Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Handbook of Practices on Design Management Application into Business

Documentation from the EU-funded project Design EntrepreneurSHIP — Integration and Education of Students, Graduates and SMEs in terms of Industrial Design Management This handbook represents a selection of materials prepared and implemented in the course of the EU co-funded INTERREG IV A project entitled “Design EntrepreneurSHIP – Integration and Education of Students, Graduates and SMEs in terms of Industrial Design Management”, part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) within the South Baltic Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007–2013. All materials included in the publication are a result of the project activities realised by the project partners, invited SMEs, speakers, consultants as well as the input of students and graduates participating in the training sessions. This publication is part-funded by the City of Gdynia and the European Regional Development Fund. All copies are reserved for distribution free of charge.

Published by Gdynia Design Centre, part of The Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia

Printed by Pracownia

Gdynia 2014 Contents

Project aim & result ...... 5 Project background ...... 5 Project summary ...... 5 Project outcomes ...... 6 Project partnership ...... 7 Design — connector between creativity and innovation. Kathryn Best, consultant and trainer in design management ...... 9 Meaning of interdisciplinarity. Prof. Marek Adamczewski, maradDesign ...... 10 Why is design a tool which brings innovations? Ewa Janczukowicz-Cichosz, Head of Gdynia Design Centre ...... 11 Interdisciplinarity. Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences...... 12

10 training sessions ...... 19 Training session 1 ...... 20 Training session 2 ...... 24 Training session 3 ...... 35 Training session 4 ...... 39 Training session 5 ...... 43 Training session 6 ...... 49 Training session 7 ...... 52 Training session 8 ...... 54 Training session 9 ...... 57 Grand Showcase Model Design Implementation ...... 62

Defining the design management concept for the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project. Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences ...... 69 Participating experts about Design EntrepreneurSHIP ...... 78 Study visits – different perceptions of design in Poland, Germany and Sweden ...... 80 List of experts involved in the project ...... 82 Acknowledgement ...... 87 Professional designers in their core area of activity often lack the management skills necessary to run a successful business. They should form teams with graduates in economics, management and engineers – their expertise will complement one another with industrial design. Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Project aim & result

The overall idea of the project was to facilitate the integration of higher education and the labour markets through knowledge exchange in the field of industrial design management education. Stu- dents, graduates and SMEs operating in the design sector had an opportunity to co-operate with the students of business, management, economics and engineering to test, conceptualise, apply into practice and evaluate different design management tools. As a result, a cross-border training programme was formed which conveys key messages and tips for companies from South Baltic Sea Region on how to respond to market challenges and consciously create their competitive edge in the future. Sharing knowledge from different disciplines also helped to create an awareness that in case SMEs face problems or have recognised development potential, this can be addressed with the application of design management tools.

Project background

Professional designers, in their core area of activity, often lack the business competences and man- agement skills necessary to run a successful business. Students and graduates in economics, management, business and law do not consider industrial design management a profitable sector for a professional career, underestimating its business po- tential and associating it only with a non-manageable artistic activity. SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region need to learn that they can look for partners not only within their native countries, but within the entire region which will substantially facilitate the development of an industrial design sector. With the application of design management tools, they can deepen their understanding of either a new business or an enterprise they have run for years and respond to the market challenges with a fresh perspective on their core strengths and challenges. Along with the benefits for local business, awareness of new opportunities arising from cooperation with design- ers will slowly be built which will create a basis to start a market for design services in the South Baltic region.

Project summary

▶▶ Over the 3 years of project implementation, 120 participants from Poland, Germany and Sweden have worked on specific problems related to industrial design and services and developed real- life scenarios, encompassing different aspects such as budgeting, technology and marketing.

5 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▶▶ The participants attended thematic blocks of training organised in Poland, Germany and Sweden where they received theoretical input regarding design management process to fill potential knowledge gaps. Assisted by international consultants, they applied their knowledge to the prob- lems shared by local SMEs invited to the training. ▶▶ After each project cycle, the participants took part in an evaluation session where they first pre- sented their ideas developed during the training in front of industrial design management pro- fessionals. Following this, the experts as well as the representatives of invited SMEs shared their opinions as to whether the conceptual ideas had the potential to be implemented to the market.

Project outcomes

Business perspective The project developed and tested a cross-border training programme based on different design The participants management tools. As a result, it has been shown that design management has the potential to: received theoretical ▶▶ increase sales input regarding ▶▶ develop new products and services design management ▶▶ facilitate innovation process and applied ▶▶ extend the product line their knowledge to the ▶▶ increase the product and company competitive edge ▶▶ decrease production costs problems shared by ▶▶ re-design the management system local SMEs invited to ▶▶ revitalise the brand the training. ▶▶ create brand awareness

Labour market perspective The project managed to strengthen the integration of higher education and the labour markets, thus providing background knowledge for the students and graduates of design, technology and business to specialise in the field of a promising domain, that of design management. Practical experiences in industrial design management among engaged stakeholders as well as extensive dissemination of the project achievements have created an awareness of the discipline. The long term goal is creation of market demand for design implementation services in the South Baltic Region, thus creating new workplaces, helping SMEs to form their unique competitive advantage and bringing more business to the region.

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Project partnership

The project involved 4 partners from Poland, Germany and Sweden. The partnership included:

Gdynia Design Centre, part of the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia (Poland) – supports the development of creative industries, in particular, companies and projects related to industrial design, applied graphic arts, multimedia and architecture. Promotes strong coopera- tion between designers and business. Coordinates design-related initiatives and events held in Gdynia, e.g. by participating in international projects, running educational activities, and holding exhibitions and events to promote design, such as Gdynia Design Days. More info: www.centrumdesignu.gdynia.pl

HIE-RO – The Hanseatic Institute for Entrepreneurship and Regional Development at the Uni- versity of Rostock (Germany) – scientific organisation dealing with applied research in the fields of innovation, human resources development, evaluation, concepts and strategies of learning regions and entrepreneurial education. Cooperates with other universities and institutions in carrying out analyses, studies and evaluations, as well preparing training programmes. Aims at exchanging ex- perience and finding innovative ways to support development goals. More info: www.hie-ro.de

Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design (Germany) – repre- sents three modern disciplines under one roof. Interdisciplinary and practice-oriented education facility with high scores in national and regional rankings. More info: www.hs-wismar.de

SVID – Swedish Industrial Design Foundation (Sweden) – disseminates knowledge about design as a force for development and a competitive device. Treats design as an operational process for development based on the customer’s needs, irrespective of whether it involves goods, services, processes, messages or environments that are being developed. Benefits companies, public serv- ices, society and Sweden. But above all, it benefits the user. More info: www.svid.se

The Partners were supported by an Associated Organisation – The Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland.

The project was led by Gdynia Design Centre, part of the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia, Poland.

7 An ambitious 3-year project supporting the creative industries and delivering design management workshops (…). Impressive in its scale, requiring many layers of co-ordination and integration: education and industry, theory and practice, design and management. Kathryn Best Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

design – connector between creativity and innovation

Kathryn Best, consultant and trainer in design management.

Design EntrepreneurSHIP – an ambitious 3-year project to support the creative industries and de- liver design management workshops in Poland and Germany. Impressive in its scale, requiring many layers of co-ordination and integration: education and industry, theory and practice, design and management, training sessions hosted in multiple locations, case studies from industry clients and moderation between specialist experts and participants in interdisciplinary groups. With such a rich mix of different disciplines, nationalities, locations and real world challenges, there were many opportunities available to take an entrepreneurial approach and to address the question facing many design-oriented enterprises today: how can creative ideas be successfully implemented so as to make a positive difference to client projects, products and processes and, importantly, to the quality of people’s everyday lives?

Design is the connector between creativity (generating new ideas) and innovation (placing viable ideas in the real world). It is a way to make a tangible impact through the implementation of ideas – the design of the products, services and experiences that touch and change people’s daily lives. And it is of particular interest to enterprises now. Why is this? ▶▶ Design is familiar. Design surrounds us in our everyday life, and we experience design through our daily interactions with products, services, spaces and systems. ▶▶ Design gives form to ideas, both through the process of design (design as a verb = design think- ing) and the outcome of design (design as a noun = form and function). ▶▶ Design puts people first. With rising demand to take a more holistic and responsible approach to contemporary world challenges, design (as a people-centred problem-solving process) is well positioned to help.

Future growth in challenging times comes from taking the risk necessary to imagine things dif- ferently. This is, in fact, one of the defining characteristics of both successful entrepreneurs and innovative interdisciplinary teams: the ability to think outside of the box and embrace a spirit of innovation and risk. For design, and for interdisciplinary teams and enterprises working together, the opportunities lie in looking at (1) how to make things better (through quality of life), (2) how to give form to new ideas, new visions and new solutions (through visualisations) and (3) how to package new ideas and “alternative futures” in a way that is both inspirational and aspirational (through new propositions).

The results of the training sessions described in this publication should inspire you. I hope you will see the many benefits that emerge when interdisciplinary teams work – and learn – together. 9 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

meaning of interdisciplinarity

Prof. Marek Adamczewski, maradDesign.

Beautiful afternoon in Malmö, completion of the second cycle of the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project. When I saw the results of the workshop evaluation session on the blackboard, I decided to take a photo. I was amazed and delighted. One of the first, very highly assessed points listed by the participants was a statement: “interdisciplinary collaboration”. The top ten were also (which was rather more obvious) a chance to establish international contacts, great hotel and ca- tering, as well as interesting leisure time.

At a time when European producers need innovations to such a great extent whilst the innovations themselves are not possible without “designerly way of thinking” and an ability to work in interdis- ciplinary teams, the project has proven to be a bingo! Young participants coming from three Baltic countries interested in modern design. Implementation of the activities was also international as it covered Germany, Sweden and Poland. And finally, outstanding organisation – the highest level of staff and participating experts (not to mention the participation of world-class speakers, Kathryn Best especially) – these are the benefits of the programme that cannot be overestimated. Participants in the three multi-day sessions that made up each edition (in Wismar/ Rostock, Malmö and Gdynia) have covered the implementation of a complete design process in direct contact with companies and teams dealing with the issues presented for the needs of the training sessions in their daily work. It was an invaluable experience. Young graduates usually need several years of design to at least partly acquire the knowledge and skills given to them in the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project in a condensed form, under the eye of excellent design methodologists, over just a few days.

Each session had a slightly different perspective, a different approach to those proposed to solve the problems – together making up the full process. Throughout the sessions, the participants worked in the same international teams. It has quickly been confirmed that the methodology of Design Thinking conduct, currently quite a common approach, is both international and interdisciplinary. It brings innovative ideas which are either hard or impossible to be created another way.

I have been working in industrial design for years. Recently, I particularly devote my time to design management. Therefore, I feel empowered to declare that Design EntrepreneurSHIP is a unique programme, extremely successful and useful. I am still amazed that such a complicated project in terms of logistics succeeded and was so precise in its realisation. I believe that there will be a way to develop this initiative further.

10 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

design EntrepreneurSHIP – where is the key to success?

Ewa Janczukowicz-Cichosz, Head of Gdynia Design Centre.

In the course of the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project participants faced real-life problems of SMEs operating in different sectors. The cases came both from start-ups as well as companies with an established position. The tasks they encountered were always very demanding and complicated. Some required long hours to systematise and get accustomed to a large amount of data, others were based on learning specific behaviour of the users in their natural environment. Every time an expected result could be obtained by the methods in which design-thinking techniques played a key role, that is, the role of one of the most effective innovation tools. On one hand, it’s practi- cal, intuitive and simple. On the other, thanks to its creative approach, it is a tool to grasp not only complicated, technical issues but also to segregate a large amount of data into a sensible series of steps. What’s most extraordinary about the methodology is the fact that it enables you to look at a problem from a wider perspective.

Another key role in the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project was played by interdisciplinary teams in which each member had different background knowledge and experience. The fact that they came from different countries also had an impact on the diversity of the teams – it was visible that the level of expertise within business and innovation is quite diverse. Different skills and views have provided a chance to develop original solutions for products and services.

A major role was applied to the appropriate definition of the problem – it was always a challenge as both the companies’ representatives as well as the participants wanted to dive right into work. Taking time at this stage, however, allowed them to look at the complex issue from a different per- spective, which then translated into better results. Other tools were role-playing and visualising the primary concepts. The aim was to show that the key to innovation is to recognise the hidden motives of the clients.

