A process for practicing design innovation

Abstract

PurposeCompanies are increasingly adopting design processes as a key driver for their innovation practice. Design processes help companies develop innovations that produce high user value as well as economic value and business value. The purpose of this paper is to describe how design processes can be effectively used in innovation projects through a good understanding design principles, tools, and frameworks.Design/methodology/approachThe frameworks in this paper are based on our direct experience with several innovation projects within leading companies. The processes adopted by many other companies and innovation projects, both academic and professional from around the world, were also studied as drawn from various sources. The goal was to uncover insights about the types of processes adopted by successful innovators.FindingsThese analyses reveal that there is a new focus on “design innovation” that produces offerings with a better fit with users and results in higher rates of adoption. It is found that these design processes are transforming the innovation practice of companies. The paper has identified four key principles that innovators use to ensure the success of their innovation practice. Further, it has developed a generic design process model that can be used as a guide for innovation projects, and identified a set of specific tools and frameworks that support the various stages of this generic process.Originality/valueAs design innovation processes are increasingly becoming a core part of the innovation practice in companies, there is a growing need to understand how companies can gain competence in this area. The generic design process model discussed in this paper, and a good understanding of the associated tools and frameworks, is a valuable resource for successful innovation practice.