The document discusses the evolving role of concept design companies in addressing complex problems through new concepts. It highlights the lack of a single entity capable of answering what companies ask, leading to a fragmentation in the industry and a rise in interdisciplinary collaboration. The findings emphasize the need for concept design firms to adapt strategically in a competitive landscape, particularly against strategy consultancy firms, and outline initiatives aimed at fostering user-driven innovation in Denmark and the Nordic region.

1. CIID 6/3 2008 Jørgen Rosted, Director of FORA, The Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority’s Division for Research and Analysis

2. Innovation Companies today ask WHAT instead of HOW or WHAT before HOW . Companies ask for new concepts.

3. Concepts A new concept is a solution to a problem that has not yet been solved or which so far has been solved in an unsatisfactory way. A new concept is a platform for (a series of) new products and services.

4. Who can company calls to answer the HOW questions? External partners Internal Management consultants Design companies Advertising agencies Consulting engineers R&D department

5. The study However, none of these companies are single-handedly able to answer the question WHAT . Hence, we are witnessing industry break-up and gliding. The ambition of the study was to learn more about this dynamic and fascinating development – with a particular focus on possibilities and consequences for the design industry.

6. Concept design companies Definition The task of answering the question WHAT is termed ‘concept design’ and the companies working with concept design are termed ‘concept design companies’.

7. Inspired by Richard Grefe A model for concept design

8. Inspired by Richard Grefe A model for concept design

9. Inspired by Richard Grefe Where concept design happens

10. Inspired by Richard Grefe Where concept design happens

11. Criteria for including consultancies in the sampling Advise on innovation Methods and competences Methods and tools from social science and humanities Methods and tools from economy and business economy Competences in collecting data regarding user behavior (today and in five years) Competences in interpreting user data (today and in five years) Competences in utilizing knowledge about users (today and in five years) Client level Collaborates with consumer insights departments Collaborates with strategy or innovation departments Network Network with companies from other industries

12. The mapping method Through interviews with international experts, the study of websites, and the snowball technique, this study has attempted to map the world’s concept design companies.

13. Number of concept design companies found in each concept design hub

14. The score model

15. The score model result – ranking the located concept design companies by point score Note: The Top-10 list should be treated with some reservation as relatively few companies responded to the questionnaire in the international section of the survey. Among the companies that did not respond, but which were considered of particular interest to the study, interviews were conducted that made it possible to assess the companies’ abilities to work with concept design. On that basis it was considered that 7 concept design companies that did not respond to the questionnaire would have scored at the same level as those in the Top-10. Of these companies, 2 are located in New York, 2 in San Francisco, 1 in Boston, 1 in Portland, OR and 1 in the Netherlands .

16. Result of the Danish part of the study –How the Danish concept design companies has registered themselves (industry code):

17. International findings

18. Finding one The 3 archetypes of concept design companies

19. 1. The holistic concept design company

20. 2. The design expert concept design company

21. 3 . The strategic concept design company

22. Finding two How concept design companies get the right competencies within design – business – social science A) By having an interdisciplinary staff B) By collaborating with others C) By making sure that the employees do have all three competencies

23. Finding three Future challenge and opportunity Exciting and growing market for strategic concept design

24. Finding three ” Today, I would estimate that there are about 50-100 companies like us in the world. In ten years` time I believe there will be about 200 companies in the world working this way.” Dinesh Goburdhun, Gravity Tank

25. Finding three ” I think that if design firms aren’t prepare to learn more about strategy and growth, they are going to lose the field to strategy consultancy campanies. Then the strategy consulting firms will just bay design firms, strip out the best from them and integrate it into their offering – and design firms will have lost their place in the sun.” Roger Martin, Dean, Rotman School of Management, Toronto

26. Finding three Outsourcing of traditional design to India and China Further specialization of traditional design

27. Finding four In house departments become consultants Leading in house concept design departments such as Philips Design have started to work for other companies

28. Policy implications of the concept design study In Denmark we have taking several political initiatives to improve the conditions for concept design and user driven innovation. There are deliberations about establishing a Global Network that can discuss how to get deeper into the findings.

29. The Nordic innovation centre (NICe) financed a new project on User Driven-Innovation The purpose of the project is to map best practice within User Driven-Innovation in the Nordic Countries and benchmark Nordic Best Practice with best practice world wide.

30. Temporary model to the NICe study

31. Temporary model for the NICe study Overview of stages in the concept innovation process

32. Temporary model for the NICe study

33. Temporary model for the NICe study

34. Temporary model for the NICe study

35. Temporary model for the NICe study – Danfoss

36. Temporary model for the NICe study – Intel

37. Thanks For more information go to www.foranet.dk or contact us on fora@ebst.dk