The pressure to create amazing, groundbreaking product and service experiences has intensified within just about every industry. Entire industries are now competing heavily on larger, connected ecosystems, not just individualized experiences. Competing organizations are increasingly enlisting designers to help bring clarity to decisions supporting the what, where, how and when of it all. In turn, the pressure point becomes the designer. Designers possess the ability to influence the creation and design of new products and services. Sometimes they’re even given opportunity to influence business model transformation. But, what about innovation? Do designers possess the ability to disrupt the status quo and become the innovator? And, are they ready for it? I think so. And, after this session I think you’ll see why too. Together, we’ll examine the role of an experience designer as an innovator and the skills designers command that can engineer new business opportunity and effect social change. We’ll share examples, models and skills that you’ll need in order to lead the charge. Originally presented by Jason Ulaszek and Brian Winters at Webvisions Chicago on September 24, 2015.

1. INNOVATION THROUGH
EXPERIENCE DESIGN:
DESIGNERS AS INNOVATORS

2. BACKSTORY

3. BACKSTORY
EVOLVING ‘DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION’
3
20+
years ago
Tomorrow
Web Design
Hardware Design
Software UI
User
Experiences
Digital Product
Development
Digital
Corporate
Strategy
Customer
Experience
Systemic within
the Org

4. BACKSTORY
NOW A MARRIAGE OF BUSINESS + DESIGN
4
Design in Tech by John Maeda, KPCB
http://www.kpcb.com/blog/design-in-tech-report-2015

5. BACKSTORY
2014 STUDY: 16 INVESTING IN DESIGN
5

6. BACKSTORY
EACH SHARE SIX CHARACTERISTICS
✓ Publicly traded in the U.S. for the past 10+ years
✓ Design is a central, executive-led function and there is deployment of
design staff and practices over all major business units
✓ Over time, they have increased design-related investments in the form of
head count, infrastructure investments, and volume of projects.
✓ There’s a distinct and recognized operating model for design that
promotes cooperation and integration with other corporate functions such
as marketing, R&D, and operations
✓ Design leadership must be present at the senior and divisional levels
✓ Senior management shows a deep commitment to design as a key
strategic enabler and a resource for innovation and change
6

7. BACKSTORY
OUTPERFORMED S&P500 BY 219%
7
2014 Design Value Index by Motiv Strategies (May 2015)
http://www.dmi.org/?page=DesignDrivesValue

8. “ 8
Two activities that require a significant investment
in time and require careful change management
are process integration and scaling design across
the organization. Once design is recognized as a
strategic asset and integrated into the corporate
hierarchy, it must develop a consistent, accessible
operating model so that it can collaborate with
other corporate functions such as marketing,
brand, R&D, IT, operations, and manufacturing to
extend and implement design work.
2014 Design Value Index by Motiv Strategies (May 2015)
http://www.dmi.org/?page=DesignDrivesValue

9. BACKSTORY
DESIGN’S VALUE IS FUELING INVESTMENTS
9
Buy talent
$100M investment in building a
massive design organization
Develop organically
Establish partnership
Hybrid
Acquisition of Adaptive Path
Acquisition of Fjord
Continued investment and alignment
within organization to maximize
design’s impact
Invention company acquires
Undercurrent to add design services.
Example of an acquisition gone bad.

10. BACKSTORY
FOR ORGS… IT REQUIRES A CULTURAL SHIFT
• Focuses on users’ experiences - physical, digital
and emotional
• Creates models to examine complex problems
• Uses prototypes to explore potential solutions
• Tolerates failure
• Exhibits thoughtful restraint
10
Design Thinking Comes of Age, Jon Kolko
https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-thinking-comes-of-age
What is a design-centric culture?

11. BACKSTORY
FOR DESIGNERS… IT REQUIRES MATURITY
11
HONING CRAFT
ESTABLISHING A
POINT-OF-VIEW
LEADING
CHANGE
QUALITY ENGAGEMENT INFLUENCE
Tools, resources & process Selling design and rationale Design leading business

12. Aligning it all is hard.
At times, stressful.

13. But, it is an amazing opportunity.
And, if you’re crazy enough, maybe even fun.

14. So, what’s your role in effecting change?

15. What’s your role in leading innovation?

16. Heck, what’s innovation?

17. 17

18. And, how do you attack the opportunity to lead change?

19. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS

20. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
A DESIGNER’S POV: WHAT IS INNOVATION?
It’s not just about new tools or applications, but is about
bringing to life something that has never existed before.
• Application: enabling and empowering organizations to
approach problems differently
• Populations: reaching new people and meeting previously
unmet needs
• Tool: creating paradigm shifts within our client’s organization
and/or industry
20

21. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
DEFINING ‘DISRUPTION’
21
“The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction”, Clayton Christensen, 2nd Edition Chapter 17

22. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
NOT EVERYTHING IS DISRUPTIVE
Different companies need different approaches
• Market-creating (disruptive)
• Performance-improving (sustaining)
• Efficiency (incremental)
22
“The Capitalist’s Dilemma”, Bever, Christensen, Harvard Business Review, June 2014

23. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
INNOVATION FOR GROWTH
How will you grow?
• Growth type drives
innovation outcome
• Different approaches yield
different outcomes
23
“Innovation Growth and Getting to Where You Want To Go”, Jacoby & Rodriguez, Design Management Review, vol 18 #1

24. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
INNOVATION APPROACH
Different outcomes need
different approaches
• Incremental
• Evolutionary
• Revolutionary
24
“Innovation Growth and Getting to Where You Want To Go”, Jacoby & Rodriguez, Design Management Review, vol 18 #1

25. INNOVATION FRAMEWORKS
TEN TYPES OF INNOVATION
A new framework for innovators
• Integrating multiple types of innovation creates greater value
• Innovation can have a systematic approach
• Business value and viability steer your course
25
“Ten Types of Innovation”, Keeley, Doblin

26. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

27. “ 27
An organizational focus on design offers unique
opportunities for humanizing technology and for
developing emotionally resonant products and
services. Adopting this perspective isn’t easy. But
doing so helps create a workplace where people
want to be, one that responds quickly to changing
business dynamics and empowers individual
contributors. And because design is empathetic, it
implicitly drives a more thoughtful, human
approach to business.
Jon Kolko, Design Thinking Comes of Age
https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-thinking-comes-of-age

28. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
SO, WHAT IS YOUR CULTURE?
What are your…
• Shared assumptions?
• Values that drive people & process?
• Organizational structures?
• Goals and incentives?
28
Keeley, “Ten Types of Innovation” Doblin

29. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
COMPETING VALUES FRAMEWORK
29
INTERNAL
FOCUS
EXTERNAL
FOCUS
FLEXIBILITY
CONTROL Adapted from Cameron & Quinn, 2011
Long-term
Evolution
Disruptive
Change
Short-term
Performance
Incremental
Change
COLLABORATE CREATE
CONTROL COMPETE

30. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
COMPETING VALUES FRAMEWORK
30
VALUES
COLLABORATE CREATE CONTROL COMPETE
CHARACTERISTICS
Commitment
People
Teams
Mentors
Agility
Innovation
Vision
Fail Fast
Efficiency
Timeliness
Consistency
Process
Market Share
Winning
Profits
Goals
Friendly
Cohesion
Human-centered
Participatory
Dynamic
Entrepreneurial
Leading Edge
Experimental
Formal structure
Coordinated
Reliable
Incremental Change
KPI-oriented
Aggressive
Fast-paced
Customer-centered

31. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
EVOLUTION OF APPLE
31
Cameron & Quinn, “Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture Based on the Competing Values Framework”, First edition 1999

32. CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
LIVING INTO DESIGN-CENTRIC IS HARD
• Large organizations have silos that introduce many ways to get things
wrong.
• Organizations can unintentionally reward the wrong behavior if
incentives are not aligned.
• Lack of alignment between management, product, marketing, legal,
customer service, and IT can cause chaos.
• The design process can introduce more ambiguity which is hard to
accept because many organizations value repeatable, predictable
operational efficiency.
• Many organizations and cultures are risk adverse and transformative
innovation is risky.
32

33. Let’s share some stories.

34. STORIES AND REFLECTION

35. KIGALI
GENOCIDE
MEMORIAL
RWANDA

36. 36

37. 37

38. 38

39. 39

40. 40

41. 41

43. STORIES AND REFLECTION
THE KGM JOURNEY (2014)
43
Pain Pain Pain Action?

44. STORIES AND REFLECTION
THE NEW JOURNEY
44
Tania Singer Model: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-07/12/tania-singer-compassion-burnout
Pain Reflection Hope Action

45. 45
INZOVU* CURVE
The word “Inzovu” means
Elephant in Kinyarwanda,
the native language of Rwanda.
*
The Inzovu Curve is a model
that maps specific designed
activities to the emotional
response of the individual
experiencing them.

46. STORIES AND REFLECTION
CONVERSION POINTS
46
Motivation and
ability to act
ACTIONHOPE
WILL
EPIPHANY
PAINPREPARATION
EMPATHY
COMPASSION
HERO
BURNOUT / SHUTDOWN
REFLECTION
Personal connection to the
experience of genocide

47. “It’s AWESOME. This is what we need.”
Then, crickets.
Then, some discussion. Potential plans.
And, crickets again.

