REFLEXIVE INNOVATION HIDDEN POTENTIALS IN DESIGN
Danish Design Centre Part of Design Society
WE PREFER NEW CHALLENGES, UNDEFINED SPACES, INSTEAD OF PROJECTS WHERE THE ANSWER IS KNOWN. THE UNIQUE SKILLSET THAT WE CULTIVATE, IS TO TAKE A DESIGN REPERTOIRE AND APPLY IT TO SOMETHING UNKNOWN. James Haliburton, Topp
REFLEXIVE INNOVATION Reflexive Innovation is about the people and organisations that work in the range between technology and design. The publication states the main findings from a study, which the Danish Design Centre has executed among a group of SMEs. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of these innovation actors, and to examine if there are any common traits in their working methods, attitudes and perceptions of design. Which recurring themes are present in their work practices? What is it that drives them towards creating the future? Which potentials are they utilizing in creating new, and sometimes ground breaking, design solutions? It became clear during the study that one of the main themes lies in the potential of reflexion. First, joint reflexion occurs when different points of view meet in an interdisciplinary innovation team. Second, the readiness to stop and reflect on unexpected possibilities can be uncovered when the prototype meets the users. Lastly, the ability to seize the potential that can momentarily occur in more random settings and conversations can turn into unexpected possibilities. We hope that Reflexive Innovation can inspire others to professionally unfold the hidden potential, which lies in design and a reflexive approach to innovation. This can occur either by being more reflexive yourself in design and development processes, or by cooperating with designers who are able to shed new light on the projects and possibilities of your company.
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IT IS ALL ABOUT PLACING YOURSELF IN SITUATIONS THAT YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY SURE OF HOW TO GET THROUGH. BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A MASSIVE CONFIDENCE BOOST, WHEN YOU REACH THE OTHER SIDE, AND DISCOVER THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM YOU ARE ABLE TO SOLVE. YOU HAVE FOUGHT YOUR WAY OUT OF ENOUGH DARK ROOMS TO KNOW THAT THIS IS DOABLE. Kristian Lægdsgaard, Laegdsgaard
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THE PURSUIT OF MEANING One of the common traits for the companies and designers, who have participated in the study, is a conscious focus on design providing meaning. They are driven by a desire to create products and solutions, which generate a positive impact both for the users and, in a larger perspective, for society and the planet as a whole. Meanwhile, the development process also has to provide meaning in the sense of professional progression, furthering relations, and learning both for the client and the design team. This emphasis on meaning, and social and environmental sustainability, does not happen at the expense of economic sustainability. In the study, designers do not see a contradiction between commercial benefits and the pursuit of meaning. On the contrary, the market is seen as a tool to change the world, while simultaneously creating a meaningful work life for all. The conscious focus on meaning and sustainability is not limited to a specific product category or approach. The projects that the companies work with range widely between designs that create entirely new possibilities, and designs that provide a more safe or effective solution to an existing phenomenon. Examples include the use of big data to improve traffic control; temperature and inventory management of vaccines in crisis areas and developing countries; medical equipment for pelvic floor exercises or medication dosage. The creative focal point can also be to utilize waste products to capture new value creation, for example, by collecting used coffee grounds for cultivating mushrooms in private attics and basements. Or the focal point can be on strengthening social relations through computer games, which emphasise social interactions and presence.
