What is Design Strategy?
Design strategy is a process developed by the Design+ Strategy team, to support companies who are looking at creating new offerings, entering new markets, or are just looking at new ways of doing things. Through the application of the Design+ Strategy innovation process, the business owner is put at the very centre of the process, and develops clear rationale, improved viability, and confidence in decision making.
How it’s Applied
This process is applied through interactive workshops with the business owner, either in-person or online. In-person workshops utilise our design studio, with large white board walls to allow visual capturing of the workshops, and a design strategist to facilitate the sessions. When online, the workshops are facilitated through Microsoft Teams, and using Miro as a digital whiteboard. This visualisation is a key feature of our process, as it enables greater shared context, and makes the business ecosystem and vision more accessible.
The 4 stage process we use is supported by the Design+ Strategy Toolkit, a number of tools to guide companies through the innovation process. The Design+ process entails:
- Mapping: looking at the context of your business as it exists now, and visually displaying the business ecosystem and relevant processes, resources, and direction or vision
- Framing: identifying challenges and opportunities for growth
- Ideating: a unique blend of creating new ideas, and rigorous evaluation to inform decision making
- Actioning: creating a bespoke & comprehensive strategic roadmap with an action plan of what you need to do next, and the resources you require to do it
Benefits/Outcomes for Companies
While this process stays the same for each company no matter the size, sector, or business life stage, each company is different and presents unique challenges and opportunities. After companies go through our strategy process, they are perfectly placed to continue further development with a strong justification and enhanced viability. Being in the technology Gateway Network, we can link companies with other gateways who can aid this development, while also identifying funding routes and other supports that can help.
“Working with Colin and Lynne not only brought together all of our work over the past year, it also allowed us a space where our thoughts could be talked through in a very relaxed way which made our decision making a lot easier. It gave us such clarity on our goals to date and what we hope to achieve over the next few months.”
Christine & Aoife (iAge Tech)
To find out how our design strategists can help your business, get in contact here.