INDEX:2007
HRH THE CROWN PRINCE IS PATRON OF INDEX: 2007
TABLE OF CONTENT
INDEX: inspires designers, business and societies alike to unfold the commercial and human potential in DESIGN TO IMPROVE LIFE.
3
editorial
4
user-centered design & innovation and ‘design fit for life’
6
history: the roots of user-centered design & innovation
7
anthropology
9
case: intel’s china home learning pc
10
mass customization - giving inches earning yards
14
lead users and lead customers
16
interview with jørgen rosted
INDEX: presents the best examples of Design to Improve
on the market is actually needed. Mattel uses very young
Life, awards the very best designs and gives access to the
female trend scouts; Lego ‘plays’ with its super Mindstorm
underlying processes, thinking and people. We do this by:
users; IDEO applies a wide range of human factors; and
• Awarding the largest design prize in the world in the
the Idea Factory creates its well-researched personas.
categories Body, Home, Work, Play and Community.
In this booklet, INDEX: introduces the general history
INDEX: Award is worth a total of €500 000 (€100 000
and thinking behind User-centered Design & Innovation
for each category).
juxtaposed against three different approaches that enable
• Presenting international design exhibitions.
you to gain an insight into the needs of users: the anthro-
• Hosting summits for the world leaders of design and
pology approach, the lead users approach, and mass
innovation. • Publishing and distributing knowledge.
customization, all three followed by instructive cases. We also look at the influence of user insight into the design of business models, services and strategy and look
If the focus is on Design to Improve Life, then why pub-
at the connection between Design to Improve Life,
lish a booklet on User-centered Design & Innovation?
User-centered Design & Innovation, and the program
The following parameters were decisive: Design to
for INDEX: 2007.
Improve Life can be created in many different ways, but 18
business model design - everybody’s business
the most unfailing processes must be the ones that build upon an in-depth insight into the needs of the users.
20
strategic design
22
case: made in korea
23
service design
24
case: umpqua bank
25
case: fresh start
26
un millennium development goals & global compact principles
For this reason, User-centered Design & Innovation deserves professional attention. But not the overwhelming attention that the concept – often interpreted only as anthropology-driven innovation – receives as the answer to the innovation dilemma, where innovation is mandatory. However, far too much investment in innovation fails. User-centered Design & Innovation is not a last resort. The attention needed is thus professional attention driven by the understanding that insight into the tacit and explicit needs of the users combined with the proper system to handle this insight can be a very valuable pathway
27
2005 winners and user-centered design
to innovation.
28
interview with program director lise vejse-klint
range of different approaches to ensure that what is put
User-centered Design & Innovation is a very wide
Enjoy! Kigge Hvid, CEO, INDEX:
pg 03
ATTENTION
INDEX:2007 | pg 05
User-centered design:
DESIGN FIT FOR LIFE: INTRODUCTION
and use of fit and design. Other areas of design have to
change, modifications, experiments. A city is a process,
accommodate much more complex matters of fit.
not a product.
To take a user-centered approach to design and in-
The same thing can be said about design. Design
novation means to let fit prevail over form and function.
is iterative and unfolds in time. Important aspects of
Design must fit life and the world. The notion of fit is
iteration are repeated prototyping, trial and error. Design,
what differentiates modern user-centered design from
whether of a service or a product, must be subjected to
the earlier, historic, “functionalistic” design movements.
constant evaluation.
Instead of presenting features, design performs tasks. It is the translation of user needs into products or service
Hybridism: Linking Design for the World
requirements.
Design is often described as the creative link between
If anything, companies should learn from user-cen-
Perhaps this is why design plays an increasingly significant
applies to business strategies as well. To be user-centered
role in a world undergoing a process of hybridization.
User-centered Design & Innovation does not begin with
portance could be a pair of trousers. In this case, designers
is not one single strategy, but a diverse field of tactics.
the user; it begins with a vision: to offer better solutions
attach a great deal of importance to form and function:
Gaining knowledge about users’ explicit and tacit needs
to the market and thus have a better chance at success.
shape, color, lining, number and size of pockets, features
can be achieved through a variety of operations, and
However, to realize this vision, one needs to involve the
of the fabric, etc. – but all of these features might be
success depends on how this knowledge is utilized and
user, and the user must be involved from the beginning.
useless if fit is not taken into consideration. Who would
managed. The companies of today have to think about
Introducing the user at the earliest stages of the devel-
want a pair of trousers that did not fit, that was too large
how they can fit their users before they can begin to find
opment process gives a better shot at not introducing
or – perhaps even worse – too small? We know the notion
the fitted users.
something there is no use for on the market. To make
of fit in garments as size, and it is such a familiar part of
significant improvements in the lives of users, one must
clothing design that we almost don’t notice it. However, if
Travel Through Time
study them.
we look at other sectors of the design industry, we see that
The truth in the saying that “Rome wasn’t built in one
fit has gone unnoticed for too long.
day” is not only that things take time – they do – but that
Designers have always taken the end user into consideration: no news there. The difference is how this thinking
The fact that people come in different sizes is too
the Romans are still at it: still building, molding, assem-
obvious to go unnoticed. Even when mass-produced
bling. Rome, like any other city, is never finished, but
clothing replaced traditional customized clothing, which
constantly changing, adapting to the changing needs of
between the two classic considerations of design: form
in other industries meant an extreme standardization,
its inhabitants. Sometimes a striking universal form like
and function, both of them very important aspects of the
this fact was too apparent to be ignored. The industry met
the Pantheon is accomplished, but mostly, cities are about
user experience. Every now and then, changing fashions
its users halfway by reducing an infinite number of sizes
and ideologies allows one consideration to triumph over
to a limited number of preset ones which did not have the
the other, but Danish design has predominantly been
exact fit of tailored garments, but at least there was more
about bringing the two together into a coherent whole.
than one size.
is guided. In the Danish context, the battle has always been
However, a third consideration has been lurking in
Clothing sizes have continually changed, with new
needs and means, which means it is of a hybrid nature.
tered strategies that one size never fits all, something that
USER-CENTERED DESIGN & INNOVATION AND ‘DESIGN TO IMPROVE LIFE’
the background for a long time: fit. The concept of fit has
sizes introduced at both ends of the scale as people varied
changing meanings in the world of design, sometimes
It would be very wrong to say that ‘Design to improve life’ only is made when using user-centered
more and more in size. At the start, different sizes were
referring to the designer’s sense of coherency in a design
innovation. Technology, skills and even occasions of divine inspiration have resulted in many designs
needed to fit the different body types, but today sizes do
object, and thus presenting itself as a feel, rather than a
that have improved the life of people significantly.
much more. The current vanity sizing trend, for example,
concrete and measurable parameter. This notion of fit is
meets a customer need for greater self-esteem by deviating
the one relating to the designer in the ivory tower, cut off
in a more goal oriented way. To improve the life of people, you must know what they need. Companies and
from the original size range, making people believe that
from the real world and the people in it. It is almost as
designers have in recent years come to the same conclusion; not everyone with the agenda of improving
they fit into smaller sizes.
life, but sometimes just to raise profit. Also the public sector has turned to the users of its services to
ungraspable a quality as beauty. But things are changing.
These two types of needs are very different from each
That said, user-centered design and innovation is the only way to work with ‘Design to improve life’
find better ways to cater for them.
With the new design practices, fit has finally become a
other: the first one is highly explicit, and the second one is
widespread tool for design.
not. No one goes into a shop with the explicit intention
be the same. Knowing what people need gives a head start to innovation, keeps it on track, gives better
of buying a size that is smaller than it really is. Vanity
chances for success and most importantly makes the world a better place.
As it relates to design, fit is not a new concept at all, but some parts of the design industry have had more of a
sizing is a service provided by manufacturers and retailers
tradition of considering fit than others. We know fit best
to cater for the customer’s tacit needs.
from the clothing industry. A simple example of its im-
Clothing is the simplest example of the importance
The ambitions might be different, but the means and the result as experienced by the user will often
Although we live in a world more technologically advanced than ever before, we do not face lesser or fewer problems than we used to. But our level of technology, skills and knowledge can give us hope that we by a joined effort can overcome some of the problems facing us.