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DESIGN CONTRIBUTES TO LINKING THEORY WITH PRACTICE IN CREATING AN EFFECT IN ‘THE REAL WORLD’. AND THAT IS WHAT WE WANT TO HAVE: AN EFFECT. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WISH TO INFLUENCE A GREAT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. IN THIS INSTANCE, DESIGN AS A CONCEPT WORKS REALLY WELL BECAUSE IT FACILITATES THE TRANSITION FROM SOMETHING VERY ABSTRACT TO SOMETHING VERY CONCRETE. Tobias Lau, Social Action 5
CASE: EUPRY
FROM DENMARK TO THE THIRD WORLD, AND BACK AGAIN The majority of the owners in Eupry are students at the Danish Technical University (DTU) who hold a background in management, electronics and programming. One of Eupry’s current projects is a system for managing the temperature and inventory of vaccines, which is intended for use in crisis areas and countries with an underdeveloped infrastructure. The developers have been in Africa multiple times in cooperation with Unicef to test prototypes of their system. For Eupry, it is important that the product helps to incite positive change by solving a problem and improving people’s living conditions. The people behind Eupry predominantly have a technical background. Consequently, the wish to ‘change the world’ is channelled into a technical device. Even though Adam Hartmann-Petersen, an engineer himself, refers to profit maximization as the highest goal for any engineer, Eupry has instead broadened their horizon by applying their technical knowhow towards the pursuit of meaning. Adam Hartmann-Petersen, Eupry: “We definitely try to make the system generic. When we make something, which is directed towards Danish doctors and vaccines and toward solving their problems, it also has to be available in other markets.”
When you create something new, you call it an invention. Innovation is an invention which has a positive impact on people’s lives. Simona Maschi, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
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Through a random conversation with his practitioner, one of the co-owners of Eupry became aware that there are new standards in the pipeline for vaccine storage in the EU. Thus, Eupry is in the process of examining the possibilities of marketing the new system on the Danish market and, potentially, the European market.
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CASE: JESPER K. THOMSEN
PLEASING THE USERS – AND THE INVESTORS Since 2012 Jesper K. Thomsen has developed and tested different versions of a medication dosage system called DoseSystem, in his own design studio. The system helps citizens in their own homes and staff at e.g. nursing homes, to ensure that the citizen receives his or her medication on time. DoseSystem is developed to provide support to the citizen, an overview for the staff and peace of mind for the relatives. The system is a miniature medicine cabinet with a button that confirms when a citizen has taken their medication. If the citizen fails to confirm, staff and relatives can be notified to take action. For Jesper K. Thomsen, the aim of solving problems and creating products, which make life easier for people, is not separated from the business aspect: “If there is a problem, there is also a solution, and it is the solution I have tried to find in collaboration with the citizen and staff. When you have a problem, a solution and a market, then you also have a business. But during the development process I have not tried to sell the product. I have asked the question: How can I help you?” The strong focus on user-driven solutions strengthens the business foundation, both in the development phase and when the product is marketed: “DoseSystem is more user-driven than some of the other products I have worked with. I have involved 40 municipalities, citizens and healthcare staff in the process. That is why we are fairly certain that what we have ended up with is the right compromise between desires, functions, possibilities and price.” Thus, the ambition of working on projects, which provide meaning by solving problems for people, goes hand in hand with the motivation of economic value creation for the company and its investors. 8
DoseSystem is an intelligent medicine container, which shows when medication needs to be taken. When it is time to take the medication, the display will alarm the user, who confirms the act by pushing the OK-button, when the medicine has been taken. When the button is pushed, the nursing staff receives a confirmation.
When you come from my profession, it is very rare that you get to make a difference, and our product might just do that. Therefore, it is not only about making money, but also about doing it in the right way. Jakob Balslev, Rokoko
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ABORIGINALS BELIEVE THAT EVERY MEMBER OF THE TRIBE SHOULD EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING FROM BEING A MEDICINE MAN, A HUNTER AND A CHIEF. BEING ACQUAINTED WITH ALL OF THE PROCESSES IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME. Kristian Lægdsgaard, Laegdsgaard
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A NEW PERSPECTIVE Despite being in different trades and industries, a strong common denominator for each of these companies is an incorporated strategy of including both the end-user and the client in the development of prototypes, products and solutions. Another central element in the designers’ work processes is continuous knowledge sharing, which also occurs outside the project team. An example of this could be colleagues who exchange ideas or share facilities. Knowledge sharing can also happen in entirely different contexts, in which an informal conversation may provide important information or inspiration. Some of the design companies have on-going, open collaborations. This means they can, for example, spar on client related tasks without ever involving money. This means that co-creation becomes a central design competence. The designers have to be able to compose and work in interdisciplinary teams, and absorb the various inputs that come about in the development process. Many of the designers highlight the potential of unexpected and surprising perspectives that an outside actor may contribute. This is true when the designers themselves act as external actors in a project and are able to see different possibilities than the client. This can also come about when the designers themselves encounter new perspectives through comments and feedback from users. The interdisciplinary approach is therefore not only about acquiring specific competencies to solve an assignment. While it is about seeking out other trades, it is also about new perspectives and mind-sets, which can surprise and enrich the development process. The outside perspective helps to maintain the innovative approach.