Companies participating in the project stressed that cooperation with young and very creative peo- ple allowed them to refresh their way of thinking about their products and services. Besides, the proposals suggested by the participants contributed to the strengthening of the company’s position in the market – the experience opened their minds and let fresh thoughts in. Leaving their own mindset allowed them to step aside and see it all from a different angle.

11 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

All participants have underlined that team work and learning from each other was a real value in the project. I hope this publication will encourage you to form interdisciplinary teams where the experi- ence of each member contributes to the success of the final results. You will surely be convinced after reading the case studies presented in the following chapters.

Interdisciplinarity

Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences.

In the course of the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project a total of 10 training sessions took place. Each of them was based on a consistent methodology for practical design management applica- tion, which resulted in a systematic didactic structure, determining how to proceed step by step to implement design.

A proposed design management concept for practical application underpins the coverage of three fields that are subject to analysis when dealing with real-life case scenarios of a given SME: technol- ogy, business and design. All three components have to be linked with each other, thus resulting in a coherent product or service, which is developed through interdisciplinary cooperation. Key processes and results which occur within each of the given fields – technology, business and de- sign – should, however, first be analysed and covered in-depth individually. Their components are displayed in Figure 1.

For this purpose, within the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project context, each approach was cov- ered within the frame of one training session. This way of proceeding allowed the design manage- ment practitioners to analyse and understand respective processes in-depth, in order to arrive at a feasible solution. As a result, three individual training sessions within one training cycle covered technology, business and design processes of a different SME in the following form: ▶▶ Training session 1: Key focus on the business-related problematic field and issues, and handling of the business-related issues by using design or technological tools. ▶▶ Training session 2: Key focus on the technology-related field and issues, and handling of the technology-related issues by using design or business tools. ▶▶ Training session 3: Key focus on the design-related field and issues, and handling of the design- related issues by using business or technological tools.

12 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

In order to facilitate design management processes within one specific field, design manage- ment trainees were invited who presented different design management tools. They served as a structured way of proceeding in order to deal with a complex problem explained in the company brief. Given real-life case scenarios and the so-called checklists for each particular field served as a guide to look for sources of the problem in each of the three domains. This enabled to kick- start the interdisciplinary work and provide a guide when undergoing the overall design manage- ment process. Each question from different domains was then observed and evaluated by design management practitioners to manage the whole process. In consequence, the ongoing, iterative analysis led to developing creative solutions, ideas, innovations or effectively designed products and services.

TECHNOLOGY DESIGN Product portfolio Product design Level of innovation Corporate design Research & Corporate culture development Brand behaviour

BUSINESS

Strategic management ◀ Figure 1. Key components to be dealt with International management within the design management process imple- Marketing tools (5P’s Mix) mentation subject to analysis in a given SME. Prepared by Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Tech- nology, Business and Design.

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Real-life case scenarios checklist overview applied within the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project. Authors: Prof. Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Design, Technology and Business

Field / Discipline Single Component Specification of real-life topics / questions

Design Products (1) Please generate a comprehensive overview of products according to the company profile distrib- uted. Focus on the following determinants: (a) type and field (b) design and quality. (2) Reveal the potential for the whole product family. Does the company in question carry along a concept for the whole product family?

Corporate Design (3) Determine components of the Corporate Design. What components does the particular company possess (logo, slogan, font etc.)? (4) Specify the extent to which the implementation of the Corporate Design components is appar- ent. Please highlight internal (office equipment, architecture, etc.) as well as external (newspaper, showrooms, etc.) forms of the Corporate Design implementation.

Corporate Identity (5) Define brand behaviour on the basis of the company profile from two different perspectives: (a) employees (are they aware of the brand philosophy?) and (b) company (extent to which the brand influences the company) (6) Provide an evaluation of the brand perception by the clients.

Technology Product Portfolio (7) Evaluate the product portfolio: What products appear rational and can they retain their competi- Level of Innovation tive advantage in the market? Research (8) Analyse the company’s potential to generate innovations on its own and to transform ideas into & Development sustainable innovations. (9) Specify the extent to which research & development pushes the company forward. (10) Identify particular technology-related determinants that are crucial in terms of industrial design management.

Business Management tools/ (11) Determine the role of strategic and international management for the firm. Marketing tools (12) Provide practice-oriented guidelines for enhancement of the company’s position in the market. Market behaviour (13) Identify market entry modes that are crucial in terms of industrial design for the company con- cerned. (14) Undertake an examination of the marketing tools (e.g. 5 P’s Mix (product, price, place, promotion & people) employed by the company: To what extent have the marketing tools been employed already? (15) How does consumer behaviour shape/ might shape the marketing strategy of the company?

14 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Respectively, for each of the three fields concerned, a separate checklist can be produced for the design management trainees to facilitate design management processes.

Example of a technology checklist integrated within the design management application

Single component subject to analysis and evaluation Question underpinning the analysis / evaluation

Evaluation of Product Portfolio Does the product(s) appear to be a rational solution to a need/ problem?

Does the product(s) retain its competitive advan- tage in the market?

Level of Innovation To what extent can the product(s) be labelled as in- novative?

What is the company’s potential to generate innova- tions on its own and to transform ideas into sustain- able innovations?

Research & Development Extent to which research & development pushes for- ward the business process of the company selected.

What are particular research & development-related determinants that are crucial for the company?

15 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Example of a business checklist integrated within the design management application

Single component subject to analysis and evaluation Question underpinning the analysis / evaluation Idea Generation and Finding What determines the development of a new project? What is the innovative element in the product? What are the functional aspects of this product (focus in the user demand)?

Does the product(s) retain its competitive advantage in the market?

Market Analysis What is the market of the product like, i.e. please analyse the competitors (substitutes) based on marketing mix and potential target market (customers)? What is my chosen marketing mix for this product (product, price, place, promotion & people)? What is the SWOT for my product? What are the expected benefits for the company from the implementation of this project? What are the estimated investment costs needed (means of production, etc.)? What is the estimated break-even point?

Planning of Product Development – Project What is the project management structure? What is the estimated timeframe (from initial concept to prototype)? What resources (manpower in working hours, equipment, technology) need to be allocated? What are the costs per unit of the prototype (quantity, material, etc.)? What intensity of product testing is needed (time, costs)? What are the estimated total costs (time, resources, prototype, testing)?

Monitoring the Development Process What are the risks in the product development process (technical progress and developments, competitors’ development, general market changes, prototype tests, etc.)? What is the critical path for the project (product development and production process)? Please consider changes (delays, increased spending, design, etc.) to the planned project. What are the weightings for the criteria (least to most critical – resume or stop, define develop- ment termination criteria)? At what intervals do the defined criteria need to be monitored?

Pre-production and Investment Review your marketing mix based on your results and experience from Phase 2. Review your planned investment based on your results and experience from Phase 2 (costs, ef- ficiency, delays due to production site extension, in-house or external service, etc.)

Market Entry Clarify the step by step actions to be taken.

16 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Example of a design checklist integrated within the design management application

Single component subject to analysis and evaluation Question underpinning the analysis / evaluation

Products Number of product segments Product Line/ Product Segment Number of single products (possible estimation)

Product Appearance Design quality (form, colour and proportion)

Workmanship and material quality

Ease of Use Handling (ergonomics)

Perceivability (user guidance)

Design Concept Perceptibility of the concept

Consistency of the form language

Communication (Corporate Design) Presence of Corporate Design components (which ones?) Quality/ Potential Homogeneity / Consequence of input

Internal Realisation Business equipment (what is needed?)

Further forms of perceptibility (architecture, vehicles, facilities, etc.)

External Realisation Communication media (for instance, print, magazines, multimedia, etc.) Additional measures (fairs, showrooms, etc.)

Brand (Corporate Identify) Memorability (sound, recognition and conceivability) Quality/ Potential Product relevance (in the context of brand, product and technology)

Employees Awareness of the Corporate Design (compliance with brand image)

Awareness of philosophy (how is the identity being described by employees?)

Company Brand relevance for daily processes

Assigned competence

Customer Awareness of brand by customers

Awareness of brand within the market

17 A total of 10 training sessions took place during the course of the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project from April 2012 to July 2014. Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

10 training sessions

This chapter presents summaries of 10 training sessions which took place during the course of the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project from April 2012 to July 2014. The sessions were organised in each partner country – Poland, Germany and Sweden. Each of them addressed the issues of a different local SME. All in all, eleven organisations participated over the 3 years of the project. Each of them shared day-to-day issues, long-term goals, core strengths and weaknesses, development plans and much more – all to get an opportunity to participate in the training sessions and get a unique chance to share its company brief with interdisciplinary groups of participants supported by world-class ex- perts. Sometimes the information given from the SMEs was very general so the students had to ask several additional questions to get a basic idea of the company expectations. Other organisations prepared a very detailed technical description, explaining exactly what they wanted to achieve. Some companies knew they wanted to introduce some changes but they had no idea which area they should touch first. The company briefs were sometimes very similar, even though they were all from different market sectors. One factor, however, could be used when comparing and contrast- ing the contents of the company briefs – the experience of cooperation with industrial designers. Where an SME had used a designer’s advice in the past, they already knew which approach should be taken. For instance, some companies suggested working on case studies which were nearing completion and were ready to take to market. Nevertheless, their past experience had taught them that iterative processes bring the best results and are the core of new product and service develop- ment. Nevertheless, whether the brief was generated in a general way or referred to a specific task or challenge, rarely did it occur to the students that it should not be modified in the course of the training session. This also showed the real nature of iterative design-thinking process and design management – no matter how much you plan, there must always be space for flexibility, new data, new conditions and improvement. In other words, setting the rules or a straight course of action never works in practice. After deep analysis of the topic and interviews with the companies’ repre- sentatives, there always appeared to be a wider spectrum of a problem or a different, parallel one which had impact on the whole company performance.

The main speakers guiding particular training sessions and invited experts suggested theoretic con- tent according to the company brief which was later presented to the participants as background knowledge. The participants, assisted by consultants, implemented the theoretic content to the real-life company data.

19 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Training Wismar, session: Germany Host: Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design Main speaker: Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences Company: N2telligence – provider of a fuel cell which gives heat, air conditioning and electricity through reduced Oxygen generation thus 1 providing an ecological fire protection system.

Company brief: How to sell a product that nobody understands In order to introduce the participants to the n2telligence product, the company owners had to face a challenge they tackle in their daily work. A lot of effort was put into understanding the task. The company representatives slowly explained the benefits that their products bring, e.g. by advising: “Reduce the oxygen content in your rooms by reducing the one element fire ignition needs – think what that is.” Obviously the reply was “Oxygen” as without oxygen, there can be no ignition. This finally helped the participants to understand the company offering and how to underline its unique selling proposition by the fact that n2telligence is the one and only fire system of that type on the market.

20 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

◀ Fuel cell of n2telligence – a generator placed outside is connected to a space inside the building. Its function is to reduce oxygen which is the safest type of fire protection. This way fire is prevented before it can even start. The system uses low-oxygen air produced in the energy conversion to power, heat and cool- ing for this purpose. As a result, the basis for fire is removed and a lasting protective atmos- phere is created where fire cannot even start.

Method: the students received real-life scenarios checklist overview covering different areas of De- sign, Technology and Business tools which were tailored to guide them through a series of aspects to understand the company product and suggest a solution to enhance its activity. The checklist helped them to combine their knowledge of Design, Technology and Business tools, the participat- ing students were able to grasp the problem given by n2telligence. This resulted in: ▶▶ clear understanding of the company offering ▶▶ awareness of the brand and values it should communicate ▶▶ positioning n2telligence among its competitors in the market ▶▶ identification of a marketing strategy.

Design Management tool Design-thinking approach step by step

When you face a brief presented by a company: ▶▶ do not get overwhelmed by its complexity or severity – ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE ▶▶ never say it’s impossible to solve it ▶▶ never fully accept the problem – the brief can always be re-defined to a problematic area that the company is not even aware of ▶▶ remember who is your boss but do not let go of any external ideas which can seem absurd ▶▶ always create 3 options: *MUST HAVE, *GOOD TO HAVE, *NOT NECESSARY ▶▶ start creating…

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Results: The primary concept developed by the students was to deliver a clear message. This related both to the company website as well as to the promotional brochure. They were both filled with text that no one could understand. An idea was to use infographics to give a clear visual message of what the company offers and how the clients can benefit.

