<p>The key difference lies in the word design. Design strategy follows a design thinking process grounded in a human-centered approach (for more on design thinking: <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/09/why-design-thinking-works" target="_blank">Why Design Thinking Works</a>).</p>
<p>Within most organizations we can see deployment of several different kinds of strategies and plans. Does anyone really need another one? I would argue yes, design strategy is an essential and often missing tool in the strategy toolkit. Essential because the approach is one designed to challenge the status quo, innovate from the future, and challenge leadership team on their assumptions in order to imagine different possible futures that are actionable and differentiated. This work is especially helpful during times of disruption, when your industry has changed due to new competition, new technologies and/or new expectations from your customers.</p>
<h2>A closer look at design strategy and its value&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Unlike other strategic approaches Design Strategy emphasizes:</p>
<ul><li><strong>Human-centered</strong>
from the start and throughout; offering a strong vision that explicitly commits organizations to making trade-offs that favor not just feasibility and viability but also desirability – putting customer needs in the decision-making mix </li><li>Defines opportunities or plausible futures based what is <strong>ideal</strong>, not based on current constraints</li><li>Deploys<strong> Systems-level</strong> thinking, connecting, and reaching across standard company silos</li><li><strong>Challenges status quo</strong></li><li><strong>Identifies</strong>
the most important <strong>questions that a company's products and services</strong> should address</li><li>Highly <strong>collaborative</strong></li><li>Provides a north star or ideal <strong>vision</strong> that sets that stage and defines the <strong>metrics</strong> for <strong>ongoing decision making</strong></li><li>Prioritizing the order (via <strong>road maps</strong>) in which a portfolio of products, services and communications should be launched</li></ul>
<h4>How it’s done</h4>
<p>Design strategists leverage systems thinking, research methods, business management basics, and client engagement to have a grounded point of view on what the next steps and future state should be. Design Strategists “prototype” the future through storyboards, plausible/speculative futures, value propositions – and inspire not only with insights but provocative prompts. They communicate the story and design in impactful ways so that it resonates and “sticks” with the client. They tell you not just “what” is happening (actions, beliefs, opinions, trends) but uncover why and synthesize observations and data into “so what” insights (patterns, themes, recommendations, design principles) and “now what” next steps (opportunity areas, road maps, action plans).</p>

Stef graphic

<h4>How it changes things</h4>
<ul><li>Customers are put at the center of decision making</li><li>Groups across the organization collaborate and develop empathy for each other’s jobs</li><li>Provides a road map of innovative products and services that keep you differentiated and ahead of the competition</li><li>Simplifies decision making</li><li>Provides an understandable, relatable, brand-able story that customers use to set expectations.</li></ul>
<h4>What you get</h4>
<p>Innovation playbook for the future, envisioning how the portfolio of products, services and experiences can work together to differentiate from the competitors. Design strategy can help resolve questions such as:<br></p>
<ul><li>What is the most important question the company should be addressing regarding products and services?</li><li>How can insights move into something actionable and measurable?</li><li>What order should we roll-out a portfolio of products and service?</li><li>How do the products and services fit in and benefit the ecosystem of the business?</li><li>How to greater connect activities in the organization to the business strategy?</li><li>How can the brand intent and principles be used as attributes of the design language to create a compelling and differentiated experience?</li></ul>
<h2>Its not easy</h2>
<p>Embarking on a design strategy program is not easy. Design strategy requires exploring alternatives, challenging the status quo, and tackling issues that seem unfixable. Wicked problems require that we challenge long held values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors to uncover what is possible. Most organizations are designed and built to resist this type of disruption, rightfully so. But innovation requires this type of disruption, making this a tough process to negotiate within an organization. As Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, and Roger Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management, point out, in <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-for-action"><em>Design for Action</em></a>,&nbsp;complex innovations often encounter stiff resistance from intended beneficiaries and those delivering the new product or service, because they jarringly disrupt existing behaviors and business models. </p>
<h2>Is it worth it? Yes</h2>
<p>Tackling innovation is difficult, sometimes having a breakthrough idea is the easy part. Navigating the organization and turning that idea into reality is often the hardest part. A design strategy can help you create a vision and navigate the many risk factors and failure modes that all too often sink some of the best ideas. And, if that is not enough of a reason, according to the McKinsey publication titled<em> <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-design/our-insights/the-business-value-of-design" target="_blank">The Business Value of Design</a></em>,&nbsp;"The best design performers increase their revenues and shareholder returns at nearly twice the rate of their industry counterparts.” </p>

Stef design strategy

<p>Design Strategy is a process and approach for creating or re-inventing businesses and directing innovation/new growth strategies. I think few people have heard of design strategy though they might already be doing something similar, perhaps under the name innovation strategy or product strategy.</p>

Home

Insights

What is design strategy and why do you need one?

Breadcrumbs

A full-service product design and strategic innovation consultancy.

Delve

Design Strategy is a process and approach for creating or re-inventing businesses and directing innovation/new growth strategies. I think few people have heard of design strategy though they might already be doing something similar, perhaps under the name innovation strategy or product strategy.

Design Strategy is a process and approach for creating or re-inventing businesses and directing innovation/new growth strategies. I think few people have…

description

generator

kSwNn6qD4B-4HloWnWMUBWQNpBx2_mPi3nMqgsh6ato

google-site-verification

design, strategy, product, process, doing, innovation, heard, approach, creating, re-inventing, businesses, directing, innovation/new, similar, growth

keywords

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/Stef-design-strategy.jpg?mtime=1590784981

https://linkedin.com/company/delvedesign/

https://www.delve.com/insights/what-is-design-strategy-and-why-do-you-need-one

referrer

robots

twitter:card

twitter:creator

twitter:description

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/Stef-design-strategy.jpg?mtime=1590784981

twitter:image

twitter:image:alt

twitter:image:height

twitter:image:width

twitter:site

twitter:title

{"title":{"title":"What is design strategy and why do you need one? | Delve"}}

Privacy Policy

FCOI Policy

Services

Industries

Our Work

What We Do

About Us

Our People

Work at Delve

Newsroom

Who We Are

Boston

Madison

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Our Studios

Contact Us

Contact

Our experts do a lot of thinking. Here's the latest to unlock your potential.

latest, unlock, here's, potential, experts, thinking

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

What is design strategy and why do you need one?

What is design strategy and why do you need one?

Related Insights