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CASE: CPH INVENTURES
GREATER COHESION IN THE AIRPORT CPH Inventures is a design and innovation company, which has extensive experience in developing solutions and machinery that improve productivity and working environments. For many years they have had a pronounced focus on airports, which among other things, has resulted in both a luggage cart made of plastic that can go through the airport security checks and a radical redesign of the baggage handling. For CPH Inventures it is less important which specific problem they are solving as long as it is a problem with a big impact. This is why one of the core competencies of the company is to work with value chains; it is often here that the problems are the biggest. Thus, airports are interesting for CPH Inventures. They have many stakeholders and actors who do not necessarily communicate. One of the central challenges at an airport is baggage handling, which becomes clear when you look at the numbers. Worldwide 26 million pieces of checked luggage were damaged, delayed or lost in 2011. According to the CEO of CPH Inventures, Lars Thøgersen, this means that the cost of baggage handling is equal to the profit of the entire airline industry. Lars Thøgersen views the problem as a lack of cohesion between the customer-based baggage solutions of the airport, and the reality the airlines face on the landing strip. The colossal economic costs for airlines and big inconveniences for passengers (resulting in customer dissatisfaction) provide a strong argument for implementing the new system solutions that CPH Inventures have developed. In fact the arguments are so good that other businesses have started to become interested as well. Today CPH Inventures looks to implement similar solutions in dairies and supermarkets.
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According to Lars Thøgersen, the coordination and handling of luggage by the airports and airlines is very inefficient. The reason is that the automated baggage system of the airport, which registers every single piece of luggage, is not coordinated with the registration and handling routines of the airlines. The picture shows the 3B Cart that connects and systemises these two worlds and at the same time reduces the strenuous manual labour.
As a rule, we do not know what it is we do not know. Therefore, we work with the users as sparring partners through the necessary phases of the design process. Lars Thøgersen, CPH Inventures 13
CASE: IDEMOLAB
ELECTRONIC SKETCHING AS A DEVELOPMENT TOOL Idemolab is a sub department of DELTA, which is an Advanced Technology Institute (GTS). The department focuses on the development process and assists companies in developing, testing and approving technological products. For Vanessa Julia Carpenter of Idemolab, product development is about how you involve the users and get them to act, contribute and participate in the creation of their own everyday lives. At Idemolab the user is considered as a source and entry point in the understanding of human opportunities and barriers for new technologies. The connection between user understanding and technology is used actively in Idemolab to secure different points of view and perspectives: “We use something called electronic sketching, so even if we are very reminiscent of a design studio, where we put people first, we also apply electronic tools from the beginning. When we build something, we always try to involve electronic tools to create a very basic functional model which we call an electronic sketch.” In this way the technology is used to create unfinished prototypes, which gives the user something functional and concrete to work with and criticise. Vanessa Julia Carpenter emphasises the importance of the ‘incomplete’, because it is often easier for users to critique something that has wires sticking out in all directions. These ‘electronic sketches’ are part of a wide variety of methods for activating the users’ perspective. Therefore the finished product will be a result of many different perspectives from the original brief of the client, to the designers’ proposal based on the users’ reactions and ideas.
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One of the ’electronic sketches’ that Idemolab uses in the development process.