Another proposal referred to the marketing strategy and branding, and to the slogan especially. It was advised that n2telligence adopt an intelligible catchphrase – the key message was that it should be easy for everyone to grasp. Suggested slogans used bees as a metaphor of a space equipped with an n2telligence fuel cell system – just as a bee can survive the whole winter without oxygen, so the oxygen requirement of a fuel can be reduced to a minimum. The graphics below present the visual campaign prepared by the workshop participants showing the company brand values proposition in the form of catchy slogans.

▲ Proposals for communicating the company Ideas suggested by students also included using the company corporate identity to make the prod- offering to customers through a consistent vis- uct more understandable so that everyone would know at first glance what n2telligence is actually ual identification system and catchy marketing slogans reflecting n2telligence brand values. selling. In other words, the message about product offering should be communicated in the same Workshop materials, Wismar 2012. way that was adopted in the visual identification system.

22 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

The ideas were actually taken into account by n2telligence. Having looked at their website a few ▲ Proposed product communication strategy. months later, one could find new infographics clearly showing the product features, a consistent Wismar, 2012. visual identification system throughout the website and most importantly, comprehensive product information which was easy for everyone to understand.

◀ Communication strategy of the fuel cell used by n2telligence currently (available on the company website http://www.n2telligence. com/de/produkte, November 2014). Inspira- tion to prepare a new system of product com- munication came from participation in the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project.

23 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Training Gdynia, session: Poland Host: Gdynia Design Centre Speakers: Agnieszka Marcińczyk, Pro Design Jamie Brassett, PhD, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design Company: FLOWAIR – heating and ventilation units producer and 2 distributor

Company brief: FLOWAIR has a stable financial situation, steady sales figures and is continuously cooperating with designers to invest in new product development. Awareness of the potential in design is extremely high among all company representatives. In addition, the company uses a well- developed visual identification system and has an awareness of its core strengths and brand values. Despite successful market performance, the company board noticed some difficulties either with entry of new products to the market or unsatisfactory sales figures after market entry. Besides, FLOWAIR was looking for creative ideas to extend its product line, e.g. by introducing devices char- acterised by increased efficiency or to overcome minor functional problems with existing products.

Case study 1: Design new air directives for the LEO product line

▾ LEO product line of air heaters, 2014. LEO – product description: Energy-efficient air heater, recognised by its modern and innovative www.flowair.com look achieved by the use of plastic as a material for the casing.

24 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

The air directives project should: ▶▶ cover the design of a new system of blade fitting ▶▶ have an aerodynamic shape ▶▶ be produced using a similar technology to the present blades so the cost is kept at a similar level ▶▶ suggest a complex, unified solution adjustable to the whole LEO product line

Problems: ▶▶ different lengths of blades in different products within the LEO product line ▶▶ current system of fitting blades is based on springs and does not work well ▶▶ minimising the production costs (investment costs into production facilities less important)

The project should include: ▶▶ a complex blade concept/ project together with the fitting concept ▶▶ visualisation of the solution ▶▶ financial analysis of the suggested solution

Moving the blades inside the device and hiding Company BRIEF: them behind an aesthetic net – visualisation by “Redesign the blades participating students. in LEO product line” Gdynia, 2012.

Conclusion: No blades! (no real function)

Results: ▲ Proposal of the students dealing with the In-depth analysis into the problem showed that the design of new blades would be a costly invest- case study of re-designing LEO air directives. ment. Nevertheless, the members of an interdisciplinary team noticed that apart from directing the Suggested solution assumed that blades are not necessary – the function of directing the air, the blades had no real function. This acted as an enticement to remove them and leave the air air could be hidden inside the device. Devel- heater without blades at all. During brainstorming, the engineers forming the interdisciplinary groups oped in the workshop in Gdynia, 2012. insisted that the role of air directives fulfilled by the blades should be kept. Based on the influence of industrial designers, who felt responsible for the aesthetic function of the device, the function was performed by simple, aluminum blades which were hidden inside the device. This solved the problem of fitting which would be more stable than the former springs and less costly at the same time. 25 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Service design application Along with the brief of designing new blades, the workshop group went deeper into the company sales strategy which led them to analyse the system of servicing after the expiry of the 24-month guarantee. A few crucial points were noticed: ▶▶ there were no contact details for the installer who sold the heater to the client – a simple sticker with contact details was missing, ▶▶ licensed installers are still a source of income to FLOWAIR. Therefore, after product sale they still represent the company brand and its values.

Idea: create a complex service where the installer is responsible for the maintenance of the heater that he sold. He is the main point of contact for any potential repair. In exchange, he can work under ▾ Scenario of a service suggested to FLOW- AIR by one of the workshop groups during the the licence of professional FLOWAIR installer, receive regular training and become a member of a training session in Gdynia, 2012. network of installers which will provide him with continuous work.

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Design Management tool Scenario building

A process of analysing possible future events by picturing the whole process step by step and con- sidering all possible alternative outcomes. In order to make it easier, it is recommended to visualise the Persona, give it a name, agree on its age, gender, even profession. Think of different combinations, facts, current and historic trends – the more imagination you use, the more you put yourself in the shoes of your Persona and understand the user needs.

Case study 2: Increase the efficiency of OXeN

Implementation of a new form of OXeN, which is two and a half times larger and more efficient than the existing product. The new product proposal should: ▶▶ be based on existing subassemblies ▶▶ constitute a product line extension of the existing OXeN product line ▶▶ assume low investment costs – scale of production should be taken into account Scenario building helped to analyse OXeN – product description all possible outcomes, FLOWAIR had an idea to introduce a new device into production – OXeN. Its main function was heat visualise the future recovery through ventilation for medium and large enclosed spaces. It was destined to form a new category of ventilation device – a decentralised, ductless ventilation unit with a heat recovery func- user and understand tion based on warm air going out of the facility from the ventilation system. his needs.

The new device designed by FLOWAIR aimed to eliminate the drawbacks of current ventilation sys- tems. It was planned that the new device would have the following features: ▶▶ low investment costs (relatively cheaper device compared to mechanical ventilation with heat recovery function – no need for ventilation channels) ▶▶ no need for planning at project stage – no ventilation channel network ▶▶ plug & play device with an embedded steering system with an automatic mode of work ▶▶ device offers heat recovery with an efficiency of up to 95% ▶▶ efficiency regulation – adjusted to current needs of the user ▶▶ function of air preparation – filtration and heating ▶▶ simple exploitation and maintenance ▶▶ simple and cheap assembly (trouble-free installation)

27 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▶ Presentaion of OXeN – a decentralised ven- tilation system with heat recovery. Visual com- munication of the product. Developed in the workshop in Gdynia, 2012.

Situation description: At the time there was no substitute device for the solutions suggested by FLOWAIR. The new prod- uct would be competing with the producers of other ventilation and air-conditioning systems. In contrast to FLOWAIR, the competitors’ devices needed a channel network to circulate the air. There- fore, the cost of such a device was linked with indispensable ventilation channels, automatics and installation.

Expected result: ▶▶ a complex concept/ project of a new product ▶▶ discussion of the new product benefits and advantages over the functionality of the existing OXeN

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◀ FLOWAIR product prototypes used in the workshop room. Pomeranian Science and Technology Park Gdynia, 2012.

29 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results: The concepts suggested by students involved building a modular system based on existing product. All criteria outlined in the company brief were met.

▶ Proposals of OXeN modular system worked out for FLOWAIR during the workshop in Gdy- nia, 2012 (and continued during the following training session in Stockholm).

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◀ Proposals of OXeN modular system worked out for FLOWAIR during the workshop in Gdy- nia, 2012 (and continued during the following training session in Stockholm).

◀ OXeN – Red Dot Award winner in 2014, this prize is also called “the Oscars of design”, marking products which reflect industry devel- opments and set trends around the world. In 2013 OXeN received the Good Design Award in the Jobs category and the iF product design award, as well as an award from the Industrial Design Institute, Poland.

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Case study 3: New market entry of ELiS DUO

ELiS DUO was perceived as being too innovative as it had no direct competitor in the market. It seemed as if the product’s potential had not been fully realised – people did not understand it. The task was to re-launch the product to the market.

ELiS DUO – product description Air curtain and air curtain – fan heater mounted over doorways, creating an invisible, downward thrusting air barrier. The primary purpose of the air curtain is to prevent the influx of outside air through openings into heated or air-conditioned areas. Featured with an aesthetic shape.

The problems given to the participants: ▶▶ consider if the product is well designed ▶▶ what should be changed? what should be designed differently? ▶▶ how should the product be communicated? ▶▶ what is the target group? ▶▶ think of the method and core points of product re-launch to the market – the primary launch was not as successful as expected as the customers perceived ELiS as “too innovative”

Expected result: ▶▶ evaluation of suggested product changes based on the prototype ▶▶ prospective solutions to the problem of being “too innovative” ▶▶ plan of product re-launch/ retrial of market implementation

▶ ELiS DUO – air curtain and air curtain – fan heater by FLOWAIR being the subject of a workshop in Gdynia, 2012.

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Method: A design-thinking approach was suggested as a method which would protect the partici- pants from getting overwhelmed with the technical complexity of the product. Thanks to the po- tential that the method gives in terms of generating creative ideas, the participants tried to build metaphors which would help them understand the brief. An approach which was recommended by the main speaker, Agnieszka Marcińczyk, was based on breaking down the brief into smaller tasks in order to make the whole, complicated process more embraceable. Certain elements of the process still remained elaborate but it was easier to analyse them that way, especially for the group mem- bers who were specialist in one discipline only, like engineering or economics.

The approach also covered building metaphors which would help re-define the brief into a more ▾ Workshop materials prepared during train- familiar domain. One of the metaphors used by the participants is presented in a visual form below. ing sessions in Gdynia and Stockholm, 2012.

Break down your task or product Use what you have… … and create the new! into very basic elements…

Result: Same, same but different!

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Results: The primary metaphors helped to provide an idea of the features ELiS DUO should have to increase its demand in the market. The participants decided that brand re-launch should not include any drastic changes as the clients would think that it was changed due to some serious drawbacks. Therefore, it was given a new look, a so-called “face lift” which would start to evoke new values among customers. The direction taken by the students to achieve this goal was the product aesthet- ics. One idea was to make ELiS DUO “invisible” so that it would blend into the room décor. The sec- ond idea was to give it a decorative function and create an optional casing to select from at product purchase. Along with the new casing, it was suggested that customers receive a new clear message to help them get used to the unknown, that is, a brave new choice of colour for a heating device. To that end, it was suggested to conduct a communication campaign showing the distinct features of ELiS DUO, distinguishing it, for instance, from the LEO – air heater. Consequently, the colourful, aesthetic casing should act as a teaser, in other words, a token of offering more value through a higher market price.

▶ New casing design for ELiS DUO suggested as an optional module for clients who want the device to suit the interior. Part of the product re-launch strategy worked out during a work- shop in Gdynia, 2012 (and continued during the following training session in Stockholm).

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Stockholm, Training Host: SVID – The Swedish Industrial Design Foundation Sweden session: Main speaker: Stefan Moritz, Service Design specialist Company: The Swedish Museum of Architecture, Room for Death exhibition 3

Company brief: Prototyping services for palliative care The spark for the workshop was an art and craft exhibition at Stockholm’s Architecture Museum – Room for Death. The task was what service concepts can we sketch out that will improve the final stage of life for terminally ill patients and their families?

◀ Room for Death – exhibition at Stockholm’s Architecture Museum

Method: Service Design was suggested as a toolkit to create a useful and usable solution which is, most importantly, suited to customer needs, at the same time embracing their unique features, such as their personal goals, fears, behaviours or values. The approach helps to create a new scenario or a solution to a given situation in a smooth and personalised way. It is possible thanks to modelling and visualisation of the process including finding the touch points at various stages and developing 35 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

them into an experience for the user. The method also pays special attention to the human interface with particular stages of the process, leaving space for empathy which was particularly important in case of a delicate topic being the subject of the workshop.

In order to visualise the ideas and to conduct the whole process of delivering a particular service, Developing user the participants were introduced to prototyping techniques. To that end, they used all materials experience helps to available like Post-it notes, stickers, paper, scissors, crayons, cardboard and Lego which were spe- visualise the ideas along cially included in the workshop materials. Preparation of rough models helped to stimulate the im- all stages of the design agination and form more creative ideas than would ever be formed with just pen and paper. Besides, presentation of the concept ideas enabled a more effective explanation of the key message, not only process. Prototyping in respect of the final presentations for the client but also in the course of work, when the team techniques made it all members wanted the rest of the group to follow them on their proposal of an original idea. Proto- even simpler. typing techniques also contributed to making the process of design more interactive and concrete.

