Strategic design
Strategic design applies design methods to guide decisions about the future of an organisation, its offerings and its relationships
What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.
What it is and how it works
It brings together research, understanding of the system, generation of alternatives and experimentation. It helps connect people's needs with business capabilities and objectives. Its outcomes can be principles, scenarios, models or experiences that allow better-founded decisions.
Frequently asked questions about Strategic design
What is the difference between strategic design and design thinking?
Strategic design focuses on the decisions that guide an organization and the conditions for putting them into practice. Design thinking provides an approach to exploration and experimentation that can be used within that work. They are not mutually exclusive categories: the relevant difference lies in the scope of the decision, the responsibilities involved and the continuity of its implementation.
When should a company apply strategic design?
When the problem cuts across several areas, there are options that are hard to compare, or the initial solution may be masking a different need. For example, in a hypothetical case, a drop in sign-ups might require reviewing the offering and operations, not just the form. If the task is well defined and only requires executing a known solution, a broad strategic exploration may add little.
What does an organization need to get value from strategic design?
It needs a real decision to work on, access to evidence and the involvement of those who can drive change. It must also be able to compare options and accept that research may challenge the initial brief. Without the capacity to decide, test or coordinate across areas, maps and scenarios can end up as mere documents. Agree from the outset what uncertainty is to be reduced and who will use the results.