, we take a different approach to R&D. Our user-centered methods builds on the goals of the users and continues with development of business models. Technical enablers come last – they are essential, but only meaningful if the product and/or service is desirable and viable. Not only does this approach help in avoiding late changes in the project, it also fuels the discovery of radical opportunities for success.
Our entire strategic design process can be executed remotely. We conduct remote user studies using our proprietary camera-system, enabling us to bypass the usual challenges of time and distance. Likewise, we fluently facilitate remote innovation workshops on a global scale.
Remote R&D activities are our normal mode of operation. We can readily adapt our working methods to our customers’ processes.
Benefits of
strategic design
- Recognising new opportunities: By identifying the users’ core goals, optimal solutions to fulfill them can be developed.
- Generating innovations. With the right tools, coming up with innovations changes from fuzzy dabbling into a systematic and productive process.
- Taking the leap from incremental to radical. Forget about improving your product in small steps. Instead, discover opportunities for radical innovation.
- Avoiding late changes. Waiting until you have a product ready before you test it with real users is expensive. Studying the users before you start is not.
- Gaining a competitive advantage: User-driven innovation generation leads to novel solutions which are desirable, viable and feasible.
- Go from operational to strategic: Studies show that employing design as a strategic tool enables creation of world-class innovation.
Design-centric companies outperform their peers. Studies show that investing in design triples a company’s value compared to competition.
Jeneanne Rae: What is the Real Value of Design?
Strategic design is the
starting point for holistic design
Users’ needs and desires are recognised by studying different user groups and involving them in design work; this is how we discover valuable information about their core goals, needs and desires. By analysing the findings, we establish the present situation, identify field-specific business opportunities and development trends, and determine the design preconditions. Clear target-setting guides the work in the right direction from the very beginning.
Besides the end users, it is vital to take into consideration other aspects of the final solution, such as logistics, installation and maintenance. The results of the work challenge presumptions and reveal key development targets. At best, new business opportunities are discovered.
During the most creative design work phase, our designers fuse their experience with their understanding of the users and the business. Alternative design concepts are formed wherein efficiency, functionality, safety, pleasantness and smart solutions are combined with Scandinavian design and brand building. Our own prototype workshop enables testing the solutions with the help of models and prototypes. Based on the design concepts, it is easy to make an enlightened decision on the solution selected for further development.
Our service designers, industrial designers and mechanical engineers work closely with our customers throughout the whole product development project. Besides the usability aspect, the work is guided by business factors. If necessary, we can continue as partners of our customers until entry into production.
Strategic design
- User-centric innovation
- Holistic product & service design
- New business models
- Vision & strategy
- Portfolio design
- Brand building