“Holistic System Thinking” was also introduced in order to help picture the problem from different perspectives and dimensions. Integration of knowledge from different fields increased the level of understanding of even the most complex issues.

Design Management tool Service Design

Methodology to help improve or innovate service experiences that result in more satisfied customers and more profitable enterprises. It is a new holistic, multidisciplinary, integrative field. Stefan Moritz

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Mutual Value Mutual Value

Transformation?

◀ Service design is a hub that brings Experience together the experience, methods and tools from various fields to employ them in the specific development and innova- Value for the organisation for Value tion of services. It is more than a com- Service modity, product or service. It also goes further beyond user experience. Its aim is to TRANSFORM, to evoke CHANGE. Product Source: Stefan Moritz, Service Design. Commodity Practical Access to an Evolving Field, 2005. The author of the book was the main speaker during the Design Entrepreneur- Value for customers SHIP training session in Stockholm, 2012.

Design Management tool Holistic Systems Thinking To be as successful as possible, service designers should seek to approach their project with a holistic system thinking perspective.

Service design integrates management, marketing, research and design. It creates a unique con- nection of organisation and client. In order to understand complex problems, multiple actors are involved. The areas of related expertise are used and integrated with the expertise of different dis- ciplines to develop a holistic concept – embrace a broad spectrum of perspectives. System thinking involves the use of various techniques to study systems in an array of ways. Focuses on the interactions in a system. Aims to gain insights into the whole by understanding the linkages, interactions and processes between the elements that comprise the whole “system”. Stefan Moritz

37 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results: Even though the topic of death was hard for the participants, they managed to come up with creative ideas and delivered the outline of new services. Prototyping techniques helped them to visualise the concepts, test them and make sure they were suited to the needs of terminally ill patients and their families. One thing was guaranteed: prototyping proved to be a highly applicable tool. Despite the fact that the students were not experienced in the given topic, they were able to ▼ Stefan Moritz showing the participants how to experience prototyping during a visit to gain valuable insight into the deepest problems of the target user and to discover their most inti- Stockholm’s Architecture Museum, 2012. mate needs. With such a preparation, the service will always have a chance to succeed.

Students’ reflections on prototyping:

“I didn’t know it is possible to solve serious problems using toys and Lego. It was really professional and creative!” “We designed the process thanks to role-playing. It was a great model of user-experience.” 38 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Rostock, Training Host: HIE-RO – The Hanseatic Institute for Entrepreneurship and Germany session: Regional Development at the University of Rostock Speakers: Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences Detlev Andrich, PhD, specialist in mechanical engineering Monika Tomczyk, PhD, Media Dizajn Association Jenny Fossum and Lina Öhlund Karboub, True Creative Company: Stahlbau Stieblich – constructions made of steel and glass 4

Company brief: Stahlbau Stieblich is a prosperous family company recognised in the European market. The core aim of participation in the project was to get a fresh view of the multicultural, interdisciplinary teams and to learn how to design through taking into account a wider spectrum of factors in order to generate novel ideas.

Case study 1: Design a canopy next to the main entrance of the Stahlbau Stieblich office building

Problem: since the building is free-standing, consider relevant implications and solutions, e.g. sta- bility in case of a car crash. ▼ Stahlbau Stieblich office building, Güstrow 2013. Consider: ▶▶ how to bridge a gap between the canopy and the building ▶▶ how to create an appealing design which says “welcome” to customers ▶▶ meeting the budget and standards

39 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Case study 2: Design a detached entrance at the front of the office building with a protruding platform

Problem: Consider relevant implications, such as accessibility, number of steps, single front ele- ments, width and height.

Case study 3: Design an external lift and staircase made of steel and glass The lift needs to be added an existing building, e.g. retirement home, office building, apartment building.

Problem: ▶▶ meeting safety requirements ▶▶ linking the exit to the building ▶▶ grid structure of the staircase

Consider: ▶▶ an appealing design ▶▶ budget requirements ▶▶ standards, regulations ▶▶ fire safety ▶▶ number of users – peak, low and average

Method: The experts who co-ordinated the work of the participating students were Jenny Fossum and Lina Öhlund Karboub from True Creative, an agency specialising in service design and customer experi- ence management within the fields of lifestyle, travel, tourism and community design. Before the students approached the problems, they were invited for a tour around the production lot of Stahlbau Stieblich. Then, the experts advised that the participants look at the case studies through four basic steps: ▶▶ the big picture – key stakeholders, actors, processes ▶▶ customer experience – understand and engage! Application of customer journey mapping, con- sumer insights ▶▶ brand experience – identify, visualise, look at the vision and values ▶▶ develop, compose and communicate

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▲ Photos from a tour around Stahlbau Stieblich premises, Güstrow, February 2013.

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Design Management tool Consumer insights

List of steps to take to succeed in business: 1. Identify potential customers 2. Try to understand them – what they like, what they believe in, how they behave, what they do in their spare time, what inspires them and what are their deepest hopes and dreams 3. Skip traditional research – data mining will not give you real insight 4. Distinguish between what consumers say they do, and what they actually do 5. Use your knowledge, intuition, psychological perspective and creativity to develop a per- spective of your own 6. Assess the opportunities, prioritise consumer insights *Here’s the point known as the DISCOVERY/ REVELATION or EUREKA MOMENT* 7. State which factors will bring results and develop them into a product or service

Results: In the case of Stahlbau Stieblich it was noticeable that even though the brief seemed quite concrete, that is, for instance, Design an external lift and staircase, the company representatives did not actually know what they wanted. Their business was based on the same values of traditional, solid design which have proved to be in constant demand and have been successful in the European market for years. What the participants suggested to the company was to start looking at a bigger picture when selling products. Developing a story around an existing product, e.g. telling the target users about potential ways of developing a staircase or about the usage scenarios for a fire escape or disabled entry, would greatly increase the company’s competitive advantage in the market. Fol- lowing trends, such as the fact that Europe is making a transition towards a much older population structure, can also bring fresh ideas for new product development and open the doors to acquiring new market segments.

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Gdynia, Training Host: Gdynia Design Centre Poland session: Speakers: Kathryn Best, consultant and trainer in design management; Prof. Marek Adamczewski, maradDesign Monika Tomczyk, PhD, Media Dizajn Association Jenny Fossum, True Creative; Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences Company: ViniDesign – products made of Corian 5

Company brief: ViniDesign is looking to extend its product line The new products should: ▶▶ match the company brand values of existing products made of Corian, that is, luxurious, opulent and beautiful ▶▶ be well-designed in terms of functionality and application of design for all rules ▶▶ represent simple design which will not pose constructional problems (cost saving at production), however, the design should create the impression that the products are worth the price.

Method: The expert responsible for the training session methodology was Prof. Marek Adamczewski, specialist in design in interdisciplinary teams with over 200 projects successfully introduced into production. He suggested a programme based on “classical” methodology of proceeding by imple- mentation of an industrial product, however, with special focus on its economic aspects. The case studies were prepared in such a way that the participants could see direct correlation between an industrial design project, suggested production technology and an economic effect of all decisions.

A special approach was adopted after the first day of work. Namely, the participants were informed that the company brief had changed. The parameters of the products outlined in the case studies were slightly modified so that the students could be faced with a real-life working environment, where external influences have an impact on our work mode. The changes had impact on the prod- ucts’ quality and functionality which caused difficulties within product capacity and especially on their assumed costs. The effect of cost cutting received very negative feedback from the participat- ing groups. They started to investigate whether the suggested functionality could still be achieved after cost limitations. The aim of this task, however, was to show that this is how product design often looks in real life, when sudden changes occur which affect the work of a design team. 43 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Case study 1: Bathroom equipment – paddling with seat Design of bathroom equipment made of Corian characterised by the following features: ▶▶ aesthetic, hygienic, practical, easy to clean, accessible for the elderly and people with physical disabilities ▶▶ customers – residential and hotels ▶▶ price range from 500 to 800 Euros

Results: The suggested proposal covered a modular version of bathroom equipment built from: ▶▶ paddling only ▶▶ paddling + bottom panel, ▶▶ paddling + bottom panel + extra walls ▶▶ paddling + bottom panel + extra walls+ top panel and shower head

The modular version was directed at customers with special needs, such as the elderly and people with physical disabilities. The fact that the modules were added to standard bathroom equipment made the product suitable for the mainstream market as well. The special feature, however, was the fact that customers with specific needs will buy the product like any other customer, thus not getting the impression that their case is “special”.

▶ Source: workshop materials prepared during the training session in Gdynia, May 2013.

44 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Case study 2: Bathroom equipment – sink with tabletop and closet Design of bathroom equipment made of Corian characterised by the following features: ▶▶ function: everyday toiletries ▶▶ can be mounted on the wall or be free-standing, if mounted a fixing system must be suggested ▶▶ can be LED-illuminated with translucent colours ▶▶ price – maximum 700-800 Euros

Results: The project suggested by the students was a Twin Sink – 2 in 1 – wash & drink – a comfortable sink enabling access for multiple users, for example, for family or public bathrooms. Apart from the func- tion of the closet, an additional feature – an additional tap with drinking water.

◀ Source: workshop materials prepared during the training session in Gdynia, May 2013.

Case study 3: Set of exhibition stands Design of a set of exhibition stands, e.g. for promotional purpose or trade fairs, characterised by the following features: ▶▶ can be used for leaflets, brochures but also for shops to present products (also in perfumeries or at hairdressers’) ▶▶ nice design, practical, easy to move, stable ▶▶ one piece ▶▶ customers – event/fairs organisations, hotels, tourist agencies ▶▶ price range depending on the size – from 200 to 500 Euros

45 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results: The students suggested a modular collection of exhibition stands– simple and unique at the ▼ Source: workshop materials prepared during same time. Attracting the customer with its form but not taking over the spotlight of exhibited the training session in Gdynia, May 2013. products.

Case study 4: Sunbed and terrace table (set) Design of a sunbed chair and table used on terraces or in hotels, spas or private homes, characterised by the following features: ▶▶ suitable for outdoor use ▶▶ comfortable, unique design ▶▶ a small table next to the sunbed chair ▶▶ functional – can have a place to hold newspapers ▶▶ only use Corian material without any structure so that it can support itself ▶▶ customers – those who can pay a premium price for unique design

46 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results: The proposal from students took into account both high- and low-end versions of a client sunbed. This showed that changes made to different aspects of the product brief during the course of the design team’s work were taken into account.

◀▾ Source: workshop materials prepared dur- HIGH-END version LOW-END version ing the training session in Gdynia, May 2013.

930

High-end Low-end 760 Whole Plate € 390 € 319 Lying Area Lying Area € 201,50 € 198,37

Side part € 78,20 – 2300

Legs – € 84,32 3660 Stabilisation part € 32,10 – 800 Material Costs € 311,80 € 282,69 850 Side Part

Labour Costs € 300 € 300 STABILISATION Part Profit Margin € 300 € 300

Estimated Market Price € 1 614 € 848,10

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▶ Kathryn Best with the participants of the training session in Gdynia, 2013. The Pomera- nian Science and Technology Park Gdynia.

▼ Students learning the possibilities of Corian. Training session materials – Gdynia 2013.

48 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Malmö, Training Host: SVID – The Swedish Industrial Design Foundation Sweden session: Speakers: Karin Stener, SVID; Conny Olander, SVID; Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences; Jenny Fossum, True Creative; Prof. Marek Adamczewski, maradDesign. 6

Company brief: Västra Hamnen is an area located in Malmö, an industrial spot until the 21st century, when the last factory was closed down. Nowadays, the place is known as City of Tomorrow, and is the first district in Europe that claims to be carbon neutral. The area was the subject of the workshop on destination design as a place which has been perfectly designed but in practice is missing an ▼ Photo of the Västra Hamnen district in element of “real life”. The participants worked on designing services for the area which will meet Malmö, taken from the 54th floor of the highest the expectations of existing property owners and attract potential buyers. building – Turning Torso.

49 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Case study 1: Eat Think how design can engage people to make healthier, more sustainable choices in the way they produce, shop and eat.

Case study 2: Meet A place comes to life through the people that interact and meet others in its public space. Think how design can enable the use of unused space & green areas to build community and transform the individual.

