DIN: Danish Design-driven Innovation
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Design-driven innovation (DIN) is a systematic approach developed by the Danish Design Centre for addressing complex challenges through a holistic, user-oriented, future-oriented, and multidisciplinary mindset. The process involves multiple phases: establishing the innovation space, conducting research to identify the real problem, developing concepts, and moving through to the implementation phase, ensuring user involvement and collaboration throughout. Various tools and methods are utilized during these phases to facilitate effective knowledge sharing, design, and prototyping, aiming for successful solution outcomes.
DIN: Danish Design-driven Innovation
- 1. DIN: Design-driven Innovation Design-driven Innovation (DIN) is a tool for developing better responses to complex challenges while ensuring implementation through a design-driven approach. The model was developed by the Danish Design Centre. 1. INNOVATION SPACE 1.1. Mindset A design driven approach requires a design-driven mindset. This project phase involves establishing the mindset that should frame the entire process. The general project mindset should be: ● Holistic ● User-oriented ● Future-oriented ● Multidisciplinary Holistic mindset In any innovation process it is crucial to maintain a holistic mindset and to keep the larger context in mind. That leads to holistic solutions. Design thinking takes a holistic approach to problem-solving. It draws on the full context of a product or a service, from user needs to internal organisational cultures. It identifies the possibilities, added value and limitations of a given solution. It generates holistic solutions. Have external aspects such as market factors, user needs, technology, suppliers, legislation, etc. has been considered? Is there an understanding of the users’ contact points throughout the service experience? Have all the potential positive and negative effects of the issue been charted? Have all the important aspects of the issue at hand been addressed? User-driven mindset It is important to keep the users of the solution in focus from the outset. That leads to better solutions. Design thinking takes a holistic approach to problem-solving. It draws on the full context of a product or a service, from user needs to internal organisational cultures. It identifies the possibilities, added value and limitations of a given solution. It generates holistic solutions.
- 2. How do the individual user groups perceive the current service? How can the best understanding of the users’ experience be developed? Who are the most important users? How should the users be involved in the project? Future-oriented mindset It is crucial to consider the intended future lifespan of the solution as well as the desired timeframe of implementation. That leads to long-term solutions. The design-driven approach involves perspectives that reach beyond the immediate future. It addresses the requirements that a solution should meet now and in the future. Key elements in the future-oriented approach are new technologies, mega-trends and political changes that generate opportunities for radical innovation. What is the required implementation horizon? How can useful knowledge be obtained about the future? What is the intended lifespan of the solution? How can this knowledge be used to design a current solution as well as a draft for a future solution? Multidisciplinary mindset It is essential to generate a solution that includes all relevant types of competencies, both internally in the organisation and from external sources that leads to coherent solutions. Several brains are better than one. But several different types of experience and competencies makes it possible to analyse issues and potential solutions from different points of view. That can lead to entirely new combinations and ensures that all stakeholders are heard. Have the right competencies and professions/disciplines included in the project? Should outside experts or partners be called in? Are the required design competencies present? How can efficient knowledge sharing best be ensured in the project?
- 3. 1.2. Conditions Charting all the challenges and potential pitfalls. Once the right mindset is in place, the next step is to establish the right conditions for the design process. This involves charting the challenges and potential pitfalls, that the project may encounter along the way. That leads to targeted solutions. The gates How are we doing? Time to check the temperature of the project. What are the gates? A gate is a needle’s eye that the project has to make it through to move from one phase to the next.The gate checks the mindset and the conditions that were set up in the innovation space. This offers an opportunity to evaluate the quality of the results achieved so far by pausing and assessing: ● Should the project continue? ● Should the project be halted temporarily? ● Should the project be terminated? Are there any new relevant stakeholder? If so, what new issues does it raise? Are the individual and common objectives still the same? Are adjustments called for? Does the steering group still have the necessary competencies to guide the project safely to its completion? Have any legal aspects proven relevant already now - or are any set to become relevant in the near future? Has the project taken on a different character in a way that places new demands on the project management? Is the funding still in place? Is there a clear picture of the resources required? Have there been any changes in the political arena? Is the level of ambition unchanged? Does it need adjustment and why? Remember: The model contains gates because gates equal systematic methods that guide the project safely through to implementation. Knowledge sharing, cooperation and synergy Innovation projects are often characterised by an insufficient degree of knowledge sharing, cooperation and synergy among organisations/companies. Many different innovation projects are carried out, and that is a positive thing. Far too often, however, the projects are developed in isolation - even when they relate to exactly the same area. To roll out the project, so that it applies to more than just one organisation, consider the following questions: ● Are there already related solutions elsewhere? ● Are there other organisations/companies facing the same challenges that might benefit from the project? ● Is it possible to establish partnerships with some of these organisations/companies, for
