What viewers want to see?

I´m excited to experience how widely Design Thinking processes and methods can be used! Provoke and Velvet defined a new television program for one of the biggest channels in Estonia. Viewer-centric approach was used to understand the needs of selected segments. Based on that insight we defined the concept, format, content, the key-people to run the show, visual identity for the studio and animation.

Workshop was carried out in an Open Innovation format to co-create the program together with all stakeholders - viewers, non-viewers, CEO, editors, marketing director, creative director and designers. Case study coming on January 2011!

Hannes.

Future foresight.

During the spring 2010 Hannes Seeberg from Provoke Tallinn was a core team member at creating four future scenarios for Estonian Growth Vision 2018. This future foresight project of Estonian Development Fund seeks to create a shared vision about the possible sources of economic growth for Estonia in the rapidly-changing world.

The "outside-in" scenarios were created together with 35 mapped experts and opinion leaders. Three workshops were hold by Global Business Network, who provided us valuable information about the key global driving forces, critical uncertainties and systemtic tools to create stories of four possible futures of Estonia. The results were presented to 150 deciders from the government and busienssisses on 6th of May at the Future Forums 3.

The scenarios were needed to understand, how external environment affects Estonia and where we choose to play. The vision for 2018, which acts as a strategic intent for socio-economic development, will be built on that insight and co-created together with Estonian citizens. Project is still on-going and will be ready by the end of this year.

Provoke will use these scenarios as a tool in creating future-oriented strategies and new values for Estonian organizations.

Read more:
Estonian Growth Vision 2018
Videocasts - Future Forums 3
Estonian Development Fund
Global Business Network

Design for behavior change.

Now this is interesting - I just read articles by IDEO and Frog Design where both of them are discussing about Design for Behavior Change as the new direction for design. I´ve been thinking about this too since Spring, but with one major difference. When IDEO´s stance is to create tools to help users solve their own problems via design, I am thinking how to create tools and methods to help users to understand the origin of their problems. This is why my question is set before the creation of new: what if there is no problem? What if users can realize that their real need is totally different? And what if solution is just a change in their own behavior?

The future is going to be different, since we will be challenged by many global and local forces that have an affect on the quality of our life. I see the advanced version of Design for Behavior Change to be an excellent mindset for healthcare, aging population and use of energy.

Read the articles here:
IDEO's Tim Brown on Using Design to Change Behavior

Frog Design: New Ideals for Design Research

Hannes.

Fast thinker.

Sometimes we have time for the extra fun and help out our friends. See the picture above - that´s Antti Rammo. He is a Formula Renault 2.0 driver from Estonia. And pretty fast one! :)

Provoke Tallinn shared design thinking tools to help Antti to differentiate from other professional drivers and define his own future. Based on that work, a person brand for himself and a business model for his racing company was born.

Season 2010 has already begun and there are 4 race weekends left. You will see him in Estonia on 9-10th July (Pärnu), in Finland on 13-14th August (Botniaring) and on 10-11th September (Ahvenisto), and the final battle will take place in Sweden on 1-2nd October (Mantorp).

Read more about Antti Rammo: www.anttirammo.com
Follow him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/anttirammo

Formula design by Velvet
Picture by Racefoto, Bengt-Åce Gustavsson

Design Thinking - again

I was interviewed for a magazine this month. I tried to open up ideas about service innovation instead of service design, about thinking outside the box, about end user value instead of solution/product/service-centric mindsets.

The article in Finnish.

New people joining the Provoke Strategic team

I am thrilled to announce that new professionals are joining our multi-disciplinary Strategic team. The team has been busy with helping companies and the public sector in creating user-driven innovation models.
The core idea behind the projects is applying Design Thinking into building communities. We have already built several innovation communities for leading companies in co-operation with our network.

For many, it is not about service design - it is about new open service innovation models. I see these projects as a positive sign - maybe even the end of inside-out innovation.

Services become products, products become services and it all becomes solutions. To build solutions, one must understand the usage and the needs. This requires new ways to innovate.

Mikko

Friends working together.

Since beginning of the Spring, Provoke Tallinn is located inside of the creative house of Niine 11 (see the map) - our partner Velvet is sharing their work space with us.

Velvet (www.velvet.ee) is an award-winning Estonian design, branding and advertising agency who´s clients are public organizations and the biggest companies. Velvet Creative Alliance containes 8 companies varying from graphic design,animation, internet marketing to IT solutions, professional photography and production.

We have been good partners since 2008 and soon we are about to start offering joint service products to our customers. More info coming soon!

Provoke Tallinn´s contact information stays same:

Tel. +372 53 333 588

New address:

Provoke Tallinn OÜ

Niine 11

10414 Tallinn

Estonia

Design Thinking in Finland.

Video of the presentation by Mikko Kämäräinen, CEO of Provoke, about the changing role of design and Design Thinking in Finland. Presentation was held at the Estonian Development Fund in Tallinn, on 19th March 2010.

The Estonian Development Fund was created by the Estonian Parliament with the purpose of initiating and supporting changes in the Estonian economy and society that would accelerate modernisation of Estonian economic structure, lead to growth in exports and contribute to creating new jobs requiring high qualifications.

See the video here:
http://www.arengufond.ee/videocasts/videocast1622/

Interested to know about Design Thinking in Business?

Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland - May 5th and 6th, 2010.

Anyone interested in how Design Thinking in business context should join.

http://taydennyskoulutus.taik.fi/taik/koulutukset/530027.html

Seeking a multidisciplined group of participants who want to familiarize themselves with the notion of Design Thinking and want to find a new approach to generating and developing new ideas by learning to apply design thinking in their business.

The training program consists of a 2,5 day intensive workshop with lectures and group work. Through this training you will gain an insight into what Design Thinking can signify and have in it for you and your organization. This you can apply directly to your work with your team and co-workers.

The program is run by professor Peter McGrory and Provoke CEO Mikko Kämäräinen.

The Changing Role of Design

Design has become an important strategic instrument in user-driven innovation policy. 

The Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE) has published a study of how the role of design is changing in Finland. The study was created by Provoke's strategics team during the second half of 2009.

The study can be downloaded from www.tem.fi:
http://www.tem.fi/?s=3372
Right side: TEMin tilaama selvitys; Muotoilun muuttunut rooli (helmikuu 2010)

(In Finnish).