Case study 3: Move Mobility is freedom! Think how hassle-free experiences can inspire people to move in healthy, sus- services tainable ways.

Case study 4: Create innovation To empower innovation a place must foster a dynamic and creative spirit where people co-create and competitiveness new content. Think how physical and digital spaces can enable social interaction between people and disciplines. brand building Method: The methodology adopted in the training session was built around service design as a comprehensive design tool being high beyond brand building, innovation and competitiveness. Karin Stener, Director of management Communications at SVID, showed how design in Sweden has developed over the years. In the 1950s its core aim was to promote the nation. Then in the 1970s, it turned into product design through er- the rise gonomics. The next phase covered the conduction of a design management process, that is, to control of ergonomics the creative process in such a way that the primary concept turns into an effectively designed product or service. These have evolved into the creation of communications, environments and brands that involving enhance our quality of life and provide organisational success. In 2010, the focus moved to services industry as a tool to deal with complex problems through insight into the user to discover his needs and values, and then to do journey mapping to visualise the user experience and prototype the results. promoting the nation The students spent a few hours outdoors investigating the potential problems which make Västra Hamnen district unsettled. They approached the case studies in a live environment, that is, by going out to the district to the meet the residents. Dialogues with residents brought a clear message – it ▲ Karin Stener, SVID, presentation during a Creative Mix Meeting in Malmö, Septem- is an impressive place, mainly due to its modern design and ecological approach to planning. Nev- ber 2013. ertheless, it is missing an element of “real life”.

The method to solve the problem was service design, also known as an invaluable tool of achieving transformational change. 50 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results: The students came up with the following ideas: 1. Creating a vegetable garden for the residents, where they can farm together and share their crops. The garden is owned by an external company who sublets vegetable patches to custom- ers. The owner regularly organises events to train residents about healthy eating and planting fruit and vegetables. With a little bit of promotion the place could easily become a spot visited by schools and kindergartens which would in turn serve to enliven the area. 2. Creating a cycle route from the district to the main train station along which cyclists would receive tasks to solve and challenges to meet, e.g. “Count to 15 and you should be at the corner of the street”. The tasks would be regularly updated to maintain cyclists’ interest and encourage them to use it on a regular basis. 3. The green spaces were empty during the day. Therefore, residents did not feel safe to walk in them during the late afternoons. The students’ idea was to create special spots for yoga training where classes could be organised. This would enliven the space, encourage people to go outside and would also create another opportunity for residents to interact. 4. A site along the small channel had an original feature – wild ducks and rabbits liked to gather there. An idea suggested by students was to create a service where pedestrians could buy car- rots, bread and other snacks to feed them.

Design Management tool How to achieve unique delivery through design?

A human-centred approach Turns inventions into innovations which meet people’s needs, aspirations and abilities A visionary view Imagines and visualises possible futures/scenarios to support strategic decision-making Iterative problem-solving Multi-dimensional thinking in complex situations. An ability to synthesise from micro to macro for holistic solutions Co-creation Ability to facilitate interactive cross-disciplinary innovation processes Conny Olander, SVID

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Training Gdynia, session: Poland Host: Gdynia Design Centre Main speaker: Lynne Elvins, Design Wales Supporting speakers: Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences; Prof. Dr. Raimond Dallmann, Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design Jan Puranen, Veryday Company: MpicoSys Embedded PicoSystems – producer of miniature electronic systems 7

Company brief: Create a business strategy for the new product provided by MPicoSys – ePaper panel. The product can be hard to understand for potential customers who, for instance, tend to confuse it with iPads or tablets.

Method: The students approached the problem by learning about the company product line and trying to discover its core brand values. This attitude helped them to prepare a communication strategy for a new product being introduced to the market. Consistency in expressing the core company strengths along the whole product line was treated as the basis for creating an awareness of the forthcoming “new member of the product family”. Despite the new product having a different functionality, the aim was to run a consistent marketing strategy where MpicoSys brand values were always under- lined. Such an approach would be a path to reach a goal of a steadily developing upward leader over other market players.

Results: The ideas ranged from displaying information at the front of conference rooms, through restaurant menu up to….placing the panels in church. This showed how a company brief is only a general direc- tive and how, in fact, working in interdisciplinary teams can impact the flow of actions in the design management process.

52 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▼ Some of the product applications suggested by the participants of a workshop in Gdynia in December 2013 – use cases of ePaper.

53 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Training Wismar, session: Germany Host: Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design Speakers: Prof. Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences; Prof. Dr. Raimond Dallmann, Wismar University of Applied Sciences Gunter Ott, Head of Industrial Design Management at Siemens AG Company: Wasser- u. Schifffahrtsamt Lübeck Außenbezirk Wismar – 8 production of buoys

Company brief: Find solutions which could optimise the buoy system Aim: Make the buoys more innovative and easier to maintain

Problems with the product: ▶▶ growth of seashells and vegetation ▶▶ corrosion ▶▶ landing of seabirds ▶▶ chains wear out ▶▶ transport is not efficient

Method: Interdisciplinary teams first adopted the technology approach, that is, the methods & strategy of an engineer. The next step was to engage the architects to conduct a functional and ergonomic analysis, including coming up with proposals for buoy design. Lastly, the economists investigated the cost of the suggested materials and the production of buoys. The process was repeated several times which meant that new design proposals were taken back to the engineers who assessed their structure. At the same time the economists calculated the production cost of the new product form.

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▲ Wasser- u. Schifffahrtsamt Lübeck Außen- bezirk Wismar – a company specialising in the production of buoys.

Design Management tool Iterative process

In the design process the key to success is to arrive at a solution by numerous repetitions of the process. Tips: ▶▶ do not reject absurd ideas – explored again in one of the other cycles, they can often bring the most innovative results ▶▶ be as creative as possible and do not limit yourself ▶▶ reflect on intermediate solutions – they can be a trigger to go in a new direction and develop a new, revolutionary approach ▶▶ remember that a problem is never defined eternally – the primary brief can turn out to be unsuit- able along the process. The design team may find out that a problem lies somewhere else!

55 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Results:

▲ An innovative solution to avoid corrosion.

▲ Assembly of ropes to protect from swinging. ▲ Use of materials other than steel to avoid growth of seashells and vegetation.

Source: workshop materials prepared during the training session in Wismar, March 2014.

56 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Kronovall Training Host: SVID – The Swedish Industrial Design Foundation (Malmö area), session: Main speakers: Jan Puranen, Veryday Sweden Marcus Gabrielsson, Veryday Company: Kiviks Musteri – regional culinary heritage of apple farming – producer of apple juices, smoothies, ciders, marmalades and more 9

Company brief: How can we get consumers to choose to taste sustainability? How can Kiviks Musteri expand its product portfolio and get consumers to choose a more sustain- Developing a sensory able (ecological, local, fair trade & Swedish) and healthy product, with a different flavour profile, experience was possible over cheaper imported options? How can Kiviks Musteri offer new and refined apple based products thanks to the design (product, flavour profile, packaging etc.) as a way to achieve this? management tools

Task: Develop a sensory experience addressing the business challenge above based on the user pro- provided by Veryday files/scenarios introduced, and design a product concept as an integral part of that experience. The experts – Consumer designed experience should aim to help Kiviks Musteri expand its product portfolio and its business, profile and Consumer tackling sustainability and experience challenges. journey templates.

Method: Consumer profile template was suggested as a starting point to extend a product line. The aim was to get into the user needs and preferences. Only after learning the specific personal behaviours one can learn what product features are desired. Key attitudes were named to see how the consumer perceived certain types of products. Following this, their food habits were shown, daily dietary dilemmas and emotional needs regarding meals were outlined – all based on the customer journey template, a tool which helped to build a full scenario of events.

57 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

TooTOOLl 2 – 1 c -u stCONSUMERomer journey PROFILE templ aTEMPLATEte

ANDERS ANDERSSON

DREAMS & ASPIRATIONS

KEY ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOURS

QUOTE

DILEMMA PICTURES (S)

FOOD HABITS - FUNCTIONAL NEEDS FOOD HABITS - EMOTIONAL NEEDS

▶ Consumer profile template prepared by Veryday experts, suggested during the work- shop in Kronovall, May 2014.

Design Management tool Customer journey template

A tool used to build scenarios of events. As a result, one can become familiar with unique customer behaviour models so that customers’ needs and preferences are explored – both the needs that our customer is aware of, and most importantly, the hidden or subconscious ones. To that end, think of an example of a positive and negative purchase experience. Consider its ef- fect – was it an opportunity or did it bring a negative effect? Think what your needs were in terms of function. Consider the emotional needs underlying your decision to buy this product. As next, decide at which moment of the purchase experience the best and worst emotions occurred. Was it when you were preparing to buy the product or service, during its use or after disposal?

58 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Tool 2 – customer journey template

desire Purchase preparation consumption disposal

1. What positive event happened?

negative event 2. What was the consequ- ence?

effect 3. What improvement opportunity does this create? opportunity

4. What functional needs does functional needs that link to?

4. What emotional emotional needs needs does that link to?

Results: The students suggested a whole variety of products to extend the Kiviks Musteri product portfolio. ▲ Customer journey template – a tool prepared Consumer profile and customer journey helped to develop very specific concepts, evolving from a by Veryday experts, suggested during the workshop in Kronovall, May 2014. deep understanding of the consumer needs and eating habits. The products suggested by the par- ticipating groups were as follows:

▶▶ healthy snack with fresh apple stuffing

59 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▶▶ apple snack between lunch and dinner in specially designed small packaging to eat on-the-go

▶▶ lunch packet with a choice of apple snacks. The idea covered display of all nutrition info on the packaging which supports the daily demand of calories. A special diagram would show the share of the lunch packet in daily nutrition demand for different age and gender.

Apple Tapas

60 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▲ Project Partners and participants during the Creative Mix Meeting in Kronovall, Sweden, May 2014.

◀ Representatives of SVID and Kiviks Musteri during final presentations. Creative Mix Meeting in Kronovall, Sweden, May 2014.

61 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Gdynia, Poland Grand Showcase Model Design Implementation

Host: Gdynia Design Centre Main speaker and design management process co-ordinator: Kathryn Best Speakers: Achim Hack, Dreipunkt4; Pete Kercher, Strategic design advisor; Martin Riber Andersen, PARK advanced design management; Zuzanna Skalska, 360° blog, Expert in trend research; Ralph Talmont, TEDx Warsaw curator; Jenny Fossum, Lina Öhlund Karboub, True Creative

Concept of the final training session: The Grande Finale was of a slightly different character than all of the previous training sessions. The aim was that the curriculum worked out during the course of the project was versatile in nature in order that it could be implemented in any company – no matter what sector and what background the company is from. In the previous training sessions only one company from each Partner country had shared its real-life case studies. The Grand Show- case Model Design Implementation, on the contrary, involved the cases of two international compa- nies from different industry sectors. In addition, each of them was from a different Partner country – 1 from Poland and 1 from Germany. The implementation of the curriculum showed the versatility of the design implementation model and how it is suited to every kind of market sector.

During the final training Method: The design management process was divided into seven phases. Each part was firstly intro- session the groups duced from a theoretical point of view, and then the participating groups had time to put their ideas received an identical into practice in the workshop that followed. theoretical input and The theoretical content: implemented it into Part 1 – Introduction to Design Management phases and process the cases of different Part 2 – Design management – Interdisciplinarity companies at the same Part 3 – Design management – using the knowledge of a designer – concept development – Under- time, all in one workshop stand/ Observe/ Define a problem/ Prototype room in front of an open Part 4 – Short introduction to the implementation of new technologies audience. Part 5 – Design management – Strategic management of the work structure – Scope of the project/ Budget/ Target group – User needs/ Available resources

62 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Part 6 – Design management – Implementation phase – Protype/ Test – Group work on presenta- tions Part 7 – What is a good presentation/ Introduction to communicating your idea to the public/ Art of verifying generated ideas

One half of the recruited design teams worked on the case studies of TMA, and the other half was engaged in the cases suggested by Eikboom. The groups received an identical theoretical input and applied it to the cases of different companies at the same time, all in one workshop room.

Company 1: TMA – design and construction of modern and interdisciplinary solutions within robot- ics, automatics, mechanics and visual systems. Specialist in designing and constructing of robots and robotic assembly stands.