48. 48
NEW YORK
CHICAGO
AMSTERDAM
RELEVANCE FLEXIBILITY INSPIRATION ACTIONABILITY
INZOVU CURVE
EVOLUTION

49. Finally, months later, they were ready to move forward.

50. WORKSHOPS WITH GENOCIDE SURVIVORS,
KGM STAFF AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

51. Physical environment
Digital engagement
Content and Education
Revenue Generation
70+ IDEAS
Basic Maintenance
Simple Experiments
Hosting Survivors
Visitor Activation
4 CATEGORIES

52. Now it’s time to get to work.

53. STORIES AND REFLECTION
THE KGM
53
INTERNAL
FOCUS
EXTERNAL
FOCUS
FLEXIBILITY
CONTROL Adapted from Cameron & Quinn, 2011
Long-term
Evolution
Disruptive
Change
Short-term
Performance
Incremental
Change

54. STORIES AND REFLECTION
THE KGM (TODAY)
54
“Ten Types of Innovation”, Keeley, Doblin
Funding strategies
Suggested donations
Visitor engagement
(offline/online)
Membership programs
Deferred Maintenance
Capital improvements
Architecture / landscaping
Role changes (guides)
Role changes (guides)
Educational programs
Website
Inzovu Curve integration

56. STORIES AND REFLECTION
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
56
“I don’t want revolutionary change,
I want evolutionary.”
“We don’t compete there.” (LinkedIn)
“We’re not a platform.”
“I don’t care what people say, I
care what they do.”

57. STORIES AND REFLECTION
THIS GUY DIDN’T LISTEN
57

58. STORIES AND REFLECTION
CAREERBUILDER (CIRCA 2007)
58
INTERNAL
FOCUS
EXTERNAL
FOCUS
FLEXIBILITY
CONTROL Adapted from Cameron & Quinn, 2011
Long-term
Evolution
Disruptive
Change
Short-term
Performance
Incremental
Change

59. STORIES AND REFLECTION
CAREERBUILDER (CIRCA 2007)
59
“Ten Types of Innovation”, Keeley, Doblin

60. BUILDING MOMENTUM

61. BUILDING MOMENTUM
COMPETING VALUES FRAMEWORK
61
INTERNAL
FOCUS
EXTERNAL
FOCUS
FLEXIBILITY
CONTROL Adapted from Cameron & Quinn, 2011
Long-term
Evolution
Disruptive
Change
Short-term
Performance
Incremental
Change
COLLABORATE CREATE
CONTROL COMPETE

62. BUILDING MOMENTUM
MAPPING CULTURAL VALUES AND UX
62
KEY SKILLS
Facilitation
Team Building
Empathy
COLLABORATE CREATE CONTROL COMPETE
IMPACT ON UX
Collaboration
Rapid Prototyping
Synthesis
Measurement
Communication
Expertise
Measurement
Storytelling
Execution
Participatory design
Mentorship on-the-job
Process agnostic
(dynamic environment)
Adapt proven UX
methodologies into
the process
Agile UX with results
Customer-centered, but
maybe not human-centered

63. RECOGNIZE THE ASK1
BUILD BRIDGES2
PRACTICE YOUR AIM3
LOOK BOTH WAYS4
DEFINE & MEASURE IMPACT5
LAYER THE EXPERIENCE6
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BE HUMAN-CENTERED7

64. RECOGNIZE
THE ASK
Seek understanding for the
motivations behind the growth
intention.
Match it with the right approach that
fosters participation within the
culture.
1

65. BUILD BRIDGES
Take the responsibility to bridge the
language gap between design and
the business.
Be the translator - great designers
inherently possess those skills.
Create opportunity for others to
participate in the process.
2

66. PRACTICE
YOUR AIM
Carefully consider your toolbox of
design skills and activities and
match the effort to the ask.
Consider activities that allow for
testing risk and gaining buy-in on
ideas earlier by leaders in the
organization.
Disruptive and incremental goals
require different types of tactics.
3

67. LOOK BOTH WAYS
Look both inside and outside your
own organization and industry with
curiosity.
Innovation isn’t always new to the
world, it only has to be new to a
market or industry.
Expose stakeholders/partners to the
process of generating insights from
observations.
4

68. DEFINE &
MEASURE IMPACT
Metrics provide the ability to defend
your work.
Map out the steps necessary to
engage all the relevant
stakeholders in adoption.
Businesses operate on a variety of
metrics, including ones you might
happen to invent.
5

69. LAYER THE
EXPERIENCE
Consider creating engagement for
all involved…
the design of the product/service
experience for customers,
the experience of the process for
your stakeholders and
the enjoyment of the challenge and
project for the design team
6

70. BE HUMAN-
CENTERED
Create or align incentives that enable
the positive attitudes and behaviors
needed (and celebrate them).
Personally care. Professionally and
ethically.
7

71. MURAKOZE
CONTACT
JASON ULASZEK
FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
JASON@INZOVU.COM
BRIAN WINTERS
CAPTAIN EMPATHY
WINTERS.CX@GMAIL.COM