Introduction to a Method:
THE ROOTS OF USERCENTERED DESIGN & INNOVATION
ANTHROPOLOGY
User-centered Design & Innovation as a concept has a
Everyone is talking about User-centered Design & Innovation in
Anthropology is about how people understand and see themselves
order to catalyze user-centered design. In Denmark it is even on the
and how they interact and understand other people and their
government politics agenda. It can be difficult to get a clear
surroundings. These are central competencies in a world that seems
overview over the many different practices associated with the
increasingly complex and globalized.
user-centered paradigm.
The tacit needs of consumers are best met with the introduction of the field of human factors to innovation. Ethnographers, anthropologists and their like are able to translate the tacit needs of consumers into proper words and images. In close collaboration with designers and engineers, anthropologists now participate on a large scale in the research and development of new products
longer historical background and has at least three
and services. Thus design companies like IDEO and ZIBA
different historical roots:
design have risen to an almost star-like status with the
• Human factors studies
Ergonomics
introduction of anthropological research. Clearly, a
• Ergonomics
Ergonomics is a design discipline that concentrates on the
designer’s role in the anthropological field cannot be
• Usability testing
human body. Ergonomic design adapts to people’s comfort
appreciated enough.
and safety. Ergonomics makes design fit to the human
The anthropological approach to design has also
All three are utilized in different ways and to different
scale and the human body. Ergonomics has also been
been seen in the public sector, where the UK Design
degrees in modern User-centered Design & Innovation.
deployed by the military and the industry. Early twentieth-
Council’s RED initiative has shown how widely the method
century industrialists took great care to make the work-
can be used.
Human Factors Studies
place as effective a space as possible, not necessarily for
Human factors studies is at its core a multidisciplinary
the comfort of workers, but to achieve the highest pos-
conducted by anthropologists. This kind of research is a
discipline. It focuses on the cognitive and perceptual ele-
sible speed of production. The functionalistic movement
competency deeply rooted in the tradition of many de-
ments of people. Human factors design is conducted col-
of design from the 1920s onward was especially interested
sign schools, but the last ten years have seen a growth in
laboratively by anthropologists, psychologists, designers
in ergonomics. By reshaping everything from houses to
the splitting and specialization of design competencies.
and engineers. Human factors design is all about making
kitchen utensils, they hoped to ensure a greater ease of
things understandable and easy to use on a mental level.
use for the common man.
Like so many important innovations, human factors
Anthropological approaches are not necessarily
Anthropology analyzes material, social and political conditions, as well as values, symbols and systems of recognition in a comprehensive perspective. This method
studies has a military background: it was first thoroughly
Usability
of analysis uses both historical and contemporary analysis
explored during World War II, when it was applied in the
The research and philosophy originally developed for
and perceives society from both inside and outside. Anthro-
construction of aircraft. Many planes crashed in World War
digital interfaces only is today applied to many other
pology thereby places itself, with its analytical background,
II due to what we refer to as human error. But research-
fields. The notion of usability has especially been deployed
at the intersection between the traditions of social science
ers found that although it may have been down to human
in relation to computers, software, and digital interface
and humanities.
error, these errors could be prevented if the control system
development. The overall impact of usability on User-
had another interface. A lack of standardization and a lack
centered Design & Innovation does not have so much to
social subjects in a comparative perspective and through
of knowledge of the limits of people and their perceptual
do with its means and methods as with its very persistent
studies of social and cultural conditions, anthropology
abilities proved to be crucial during stressful situations.
focus on the user and the user experience. Handling
seeks to understand basic human conditions and how they
Researchers learned that people could not be trained to
computers has made many aware of the importance of us-
change. Anthropology paints a fuller picture, so to speak,
everything: the human mind had its boundaries.
ability, an awareness that has spilled over into other fields.
as it investigates habits and looks past tradition in order
By combining scientific traditions from humanities and
not to judge, but instead observe.
INDEX:2007 | pg 07
History:
Anthropological methods build on presence, interviews and participation and thereby form the basis of in-depth regional and theoretical knowledge. There are various methods when it comes to “study-
INTEL’S CHINA HOMELEARNING PC
ing people approaches” in order to learn about a given group of people or a culture. The approaches include such general things as “participant observation” (a key method of study in cultural anthropology), as well as including more specific things such as survey research, archival research, and more. Participant observation is a fundamental method of research used in cultural anthropology. It involves a researcher or researchers living within a given culture
One of the leading companies using large-scale anthropological
for an extended period of time, taking part in its daily life
research is INTEL, which has made several products based on this
in all its richness and diversity. In such an approach, the
kind of research.
anthropologist tries to experience a culture “from within,” as a person native to that culture does. If for some reason there are no real users available for user research, companies can use personas instead. A persona is a mock user or potential user who represents an ideal user. A personal biography is often included in a description of a persona, as well as likes, dislikes, wants and needs. Sometimes even an illustrative photo of the persona is included. Using personas can keep the process of design on track and targeted toward the user.
Case: Anthropology The China Home-Learning PC from INTEL is an example
CVS The US pharmacy company CVS has drawn three key customer profiles aligned with its own acronymic name: Caroline, Vanessa and Sophie. Caroline is the young one (under 35) who does not purchase a lot of prescriptions, but shops at the front end of the stores for beauty and wellness products. Vanessa is older than Caroline: she is a parent who shops for the entire family. Sophie is the eldest of the three: her children have left home, and she is the one who purchases the most pharmaceuticals. These three personas allow CVS to target the introduction of new products and market directly to one of the three groups they represent. Childcare products are aimed at Vanessa, beauty products at Caroline and pharmaceuticals at Sophie. CVS also learned that because their average female customer was five foot four tall, their shelving was too high, so they lowered their shelves one foot.
The INTEL engineering staff involved in the develop-
of how anthropological research can be applied. It all began
ment process did not follow the observation team to China,
in 2003, when a study showed that while many households
but worked in what was called “the China Room” at INTEL.
in China wanted a computer and actually could afford one,
China Room walls were covered with observations and
many had not purchased one. This represented a huge mar-
photos, and there was even a full scale model of a Chinese
ket opportunity for Intel.
apartment to remind developers of the physical limitations.
Intel’s researchers traveled to China to find out more
Their solution was a computer that, among other things,
about the needs surrounding the purchase of a household
parents could physically lock (both software and hardware
PC and came up with several interesting observations.
elements) with an actual key to prevent children from play-
Under the one-child policy, most of a Chinese family’s at-
ing computer games. Its screen could also be converted to
tention is directed at the child, making the child the central focus
support handwriting with a stylus when laid in a horizontal
of interest. The education of their child has a very high priority,
position. The PC received the China Design Excellence
but parents expressed the concern that the introduction of
Award in the fall of 2004.
a PC to the household could shift the child’s attention from education to computer games. Researchers also observed the physical features of Chinese homes, i.e. where electrical outlets
Source: http://www.reed-electronics.com/eb-mag/article/
were located and potential locations and settings for a PC.
CA6336055
INDEX:2007 | pg 09
Based on ethnographical field work, anthropology takes place in all types of social and cultural connections.
GIVING INCHES, GAINING YARDS
needs. The differentiating factor can be country-specific
A New Role for Designers
standards or segment-targeted characteristics.
Customer co-design definitely means changed conditions
Customers engaging in mass customization do not
for professional design. However, the impact of custom-
only buy a product; they also buy a history of the product,
ers is often overestimated. Mass customization requires
which is the history of themselves as co-designers. From the
design and designers.
private customer’s point of view, this is probably the most important and convincing aspect of mass customization. Due to the large volumes of information exchanged
tion must step aside and allow customers to enter the design process.
Trends over the past few decades show that the market
design, whether it is the visual or the technical features of
future scenario, but recent developments in information
the product that the customer is helping to design. This
technology and the spread of Internet access have quickly
poses a new task for design: to create and design operations
taken mass customization from vision to reality. The new
and products that allow customers to join in.
generation of mass customization products is making
Mass customization does not only work to the benefit of customers: it also offers several advantages that can improve company effectiveness overall. Instead of building to stock, mass customization suppli-
unity of classic product design. Design in mass customiza-
customization has only really developed in recent years, Internet connections.