Case study 1: Design a cover The project of the shielding enclosures of the machine parts of the Carthesian robot. The shields have the following functions: ▶▶ masking the electrical and mechanical elements ▶▶ protection against accidental damage ▶▶ decorative – giving a modern image

Results: Apart from the functionality included in the company brief, the participants put the whole marketing strategy under analysis. The SWOT analysis prepared by the students pointed to the lack of a clear vision and visible corporate identity. At the same time, the students were impressed with the level of advanced technology present in all TMA products within mechanics, construction and automatics. It was noticed that TMA is actually missing to underline its unique selling proposition.

The results clearly drew attention to the marketing and communication strategy. Having the core Along with the strengths in the product line which is not reflecting the corporate identity was identified as a great product functionality, loss to the company’s overall market performance. Therefore, it was strongly recommended to adopt attention was drawn a coherent corporate identity which would reflect its brand values and make its products easily dis- to the marketing and tinguishable from those of its competitors. The brand values should also be reflected in the design of every single product to come out under the TMA brand – only through its presence, e.g. at inter- communication strategy, national trade fairs, could they contribute to the promotion of the whole company and strengthen with focus on reflecting its position in the market. the corporate identity.

63 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

▲ Corporate identity system reflected both in the company logo and in its products. Proposal suggested by students in the workshop in Gdy- nia, 2013.

Company 2: Eikboom GmbH moulds and constructs complex models for a wide range of industries – from turbine housings, windmills and aviation, through buildings up to automobiles.

Case study 1 : The Vessel Design a container/ vessel for the transportation of liquids or chemicals. Problem: It is a transport like several different models from competitors – in look and shape. How- ever, it has distinctive functional features which the customers are unaware of. Case: 1. Develop a design that can be registered (design patent/ registered design), that makes the vessel stand out from its competitors and that makes it easily recognisable as an Eikboom vessel but that still retains its distinctive functions and features. 2. Develop a brand/ product name for the new design – to help position and sell it in the market.

64 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Case Study 2 : Meander Structure The meander is a structure made of a “continuous line” of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) (can also be metal). This structure provides high loading capacity, stability and sturdiness while reducing density compared to massive/ solid form building blocks. Problem: Eikboom can produce different forms (e.g. boards) based on this structure (made of GRP, metal or wood) as building blocks for more complex forms and constructions, but has no specific use case scenarios. Case: ▶▶ Think of possible applications for the structure (end products) ▶▶ Assembling, joining and combining of the base building. Think of different options of combining/ joining the base building blocks in terms of effectiveness, production line requirements (e.g. glu- ing, by screws/ bolts/ nails etc.) ▶▶ Prepare a cost projection plan

Results: The students recognised some substantial drawbacks in the company’s current communication strat- egy. The fact that the company specialises in the moulding and construction of a wide selection of forms for different industries did not make it easy though. Nevertheless, despite the communication strategy not being straightforward, there was a lack of proper information on the company website.

◀ Visual explanation of Eikboom vessel show- ing its application potential, prepared by Design EntrepreneurSHIP project participants, Gdynia 2014.

65 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

The logo and product branding do not help at all – they do not reflect any of the company’s capabili- ties. As a result, the students suggested underlining the fact that the company has special features which actually makes it stand out from the competitors. For instance, the vessel has unique trans- portation capabilities of liquids and chemicals hidden in the containers. Therefore, no one is able to identify the product, let alone its producer. The suggestion was communication through storytelling, namely clear, visual explanation of the product function shown on graspable pictograms and info- graphics. In addition to this, a new proposal of the company website was shown, dedicated solely to one specific product which greatly increases its selling potential.

▶ Website proposal suggesting clear commu- nication of the functionalities and unique val- ues of just one product produced by Eikboom. Prepared by Design EntrepreneurSHIP project participants, Gdynia 2014.

66 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

The mode of the workshop has proven that design can be implemented in any discipline, not only for new product development but also for creating new services, and improving the whole business performance in general. Even though the groups of participants worked on different case studies of different companies, the questions which they asked regarding the implementation process were quite similar. ▼ Alternative product applications – sugges- It is also worth mentioning that none of the participants approached a problem in isolation. The tions for Eikboom prepared by Design Entrepre- concepts were always developed after close examination of the company product line, brand and neurSHIP project participants, Gdynia 2014. Proposal was planned on a draft of a new com- existing values. Only afterwards could the students begin to form ideas – whether covering the work pany website, designed to reach the customers of a designer, an economic evaluation of a new investment or a technological analysis. more effectively thanks to its clear structure.

67 The design management process starts with specific needs. They act like triggers to start change. Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

defining THE DESIGN management concept for THE DESIGN entrepreneurSHIP project

Achim Hack and Laima Gerlitz, Wismar University of Applied Sciences.

To begin with, the design management process starts with specific needs. More specifically, in this particular context, these can be referred to as specific triggers that can induce the design manage- ment process. Based on the specific enterprise-dependant situation, possible triggers can be a spe- cific problem the enterprise faces, for instance, inadequate business performance, increased com- petition in the market, decreased financial profits, the need to launch a new product or service etc., or a more broadly defined problem, such as the search for new opportunities for the enterprise, to maximise the benefits, developing a new business strategy or a new method that the enterprise is seeking to pursue. Broadly defined problems can be a result of changed environmental condi- tions, for example, new environmental regulations, changing customers and user behaviours, etc. To recall the observations by Boland and Collopy on design thinking approach, it can be used to accelerate effective strategy development, to undertake organisational change or simply to solve any existing problem (Boland and Collopy, 2004: 17). By echoing Brown, the design management process can be induced as a result of the need to react to something, whether it be the market, consumers or something else (Brown, 2008: 4). Therefore, this particular process, which can be generally labelled as problem formulation can be referred to in this particular context as stage 0 (see figure 4). Brown and Wyatt define this process as the first stage of the design thinking concept, namely, inspiration space. Inspiration space implies the problem or opportunity that motivates people to search for solutions (Brown and Wyatt, 2010: 33), whereas Benkenstein labels it as an idea generation phase (Benkenstein, 1998: 698).

Afterwards, the design management process turns to analysis, which, in this particular context, encompasses the first and, to a certain extent, the second stage (stage 1 and stage 2). To be more precise, at the core of the respective analysis are the resources and capabilities in addition to the environmental clout or external factors of influence. Afterwards, the results gathered from the first stage are subject to further examination during the second stage (see figure 4). In order to under- stand and follow this perspective, there is a need to consult the resource-based view.

As coined in several treatises (Rasche, 1994; Barney, 1991; Crook et al., 2008), the resource-based view facilitates the development of a strategy for a firm. By echoing Peteraf, the momentous poten- tial of the approach prevails in applying it to corporate strategy, where issues relate to the scope of the whole firm as well as to single business strategy (Peteraf, 1993: 187). In this light, it is rea- sonable to start the generation of a particular forthcoming business strategy by, first, identifying relevant resources. This process shapes the first stage of the design management process (figure 69 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

4). The point here is that an enterprise should strategically start with its internal analysis, i.e. rec- ognise design management-relevant resources residing in design, technology and business fields, that, in turn, should meet four fundamental requirements, as determined by Barney (Barney, 1991: 105-106). The reasoning behind the idea to enhance the resource bundle by bringing in the fields of technology and business is that an enterprise as a complex and multi-layered structure is equipped with resources that can be allocated to the fields of design, business and technology. Although there has been much discussion within the research discourses over the differentiation of resources in terms of types (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 1991; Grant, 1991; Amit and Schoemaker, 1993; Hoopes et al., 2003), the paper offers a different perspective on the typology of potential resources. With re- gard to design management, the paper argues for classifying particular resources into three respec- tive groups: creative (1), business (2) and technological (3) resources. Accordingly, all resources that fall within the scope of design and, respectively, business and technology will be allocated to the particular type of resource. Which creative, business and technological resources can be identi- fied is subject to a given enterprise, to a particular context, etc. A key implication in this regard is provided by Crook et al. who argue that despite whatever type of resource has been identified, re- sources do relate positively to performance regardless of whether they are referred to as resources in manufacturing versus service firms, diversified versus undiversified firms, and large versus small firms. The key argument here is that the link between performance and strategic resources is essen- tial and relatively constant in numerous contexts (Crook et al., 2008: 1050-1052).

To optimise the concept of design management, this paper argues that the resource base should be enhanced by its respective capabilities. An important issue in this particular context is the no- tion that capabilities are frequently developed in functional arrays, for instance, brand management and marketing or when combining physical, human and technological resources at the corporate level (Amit and Schoemaker, 1993: 35). Moreover, since within the RBV literature there emerged a distinction between resources and capabilities and their distinct roles, capabilities do underpin the resource base (stage 1). Besides, the incorporation of capabilities appears to be necessary, since by echoing observations generated in the previous section, capabilities are of vital importance, as they reveal a firm’s capacity to deploy the resources identified. Similarly, as in the case of resources, it was decided here to narrow down the typology of capabilities into three groups: creative (1), business (2) and technological (3). To underline, each type of capability implies a capacity mixture of people and practices to enact these respective capabilities (Hoopes et al., 2003: 890). As an example, creative capabilities might imply designers and creative-based practices or even a design department within a firm. Consequently, these capabilities individually or together can be valuable on their own or col- lectively increase the value of resources. Within business capabilities, there can be mentioned, for instance, marketing, managerial, organisational and controlling capabilities. Finally, product innova- tions or specific manufacturing practices can be ascribed to technological capabilities.

70 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

To complete stage 1 of the design management process, it is inevitable to not restrict it to the in- ternal analysis of a given enterprise (identification of resources and capabilities). By contrast, it is emphasised here that environmental conditions do have a respective impact on the identification process of resources and capabilities. This statement is justified as follows. It might be accurate to underline that the successful performance of a firm is determined by the industry structure in which that firm is operating, and the strategic behaviour of the firm (conduct) within this industry as well (Meffert and Burmann, 2002: 38). In addition, following Porter, the sustained performance of a firm derives from its relative competitive advantages gained due to the appropriate positioning of this firm in attractive industries (Porter, 1996: 61). As a result, a firm’s performance is subject to sig- nificant external factors, i.e. the opportunities and threats faced by the firm within its competitive environment, thus generating an outside-in or, respectively, an external perspective. By drawing on these observations, it is argued here that the focus should be on both internal analysis of the enter- prise’s strengths and weaknesses as well as external analysis of opportunities and threats. From the strategic point of view, essential in this context is the recognition of both perspectives, since both of them follow the same path, namely, to realise the competitive advantages of a given firm (Möhlen- bruch and von Wichert, 2007: 2). Beyond this, as emphasised by Meffert, what resources tend to be economically relevant it is the market that decides (Meffert, 2004: 297). By drawing on Wernerfelt, it is worth recalling the duality between markets and resources (Wernerfelt, 1995: 172). Besides, when recalling the concepts of design thinking, open innovation and innovation management, an essential role for the identification of external factors of influence do play customers and users, thus facilitating and accelerating the design management process. As has been pointed out by scholars, it is vital to consider and adapt to customers’ needs and requirements when solving existing prob- lems or searching for new opportunities (Brown, 2004, 2008; Best, 2011; Benkenstein, 1998; Bartl, 2008). In this light, by incorporating and combining both internal (resources and capabilities) and external (environment, markets, consumers, customers, users, etc.) perspectives on a particular enterprise, both approaches enable to generate a solid and balanced stage 1.

Turning now to stage 2, particular resources and capabilities should be recognised as a whole, coherent and consistent. They should be treated as a complexity. Of particular importance in this regard is the interplay and mutual complementarity of each bundle of resources and capabilities. To recall the previous statements, stage 2 entails an analysis that has been started during stage 1. Besides, stage 2 can refer to the analysis of the first results gathered during the first stage. To com- pare with other relevant concepts and approaches adapted here, the design thinking concept refers in this case to the ideation stage, whereas the innovation management model incorporates the conception and testing phases. However, the stages or phases have also been labelled differently in different contexts, when compared to stage 2, as proposed here, all these appear to yield sound and similar reference potential. More precisely, in this particular case, it means the interplay phase.