- 4. example in the form of co-funding? 2. FRONT-END PHASE What is the actual problem? Once the innovation space (conditions and mindset) is in place, it is time to initiate the front-end phase. Here it is determined whether the identified problem is the actual problem, and this forms the basis for developing an appropriate solution. The front-end phase consists of three activities: ● Uncovering and systematising knowledge about the problem area via research, ● Filtering and reshaping the collected data via analysis, ● Proposing potential solutions via specific tools. 2.1. Research Acquire knowledge about the problem area. Research involves systematically finding and categorising knowledge about the problem area. The various aspects of the issue are clarified, and hypotheses are verified or falsified. Reserch encompasess a wide variety of approaches: ● Interviews ● Observations ● Photo journals ● User journeys ● Radical analogy Interviews Interviews with users or other stakeholders produce knowledge about experiences, needs, products, services, etc. Interviews can be “open” or “closed”. Open interviews do not impose any limitations on the answers and thus they closely reflect the respondent’s own opinion. Closed interviews, by contract, operate within a fixed framework, for example by offering a fixed set of answer options. Closed interviews make it possible to confirm or dismiss specific claims and hypotheses, but overall they produce less nuanced information. Open interviews produce more nuance and more in-depth insights. However, they are more time consuming and require more resources as they generate a large amount of unstructured data that has to be processed. Observations Observation involves observing users in their everyday lives (for example use situations, work environment, etc) and on their terms. There is a difference between what users say, and ehat they actually do. Therefore, this method produces more objective information than the interview method. Observations are carried out in cooperation with specialists (designers, ethnographers,
- 5. anthropologists, sociologists, etc) and are documented with photos or video recordings to promote a shared understanding. Observations can be carried out in a variety of ways: ● “Fly on the wall”: The researchers observe the users’ behavior without intervening. ● Participant observation: The researchers observe the users while asking questions about the motivations behind their actions. User journeys A method that seeks to chart the entire process surrounding a user’s journey through a product or a service.Key situations, where the user encounters the product or a service are described. Positive and negative effects are identified. Radical analogy A comparative tool that challenges people’s descriptions and perceptions of themselves and their surroundings Setting up a comparison with something different but familiar gives an idea of the experience that the solution should offer the user. That makes it easier to look beyond the familiar situation, existing systems and preconceived notions. Photo journals A form of self observation, where the users shoot videos, take photographs and write down their reflections on a product, a service or other solution. At the same time, the user carries out specific tasks, such as keeping a journal. Photo journals are an obvious choice when examining personal or perhaps even intimate aspects of everyday life. 2.2. Analysis Look for new knowledge and new patterns. Analysis is a means of highlighting the information that is essential for the project. Analysis filters and reshapes that collected research data to promote the developments of relevant solutions. A variety of tools exist for analysing data. The choice of tools depends on the purpose and nature of the project. Examples: ● Data sorting ● Pattern analysis ● Personas ● Service blueprint Personas Creating one or more fictitious personas to represent the core values of various users. Personas
- 6. reflect similarities with regard to demographics, attitude, behaviour, etc. The approach offers a useful tool for understanding the users’ needs and wishes. Service blueprint Used for charting the users overall experience of the service. The goal is to uncover the particular stages on the journey through a service that leaves room for improvement, that is, the aspects that designers should focus on as they develop ideas for improvement. 2.3. Tools Think outside the box. Using the right tools leads to the right solutions. The following tools ensure the right design- driven approach throughout the Front-End Phase: ● Visualisation ● Rapid prototyping ● Scenario development ● Conceptualisation Visualisation A picture says more than a thousand words. Therefore, visualising the ideas, concepts and information that are generated during the process, promotes understanding and efficiency. Various types of visualisations are available: ● Data visualisation (graphs,pie charts, etc) ● Information visualisation (mind maps, etc.) ● Visualisation of metaphors ( for example a draft of a story) ● Concepts (concepts or Gantt charts). Remember: Different people may have very different interpretations of the same word. Visualisations and images help build a shared language. Rapid Prototyping Rapid prototyping means quickly constructing a physical model or prototype of a potential solution. Prototypes provide a better sense of the function of the product or service. This method makes it easier to assess and improve ideas and quick to test what works and what does not. In the earliest phases, use whatever materials are available: cardboard, paper or other easiely accessible materials. Scenario Development Develop an overview of the overall solution