Up until now, mass customization has mostly been a
role, one that is somewhat different from the totalizing
between customer and supplier, truly widespread mass in close connection with the extensive access to faster
Mass customization involves the principle of customer co-
In mass customization, design is assigned a new
This, however, does not imply that mass customization is an approach that makes designers and design dispensable. On the contrary, companies operating
is becoming increasingly unstable and failing to supply the
with mass customization need designers for several oper-
level of stability expected in classic mass production.
ations that branch out further than the design of a
Today’s consumers are no longer a homogeneous mass, if they ever were. Consumers are demanding and diverse.
single product. Design thinking is needed in creating the product
Many sectors are experiencing a decrease in customer
architecture, to standardize processes and product ele-
loyalty. The market no longer belongs to the sellers, but to
ments, to create toolkits and to limit customization
the buyers.
options in terms of cost and time frame.
fundamental changes not only to the way we shop and sell, but also to business models. More and more businesses are adopting mass custom-
MODULAR DESIGN
ization as a significant strategy. Mass customization is a
We find forerunners of mass customization in business, where there is a long-standing tradition of modu-
ers build to order, reducing inventory costs while reducing
relevant way to meet customer demand for individualized
lar design.
the risk of obsolescence.
products. The success of all-mass-customization compan-
An effective mass customization of products works as an
What differentiates mass customization from traditional (craft) customization is that mass custom-
ies like DELL has led the way for others, while clothing
ization targets the same market as mass industrialized products. Mass customization is planned ahead
end-to-end operation, a streamlining of operations that is
manufacturers like Levi’s, Adidas and Nike have gotten
and not merely a costly deviation from a standardized product, since mass customization employs mass
useful throughout the entire company.
closer to their customers through a combination of
production means and methods to make customized products.
Interacting with customers through mass customization also offers valuable insight into customers and can help
mass-customization production and retail. While car manufacturers, led by Henry Ford, re-
Modular design is a core discipline in design history. We find forerunners of mass customization in businesses where modular design is a long-standing tradition, e.g. the automotive industry, but mass
companies be more customer-centric. For many manufac-
volutionized industry with the introduction of the
customization and modular design also have a long-running history in the design and customization of
turers who have previously worked business-to-business
assembly line to achieve mass production, this industry
kitchen units.
(B2B), mass customization can be a helpful way to skip the
has also been a forerunner in moving toward mass
retailer level and communicate directly with customers,
customization. The industry today offers – and has done
by other elements without difficulty. Modular design permits the combination of the mass-production
working B2C (business to customer).
so for quite a while – a wide range of individual packages
benefits of standardization with individual choice and can be used to accommodate customization.
Most of all, mass customization is a method of generating extra value by being flexible towards customers while also remaining within manufacturing capabilities. Making it Real Mass customization is a long-awaited movement that may change the structure of the market forever. Mass customization (sometimes referred to as customer-made or built-to-order, although neither covers the same
of options and various interiors and features. The mass-customization design process draws on the
To use modular design is to design an assembly in smaller elements (modules) that can be replaced
Though evidently based on high technology, somehow the modular design of mass customization traces its history back to classic modular design. The Danish furniture design tradition provides a well
long tradition of modular design. Modular design is
known historic background for modular design. Børge Mogensen and Grethe Meyer’s Boligens Byggesk-
the central design strategy for the car manufacturing
abe (1954-59), Børge Mogensen’s more recent Øresund shelving system, and Montana by Peter Lassen
industry, the computer hardware industry and most
(1982), all work within the framework of modular design. In all three examples, customers are invited to
industries that manufacture technological products, but
customize the final design to suit their own needs for shelving and storage space.
the concept is perhaps most familiar in the design of kitchen units. The level of mass customization ranges from highly
Modular design allows a single element in the design to be isolated and changed. It is necessary that this element can be completely isolated, because in some circumstances it may interfere with all of the other processes. T-shirt customization, for example, is typically variations in print, color or size, but
concept precisely) was already anticipated by futurist Alvin
individualized products aimed at specific customers to
Toffler in 1970, but the term “mass customization”
highly standardized products targeted towards larger
was first coined by business consultant Stanley Davis in his
populations of customers. This latter group does not
bulence throughout the entire operation. In customizing a kitchen unit, finish is a typical customization
1987 book Future Perfect.
necessarily experience the product as customized to their
parameter, but if you wanted to change the depth of a unit, you would have to change the entire kitchen
many more elements could be customized as well, e.g. fabric and fit. However, not all options are relevant in mass customization: some variations would create tur-
– unless of course, different depths were offered as options.
INDEX:2007 | pg 11
Mass Customization: Introduction to a Method
successful mass customization.
To keep systems of mass customization flexible and
box? The leading Danish manufacturer of baby carriages,
The added value of customization decreases in the
Odder, has at its Web site a page resembling a mass-custom-
process of production. The earlier the customer is involved
manageable at the same time, it is important to operate
Elicitation
ization configurator where you can choose the color, type of
in the process (and subsequently the more customized a
within a limited framework, presenting customers with
The process customers go through in determining what they
frame etc. However, instead of ordering online directly from
product), the more value the product has for the customer
fixed solution space.
want and specifying their needs is termed the elicitation
Odder, customers can print out an image of their custom-
in question.
process. In mass customization, elicitation most often takes
ized baby carriage and hand it in at their local retailer, where
finite number of options. The set solution space is the key
place via a computer interface that helps to turn needs
they can pick up the product later. Collaborating with a
involved in the process are still limited by the company, and
differentiator from craft customization. Setting the op-
into specifications. This process is the locus of supplier/
network of retailers in this way can be useful for manufac-
the number of customers actually involved in the process is
tions in advance allows mass customization to use
consumer interaction, and it is vital that the customer per-
turer of odd-sized, more niche-oriented products.
often restricted as well.
the same process, whereas in craft customization, pro-
ceives the process as lean and easy.
Successful mass customization offer customers a
Mass Confusion
Virtual Mass Customization
Going Local
The concept of mass confusion refers to an overwhelming
Depending on the business, virtual mass customization (i.e.
cesses are different every time. Making the solution space stable also means to make processes stable.
Note that the ways in which customers can become
A configuration for a mass-customization product
Some experts view mass customization as an effective way
complexity in choices offered to customers by a provider
a product that seems customized, but is actually not) might
will normally employ a graphical interface to help cus-
to keep jobs in house and prevent outsourcing to low-cost
engaging in mass customization. If customers are over-
be just as relevant a solution. Virtual mass customization
tomers visualize the product. In mass customization, this
labor countries. To meet customer demands for efficiency
whelmed by options, do not have enough knowledge to
requires a great deal of variety in the product to give the
configuration is normally known as a toolkit. The toolkit
close to that of mass production, suppliers must consider
make choices, are not aware of their own needs, or lose track
impression of customization. Virtual mass customization is
presents the tools that the consumer can use to customize
the time it takes for a product to reach the customer. Al-
of their vision of the end product in the customization
encountered in the car retail industry, where a customer’s
the product.
though customers may be willing to wait somewhat longer
process, it may cause delays in deciding and thus perhaps
choice of color does not actually lead to the manufacture of
for a customized product than for an off-the-shelf product,
also prevent a purchase from being made.
a car in that specific color: a ready-made car in that color is
The mass-customized product should have the same warranties from the manufacturer as a standardized
they are not necessarily willing to accept long shipping times
product. The consumer’s customization options must
on top of the extra wait.
therefore be limited so that the product is not damaged
This may explain why many global companies are only
simply assigned to that particular customer. Levels of Customization Different types of mass customization offer different degrees
by use, nor should it be possible for a consumer to choose
offering customized products to home markets and not to a
of individualization and personalization. While some com-
a set of features that would spoil the functionality of the
global audience.
panies offer only set options, others give their customers the option of becoming more involved in the design process.
product. In fact, this applies not only to the technical features but also to the visual ones. Ideally, customers should
Size Matters
not be able to put together an “ugly” product that could
As mass customization often means a shift from the role
influence other customers’ perception of the brand. This
of manufacturer to that of retailer, shipping is a point to
could be done by a mutual exclusion of features believed
consider. Mass-customized products tend to be relatively
to be in conflict with each other: e.g. if Color A is selected
small to fit within the framework of postal services. Larger
for Element 1, then Element 2 cannot be Color F, etc.
products often require an extensive and well-functioning
On the other hand, please note that more innovative ideas are generated in large solution spaces with few restrictions, but this is often beyond the limits of
local distribution network, as in the case of DELL computers and the automotive industry. But what do you do if the product doesn’t fit in a shoe-
CUSTOMER’S WILLINGNESS TO PAY AND INCREMENT OF VALUE
TOOLKITS
The willingness to pay for customization remains a highly imprecise topic that needs further research.
