Identifying and Mapping Design Impact and Value

Design has transitioned from being represented by the lone creative voice to one that is also seen as a facilitator of other people's creativity, working in collaboration with stakeholders through participatory approaches in private and public organisations. Multi-national companies like Apple, Nike and P&G are widely recognised to have embraced the use of Design-led approach to drive innovation for some time. At the same time, the use of design innovation in public and third sector organisations is growing. Examples includes service innovation projects resulting from the Design of the Times (DOTT) programme in the North East of England (2007) and in the subsequent programme based in Cornwall (2009); and the MindLab unit in Denmark which was set up as a cross-governmental innovation unit involving citizens and businesses in developing new solutions for the public sector.

As Design moves into improving outcomes for public service users, designers are moving towards longer-term partnerships and a process of collaborative knowledge exchange with policy making and service delivery organisations. For this to be effective the impact of a Design approach has to be evidenced and clearly communicated in a language accessible to all stakeholders. Hence the importance of not just documenting the impact in the form of case studies, but also identifying the characteristics of design that organisations value in order to help internal project teams build a convincing case for the inclusion of design as a core competency in their organisation.

The aim of this research therefore is to understand and document how Design-led approaches are valued by different groups of stakeholders and is specifically focused on public and third sector service context. Firstly, we have to map out the impact of these projects from the perspective of the project stakeholders. These insights will inform the creation of multi-dimensional case examples that identify the impact and value of design as understood from three complementary perspectives: the design team, project team and the service users. Secondly, we bring these multiple perspectives into a workshop setting to allow diverging values and opinions to be recorded and discussed in a supportive way. These insights will enable the research team to compare and contrast differences in how design is perceived and valued in public and third sector organisations. The final case examples will be written in way that demonstrates the qualitative benefit of working with designers, in a language which is sharable across sectors. By identifying the value of design in a multi-perspectival and academically rigorous way through sharable case examples will help build capacity and appetite for innovation within public and third sector organisations.

The focus of this research is to understand how Design-led approaches are valued by different sets of stakeholders: designers, commissioning/project team and service users. Hence this research will aim to generate impact in the design practice community, public sector and third sector.

Design practice community-For the design practitioners interviewed for the project, understanding what is valued by the commissioning team as well as the service users will enable them to be more targeted in how they pitch for future projects. It will also enable them to achieve the maximum impact based on the most valuable outcome for the organisation and the service users. Attendance at the workshop will offer an opportunity to connect with designers working in the same areas to share experiences and evaluate the potential for future collaborative working. Service innovation projects are increasingly becoming more complex, spanning a longer timeframe and generally requiring people with different skills and expertise. Designers working individually will benefit from setting up networks and working together when bidding for these more ambitious projects. The workshop will also provide designers a chance to hear in person stories of the successes and failures of a design-led approach from the users and commissioners of design. Often design 'stories' are communicated as public relations exercises and their shortcoming are rarely effectively analysed and shared. The Design practitioners involved in the projects studied will not only have access to other exemplar case studies, they will also have access to a detailed description of their own project particularly focused on the impact and value of Design. This will help build credibility and can be used as a demonstration of their worth on future project bids.

Public and third sectors-This research is specifically focused on understanding value created in service design and service innovation projects in public and third sector organisations. Against a backdrop of spending cuts and other austerity measures, it is even more important for these organisations to deliver services that are not only better but that they also know to be achieving maximum impact. For the commissioning team, having a clear understanding of the benefits and limitations of Design-led approaches will enable a more realistic and targeted brief. Knowledge of where a Design-led approach can make the most impact is important to ensure the outcomes meet the initial project expectations. Participation in the workshop at the end of the project will also connect them to a wider range of design practitioners working successfully in service innovation projects. The impact and values identified in the case examples can be used as evidence to justify spend on past projects and to lobby for future projects. For organisational project teams tasked to deliver transformational projects, being able to clearly identify the value of a design-led approach and clearly articulate the positive outcomes for the organisation is essential if design is to continue to contribute in these new contexts. A clear understanding of the impact and value of a Design-led approach is also essential if capacity is to be built within organisations, enabling non-designers to use a design approach.

Service users-The service users involved in the project studied will be asked to reflect on their experience of the service. By participating in the research, they will learn how Design-led approaches were used in the design and delivery of these services. They will also have a better understanding of how co-design can contribute to the development and delivery of successful services.

Private sector-Although the research is focused on public and third sector organisations, the private sector will also benefit from the case examples and identification of values. The findings can be generalised and used to offer insight into how design is used to improve services.