We encourage all IDSA members, or anyone who would like to get involved in the publication, to help INNOVATION achieve these ambitions.
Our Invitation to You
While some publications cover business primarily, and others cover design for consumers and professionals, there are few places for us as professionals to share our insights into how we uncover successful innovation and design techniques. Since INNOVATION is in a unique role to bring state-of-the-art thinking to the profession, the coming issues will begin to highlight more real insights and shared studies. By observing processes in action, we can learn both the successful program outcomes as well as those that failed. We all know that learning occurs from our mistakes as much as from our successes. With this renewed focus, we want you to embrace this publication as your own, and we welcome your articles and content ideas. Your contributions will make for a richer and more connected interaction that all of us can benefit from. Consider INNOVATION an open forum for exploration and a source for colleague-to-colleague dialogue. For those who have not been part of the regular set of contributing authors, please think of this as a new opportunity for involvement.
New Frontiers
What a great time to have the opportunity to explore more depth in our profession and the role we play. The value of design and innovation to business and the market are no longer debated. Business publications around the globe have embraced the value of design’s contribution to competitiveness and basic business acumen. We are in a golden age where design has been recognized as a full-fledged partner in the businesses that have achieved world-class processes. What remains to be uncovered are the specifics. How are these processes managed? What are specific tools that we and our partners can use? What new ways of focusing on successful approaches are being uncovered? The “new” news is the knowledge and techniques that are emerging to manage innovation in deeper, more detailed ways and, at the same time, foster creativity rather than stifle it.
While most companies have applied many of the attributes of innovation and design, only a small percentage have learned the processes to incorporate them well in their daily practices. Moreover, the culture of innovation in a corporate environment is even more important to embrace, and to use naturally, constantly, and pervasively—not merely to pay homage to design and innovation, but to embody it throughout the corporation. The new frontiers in innovation are in the details, the processes, and the management of all its permutations. It is as much a frontier for CEOs, marketing professionals, and engineers as it is for designers, and new approaches to uncovering these tools are emerging now more than ever before.
Are there some things you’d like to see covered in future issues? Let us know. Just drop us a line at [email protected]