ACCESSING IN-DEPTH CUSTOMER INFORMATION
However, studies on this subject show that customers are fairly willing to pay a considerable extra
Allowing users to specify their needs through a toolkit can provide valuable user insight. The high level
premium. In a study on watches conducted by Frank T. Piller and Nikolaus Franke, customers were on
of information delivered by consumers in the elicitation process gives companies access to a great deal of
average willing to pay a little more than twice the standard price for watches of the same type. Also,
what is called “sticky information,” i.e. information that is difficult and often costly to obtain from other
when customers in another part of the study were asked about their willingness to pay for the watches
sources.
designed by other customers, a great readiness to pay the same as for a standard watch was revealed. In
For suppliers who combine mass customization with classic retail, this can be an especially important
other words, customers were just as willing to buy a watch designed by an amateur as one designed by a
point. Instead of wasting money on traditional market research, stable and constantly updated access
professional.
to consumer desires and requests can provide valuable information on consumer trends – provided, of
Franke and Piller. “Value Creation by Toolkits for User Innovation and Design.” Journal of Product In-
course, that the consumers who wish to make use of the customization option are similar to the consum-
novation Management 21, 6 (2004): 401-415.
ers who buy off-the-shelf products.
INDEX:2007 | pg 13
Anything Goes?
INDEX:2007 | pg 15
Introduction to a Method
LEAD USERS AND LEAD CUSTOMERS
Tomorrow’s Competitors The lead user definition poses another issue to consider. As lead users expect to benefit significantly from innovation and have needs unmet by the market, they may constitute another problem: they may just turn out to be tomorrow’s competitors. If the need is strong enough, lead users could turn to manufacturers themselves or even begin manufacturing on their own. Remember that a lead user will often be closer to a network of other relevant lead users than manufacturers, and they will thus be in a better situation to see what kind of demand and economic potential exists. Lead Customers and One-Percenters
The concept of lead users is probably the most hyped user-centered strategy, but many are confused by the concept.
Some companies have very successfully included actual customers in product development and design without having to perform the time-consuming operations normally involved in lead user processes. To separate this group from
In short, a lead user is a user who:
the actual lead users, we can call them “lead customers,” a
-currently has needs that a wider population will have at a later point in time, but has them months or
term coined by Patricia Seybold. If we enter the field of lead
even years before the rest of the population encounters them. -expects to benefit significantly from satisfying those needs.
customers, we are also moving close to the fields of marketing and branding strategy. Lead customers are sometimes called “One-Percenters.” This group consists of people who rapidly become fans of a given product. They are not necessarily ahead of the needs
What if the entire research and development department
customers; it is a much wider concept. “Users” does not
of the general customer population, but the passionate
was dispensable, and customers could replace them instead?
mean users of a specific product, but users of or persons
feelings they invest in product could make their desires look
What if customers did this work for free, and this would
who have a particular interest in a given technological devel-
more extreme than those of the general population.
generate more success, with products and services more
opment. What makes them “lead” is the fact that they have
likely to succeed? This is often how the concept of lead users
this need before other users. They could be customers, but
is portrayed, but it is a pipe dream.
they could just as well be a competitor’s customers, or they
The lead user model does not hold the promise of easy
might not be anyone’s customers if the market has not yet
money, but it does have the potential to fulfill some of the
offered them anything good enough. In any case, lead users
above-mentioned conditions, since it seems that the lead
have hands-on experience that makes them aware of what
user strategy may actually offer a better chance of success
they need, and in some cases they might even have begun
and may offer innovative ideas from users as well. However,
satisfying this need with their own innovation.
it is not enough simply to add a “contact us” to a corporate Web site, although this seems to be a popular interpretation. Ideas will not come rolling in that way. Lead user
Lead users also sometimes include other industries in adjacent markets with the same problem, which could mean they are able to supply a technological solution
strategy is actually a highly time-consuming method of
before you do. Lead users also include individual potential
innovation. The actual reward of lead user strategies is safer
customers who for some reason have decided to modify or
USER INNOVATION IN SPORTS
investments, not ideas for free.
develop the technology themselves. The lead user method
Sports equipment is an area in which lead user innovation plays a predominant role. In windsurfing,
The concept of lead users is often misinterpreted as
is based on the assumption that users are facing the prob-
boards previously did not have footstraps, and this made them hard to maneuver, and it was difficult for
term covering a population of innovative customers: this is
lems, not manufacturers, which means that it is users
users to stay on the board when making high jumps. This was true until 1978, when a community of wind-
quite far from the actual content of the concept. Lead users
rather than manufacturers coming up with solutions,
surfers experimented with using footstraps. The rest is history: windsurfing is today a worldwide sport.
might be innovative customers, but in many cases there are
or even prototyping.
(source: http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/evhippel-osuserinnovation.pdf).
no relevant lead users in the customer population. The concept of lead users does not only include actual
Although lead users are not necessarily customers, they could and should be the customers of tomorrow.
In a study on outdoor-sports-related products, Christian Lüthje found that 37.3% of users developed ideas for new or improved products, 29.8% of which went beyond product improvement and extended to ideas for completely new products.
INTERVIEW WITH JØRGEN ROSTED
There has been a intense process of change in this area
Not surprisingly, there is a focus on the customer in user-
over the past ten years, and I still do not believe that we
centered design, but what is the role of the designer, then?
have seen the end of it. Years ago, innovation happened within the business
It is no surprise that a designer’s primary competency is
enterprise itself. Once the prototype had been tested and
the ability to give form, to shape. This is also a fact that
put on the market, it seemed that fate and customer inter-
seems quite obvious when the design process leads to a
est would then determine its fate. Success depended on
tangible product, but it is more problematic and muddy
whether engineers and designers had the needs of the cus-
when it comes to understanding how a design process can
tomer in mind when they developed the product. Today,
lead to something intangible like a new service or a new
that is simply not enough. New products and services have
process.
to be developed in a close collaboration with consumers.
A designer’s understanding of form will definitely
The great challenge is to uncover and understand tacit
catalyze consequences and possibilities that are different
needs. This can be done in several ways, and this is clearly
than what other occupational groups might come up with.
Jørgen Rosted, Director at FORA and Chairman of INDEX:
where the dynamics and potential of UCD is.
This is due to the designer’s ability to visualize proposals,
Jørgen Rosted serves as Director of FORA, an independent research
What is the role of the business community in relation to the
of running an elderly care home that effectively improves
unit under the Danish Ministry for Economic and Business Affairs.