I believe it is an important value that we have learned something every time we finish a project. Ideally there has to be an element that leaves us feeling a little more skilful when we are done. Jesper Taxbøl, Kanako
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WE USE SOMETHING CALLED ELECTRONIC SKETCHING, SO EVEN IF WE ARE VERY REMINISCENT OF A DESIGN STUDIO, WHERE WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST, WE ALSO APPLY ELECTRONIC TOOLS FROM THE BEGINNING. WHEN WE BUILD SOMETHING, WE ALWAYS TRY TO INVOLVE ELECTRONIC TOOLS TO CREATE A VERY BASIC FUNCTIONAL MODEL WHICH WE CALL AN ELECTRONIC SKETCH. Vanessa Julia Carpenter, Idemolab
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THERE ARE MORE AND MORE COMPLEXITIES TO CONSIDER, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE ARE THINGS WE CANNOT SEE JUST BY DESIGNING ON A BLACKBOARD OR A PIECE OF PAPER. IT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW IF A SOLUTION WORKS, BEFORE IT HAS BEEN TESTED. James Haliburton, Topp
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INVENTING THE UNKNOWN The designers in the study are generally working on projects with a high degree of complexity, partly because the assignments themselves are complex, and partly because the work often happens in interdisciplinary teams. This sets high demands for the tools and approaches they apply. On one hand, the tools must embrace the complexity e.g. make it possible to change directions when new insights about demands and possibilities are made. On another hand, the tools must be easily communicated to users without particular design knowledge in order to support the interdisciplinary process. This makes the prototype an important tool. Designers approach projects iteratively, which means they produce sketches, models and prototypes where every version incorporates the feedback from the users and the client. In this way, the designers can continually involve the users’ perspectives and take the unexpected factors discovered during the process into account. Even though the specific tools are highly technological, the process can to an extent be compared to traditional craftsmanship, in which elements are added, removed and shaped until the final product is found. At the same time, the designers emphasise the importance of maintaining an open approach when it comes to the tools and methods they are using. The tools need to match the task and the team’s composition and have to be adaptable throughout the process.
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CASE: TOPP
NEW, SIMPLE USER-INTERFACE Topp in Malmö is an interdisciplinary team of 25 designers and other developers, specialising in the development of solutions, which combines the internet and data with physical objects. Topp has been part of the development team behind Samsung’s latest smartwatch, Gear S2, in which Topp has developed the user-interface in collaboration with Samsung’s internal design team. Designing a smartwatch is a complicated task, because there are no standards or patterns to navigate between. The safest guideline is to aim for creating a pioneering product. Thus, the goal has not been to create a more accessible smartphone, but instead to create a companion for the users in their everyday. The high level of ambition has resulted in a product, which is raising the bar for user-interfaces and design, while simultaneously incorporating applications from Nike, Twitter and Volkswagen, to name a few. In other words, Topp has helped the user to lead a healthy lifestyle, experience new things and obtain full connectivity – even when the smartphone is left at home.
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It brings joy to see the prototype in your hand and observe the things you did not think of. Things that were problems initially, but which in reality gave you a new perspective. You saw that it got the necessary twist. That is what I like about the prototype. The surprise. Kristian LĂŚgdsgaard, Laegdsgaard
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CASE: NORTHQ
EMBRACING THE COMPLEXITY NorthQ creates solutions in cooperation with companies that are interested in developing products in the sphere of Internet of things (IoT). IoT refers to solutions that involve different products that are connected and communicate internally via the Internet. Moreover the company also develops their own products, exemplified in one of their devices that can handle many different types of electricity meters, which the energy company DONG needs to read: ”It became apparent that DONG had 70 different electricity meters. You have phase 1, phase 2, phase 3, red marker, black marker, thick glass, thin glass, coloured glass, thin gauges, jagged gauges, mirrored gauges, light in the morning, dark rooms and bright rooms. So this was a task that we did not even imagine. But today you could say that we are experts on that specific product, which works on every electricity meter,” says CEO Christian von Scholten. In other words, it is about framing complex issues as an opportunity for learning, which can strengthen the company’s position in the long term. In relation to this, Christian von Scholten mentions his company’s ability to embrace the complexity as something clients and collaborators value: “We have removed all the complexity, so they can focus on what they do best.” One of the company’s approaches when dealing with complexity is to apply a particular perspective that only an outsider from the business can provide. The collaboration with DONG came about, because Christian von Scholten asked a few questions at a hearing in the Danish parliament about electricity meters, which nobody else was asking. This resulted in a meeting with DONG after the hearing, because they found his “beliefs to be a little different”. Consequently, working with complex assignments and combining different perspectives can broaden the horizons of both parties in the development process.