71 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

It was labelled in a broader sense, since it may imply the interplay of diverse resources, capabili- ties and external factors. For instance, human capital, when designer, engineer and economist are working together (or are involved into the analysis process, stage 2) on the same problem solution or a new perspective / opportunity. In other cases, the interplay may refer to tangible or intangible resources or capabilities, when developing a new product or a service, respectively. In contrast, in design thinking discourses, similar processes have been labelled as the ideation phase, i.e. phase starting after having observed and done specific case-based research. During this ideation phase, specific processes are addressed, such as, for example, going through a process of synthesis in which the first results are distilled, or multiplication of the options, generation of alternative choic- es and visions (Brown and Wyatt, 2010: 34). Finally, in the classical innovation management model, similar processes may expand over two stages, i.e. research, development and conception stage as well as product and market test stage, since they both are dedicated to the examination of either the idea generated or the first prototype developed (Benkenstein, 1998: 699).

In response to the observations gathered from the respective concepts and approaches, three par- ticular realms have been conceptualised at stage 2: creative, business and technological realms. In concrete terms, within each and by drawing on Barney’s observations (1991), there is a meeting of all assets, capabilities, organisational processes, firm attributes, information, and knowledge can be ascribed to this particular array. In this light, it is argued that the consistent, coherent, bal- anced and manifold interplay of three arrays can result in stage 3, which is called in this respect the implementation stage. Hence, the interplay can result in diverse outcomes. Essential here is therefore what problem or idea formulation was undertaken in stage 1. If, for instance, in stage 0 the need for a change to a product or service was articulated or there was a response to the launch of a new product or service, then the result in stage 3 could be the changed or new product or serv- ice, respectively. In this particular context, there can be three possible results: product or service (1), solid business strategy for an enterprise (2) and emergence of a brand (3) thus paving the way for the future development and contributing to the performance of the particular enterprise (see stage 3). As a result, based on the initial situation, the outcomes of the interplay process can be either very specific or very broad. Similar observations have been located in design thinking and innovation management concepts. By echoing Brown and Wyatt, in the implementation space the ideas generated are turned into actual products and services that, in turn, are accordingly tested, iterated and refined (Brown and Wyatt, 2010: 35). A similar proposition has been made by Benk- enstein, since the scholar points out that the implementation stage deals with the placement of particular products or services in the market (Benkenstein, 1998: 700). As is apparent from the comparison, both observations from Brown and Wyatt as well as Benkenstein reveal nearly the same reference base.

72 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

To finalise the perception of design management in this particular context, on the basis of the design management concept proposed (see figure 1), design management can be defined as a coherent and manifold development process of an enterprise, whereby all strategically essential methods, means and tools from the creative, business and technological realm are accumulated and deployed effectively. Similarly, but in other words, design management refers to the process that starts with the problem / target or idea formulation, then turns to the identification of resources, capabilities and external factors and the analysis phase. This results in the following interplay phase with the analysis at its core, and is rounded out by the implementation stage with the results that reflect the formulations made within the first stage, whereby design management process reveals the capabil- ity to contribute to the competitive and, in turn, sustained competitive advantage. Advantages of

◀ Figure 1. Defined design management con- SME cept for the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project. Sustained ▶ positioning Competitive competitive ▶ differentiation advantage ▶ performance indicator advantage

Stage 3 Product / Service SME business strategy Brand

Creative realm Technological realm Stage 2

Business realm

Stage 1 Resources & Capabilities Environmental clout ▶ creative / External factors of influence ▶ business ▶ markets esign management process management D esign ▶ technological ▶ consumers etc.

Stage 0 Problem / target / idea formulation

73 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

the design management concept can be articulated in the following way. First, the design man- agement concept has a flexible application. When scrutinising the concept, it has been frequently advocated that the concept is oriented on enterprises despite their size, industry in which they are operating and other preconditions. Second, the concept has unveiled the interface between diverse approaches and concepts adapted here. Finally, it underpins the idea of design management as a coherent and manifold process, thus simplifying the generation of a business strategy.

Revised design management concept

The revision of the originally developed design management concept is based on the analyses of the practical implementation results during design EntrepreneurSHIP project life within 2012-2014.

Building upon the empirical cases it is possible to propose some slight modifications for the design management concept, which are presented in a consolidated form in the picture below.

First, as is apparent from the available results, in contrast to the preceding research it is claimed here that a design management process starts not only at a stage of problem or target opportunity formulation, but rather by initial understanding and perceiving of SME’s organisational structures. This can occur either internally (for SMEs) or externally (by participants) by perceiving itself in case of SMEs or by familiarising with the SME cases in the frame of design management training activi- ties. It is a first-level SME understanding stage (1). Afterwards, there is a need to deepen the first observations. In this light, comprehensive analysis of the SME’s resources, their deployment (capa- bilities), competences and external perceptions by customers are dealt with. Participatory observa- tion can be made, for instance, in the business environment by external contractors or internally by means of questionnaires, observations, interviews etc. In the training context, SMEs take part in the analysis discussion or deliver information material to participants, or participants themselves approach SMEs for information or coaches for recommendations (interim feedback sessions). The principal issue is to refer to all the three fields of design, business and technology (analysing SME performance and coherence in design, business and technology, stage 2). In the next step, the infor- mation acquired or new knowledge gathered enables to formulate a target, problem, opportunity or similar (stage 3). SMEs usually formulate closed problems or targets to be solved and, mainly, in the fields in which they are deficient (reference to the discussion section). With a target formulation, during which all potential ideas are already distilled, the design management process proceeds to stage 4, at which the selected idea, target or problem is “matured” by proposing a solution for its implementation. It is a guideline, a way of arriving at an intended solution or, in some cases, it is a matured or sustained idea, target or problem solved. From an organisational, strategic or opera- tional perspective this stage can result in a brand new or reengineered vision and strategy, product or service developed, product or service streamlining / improvement, costs reductions or resources 74 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

Improved / reengineered SME Stage 5: Next-level understanding organisational structures

Product / Service, Stage 4: Maturing the target strategy or brand

Stage 3: Formulating the target Opportunity, target or problem

SME’s performance in design, Stage 2: Analysing SME’s performance business & technology esign management process management D esign

Stage 1: First-level understanding SME’s organisational structures ◀ Figure 2. Revised design management con- cept for the Design EntrepreneurSHIP project.

saving through streamlining processes. After having arrived at a solution, an iterative process may start. When a new solution is developed (e.g. new design of a product), the SME may set a new tar- get, formulate a new problem or have a new insight – all possible options, which then require a new understanding, observations alike (second-level understanding). This process originates from the preceding developed solution 1. In this sense, a new design management process evolves.

Perceiving design management provides the terrain for manifold dispute. What and how design management can be reflected on and employed is highly dependant on the perspective from which it is dealt with: design, technology and economics or business-oriented view. Although there are mushrooming diverse interpretations of design management in academic and professional field, the contribution of design management to the problem solutions, marketing strategies, search for new opportunities, etc. is inevitable.

Both design management working approaches (original and revised) might yield manifold advan- tages. To underline this, the design management concept may facilitate the process of unveiling potential solutions that possess deep strategic foundation and go far behind the existing strategic solutions of SMEs. Hence, the utilisation of the design management-related knowledge may imply generation of new development strategies, new or renewed marketing strategies, to help under- stand that designers, engineers and managers do communicate in a different way, thus increasing 75 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

the awareness about the need for their cooperation. In other words, the interface of design, tech- nology and business brought together into the design management concept and the interplay of these three realms facilitates the interaction and learning process within the enterprise by using the central competences of the different professions. As a result of the intensive and consistent interface and interplay of three arrays, it is possible to minimise the time and expenditures in all processes of the enterprise that, in turn, facilitate and accelerate the decision-making processes. Hence, all development processes can be implemented more efficiently as well as difficulties and misunderstandings avoided in cross-sectoral projects.

In this sense, the interplay will not only imply reduced costs but also increase the quality of internal enterprise-based processes, projects, products or services and the perception of the enterprise in the public realm. Finally, the interplay contributes to the generation of innovative solutions, On the basis of the cross-sectoral approach, there might emerge new ideas and possible solutions for the existing problems from the design, technology and business perspective, thus increasing the potential to innovate. As a result, design management knowledge and the utilisation of the par- ticular design management concept enable enterprises to build capability in terms of launching new products or services or even making specific modifications to them according to the proposed solutions, to determine key success factors, to define business opportunities as well as enhance control over the business activities of the enterprise ranging from designing to marketing, i.e. to get new insights into all the processes of the enterprise, its structure, behaviour and, finally, the visual and emotional result to the customers. What may be stated as the main clue is that the design management process and the resulting knowledge change not only the persepctive and perception of the actual situation, but also and more importantly, induce to react, thus changing the behaviour patterns of the enterprise.

Bibliography

Amit, R. and Schoemaker, P. J. H. (1993) ‘Strategic Assets and Organisational Rent’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, January, pp. 33-46. Barney, J. (1991) ‘Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage’, Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 99-120. Bartl, M. (2008) White Paper: Open Innovation!, [Online] pp. 1-9, Available: http://hyve.de/cms/upload/f_1599_ WhitePaper_OpenInnovation.pdf [15 Jun 2012]. Bartl, M. (2010) ‘Open Innovation. Der offene Umgang mit Wissen verändert das Innovationsmangement’, Open Journal of Knowledge Management [Electronic], no. 1, Available: http://www.community-of-knowledge.de/ kategorie/open-journal/ [15 May 2012]. Benkenstein, M. (1998) ‘Besonderheiten des Innovationsmanagements in Dienstleistungsunternehmen’,

76 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application in M. Bruhn and H. Meffert (ed.) Handbuch Dienstleistungsmanagement, Gabler: Wiesbaden, pp. 689-703. Best, K. (2011) What can Design Bring to Strategy? Designing Thinking as a Tool for Innovation and Change, Inholland University of Applied Research in Rotterdam, pp. 1-47. Boland JR., J. and Collopy, F. (2004) ‘Design Matters for Management’, in J. JR. Boland and F. Collopy (ed.) Managing as Designing, Stanford Business Books: California, pp. 3-18. Brown, T. (2004) ‘IDEO’s Design Mindset’, Rotman Management. The Alumni Magazine of the Rotman School of Management, Business Design, Winter 2004, pp. 22-23. Brown, T. (2008) ‘Design Thinking’, Harvard Business Review, June, pp. 1-10. Brown, T. and Wyatt, J. (2010) ‘Design Thinking for Social Innovation’, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2010, pp. 31-35. Crook, T. R., Ketchen Jr., D. J., Combs, J. G. and Todd, S. Y. (2008) ‘Strategic Resources and Performance: A meta- analysis’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 29, pp. 1141-1154. Grant, R. M. (1991) ‘The Resource-Based Theory of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Strategy Formulation’, California Management Review, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 114-135. Hoopes, D. G., Madsen, T. L. and Walker, G. (2003) ‘Guest editors’ introduction to the special issue: why is there a resource-based view? Toward a theory of competitive heterogeneity’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 889-902. Meffert, H. (2004) ‘Identitätsorientierter Ansatz der Markenführung – Eine entscheidungsorientierte Perspektive’, in M. Bruhn (ed.) Handbuch Markenführung, Gabler: Wiesbaden, pp. 293-320. Meffert, H. and Burmann, C. (2002) ‘Theoretisches Grundkonzept der identitätsorientierten Markenführung’, in H. Meffert, C. Burmann and M. Koers (ed.) Markenmanagement: Grundfragen der identitätsorientierten Markenführung. Mit Best Practice-Fallstudien, Gabler: Wiesbaden, pp. 36-72. Möhlenbruch, D. and von Wichert, G. (2007) Ressourcen – und Kernkompetenzen-Management, Halle an der Saale, pp. 1-8. Peteraf, M. A. (1993) ‘The Cornerstones of Competitive Advantage: A Resource-Base View’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 179-191. Porter, M. E. (1996) ‘What is Strategy’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 6, pp. 61-78. Rasche, Ch. (1994) Wettbewerbsvorteile durch Kernkompetenzen – Ein ressourcenorientierter Ansatz, Wiesbaden. Wernerfelt, B. (1984) ‘A Resource-Based View of the Firm’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 5, pp. 171-180. Wernerfelt, B. (1995) ‘The Resource-Based View of the Firm: Ten Years After’, Strategic Management Journal, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 171-174.

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Participating experts about Design EntrepreneurSHIP

Kathryn Best Consultant and trainer in design management

“There are many different ways I could describe what’s been going on here in terms of the students, process, product, design management, all the different players involved, multidisciplinarity, col- laboration. But I think one of the key aspects to this has been the fact that the clients have been involved which has forced the students to set some boundaries on how to involve them but also it has completely opened their clients’ eyes to what is actually going on here and how this process can add value.”