INDEX: theme “Design to Improve Life”?
quality of life or perhaps even a new and more effective
Rosted has been one of the most influential policy advisors in Denmark for the past two decades. He has served as Permanent Secretary in the Danish Ministry of Business Affairs and has held a number of leadership positions in the Danish Ministry of Finance as well. Most recently, Rosted spearheaded FORA’s research into user-driven innovation and the mapping of regional and national clusters.
a capability that could even lead to a hitherto unseen way
way of preventing AIDS. Are such impalpable solutions “Design to Improve Life” separates good design from
design? According to INDEX: they are. And this is also
design-design. By “design-design” I mean design with an
why intangible solutions can be rewarded with INDEX:
aesthetic focus. It is a way of thinking design that is ap-
AWARD – that is, if it is clear how design competencies
preciated by many – including myself. Also, many design
have been applied in the process to accomplish the result.
awards focus on design-design. The INDEX: “Design to Improve Life” theme clearly
User-centered Design & Innovation is quite an important
has another aim. We want to focus on the challenges in
theme in public government policy. Why is it not even men-
the contemporary civilization and thus on the necessity of
tioned in the EU’s Seventh Framework Program?
improving the quality of life, which applies to everything What is the importance of User-centered design (UCD) in terms of Danish competitive power?
from western lifestyle problems to environmental chal-
It is not mentioned because Denmark is the only country
are generally not using it properly today. Don’t forget, this
lenges – and especially to social adversity in rich and poor
in which the public authorities have realized the impor-
is exactly how we discussed technology 30 years ago – how
countries.
tance of UCD and innovation. Furthermore, Denmark is
were the SMEs ever supposed to be able to afford that?
All man-made risks should be looked upon as op-
simply the only country that has a public-sector program
Western industries are currently facing drastic restruc-
Nevertheless, it seems that the SMEs of today are just as
portunities, and I believe that there are great prospective
aimed at promoting these competencies and the use of
turing. In industrial society, we competed on price and
high-tech as the large corporations are.
markets in designing solutions to remedy or prevent huge
UCD and innovation. To be so far along is, of course, a
global risks. This is indeed something that is meaning-
competitive advantage, but more importantly, we must
quality. Today, in the global society of knowledge, we
It takes time, however, before a business enterprise
increasingly compete on experiences and the intangible
can see and feel that an investment in UCD is worth the
ful to people and businesses, and that is what justifies
hope that recognition of the necessity of user-centered
money, so to speak. If we use various activities to persuade
INDEX: and Design to Improve Life.
design and thinking will spread increasingly.
elements that now naturally, so to speak, follow the product. In order to do well in this competition, we need both
Danish companies to look at the difference and the po-
competencies and the ability to organize creative interdis-
tential in UCD before their competitors do, it could be of
ciplinary collaborations. UCD is a key competency in this
great importance in Denmark’s ability to compete.
process and thus a competitive parameter that will be of increasing importance.
Do you see any trends in user-centered design?
The Danish business sector primarily consists of small and
Almost all designers will say that design has always been
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). How can they use user-
user-centered, and this is completely correct in the sense
centered design?
that design, unlike art, is considered a commercial activity aimed at customers. Trends in UCD are not about cus-
SMEs can use UCD exactly the same way as much larger enterprises do. However, it is expensive and SMEs
tomer focus, then, but instead about how to uncover and understand the needs of customers.
INDEX:2007 | pg 17
User-centered Design & Innovation from a Danish Perspective
INDEX:2007 | pg 19
User-centered Design in Business Model Design:
EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
with other ways of doing business or changes in organiza-
for the relatively smaller markets of the European states.
tional structure. CEOs worldwide are focusing an average
Moreover, Europe historically has a different business
30% of innovation efforts in developing business models.
structure than the U.S. and Japan, with a vast majority of
A study conducted by IBM Business Consulting Services
SMEs and fewer large companies. This poses a problem
in 2006 showed that business models are the place to
for the growth of European companies that has yet to be
invest your design and innovation efforts if you want
properly solved.
to obtain profit and ensure growth. The innovation of business models seems especially attractive to businesses
Threadless.com
whose innovative potential in the operational area has
Threadless.com is a business built entirely around its
already been utilized.
customers. This T-shirt company was launched in 2001
Popular innovations in this area are customer inte-
User-centered Design & Innovation exceeds the boundaries of product and service design. More and more businesses are reorienting themselves to become user-centered.
by Jacob DeHart and Jake Nickell as a subsidiary of their
gration, structural changes in the organization, and the
newly formed firm SkinnyCorp. Threadless.com prints
implementation of strategic partnerships with outsiders,
customer-designed motifs on T-shirts, and anyone can
In a 2006 survey by the American Management Associa-
like Procter & Gamble’s C+D (Connect and Develop)
suggest a design. Since the launch of Threadless.com,
tion and HRI, the most popular idea of what to do to
model. The IBM Global CEO Study showed that although
SkinnyCorp has launched additional commercial and
maintain and develop customer focus was to solve cus-
the classic types of innovation are important, it was actu-
non-commercial sites branching into other areas while
tomer complaints quickly. This is very much in line with
ally the companies that focused on the innovation of their
retaining the original Threadless feel: NakedAndAngry.
what earlier studies have shown about the cost of changes
business model that enjoyed the fastest growth. The study
com, an online necktie store where customers can suggest
in connection with the launch of a product: they actually
also examined whether the choice of innovation has any
patterns for limited editions of ties; 15MegsOfFame.
peak after the launch, not before. At least some of these
impact on a company’s financial performance by identify-
com, a site that allows unsigned recording artists to reach
changes and some of the preceding complaints could have
ing which companies outperformed and under-performed
a larger crowd and allows visitors to download music;
been avoided if companies were better at researching and
with respect to average revenue growth. The companies
OMG Clothing, another T-shirt company, whose every
testing beforehand, instead of patching up afterwards.
in the upper half with respect to financial performance
T-shirt is inspired by a slogan submitted by customers;
This obviously indicates that the innovation and design
emphasized the innovation of business models twice as
and Extra Tasty, a site dedicated to the mixing of drinks
process could be much better managed, but the notion of
much as the companies in the lower half. This sends a
and cocktails.
design management stretches far beyond that.
significant message: business model innovation matters.
Designers today are becoming more and more in-
The 2006 AMA survey showed that respondents
Threadless does not manufacture the T-shirts they print on: they are either made by American Apparel or
volved in areas other than their traditional workplace in
believed that they should be doing more to be customer-
Fruit of the Loom. A whole community has grown around
R&D and design departments. In recent years, an increas-
centered than they actually did. The survey also concluded
Threadless, with people are presenting and advertising for
ing number of designers have climbed up to management
that high-level executives are much more optimistic about
their T-shirt designs on their own Weblogs and discuss-
level in the corporate world. And they seem to be needed.
user involvement than those at a lower level. As the latter
ing design. It should be stressed that each customer does
Methods of doing and managing business are changing
are often closer to the users, this is a hint that high-level
not design his or her own T-shirt; rather, a certain T-shirt
as never before, calling for the creative skills of designers
executives may actually be too optimistic. Implementation
signifies belonging to a certain community. Having
and their ability to specify and satisfy needs. Designers
of user-centered strategies might start with a vision at the
your own design printed on a T-shirt is a service offered
can outline alternatives to the often offhand structure of
highest executive level, but it must also be followed by a
worldwide and something that can easily be done at home
many companies, which is often more the result of ad hoc
rethinking of all operations. Businesses face the dilemma
with special fabric print paper provided by print solution
decisions taken during a process of growth than planned
of knowing the path to take but not quite getting there.
suppliers. So if customers wanted unique T-shirts, they
development. The design of business models includes
In the twenty-first century, value is generated by cus-
would have no problem getting them elsewhere. Thread-
rethinking strategies, production flow, distribution, retail
tomer co-creation or co-design, or mash-ups (Web appli-
less is based on the principle of “collective customer
and marketing. Today, manufacturers are taking on the
cations that provide content from more than one source
commitment”: a T-shirt is not printed and manufactured
role of retailers and vice versa. The full scope of change
to create a new service, e.g. GoogleEarth). The genius of in-
until enough customers have expressed an interest in it. As
is exemplified by how, over the past decade, the formerly
tegrating customers into the design process is that companies
a result, Threadless is not producing T-shirts to stock and
technology- and hardware-centered IBM reinvented itself,
can not only rely on customers to provide relevant input,
thus has less inventory and less risk of obsolescence.
changing into a business consulting and service company,
but premium value is also added to the design as well.
most significantly expressed in its 2004 sale of its PC business to the Chinese company Lenovo. Innovation is not just about inventing new products and services; today it is to a greater degree also connected
Looking beyond the Web, there is an often-noticed
Each year since its launch, Threadless.com has quadrupled its sales. More than 30,000 designs have been
tendency to favor what is local. National boundaries remain
submitted so far, and more than 70 designs are currently
a hindrance for companies in their efforts to center inno-
submitted every day. Each design that is accepted receives
vation efforts on the user, and this poses a special problem
an award in cash and vouchers for T-shirts.