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You can try something, make mistakes and then try again. Digital material, the software, is almost made for it. You can process it in the same way as you would process wood or glass. This makes the use of prototyping essential. Simona Maschi, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
A pair of NorthQ’s intelligent thermostats and their gateway.
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IT IS VERY MUCH LIKE SLALOM SKIING: YOU ARE DRIVING IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, BUT THE GOAL IS TO END UP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL. AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY BIG SLALOM TURNS, WHICH GRADUALLY BECOME SMALLER. THEN YOU TELL YOURSELF THAT WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, “SNAP” – WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS WORKING IN OUR BUSINESS MODEL; THAT IS WHAT THE CUSTOMERS WANT. Christian Von Scholten, NorthQ
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CHANGING LANES AND MAKING U-TURNS Even though the participants in the study consciously gravitate towards the complexity, the complex types of assignments also have natural commercial costs. Often the assignments are very comprehensive and resource intensive, and they are not always embedded in traditional organisational structures. This creates an uncertainty, which many smaller companies probably recognise, but which the participants in the study seek out to a higher degree. Where most entrepreneurs would aim for the low hanging fruit to consolidate their business foundation, the participants in this study are more driven by the desire to offer something transformational. This approach towards the unknown reflects the open approach towards the development process. In this process, it is important for the designers to make room for changing lanes and making U-turns, by discovering and embracing the unexpected possibilities and perspectives, which occur along the way. This presupposes that the client is ready to take a different path. Part of the assignment for the designer is then to challenge the client to allow an open process instead of maintaining a narrow and specific description of the assignment. It is therefore important for all the companies involved in the study, to secure a sound and trusting relation to the client. It is a prerequisite for obtaining the freedom to experiment and realise the ambition of creating new meaning and value, both for the client, the end-user and the designers themselves. This development process can help influence the fundamental perception of risk and value of the client, and thereby their overall innovative potential.
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CASE: ROKOKO
FROM THEATRE TO MEDICAL TREATMENT By using localisation sensors from mobile phones, the company Rokoko has developed a motion capture technology, which they use to make animation theatre, in which live actors breathe life into animated characters who can interact directly with the audience. The CEO Jakob Balslev tells about a situation which unfolded during one of their shows and which resulted in an unexpected opportunity to lead the project into another direction: “There was a little boy who stood up, walked up to the screen and tried to touch the avatars and be part of the animated universe. Afterwards his nurse came over and said that the boy was autistic and that what happened was very, very special. Normally, he does not attach to anything or take any initiative. We created a space, where he desired to take initiative and interact with these characters.” Under the name Tele-Treatment, Rokoko has initiated a collaboration with The University of Southern Denmark to test the technique while working with autistic people. The course of events illustrates the big potential, which lies in the awareness of the possibilities that occur along the way – and the ability to change course in order to utilize that potential. Animotion-technology in practice.
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Through the advanced Animotion-technology, Tele-Treatment offers an interactive solution, which even toddlers can use on their own.
