INNOLITERACYTM – From Design Thinking to Tangible Change encourages reflection and inspires you to embark on your next development or change project. Taking its flight from the idea that all change for the better–whether constituted by something entirely new or an improvement of something already existing – is innovation; the author takes us on a journey of all the considerations one ought to keep in mind before solving a problem or addressing a challenge. The overall message of the book is to allocate much more resources to the earliest phases of a project – to the fuzzy front end, where the problem is unveiled and understood, defined and challenged, and where the roadmap for how to replace the existing with something better is drawn.
These ideas are depicted in a process model inspired both by well-known, linear stage-gate models and design methodological and often much more organic models – merged into a process, where each singular element can be opted in or out, depending on the project. Its intention is not to replace, but rather, add a layer of considerations, which may strengthen and enhance the models or processes you already use. By applying some of the thinking presented in the book, it is quite likely that your development and change project will be just as efficient as they are today, but with more focus on reflection and framing, scoping and reframing, stakeholder engagement and prototyping – helping you to achieve the best possible end result.
INNOLITERACY talks to everyone who works with or has the overall responsibility for – even those who are just curious about – change and development processes, especially on how they are made more stakeholder-focused and how one makes sure that the real problem is addressed. And by spending time up-front to identify the most relevant problem to solve, the risk of the solution failing to resonate with its audience is minimized. The book is a series of reflections, experiences, observations, and anecdotes on the one hand and a guide to a better development process on the other, also referring to examples and case studies in addition to literature and research. Its mission is to inspire more meaningful and thoroughly framed problem solving to benefit us all, to allow for more reflection, both individually and as teams, and to make sure that we exploit all the knowledge and experience that we have direct access to, just by choosing a more inclusive and open innovation process.
Keywords
creativity, creative culture, cyclic and iterative, fuzzy front-end, Innovation, prototyping, reflection, risk management, stakeholder engagement, user-centered