INDEX:2007 | pg 21
User-centered Design in
STRATEGIC DESIGN
other words, it is the wise orchestration of all the assets a
understanding the needs of consumers. The company at-
company has at its disposal.
tempts to evaluate the minds and needs of consumers and
As a multidisciplinary approach, it naturally includes
gain an understanding of what the consumers consider to
a considerable amount of data from many different sources,
be value. This may be an easy method to enter a market
with the goal of supporting and strengthening corporate
that has not yet been defined by competitors, or even to
strategy which, when working well, creates a relationship
create a market, which means having no competition at all.
between design, strategy and corporate identity. Strategy controls the consistency and focuses on design’s long-
Extra Is the Extract of Teamwork
term capabilities.
Product design is not simply a creative expression, and
An offshoot of traditional design, strategic design is
In general, design is perceived in very narrow terms. However, there is a very clear distinction between two different levels of exercising design: a performance level and a strategic level.
it is certainly not art, nor is it simply a display of style
also a multi-discipline that combines a range of different
and aesthetics. Design must, in fact, take into account a
competencies like we see in anthropology, sociology, en-
number of problems related to industrial production and
gineering, etc. Viewed in that light, strategic design is not
especially the internal processes of the company. A suc-
The performance level is dominated by the practical
only about coming up with the idea; it is also about being
cessful product design is a synthesis of performance, style,
design discipline, e.g. industrial design, furniture design,
able to commercialize the idea into a product or service
ergonomics, usability and symbolism.
graphic design, interaction design, packaging design and
that the consumer needs.
many more. The strategic level is about planning, leading
Applying a designer’s tools and methods to the de-
Yet, achieving good design is not just a design task, but also a management task.
and using specific designer skills to gain increased value in
velopment of ideas and problem-solving, corporate lead-
corporations and organizations.
ers can create innovative and creative organizations and
more than just a logo, and products and services are a
use strategic design as a tool that can turn the traditional
fundamental element of corporate identity. Thus the chal-
methods of running a company upside down.
lenge today is to optimize brand identity and functional-
Too often, design is defined only as visual and aesthetic problem-solving or communication because of the
In the marketplace, an image is made up of much
ity, as well as the quality of the way the product suits its
predominance of graphic designers. In other fields and contexts, design might only refer to fashion design or
Bridging Differences
purpose and the skills and personality of its users, the
interior design. However, recognition of the similarities
Interaction between management and design is not a
visual communication that goes with it, and certainly the
between all design disciplines shows that there is a larger
new phenomenon, but designers are still widely consid-
environment in which it is sold.
definition of design at a higher level.
ered to be in the same category as artists. On the other
Products communicate their function through shapes,
hand, management is often seen as quite the opposite: the
and design increases the value of a product, providing it
comes of the design process, but they do not begin to
arch-enemy of creative thinking. The skills of a designer
with a specific identity so it can be differentiated from the
describe the boundaries of the playing field of design.
are important, but so are the skills of design management
competition and at the same time increasing its symbolic
Just think of the Internet: several organizations, logistics
applied within the company.
performance.
Industrial products and graphics are certainly out-
systems and computer software – all engineered AND
In order to embrace the idea of interdisciplinarity, to
In this connection, if products or services are to stand
designed. Overall, organizations need to take design
create a bridge between designers, managers and research-
out, they must ooze of added value, some “extra-ness”
thinking seriously.
ers, it is necessary for them all to realize that strategy,
– and this cannot happen unless the entire organization
management and creativity are not adversaries, but allies.
has been analyzed and organized. Every single bit must be
Encompassing Smaller Plans for One Objective
Both designers and design managers are necessary players
tied together so that consumers will, at the end of the day,
Let us be clear: design should not be considered just
in any modern enterprise: the absence of especially the
have the feeling that they are buying more than just the
a shaping discipline. In fact, design can just as well be
latter discipline could seriously damage otherwise good
physical product.
viewed as an advanced planning tool that builds on the
results. Creativity and strategy are not contradictions in
designer’s ability to give form and visualize, as well as
terms – in fact, they are quite the opposite. Design needs a
tions before designing, about strategically arranging and
prototyping and user insight.
strategic framework.
preparing – all highly beneficial for both customers and
Strategic design means simultaneously controlling
The working method of designers is not a linear pro-
Basically, strategic design is about asking ques-
a company’s bottom line. Whereas the traditional design
product design (product, families of products, shape,
cess. Rather, it is a process in which designers keep asking
approach is, roughly put, concerned with the results of the
function, materials, colors, ergonomics, user interface,
questions about what it is they are working with. As a
design, strategic design focuses on identifying problems
etc.), graphic design (corporate identity, company publi-
consequence, the aim is not a foregone conclusion, and
and creating solutions before the actual manifestation of
cations, events, packaging, promotions and advertising),
this creates dynamics and may lead to solutions that are
the product or service, a shift in focus that will very often
Web design (Internet, intranet and multimedia), environ-
very different from what was first anticipated.
reveal new opportunities.
ment design (factories, offices, showrooms and retail stores), management processes, and business models – in
This “method” or way of thinking is almost in direct continuance of user-centered design, which is based on
MADE IN KOREA
SERVICE DESIGN
In the past five years, Samsung has won more awards from the
Service design can be both tangible and intangible, and may involve
Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) than Apple, thus
artifacts just as much as communication. It can also be both com-
surpassing its competitor in the quest for design excellence.
mercial and non-commercial. Whatever form it takes, however, it must be strict, consistent and easy to use.
Strategic Design Case About a decade ago, Samsung (which means “three stars”)
long course in mechanical engineering in order to prepare
products were gathering dust on store shelves: American
them to defend their ideas. Partnerships with up-and-coming
consumers considered them to be toy-like knockoffs. To
engineers and managers from other disciplines were also
change this, CEO Kun-Hee Lee set out an ultimate aim: to
formed so they could learn to work together. Such partner-
push Samsung into the highest ranks of first-class brands.
ships are still the principle behind Samsung’s Creating New
According to Fast Company, it is the brand that has grown
Business Group, an elite team of designers, technologists and
fastest over the past five years: Samsung is currently the
experts in marketing and manufacturing who study consum-
The service sector is growing, and service design has
world’s most profitable tech company, accounting for 20.7%
ers and create future scenarios.
There is no doubt that a positive experience as a
become a field concerned with the development of ser-
customer has very great value in connection with brand and
Through its Design Power Program, Samsung’s in-house
vices to meet specific needs. These services may make use
perception. Applying design techniques to a service will
Lee soon realized that Samsung would have to create
school for designers, Samsung sends its most promising stu-
of different communications media (Internet, telephone,
produce greater customer satisfaction. In short, customers
stylish, premium digital products that sparked custom-
dents to study at the world’s top universities and institutions
in-person, etc.); they may or may not be automated, and
experience an efficient and thoroughly thought-through
ers’ emotions with elegant, human-centered design. Lee
and have also opened its own design studios in London, Los
they may or may not use products as part of the service
service that sparks customer loyalty which, at the end of the
decided to use design as a competitive weapon and thus
Angeles, Milan, San Francisco, Shanghai and Tokyo.
experience.
day, means tougher competition. This will become the deter-
of Korea’s total exports.
transformed Samsung from imitator to world-class in-
However, the company was not satisfied until it had
Service design in general is the design of systems and
mining difference between products.
formed the core of the company: its design ethos, a clear set
processes that aim to deliver a service to customers. The
of principles upon which design could be based. The search
service is more than often tied to a physical product or
clear shift towards convenience. However, customers are con-
that Samsung lacked a design identity. In other words, its
finally came to an end when Samsung discovered the Tae Kuk
offer, but may also be a strictly immaterial offer such as
stantly demanding exciting experiences. To fulfill this wish, a
top managers discounted the value of design.
symbol on the South Korean flag, a yin-yang symbol that
legal counseling. Service can be delivered through virtual
new creative element will have to enter the field of designing
Some of the plans included a collaborative work envi-
represents both unity and duality. This inspired Samsung’s
or physical interfaces or by people in the flesh.
user experiences, and this is where service design can play a role.
ronment in which designers were required to take a year-
touchstone, which is now “Balance of Reason and Feeling.”
novator. Along with Fukuda, his design adviser, Lee concluded
There is no doubt that the focus on functionality has taken a
INDEX:2007 | pg 23
User-centered Design in
A FRESH START IN THE KITCHEN...
