The Design Council has released Leading Business by Design, a report that represents a qualitative research project that investigates the strategic use of design at senior levels in a sample of UK and global businesses.
The research, conducted by Warwick Business School on behalf of Design Council, aims to build on such evidence by asking business leaders of various organisations how they use design, and how they benefit from it.
The report says business leaders cited sales growth, increases in market share, enhanced customer satisfaction, greater process efficiency and employee productivity as a result of investment in design. Also, design was used to open up uncontested markets, strengthening brands and differentiating products and services to attract new customers.
Three Main Findings of the Research
Design is customer-centred
Benefit is greatest when design is intimately related to solving problems, especially customers' problems.
Design is most powerful when culturally embedded
It works best when it has strong support in the organisation, especially from senior management.
Design can add value to any organisation
Design can benefit manufacturing and service-based organisations, small, medium or large.