Insights

Fast-track design innovation

Britain has a global reputation for design excellence, yet many British companies still regard investment in design and innovation as too expensive and time consuming. The answer, says Rachel Armstrong, Innovation Consultant at Kinneir Dufort, is for manufacturers to embrace the principles of fast-track innovation.

"Companies can only prosper if they innovate," says Design Council Chairman Sir George Cox. And you'd expect him to say that, but his views - which include the need for continuous innovation of products and services as well as business processes - are echoed by both the Government and by companies that already do innovate. However, despite the UK's reputation for design excellence, too few British companies take advantage of what innovation can do, believing that investment in design and innovation is too costly, time consuming and risky.

The link between design and return on investment has traditionally been difficult to prove. Sometimes a design alteration may offer immediate cost savings, or a new product will boost sales in a directly measurable way, but often design's influence on business performance over time is less tangible. Yet when research is carried out into the value of design, time and again it is found to deliver significant business benefits and demonstrable return on investment. For example, The Design Council's annual study into the value of design revealed that in 2005, those businesses that observed a direct impact from the use of design on several business performance measures (in that year 250 of the 1,500 businesses questioned) were found to be achieving an ROI of £225 for every £100 spent on design. Likewise, the DTI's Innovation Report of 2003 found that "design skills are vital to business innovation and can significantly enhance a company's financial performance". Accompanying statistics from the National Survey of Firms revealed that the share price of companies that used design outperformed the FTSE 100 by 65 percent over the last seven years.

Despite being generally well-publicised to the manufacturing community, research into the positive financial outcomes of design and innovation obviously isn't enough to convince many to give it a try. UK businesses generally know they need to innovate and understand that investment is likely to lead to a positive financial return. But there is another barrier. It is often difficult for companies to find time for creativity and innovation during the day-to-day running of the business.

Without a clear methodology in place to manage ideas through a defined development process, the daily pressures of running a business will inevitably take precedence over innovation. Indeed, for many brand owners, it isn't a question of whether innovation will be good for the business, but more: when on earth to find time for it. Innovation can appear to slow the general flow of business, or lengthen product development cycles, and inevitably it can seem easier to maintain well-established product ranges or well-trodden development paths and avoid disruption. In reality, however, innovation can actually play a vital role in speeding up development processes. In order to keep up in a fast paced world, innovation is key. For example, using consumer insights both before and after idea generation enables companies to get an early impression of whether a concept should be taken forward, saving considerable costs in the long run.

In fact, streamlining the innovation process has become a priority for those at the forefront of design, who can see that concerns over timescales, efficiency and budgets are potentially restricting the ability of a design-led approach to achieve its full potential. 'Open innovation', where companies are encouraged to share patented information and promote the exploitation of underused ideas and technologies, is one such method.

For other brand owners and manufacturers who want to kick-start the innovation process or give a push to a specific project, a more targeted, focused approach is necessary. Fast-track innovation is a way of achieving a much quicker development cycle for both products and services without compromising on the in-depth research and market knowledge that is so vital to the process.

At Kinneir Dufort fast-track innovation workshops last from one to five days, taking place in the consultancy's design studio, which houses its own comprehensive research facility, or on location anywhere in the world for complete immersion in the project. The Momentum team comprises brand strategists, creatives, mechanical engineers, facilitators and human factors specialists. Using quantitative research, ethnographies and focus groups, the multi-disciplinary team can work with clients over the course of the workshop to translate consumer insights into design principles to innovate product, packaging, brand positioning and strategy.

Since launching the Momuntum service in 2005 Kinneir Dufort has seen that fast-track innovation works for companies in a range of industries at all stages of the product development process. The process is very versatile and can be adapted to benefit a wide variety of businesses, irrespective of where they are in a project. The challenges come in many shapes and sizes. Companies might be looking for a technical solution, a renovated or new piece of packaging in line with brand guidelines, a way to cut costs in manufacturing or their production process, or even a complete strategy to position and market a new or existing brand. Sometimes the brief might be to identify gaps and opportunities for clients to innovate in order to be leaders in their industry.

Crucially, fast-track innovation follows the development process right through from consumer insights and idea generation to concept refinement and mock-ups to generate tangible outcomes for every project. The approach is absolutely results-oriented and the development of services like Momentum is a clear signal that the design industry is sitting up and taking notice of the needs and challenges of brand owners and manufacturers.

While many companies appreciate the need for innovation, finding a way to introduce more creativity into the day to day running of the business is just not always possible. A fast-track innovation service may well provide the answer. Combining all the elements of a full research and development project with pace, focus and dedication, fast-track innovation allows design to work in tune with the very real pressures of manufacturing, creating products, services and even longer term

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Kinneir Dufort can be found at kinneirdufort.com