Umpqua Bank went from $140 million in assets in the mid-1980s to
Find it boring to cook? No inspiration? Fresh Start helps friends
$5.36 billion in 2005. What happened?
transition into a healthy lifestyle through shared cooking, a concept that has two friends sign up for the Fresh Start service and make a commitment to cook with each other on a regular basis.
Service Design Case Service Design Case
Umpqua Bank was founded in 1953 in Canyonville, Oregon,
plain its new concept. The employees are now trained at the
as a small community bank. It existed as such until 1994,
Ritz-Carlton Hotel to ensure that customers feel welcome.
when Ray Davis became CEO of the bank and things started
The initial makeover cost $250,000, but it seems to have
The Web site myfreshstart.org is used to initiate the
to change.
been money well spent: Umpqua Bank is today the largest
service, facilitating the negotiation between friends as
friend talks the other through their half of the recipe as the
independent community bank in the Pacific Northwest and
they agree on a cooking and on a cooking schedule, and
device provides a two-way audio channel between the two
Northern California, with 127 stores.
serving as a feedback tool throughout the course of the
friends’ kitchens. The wireless device discreetly adapts to
service.
any kitchen environment. When they are done cooking, the
In 1998, Umpqua Bank made a move for the big citymarket of Portland. Umpqua Bank felt a change of strategy was necessary to make the leap from small community bank to the greater financial scene.
Following its success, Umpqua Bank hired David Hawkins, formerly with Ziba design, as its brand manager. Today the
On scheduled days, the Fresh Start service delivers a
Using a communication device in their kitchens, each
friends remove the sticker to reveal the complete recipe. MyFreshStart.org documents the Fresh Start service de-
bank’s concept stores offer free Internet access on wireless
box that contains a recipe and the prepared, pre-por-
laptop computers and free coffee. Umpqua Bank now even
tioned ingredients to prepare that recipe. The box is deliv-
sign project and was completed in the spring of 2005 by Dave
has its own book club called the Umpqua Read Club. In the
ered to each friend’s home prior to the scheduled cooking
Chiu, Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino and Haiyan Zhang.
stores, customers can listen to and buy CDs by local bands.
time. The recipe initially has one half covered by a sticker.
The project was specifically created for Emergence 2006,
to be the case, customers did not really need faster bank-
Umpqua Bank still has the feel of a community bank, stick-
Each friend receives a different half of the recipe, enabling
an international design forum hosted by the School of Design
ing. Instead, Ziba coined the term “slow banking” to ex-
ing to the local area, but on a much larger scale.
them to take turns leading the cooking process.
at Carnegie Mellon University on September 8-10, 2006.
Instead of contacting a management consultant firm, as would have been the usual procedure, Umpqua Bank contacted local Portland-based design firm Ziba. Ziba found that, contrary to what was often thought
INDEX:2007 | pg 25
UMPQUA BANK
UN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS & GLOBAL COMPACT PRINCIPLES
2005 INDEX: AWARD WINNERS & USERCENTERED DESIGN
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women
Lifestraw™
great care to design for the user, making the interface
The winner in the Body category, Lifestraw™, addressed
beautiful and simple, as well as easily understandable. The
one of the world’s major issues: the lack of clean drinking
iTunes Music Store took care of another important aspect:
water. More than a billion people worldwide are without
the intellectual property problems connected with music
access to clean water. With LifeStraw, manufacturer
in digital format. The iTunes music store offers an attrac-
Vestergaard Frandsen addressed this problem by design-
tive alternative to illegal file sharing.
ing an affordable water purifier in the very straight-
Reduce child mortality
forward and graspable shape of a straw using the best
Siyathemba – the field of hope
Improve maternal health
available technology. The LifeStraw is very lightweight
In South Africa, HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death,
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
and portable, which takes into consideration the very
and especially afflicted is the region of KwaZulu, where it
difficult conditions under which it is used.
is the cause of 42 percent of all deaths.
Ensure environmental sustainability
More than 60,000 LifeStraws were distributed after the most recent earthquake in Pakistan.
Develop a global partnership for development
Siyathemba (which means “we hope” in isiZula) is a project with the double target of developing the local community and providing it with treatment and
• Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the pro-
Observatorio Iberoamericano para la Artesanía
information.
tection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
In 2001 the Foundation Fundación Española para la In-
In 2004, the charitable organization Architecture
• Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in
novación de la Artesanía (the Ministry for Industry, Tour-
for Humanity launched a global competition to design a
ism and Commerce in Spain) designed simply strategy, a
soccer field that could also function as a meeting point
network and a Web site focused on improving life for 40
for the area’s youth, to create a space for people to be edu-
million craftsmen in Latin America.
cated and treated without undergoing the stigmatization
human rights abuses. • Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
The main activities improve networking among
• Principle 4: The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor;
normally associated with it in the region.
craftsmen, teaching them new trends and enabling them also to communicate with customers and new markets.
Softwall
• Principle 5: The effective abolition of child labor; and
The network not only optimizes their earnings potential,
The 2005 INDEX: Award winner in the Home category
• Principle 6: The elimination of discrimination in respect
but also sparks ideas and innovation in connection with
was the partition wall Softwall, which counters a problem
sharing design methods, information transfer, technologi-
faced by many people worldwide. Softwall provides a rem-
cal development, design, product development, databases,
edy to the fact that many of us are living in housing built
and so on.
for another time and different family patterns and thus
of employment and occupation. • Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; • Principle 8: Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Observatorio has, in this way, made sure that this craftsmanship does not die.
• Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies • Principle 10: Businesses should work against all forms of corruption, including extortion and bribery.
Award was centered around the theme “Design to Improve Life” and thus had a focus on human needs.
The solution is a flexible, storeable wall based on the classic technology of folding paper and thus presenting
Apple iTunes & iPod
a new function in a simple and familiar form. It absorbs
No introduction is necessary for the winner in the Play
noise and light, making it an alternative to real walls.
category, the world-renowned iPod by Apple together
Today Softwall is a part of the permanent collection at
with its online companion iTunes. The popularity of the
MOMA in New York.
iPod has proved to be a welcome addition to people’s Each in its own way, every one of the five 2005 winners of INDEX:
does not support a contemporary lifestyle.
lives. In the design of the iPod, Apple’s design team took
INDEX:2007 | pg 27
INDEX: 2007 Focus
INDEX:2007 | pg 29
INTERVIEW WITH LISE VEJSE KLINT
User-centered Design & Innovation in INDEX: 2007 Perspective
The program for INDEX: 2007 is in the making. Director
context, it is only possible to improve life for a short pe-
to the problems should be found in this direction,’ and
of the program for INDEX: 2007 is architect and designer
riod of time. That may be well enough, but the ambition
they pointed to design and creative thinking as one of the
Lise Vejse Klint. The ambition for INDEX: Summit in
needs to be to provide viable solutions. That is why it is
directions. In many ways I see next year’s Summit as a
2007 is to show how the many very different User-cen-
crucial to look into the economic aspect.
way of taking up the challenge from Davos. Hopefully, in
tered Design & Innovation methods can play not only a
“The cultural aspect looks at what is desirable and
taking that challenge up through design, we have a part
part, but as Lise states it “a crucial part” in solving some
what fits in the context, whereas the economic aspect
of the answer, and we can qualify that through the design
of the problems ahead of us on a global level. These
looks at what is pragmatic and constructive, thus keeping
method we call User-centered Design & Innovation, in
problems also fit into the main focus of INDEX: which is
it rewarding for all partners and stakeholders. These two
which we explore the potential. I believe that design is a
Design to Improve life.