We show the client as much as possible. Not a hundred times, but typically 3-5 times before handing in the final product we show them something, so there is time to make corrections. Jesper Taxbøl, Kanako
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CASE: NOVIPEL
THE POTENTIAL OF THE CASUAL ENCOUNTER In February 2015 the company NoviPel, which is owned by a group of design and engineering students, made it to the final Danish Tech Challenge at DTU with a prototype of a device used for pelvic floor exercise. The device, which is currently being developed, offers an alternative to existing pelvic floor exercise tools for women and is among other things trying to reduce practical inconveniences and the self-esteem problems connected to incontinence. What is interesting in this respect, is that the founders of NoviPel initially came up with an entirely different product, namely to develop remote-controlled sex toys for people in long distance relationships. At one point, one of the developers overheard the pregnant wife of a colleague, complaining about the existing products on the market for pelvic floor exercise. This caused NoviPel to reconsider the potential of the prototype they were developing, and it became apparent that it could be adjusted to meet this new function. Thus, based on an overheard conversation and an interdisciplinary mix of competencies within programming, sensor technology and product design, a potential arose to shift their business model.
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Just like Rokoko’s Tele-Treatment project, NoviPel illustrates how random and unexpected encounters with external perspectives can contribute to entirely new developmental opportunities for a company or a project. Through these encounters new angles may arise, which uncover unutilised potential and make it possible to widen the scope of a product or solution to different functions, businesses and markets.
Well, as engineers we are trained to make money – you develop a product and then you sell big. It is something about creating a business and that is of course an important issue. But somebody here has a real problem, which is serious. And we might just be able to solve that. Adam Hartmann-Petersen, Eupry
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A GOOD CONSULTANCY NEEDS TO CHALLENGE THE CLIENT AND SAY: “WE ARE NOT JUST GOING TO PRODUCE WHAT YOU TELL US TO DO.” BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME UNIQUE INSIGHTS TO OFFER. James Haliburton, TOPP
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SEIZE THE POTENTIAL A good development process is not necessarily defined by solving the assignment within the limits of time and budget. If during the process you have overlooked important alternatives or additional functions then you have wasted a potential, which could have strengthened the position and profit of the company – and which might have had a positive impact on the society and the world as a whole. To see and seize this potential you often need an external project partner, who can look at the issue with fresh eyes. You also need the right tools to embrace the complexity and to translate challenges into learning. You also have to be ready to change course when new promising opportunities arise. These competencies can be obtained by consciously working with design-driven methods internally in the company or by involving innovation actors as external partners in the development processes.
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REFLEXIVE INNOVATION Hidden Potentials in Design Publication: Meik Brüsch Lasse Damgaard REFLEXIVE INNOVATION is based on a study performed by Meik Brüsch and Lasse Damgaard. The study is a follow-up on Danish Design Centre’s publication ‘New Innovation Actors’ from 2014. Text: Dorthe H. Silver Art Director: Susanne Schenstrøm ISBN 87-90904-82-6 Danish Design Centre Frederiksholmskanal 30 1220 Copenhagen K www.ddc.dk
Photo credit: Andrew Hewett (cover) Andrew Hewett (p. 2) Rajesh Kumar Singh (p. 4) Scanpix, Polfoto (p. 10) Idemolab (p. 15) Mathias Vejerslev (p. 16) Eranicle, Adobe Stock (p.18) Samsungmobilepress.com/ (p. 21) Radovan, iStock (p. 24) Andrew Hewett (p. 30)
The insights of the publication are based on 15 interviews with companies and entrepreneurs in and around Copenhagen. With a cultural analytical approach the aim has been to compare and explore patterns in behaviour, ways of expression and attitudes among the informants. We wish to thank the following people, whom have all made their time and resources available in the production of empirical data for this publication: Adam Hartmann-Petersen, Eupry Alexander Hennings, NoviPel Christian Villum Christian von Scholten, NorthQ Jacob Espersen, NoviPel Jakob Balslev, Rokoko James Haliburton, Topp Jesper Taxbøll, Kanako Jesper Thomsen, Studio Jesper K. Thomsen Kristian Lægdsgaard, Laegdsgaard Lars Thøgersen, CPH Inventures Lau Korsgaard, KnapNok Games Rune Drewsen, Kanako Simona Maschi, CIID Thea Ubbe Tim Garbos, Kanako Tobias Lau, Social Action Vanessa Carpenter, Idemolab (DELTA)