The socio-economic impact of creative products/services: developing the creative industries

The socio-economic impact of creative products and services: DEVELOPING THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES THROUGH DESIGN THINKING

authors Bruno Pires and Joana Cerejo

May 4, 2013

Context

& Goals

Methodology Theoretical Framework

agenda steps

Design Thinking Conclusions

Context There is the notion that creativity is an increasingly important tool that fosters economic growth as well as innovation goals. This new context in the current creativity paradigm provides an exciting and challenging model for cross-economic fields, including areas such as engineering, science and design, converging into an effective field of innovation and creativity.

Creative Industries are strongly dependent on creativity.

However, the common claims that creativity is everywhere, thus, turning all products and services into creative designs, make it pertinent to bring forth what it is perceived to be a creative product.

Purposes of the study Design thinking, is still seen with some distrust, given that its impact is difficult to quantify and its benefits are subjective. This paper wants to address that distrust and contribute to clear it by providing some information about what it can do for companies by taking a look at creative products and services.

Methodology The research method developed during this study was based on a literature review.

Our research question is "what is the advantage of using design thinking as a tool for the development of creative products/services?". Giving the fact that the nature of the question relies on 'what', our approach is made from a theoretical point-of-view.

Creative Products and Services Kotler and Armstrong (2012)

Theoretical Framework

Innovation Bassant (2009)

Design Kolko (2011) and Lawson (2006)

Design Thinking

Creative Products and Services For Kotler and Armstrong (2012:224), a product is 'anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a want or need', specifying that products can be 'physical objects, services, events, persons, places, organizations, ideas or a mixture of these'.

Innovation Bessant (2009:6) proposes that a working definition of innovation could be: innovation = ideas + implementation.

Thus, the idea needs to become the focus for an organization in order to impact working processes that increase efficiency and sustainability.

Design Design has spread its influence during the past decades, becoming more important for companies wanting to grow and looking to gain competitive advantage.

DTI (2005:26) design may improve firm performance by changing the value of outputs (goods and services produced), costs of inputs (resources used in production), and the efficiency with which inputs are turned into outputs.

Design Thinking Design has changed its paradigm.

Currently it is a tool for development, innovation and productivity.

Now it goes much further than simply conception of an artifact.

Design thinking is seen as the next step of innovation.

Analyzing the mindset of design, we were able to watch design being used for more than just the visual component or even the symbolic aspects.

This diversity of design brings to light that: if traditional design is applied along the value chain, challenging thinking methods of data collection, production, promotion and selling, it seems safe to assume that all the advantages here attributed to design can be also attributed to design thinking.

Resource to Organization

Part of Organizational System

Core to Organization

Design is the Organization

We could identify design thinking as an exciting new paradigm for dealing with problems in many professions — most notably IT (e.g., Brooks 2010) and Business (e.g., Martin 2009).

Design has been considered as a visually driven activity. However, in some way, design thinking disrupts this stereotype conveyed by traditional education.

By studying the impact of creative products and services we consider that design thinking could become a catalyst to the upstream and downstream flow of economic growth.

Upstream, as it effects related organizations, companies, and projects, which capture ideas and solutions — a direct incentive to creativity and productivity.

Downstream, as design thinking provides a creation of dynamic environments. As a result, the relationship that design has with other knowledge-based fields is very dynamic and could be entrepreneurial — this is the main advantage that design thinking can provide for economic growth, especially to creative industries.

authors Bruno Pires and Joana Cerejo

Questions