- 7. Scenarios explore and visualise the use and users of a product or service in various environments and situations. This offers a coherent impression of several applications, which enhances the understanding of the benefits and any negative effects of the introduction of a new solution. The scenario method is particularly helpful in developing of service solutions. Scenarios can be developed using a variety of means, including diagrams, stories, pictures, etc. Conceptualisation A shortcut for viable solutions. Conceptualisation involves proposing one or several potential solutions at an early stage in the development process. This offers an easy indication of the viability of the solutions and creates a better basis for deciding whether the idea should be developed further or scrapped. With additional experiences, the concepts can be elaborated and adjusted. 3. CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PHASE Breathing life into the project The decision has been made: the project is going ahead. It is time to initiate the concept development phase. Based on the results from the innovation space and the front-end phase, tho to threee concepts (possible solutions) are developed. At this stage it is essential to: ● Articulate the concept ● Visualise the concept ● Gradually expand and reshape the concept ● Specify, in concrete terms, how the concept created value for the user ● Specify how the concept optimises procedures ● Address any obstacles and issues related to the concept. 3.1. Aesthetics, materialisation, and function Transform your ideas into physical form. Looks are not all, but they do play an important role. Combining high-quality functionality and aesthetics in a product or service optimises the chance for developing successful solutions. Three elements that may prove crucial for the realisation of the solution: ● Aesthetics ● Materialisation ● Function.
- 8. Aesthetics Aesthetics - does that mean “pretty”? No, it means that both the visual appearance and the content of a solution, a product or a service, appeal to the user’s positive emotions. Remember: Aesthetics is often a subjective matter. Make sure to involve the users in this phase and to test their responses. Function In assessing function, the key is how well the individual components work together and rely naturally on each other’s outcome. In other words, does the solution work in practice. Remember: Draw on variety of disciplines. That will ensure all-round functional solutions. Materialisation A potential solution looks very different in real life compared to what it looks on paper. It is therefore essential to represent the idea in a physical form - to materialise it - for example by means of prototyping. Remember: Ideas without form are like riddles without answer. Co-creation Create solutions WITH the users rather than FOR the users. Co-creation is about involving the individual users in developing their own solutions. This can help increase satisfaction with the outcome and improve relations between sender and recipient. Co-creation is helpful approach in several phases of the development process, both in connection with idea generation and in connection with solution testing. Tools Choose the method that is the right for this project. Among the tools used during the concept development phase are those that were introduced during the Front-End Phase. ● Visualisations ● Rapid prototyping ● Scenario development ● Conceptualisation. 4. DEVELOPMENT PHASE Tying it all together
- 9. The concept is in place: now it is time to realise it. It is in the development phase that the innovation project really begins to take shape and reveals its true potential. It is time to: ● Develop a detailed plan for the new service or product ● Create a concrete design for the new service or product ● Involve other departments, users and super users ● Test the new service or product. Plans Create a framework for the implementation: Make a plan To create optimum conditions for the implementation it is important to draw up production, distribution and launch plans. Three plans: ● A production plan describing what is required of your organisation to make the solutions work in practice ● A distribution plan describing the delivery procedure for the solution, for example trough users, super users, etc. ● A launch plan describing the launch of the new solution step by step. Remember: Prepare a revised budget based on the test results A strong plan and the right involvement ensure successful implementation Technical documentation Describe the process step by step. A technical document is prepared that describes the technical aspects of the service under development, including for example the products that are part of the service solution. The document is targeted to all the users, super users and others. Tools that are used in preparing the technical document: ● High-level design ● Detailed design ● Installation manual ● User manual Concept test Does the concept work in real life? The concept is now close to being fully developed, and it is time to test whether it actually works.
- 10. Unlike previous tests, this is a test of the entire process included in the concept. It is essential to: ● Test the concept in a scenario that is as close to real life as possible ● Develop a test plan, carry out the test, assess the test results ● Prepare calculations or business cases ● Update the action plan to incorporate the results of the concept test. Remember: The aspects of craftsmanship: Function and aesthetics. 5. IMPLEMENTATION PHASE The project has reached the implementation phase. At this point, there is a strong concept with good test results, a realistic budget and a clear and unambiguous implementation plan. This is the time to ensure that: ● The new solution is accepted by the users ● The right communication of the new message is lined up ● The users actually perceive an improvement in relation to previous solutions ● Any super users and staff are trained to fill out their new roles.