Zuzanna Skalska Expert in trend research

“Design is not about aesthetical value of the product but design is the process. A process in which both sides, the creative and the business side, educate each other as well as educate themselves and implement a completely different way of thinking within their own culture and within their company.”

Pete Kercher Strategic design advisor

“My major impression is that here you have students who are making the important step that goes from the theory they have learnt in the classroom, to the practice from the real world. They are dis- covering that when a client comes to a designer, that client does not necessarily have a clear picture in his own mind about what he wants and they are learning that they will have to ask more questions in order to understand what they have to design.”

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Jenny Fossum, Lina Öhlund Karboub True Creative, Design strategists

“Working in interdisciplinary teams is very valuable both for the client and for the participants of the workshop because it gives new dimensions and aspects into the case studies. Besides, all the disciplines can contribute with their specific knowledge.”

Monika Tomczyk Media Dizajn Association, University of Szczecin

“We put the people from different countries and from different backgrounds together, we opened their creativity and let them solve the problems of the companies. The task was not very easy for them. But with the provision of design management approach and tools from side of the participat- ing specialists, they were able to solve the problems of the companies.”

Ralph Talmont TEDx Warsaw curator

“When you throw different people together in a room and actually give them a really hard problem to solve, the result is often quite amazing. What I have seen here today has really been quite inspir- ing. The ideas that have come out just out of really brief discussions have meant that these guys have actually understood that what they are here trying to solve and what they are doing fits into commerce and fits into life in general.”

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Study visits – different perceptions of design in Poland, Germany and Sweden

The Design EntrepreneurSHIP project also brought interesting results in terms of the perceptions of design in different Partner countries. Even though all Partner organisations had agreed on the project concept when they joined the initiative back in 2011, in the course of realisation of the consecutive goals some communication problems occurred. The reason definitely came out of mis- understanding of what needed to be done and what the expectations were. The first point where the problem could be dealt with was determining who were the stakeholders, including the client especially. In that case it was the SMEs invited to share their case studies for the needs of the train- ing sessions. Nevertheless, after another reformulation of goals, it was still noticeable that despite the fact that the Partners had agreed on the training session contents, the organiser did not always propose exactly the same. Example was, for instance, visible through the division of training within one cycle into three domains: business, technology and design. Each discipline was poised to bring solutions to the problem from a different source, encompassing a distinct theoretic content and ap- proach. When it came to the inclusion of design, it turned out that each Partner organisation meant something different. See the extracts from the presentations of the representatives of each of them to understand the differences.

Design by the German Partner

“Design is mostly of functional and aesthetic value. Stemming from traditional Bauhaus school where focus was on functionality equivalent to the dictum “form followed function”.

Nowadays design in Germany is highly heterogeneous influenced by different trends and is extend- ed to numerous fields of action. But the core of all is still an art of combining the influence of art, the need of practice and the defined target of intended results.

When it comes to design management, it can be defined as a coherent and manifold development process of an enterprise, whereby all strategically essential methods, means and tools from the cre- ative, business and technological realm are accumulated and deployed effectively. Overall, design management embraces development processes of an organisation or enterprise. This construct is likely to be referred to as a process involving diverse stages or transitions from one level to another, 80 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

thus implying incremental moving forward or improving. In many respects, those transitions or gradual developments are generating innovations, and the processes themselves are innovation- oriented ones.” Achim Hack, Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design

Design by the Polish Partner

“Design refers to a process which can be implemented to different branches. The process entails the application of industrial design (if needed), creation of new products and services. Its unique feature is that it has the potential to generate innovations.” Malwina Studzińska, Gdynia Design Centre

Design by the Swedish Partner

“Design is used in all work on innovation and change. We want businesses to grow and activities to be developed and work to disseminate knowledge, create forums and strengthen opportunities for development.

Design for SVID – to creatively find user-focused solutions when moving from the existing to the preferred, including both functional, emotional and social aspects. Design is used in shaping goods, services, processes, messages, and environments.

Design knowledge and expertise evolves and expands continuously and has gone from product aesthetics in the 1950s’, to the 1960s’ focus on product development process, the 1970s’ ergo- nomics focus, the 1980s’ design management and the 1990s’ brand building, to the 2000s’ in- novation focus.” Karin Stener, Director of Communications SVID, Swedish Industrial Design Foundation 81 Design Management Conceptualisation and Application

List of experts involved in the project

Prof. Marek Adamczewski, maradDesign – specialist in design in interdisciplinary teams. Over 200 projects successfully introduced into production, mainly covering complex industrial design A elaboration, namely, product function, structure, casing, packaging, information and advertising materials. Designer of the Year 2006 – granted by Institute of Industrial Design, Poland. Professor of Product Design Faculty at The Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk. Lecturer at a postgraduate course in industrial design management organised by the Institute of Industrial Design (Warsaw) and Warsaw School of Economics. Leader of a designer group called maradDesign, whose main focus is design in cooperation with producers and their product development teams.

Martin Riber Andersen – Senior Consultant at PARK advanced design management. Specialist in transformational innovation and design processes. During his career he has focused on developing and leading projects in creative management and leadership as well as integrating research and concept studies with product, brand and business development. Out of the box thinker. Worked for LEGO for 8 years, followed by 7 years as a consultant.

Kathryn Best – author of several books including The Fundamentals of Design Management (AVA 2010), and Design Management: Managing Design Strategy, Process & Implementation (AVA 2006), B now a bestseller in 12 languages. Offers consultancy and training in design management and the creative industries for academia and industry. Frequent guest lecturer at universities, cultural insti- tutions, conferences and festivals in the USA, Europe and China.

Prof. Dr. Raimond Dallmann – Professor at Wismar University of Applied Sciences. Expert in the fields of statistical calculation and civil engineering informatics. Prof. Dallmann has published aca- C demic papers and handbooks which are used for lecturing and practice in civil engineering studies. Along with his academic work. Prof. Dallmann has conducted and implemented civil engineering- related projects and cooperated with several civil engineering offices.

Lynne Elvins – Design Advisor covering design management for SMEs: supporting the manage- ment of business decisions and strategies that enable innovation and create effectively designed E products, services, communications, environments and brands that deliver success. Has a Design Management degree from the Surrey Institute of Art & Design and was previously a Design Advisor for The Design Programme and one of the national Design Advisors for The UK Design Council. With

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a specialism in sustainable design, Lynne was a Senior Advisor on Sustainable Innovation for Forum for the Future where she helped develop a Streamlined Lifecycle Assessment tool for products and services that received an ICI award for product stewardship.

Jenny Fossum, Lina Öhlund Karboub, True Creative – design strategists from Sweden, customer experience designers. Lecturers. Run True Creative specialising in service design and customer ex- perience management within the fields of lifestyle, travel, tourism and community design. Their F services range from planning, consumer insights, strategic and creative direction to design of serv- ices, places and products. Human wellbeing is at the heart of their business unifying the objectives of health, personal achievement and the quality of life.

Marcus Gabrielsson, Veryday – design strategist and researcher. Leads multidisciplinary teams, has extensive experience in designing and executing insight and analysis strategies, as well as translating insights into actionable and business ­compatible concepts. G

Prof. Achim Hack – Professor at Wismar University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Architecture and Design & Dreipunkt4. Expert in the field of Design. His fields of expertise are: Interior Design, Furniture, Interior Architecture, Design and Construction. Achim Hack gives lectures and seminars H for design students at Wismar University, advises students in preparing and delivering their design projects, participates in design-related workshops and international conferences.

Pete Kercher – ambassador, member and founder of EIDD Design for All Europe. Lecturer and author of publications, speaker at international conferences and seminars, active promoter of de- sign for all idea. Advisor of public authorities within strategic design and improvement of public K space.

Agnieszka Marcińczyk, Pro Design – Design and Innovation Management specialist and trainer. Consultant at Concordia Design within product and project management. Experience in furniture sector – Vox, white goods – Amica, PCV sector – Profile Vox. Introduced 10 furniture collections to M the market, hundreds of decorative articles, numerous white goods equipment – ventilating hoods, microwaves, dishwashers. Experienced in working in multidisciplinary teams of experts from dif- ferent domains through the application of varied background and experience to reach one target.

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Hans Meier-Kortwig, GMK Markenberatung – Business Administration and Design Management specialist. Experienced in Brand Management Consulting for clients such as BASF, CMA, German stock market, Lufthansa Cargo, Merck, Volkswagen, Vaillant and Warsteiner, both at national and international level.

Stefan Moritz – Specialist in Service Design. He has worked with brands such as Adidas, Disney and Philips. Today he is responsible for the global Service Solutions Programme at Aegis Media, work- ing across HR, IT, Strategy, Research, Change Management and Innovation. The author of Service Design (2005) book.

Gunter Ott – Head of Industrial Design Management at Siemens AG. Gives lectures at the Alicante University within Industrial Design as a business success factor. Focuses on other related topics O such as: Intellectual property, Innovation, Brand Management and Product Naming.

Jan Puranen, Veryday – Industrial designer and project leader. Passionate about conceptual de- sign, visualisation, physical interaction and usability. A partner in Veryday – a company which is P one of the top-ranked design agencies in the world.

Zuzanna Skalska – expert in trend research. After studying at the Design Academy Eindhoven and in 1998 graduating from Academy of Fine Art & Design in Den Bosch, Zuzanna worked for Philips S Design in Eindhoven in their strategic design department as a Sensorial Trend Analyst. At VanBerlo (joined in 2001) she was responsible for ongoing trend research across a wide spectrum of indus- tries. From 2007, Zuzanna operates under her own brand 360° and keeps her eye on changes in the economy, society, technology, environment and politics. Visits over 25 influential international trade fairs, seminars and conferences each year. Runs a successful blog, 360Inspiration.nl. Part of the management board of the Dutch Design Week Eindhoven. Co-founder of School of Form in Poznań, Poland.

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Ralph Talmont – creative strategist, communications consultant, multimedia producer, innova- tion catalyst, photographer and author with deep experience in servicing individual, corporate and SME clients on four continents. Speaker, presenter and coach on creativity, communication and T new media. A founding partner in the strategy and innovation consultancy PerfectStorm (Warsaw / Brighton) and at a connected TV start-up. Advisor to early stage start-ups in the wearable technol- ogy space. Curator and Team Leader for TEDx Warsaw.

Monika Tomczyk, PhD, Media Dizajn Association & University of Szczecin (Faculty of Economics) – specialist in the field of economic aspects of creative industry and its impact on regional economic development. Specialised in the business models in the creative sector and management aspects on micro-economic level. Director of a Culture Incubator promoting innovative ideas in the field of creative industry. Chairman of Media Dizajn – association supporting regional and international activities focused on design and economic aspects in the creative industry.

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Acknowledgement

As the Project Lead Partner, we would like to express our gratitude to the Project Partners who gave us their confidence to join the project and co-operated to realise its goals together. Thank you for your engagement and for finding the highest class experts who contributed to the programme devel- opment and the project didactic and practice-oriented view. We cannot think how the programme would have evolved if it was not for the knowledge and advice of supporting speakers. Not only did they prepare and guide the theoretic content of each of the training sessions but also shared their experience of how to implement the theory to real-life cases.

We also greatly appreciate the engagement of the students and graduates participating in the pro- ject. All three cycles have linked us with extraordinary, ambitious and passionate young people who put great effort into dealing with the case studies we prepared for them with the SMEs. From time to time the problems were more difficult than some of them imagined before joining the project. Nev- ertheless, both the programme of the project and the participants have proven that interdisciplinary teams know no limits and together we can face any difficulty.

Reports, studies and knowledge which evolved during the project life significantly support explora- tion of development patterns in the industrial design management field and market. They also un- derpin better preparation of the regions across the South Baltic Sea region to respond to the market challenges and consciously create their competitive edge in the future. Therefore, our gratitude also goes to the participating SMEs. Thank you for sharing your real-life, daily issues with us during the workshop. We greatly hope you will benefit from our conceptual projects and take them a step fur- ther to bring them to the market whilst other companies will be able to read through this handbook and learn the best practices we have worked out together.

Our special gratitude goes to Laima Gerlitz and Achim Hack who greatly supported us in the prepa- ration of this publication. Your engagement shows your professional attitude and expertise within didactic structure and methodology.

On behalf of the Lead Partner organisation,

Ewa Janczukowicz-Cichosz Malwina Studzińska Head of Gdynia Design Centre Project Manager, Gdynia Design Centre

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