main contexts lead us to design, which looks at what is
part of the answer – no doubt about it – and the rest of
possible and how we value and evaluate those experiences
the answer from INDEX: Summit are ways to facilitate an
Design as a mediator between economic and cul-
and encounters we have in the cultural and economic
implementation.”
tural contexts
contexts. This tells us in which directions we should look
“What is important in our approach in 2007 is that in the
to find possible scenarios and solutions and how we can
INDEX: SUMMIT 2007 August 25–28
very moment you begin to talk of user-centered design,
facilitate them. It is important to us exactly because design
International leading experts in design and user-
you have to relate to the fact that you are dealing with real
is not part of the traditional ‘technocratic’ projection of
centered innovation are invited to Denmark to dis-
people – not necessarily individuals but also groups of
known solutions. Traditional ‘technocratic’ thinking only
cuss, develop, lecture and share knowledge.
people, and all those people have a context that you have
looks at solutions from one angle; design asks why we do
to consider, no matter how you approach the problem.
not look in other places. It lets us consider whether there
INDEX: SUMMER CAMP 2007, August 10–31
One of the two main contexts from the view of INDEX:
might be some more fruitful answers elsewhere. And this
Students from around the world are invited to take
is the cultural context. Everyone is embedded in a specific
is the situation where design not only can play a role, but
part in an international summer camp with a focus
cultural reality which has to be considered if you want to
an important role.”
on how design and user-centered innovation can improve life. The students will be interacting with
help or put solutions forward,” says Lise, who continues: “However, people are also embedded in an economic
Taking the challenge of design
the experts from INDEX: Summit.
context, and all studies show that, no matter whether you
Inspiration for the approach to the events in INDEX:
live in what we used to call the first world or the third
program for 2007 came from several sources. The annual
INDEX: NETWORK SERIES 2007, August
world, if the solutions are not put into a viable economic
meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, which
Designers, business and educational/research insti-
put design and creative thinking high up on the agenda,
tutions are invited to debate and share knowledge
was an especially vital source.
with INDEX: Summit participants.
Lise Vejse Klint is a former president of Danish Designers. Last year she was elected Secretary General of ICOGRADA, the International Council of Graphic Design Associations. Lise is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Design Alliance (IDA) as well. She has a master’s degree in architecture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture and many years of experience in teaching at institutions such as The Royal School of Library and Information Science, the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture. In addition, she is a board member for the Danish Arts Foundation, and last year she was appointed by the Minister of Economic and Business Affairs to join a special committee on strengthening Danish design.
“We are, of course, not the only ones thinking this way; there was the same underlying assumption at the
The program for INDEX: in 2007 boasts three major
World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year. So we
events: the Summit, the Summer Camp and the Network
are not reinventing the wheel, but building our knowledge
Series, all of which look at the same issues, but from dif-
on prior experiences.
ferent perspectives.
“What they did at Davos in January was to look at a series of problems and say, ‘We believe that the answers
“We approach it from three different angles. INDEX: Summer Camp will look at the possible solutions in a
INDEX:2007 | pg 05
very practical way, i.e. how to implement them, whereas
two affect us all on an everyday basis, no matter what our
century have provided solutions to problems. In the twen-
organizations and operations, in a much more effective
INDEX: Summit will take a much more philosophical
given context is.”e Role of Design
ty-first century, their aim is not to solve the problems, but
way than through mere research.”
approach, in turn seeking to answer the question ‘How
To accommodate the notion of cultural diversity in the
to define the problems instead. This will provide designers
to facilitate?’ Lastly, INDEX: Network Series is INDEX:
process, INDEX: takes inspiration from the UN’s educa-
with a quite different objective and role in relation to the
a number of current economic thinkers point to the fact
Summer Camp and Summit’s interface with Danish trade
tional, scientific and cultural organization.
problems. To me, it is vital that we are elaborating on and
that we in Europe have traditionally been more interested
contemplating more about such aspects at INDEX: Sum-
in research and less in development, in which design is
mit in 2007.”
a important factor. Research can in general terms only
and industry, will take a more debating approach, address
“If you are working with the MDGs, it is apparent
relevance and performing a reality check from their point
that you have an ambition to relate on a very conscious
of view.”
level to the cultural dimension in the solutions. It would
Lise continues: “We are talking a lot about R&D, and
be conducted by the major players, whereas the poten-
be strange not to look at what UNESCO has to say about
The Advantage of Design
tial of the SMEs to a greater degree is development. The
Gender and Environment
that. They have a lot of considerations on cultural diver-
INDEX: Series is an event that invites designers, business-
potential of the SMEs in this respect is huge and to a great
The events will address two major problems facing the
sity and its importance in solving problems.”
es and educational and research institutions to be part of
extent unexplored. It is important to compare it to the
the project. Lise’s experience has given her a clear vision
repeated surveys conducted by Oxford Research in con-
of what industry can learn from design.
nection with the committee’s work whose results indicate
world today. So large-scale are these problems that 189 heads of state decided to include them in the eight UN Millennium Development Goals: “Once again, it is not our ambition to reinvent the
The Role of Design “What is interesting in thinking design into that
“I think that Danish trade and industry – and perhaps
that businesses are happy with the work of designers.
context is our ability to visualize. I was recently at a con-
especially the SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)
More than 90 percent answered that they were ‘satisfied’
wheel, so we take our starting point in UN’s eight Mil-
ference in South Africa where I heard Dr. Darlie Koshi
that make up most of the sector by far – will benefit
or ‘very satisfied’ with the services provided by designers.
lennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the 10 Global
from India talk about how the creative economy brings a
greatly from learning how design can play a decisive role
Of course, this is due to the fact that we in Denmark have
Compact Principles for the simple reason that we do not
demand for further visualization. Visualization represents
in the development of their business. This aspect was also
very highly skilled designers, but it is also because once
have to discuss the relevance of a given problem. After all,
a highly advanced way of evaluating and suggesting pos-
highlighted by the Committee on strengthening Dan-
a company has begun the process of buying design, they
189 heads of state agreed that if we do not try to find solu-
sible future scenarios. He sees the ability of the designer
ish design: we all agreed that some kind of education of
have a sort of ‘Aha!’ experience that gives them new in-
tions to these eight problems before 2015, the world is in
to visualize and conceptualize problems and solutions, to
the buyers of design was necessary, simply to help them
sights. They think, ‘Can it also be used for that?’ I think it
serious trouble. It is beyond our reach to address all eight,
bring them to a point where everybody can understand
realize to what degree designers can contribute not only
is important to push more of the SMEs in that direction,
so we have decided to address Goals 3 and 7 because these
them. He also reflected on how designers in the twentieth
to innovation, but also to rethinking business strategies,
and that is also our ambition.”
Global Compact
The Third and Seventh UN Millennium Development Goals
In an address to the World Economic Forum on January 31, 1999, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged business
The eight Millennium Development Goals have been agreed upon by all the world’s countries and all
leaders to join an international initiative – the Global Compact – that would bring companies together with UN agencies, labor
the world’s leading development institutions.
organizations and civil society to support universal environmental and social principles. The idea was launched at UN Headquarters in New York on July 26, 2000.
#3
Through the power of collective action, the Global Compact seeks to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that business
• Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at
all levels by 2015
can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalisation. In this way, the private sector – in partnership with other social actors – can help realize the Secretary-General’s vision: a more sustainable and inclusive global economy. The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labor standards, the environment, and anti-corruption.
#7
• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; re verse loss of environmental resources • Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water • Achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020
publisher: index:
index:
text: sandra dali, niels jarler
strandboulevarden 47 a
layout: hannah cho, virginia sin
2100 copenhagen ø
print: damgaard-jensen a/s
denmark
photos: miklos szabo
www.indexaward.dk
thanks to: the copenhagen institute
info@indexaward.dk
of interaction design issued: october 2006
INDEX: EVENTS
August 24th
August 17thSeptember 24th
August 25thAugust 28th
August 10thAugust 31st
August 2007